We often think of our face alone as the focus in our skincare routines, but the skin below and beyond needs love and attention too. Our facial serums and creams can also be used on the neck, décolletage and shoulders. Extending the use of your facial products in this way actually has a name, the French Face, because French women have always seen this as part of their daily self-care ritual.
For those of us here in New Zealand, it is even more important to include these areas. The neck, décolletage and shoulders are exposed to almost the same amount of UV as the face, but often without the same considerations or protections. As such, the décolletage is often one of the first areas of skin to show our age, in the form of dryness, wrinkling, and pigmentation - all direct results of sun exposure on top of our intrinsic ageing process. And often, without any of the topical support we offer the skin of our face.
When applying product to the neck, use gentle upward sweeping motions. Be sure to use enough product that your hands glide smoothly. More product isn’t always better in terms of efficacy, but you need to allow enough to do the job. Patchy applications won’t yield the results you’re looking for.
My favourite products to extend beyond the face have to be any of our phytonutrient glow potions combined with Distilled Rose Serum. On drier days I might use a little more Rose Serum in the mix, or when my skin is feeling more stressed I might use a few extra drops of glow potion, and I’ll follow up with Restore night cream - sometimes just on my neck and décolletage, not my face. There’s no OSFA approach to skincare. We all have differing needs, and those needs can change from day to day. Investing in good quality, flexible products is a must. The next step is learning how to listen to what your skin needs on any given day.
Consider adopting the French Face, and extend your daily routine to these neglected areas and reap the benefits of softer, smoother, healthier skin.
