Ever Tried The 5:2 Skin Diet?

Admittedly, it's a weird name for a beauty routine! You may have heard of the 5:2 Diet. It involves eating a low calorie diet for 5 days, followed by 2 days of eating whatever you like. Well, the 5:2 Skin Diet is the cosmetic equivalent - it involves dividing your make up routine in two. You can wear make up for 5 days, followed by going 2 days make up-free. That said, the going make up-free bit doesn't mean you can't put anything on your face. You should still religiously apply a moisturiser suited to your skin type during these two days. No make up is one thing, neglecting our skin by not hydrating it is another. The aim? To give our skin a break, so it can breathe and regenerate without being overloaded by polluting chemicals that may be present in our make up.

The 5:2 Skin Diet works as a detox that will improve our skin. "Avoiding make up for two days in a row each week allows our skin to purge itself of harmful substances, such as toxins and pollutants present in our make up", says Indie Lee, the professional make up artist behind the idea. Taking a make up break can, for example, help regulate sebum levels and in turn improve minor skin conditions (spots or blackheads) that have been caused by toxins in our daily make up. Even if we carefully cleanse morning and night, traces of make up can remain on our skin. By giving our skin a breather, its cells have the time to renew, thereby avoid imbalances and improving the quality of our epidermis.

Well, the jury's still out... Some experts don't believe that two days is enough for cell renewal to take place, whilst others say that adequate cleansing will remove all toxins from our skin. The latter don't believe that two make-up free days will resolve any skin problems, but do admit that allowing it to breathe can only be beneficial. So, whether it works or not, it's safe to say that the 5:2 Skin Diet doesn't do us any harm. And it certainly doesn't damage our skin in any way!