A celebrity 'skin whisperer' shares her tips for looking after your complexion.

by Mamamia Team May 24, 2015

Over the years, I’ve been asked lots of questions about my skin routine – what products I use, what treatments work… Truthfully, I’m a bit hopeless.

I was blessed with a mother who was way ahead of her time and covered all of us in zinc cream well into our teens. She made daily sunscreen a habit from a young age. That stroke of luck, combined with her good DNA, has allowed me to put in minimum effort for last four decades.

These days I find my skin needs more, and by more, I mean it needs Melanie Grant. Melanie is the owner and founder of the Double Bay Clinic , an advanced skin care centre which specialised in high-level treatments, appearance medicine and nutrition. Melanie is the single best thing I’ve done for my skin because she’s all about non-invasive, glow inducing, texture-refining treatments and simple, effective home care.

She gets that most of us are time-poor, lazy and have a budget. My skin goal is to where little or no foundation and she gets me in and out in under half an hour.

Melanie and some of her celeb clients: (from left) Ruby Rose, Lara Bingle, Nicole Warne and Nicole Trufino. (Image via Instagram/MelanieGrantDBC)

Melanie is the magic behind some of Australia’s best complexions – Lara Bingle, Jessica Gomes, Nicole Trunifo, Jessica Mauboy – but the best advertisement for Melanie’s skill is her own skin, which is wonderfully pale with a porcelain texture.

As soon as I met her, I knew I would do whatever she instructed. So far that’s paid off in spades, with my skin improving almost instantly under her care.

She’s also a mum of two, clever business women, supermodel (the Originals) obsessive and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Here, Melanie shares her top tips for healthy skin, the importance of good nutrition and her favourite two minute de-puff and glow trick.

What is the single most important thing a woman can do for her skin?

Take care of herself. Good skin really does come from within, so by eating well, getting enough sleep and keeping stress levels to a minimum you’re giving yourself the best chance at a great complexion.

What factors affect the skin most negatively?

Sun exposure, free-radical damage from smoking, drinking alcohol and processed food loaded with preservatives. Stress and hormonal imbalances impact ageing aggressively. (Post continues after gallery.)

The Glow teams favourite sunscreens

WOTNOT Sunscreen

What role does food play?

Food plays a massive role. Your skin will always affected by your health and lifestyle choices. Foods that are high in essential fatty acids such as avocado, salmon, nuts and seeds are great to feed the skin from within.

Flaxseed oil, fish oil, zinc, vitamin B and C and probiotics are my picks for complexion nutrition.

What does eating for your skin look like on a day-to-day basis?

Drink water.

I have a smoothie most mornings with banana, blueberries, coconut water, Udo’s oil and dates. For lunch, I usually have a salmon and pea salad or a kale and tuna salad with a soft boiled egg. Dinner is almost always fish with salad or vegetables. I also try and drink two litres of lemon infused water each day to flush out toxins from coffee and wine.

How important is sleep?

Very. Important. This is when the body and therefore the skin, repairs itself. The more sleep you get the more regeneration and repair for your complexion.

What skin-care products should you splurge on?

Splurge on serums. My favourites are Skinceuticals CE Ferulic Serum ( a high potency triple antioxidant serum) and SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum (a potent mixture of antioxidants and peptides), eye cream Results RX Eye Dr and a Clarisonic.

And where can we cut corners?

I believe it’s best to have a few great products rather than many cheap products. Having said that, I love Cetaphil Cleanser which is super inexpensive and a great product. There are many great cleansers and sunscreens that are inexpensive and do a great job. (Post continues after gallery.)

9 best budget facial cleansers.

Mario Badescu

Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel, $16

Iluka

Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser, $10.99,

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash, $16.95

Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser, $13.99

Model Co

Palmers Creamy Cleanser and Makeup Remover, $9.99

St Ives

Philosophy

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser,$30, http://www.theglow.com.au/glow-guide/philosophy-purity-made-simple-one-step-cleanser/