Kate OBrien - The Ultimate 4-Week Skin Care Plan: Natural Masks, Exfoliating Scrubs, Spa Treatments, Juices, and Nutrient-Rich Foods

Kate OBrien has dedicated many years to seeking the soundest skin care advice and writing about it in various publications worldwide. With professional qualifications in both nutrition and cosmetic science, and having interviewed some of the worlds leading cosmetic scientists, dermatologists and skin care manufacturers, she knows what works for skin at every age and stage of life.

Kate contributes to numerous magazines and is the author of Your Middle Years: Live Them, Love Them, Own Them with Paula Mee and SLOW Life . She is also co-author of Balancing Senses: The Six Senses Spa Book ; Spa Style Asia Pacific: Therapies , Cuisines, Sp as; Spa Style Arabia: Therapies, Cuisines , Spas; Spa Chic; Eco Chic ; and Qi! Chinese Secrets of Health, Beauty & Vitality (with Troy Sing). She lives in Dublin with her husband and three children.

Gill Books

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Kate OBrien 2018

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Photography by Rob Kerkvliet of A Fox in the Kitchen

First Skyhorse Publishing edition 2020

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Daniel Brount

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5525-3

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5526-0

Printed in China

NATURE GIVES YOU THE FACE YOU HAVE AT TWENTY; IT IS UP TO YOU TO MERIT THE FACE YOU HAVE AT FIFTY.

COCO CHANEL

TO ALL WOMEN ON THEIR JOURNEY TO GLOW. ITS THE ONLY SKIN WE HAVE, SO LETS MAKE THE BEST OF IT.

This book would not have happened without the patience of my supportive family, Mike, Liam, Raif and my immensely talented foodie daughter Maya Duncan (15), who brought many of these recipes to life and who, in all honesty, sweated the hard stuff in the kitchen ensuring the recipes look and taste as delicious and healthy as they sound.

To Alexandra Soveral and her delightful team at Alexandra Soveral London for their contribution and ongoing support. Thanks to Melissa Sansone and Dr Gross Skincare who helped my skin GLOW during my own four weeks to radiant skin. Also to the kombucha queen Dearbhla Reynolds and seaweed expert Prannie Rhatigan for your expert contributions.

Thanks to Orla Neligan, Clare Wilkinson and photographer Rob Kerkvliet, who shared their creative expertise and helped keep me sane through the days of shooting (Clare, your blackberry rose kombucha is fab!). Jaclyn Visbeen, you are amongst the very few who bring out the best of me on camera!

Finally, thanks to the hugely supportive team at Gill Books, especially Sarah Liddy, Catherine Gough, Teresa Daly and Ellen Monnelly, who were ever-present and helpful along the way.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Skin is a powerful outward expression of what is happening inside, with that elusive healthy glow being utterly dependent on internal balance in the body. This equilibrium can be assured with The Ultimate 4-Week Skin Care Plan. This comprehensive guide cuts through the misinformation, offering scientifically grounded facts about how skin really works at a cellular level to help you create strong new foundations for better skin for life.

This step-by-step guide is designed to be followed for four weeks for optimum results, with simple meal planners, easy-to-follow shopping lists and more than sixty fresh, tasty and seasonal recipes that dont require a science degree or chefs hat to prepare. Most important, the meals taste delicious from Salted Caramel Smoothie Bowl and Citrus Turmeric Salmon to vibrant Nachos with a Twist and an autumnal Root Veggie Bowl, and lots more in between.

Each week focuses on a different aspect of skin care, from cleansing and exfoliating to healing, nourishing/balancing and ultimately the GLOW, with simple tried-and-tested recipes and corresponding skin masks and scrubs. This said, there is no pressure to prepare these, as plenty of great skin care products are available on the market. However, if you really want to make a difference to the health of your skin, you need to ensure that the products you use are packed with active skin goodness, and this book outlines exactly what you need at various stages of your life and why you need them too.

With the latest statistics from the Global Wellness Institute (2017) showing that beauty is the goliath of the global wellness industry, accounting for US$1 trillion of its US$3.7 trillion, this book could not be more timely. The trend for juices, beauty drinks and supplements is at an all-time high, fuelled by the concept of beauty from within. Almost every kitchen has a stylish blender and almost every woman is worried about how she looks and how the passing years and toxic load of daily life are impacting her skin. She wants her best skin and she wants it now . She wants to use more natural and organically produced products but doesnt know which to choose and if truth were told, shes not really sure what she needs in the first place. She researches as best she can but panics when shopping for skin care, as it all becomes so confusing!

Having dedicated many years to seeking the soundest skin care advice and writing about it in various publications worldwide, I have been fortunate to interview some of the worlds leading cosmetic scientists and dermatologists, as well as prominent skin care manufacturers and celebrities. And the prized nuggets of information gleaned from them, in conjunction with my professional qualifications in both nutrition and cosmetic science, have resulted in this revitalising skin-centric GLOW plan. I am immensely passionate about natural products, especially oils, and am fortunate to have sampled the best and the very mediocre rest. I know what works for skin of every age and stage in life, and I am very proud that, finally, I can share the knowledge I have accrued over the past fifteen years here in these pages. This said, what I am not, and could never claim to be, is an expert cook. All of the recipes in the plan, without exception, are easy to cook and most are relatively quick to prepare too, which is essential given the chaotic pace of life today. This plan is not about deprivation, nor is it a diet book. In fact, the word diet doesnt even deserve a mention. As you will see, there are no calorie counts in the recipes. All of this is deliberate, as I firmly believe that the current focus on dieting is leaving many well-intentioned people fixated on counting calories and not enjoying the food they are eating. The recommended foods and recipes in this plan are designed to give your skin the fuel it needs to repair, nourish and truly glow and to give your body the energy and nutrition it needs to thrive.