Front and centre
Taryn de Vere’s daughter experiences severe dry and sensitive skin working on the frontline, and her son has eczema. Here she tells us about adding animal allergies to the mix!
As a mum of five children, in a house of animal allergies, asthma, and eczema, the last thing we needed was a cat. But during the first lockdown, someone dumped three cats and ten kittens on our country lane here in Donegal. One by one, the cats and kittens were caught by my neighbours and taken in. One mangy sad looking cat with only half its fur was left and my daughter decided that our house would be a refuge for that cat, which she named Caramel. A year later and the cat is plump, content and covered in soft fur - the happiest cat you’ll ever see. The rest of us are managing having an animal that we are allergic to live with us by using occasional antihistamines, regular vacuuming, and good skincare. My initial plan had been to send her to the animal re-homing shelter when it re-opened, but by that time, we were all so in love with Caramel that there was no chance of us giving her up.
We then rescued another cat who turned up in our lives unexpectedly. When I took her to the vet, we were told she was pregnant and due any day. We now have six cats living in our house, outnumbering us humans significantly! Possibly due to all the cats, my teenage son developed an eczema rash on his face, an unfortunate place for anyone, let alone a teenager. I used the Relizema cream on him and his rash cleared up within four days, we were both delighted.
Since I now have a good stock of Relizema products in my house, I’ve found them invaluable for everything from eczema to sunburn. Recently my daughter, who works in Galway hospital as a frontline worker, came home to Donegal for a visit and I noticed her skin was in bits. Her wee hands were destroyed by the constant washing and sanitising. She had dry patches and peeling skin on her hands. Her hands looked so sore. She said the worst part was the sanitisers stinging her hands. Like any mother, I wanted to find a way to heal her fast. While she was here for the weekend, we slathered her hands in Relizema ultra hydrating lotion every chance we got. By the time she left, her hands had healed over and were in much better shape. I sent her off to Galway with a large bottle of Relizema ultra hydrating lotion to use every day after work. The RELIFE products have now helped every member of my family. The Relizema ultra hydrating lotion has become part of my nightly routine.
Nadine Reid is a model, makeup artist and influencer and sea swimmer! She shares her top tips to keeping skin healthy and hydrated.
As a make-up artist in London and Paris I have worked on lots of models and celebrities. I have created looks for high-end fashion shows, working on multiple models under intense time-pressure. The only thing that the celebrities and models had in common was how different everyone’s skin was! It can be a real challenge to create a beautiful make-up look when someone has poor skin. I had to become an expert on how to make sad skin thrive, and quickly.
Working on fashion shows sometimes felt like a high-pressure competitive sport. I would try and get in early with the models so I could assess their skin. Backstage at fashion shows is so fast paced that before you know it, they would be called away for a fitting or to the hair team or you might lose them to a smoke break.
If a model was early or hanging around, I would ask them to sit down with me. I’d cleanse their skin, take away any make-up they had on and use the skills I learnt from a beauty therapist on how to massage products in a way that would relax the model while waking up the skin. During this time, my skin detective skills would be at work.
During my chats I’d assess their skin: I’d find out does the model have any oily or dry areas, does the skin need hydrating, any allergies or products they love or don’t love? Then I’d work out the appropriate skincare to suit their unique skin type.
The top tips I gave all my clients, from celebrities to brides, when I was working as a make-up artist were to drink lots of water throughout the day, wash your face twice a day, and that sleep is the best anti-ageing tool there is. As for products, use a good-quality serum, and don’t forget to moisturise the rest of your body. I prefer moisturising face washes so I really like the Relizema lipid-replenishing cleanser. It cools my skin and feels so hydrating. After swimming, my legs get quite dry so I use the U-Life 20 moisturising body cream. Those two are my favourites!
