Magic Tricks Three women on the secrets that upped their beauty game

“The magic began with my husband James, the wellness guru, dragging me to the health conference Revitalize, hosted by mindbodygreen, a cult of brilliant minds from the wellness industry. I saw men and women who were glowing from the inside out, and they slowly revealed their secrets. The trick was to cut all poisons out of the system – and the skin being your largest organ, that was a major part of it. For me, it didn’t really need a change in lifestyle: I still enjoyed a drink, but only natural wines; I ate like I did before, but only organic foods; my skincare regimen stayed the same, but I switched to all natural products with no parabens or preservatives. I think my wedding was a good indication that it worked – in the six months leading up to it, by just being more aware, I lost 15 pounds and had no more bloating, with radiant skin. It seemed effortless.”

“When I’m having trouble sleeping, I tend to go on a YouTube binge, usually on late-night shows or beauty tutorials – I love the ones from US Vogue. A lot of the celebs and women in the tutorials were using Beautyblenders, so I decided to get one last year and it’s changed my life. I’ve never found it easier to apply foundation and concealer – especially for the under-eye region. Hong Kong summers can get hot and sweaty, so starting with a primer for both eyes and face has also been a game-changer for me. My beauty hack for the perfect winged liner is actually what you use before it. For the face, I use Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, and for eyes bareMinerals Prime Time eyelid Primer.”

“My most recent beauty discovery is acids. For the last year or so, I’ve been getting really into science-y sounding skincare with things like alpha hydroxy acids and hyaluronic acid appearing in almost every step of my skincare routine. One step in my – admittedly tedious – night-time ritual is the use of a serum with a blend of glycolic and lactic acids to smooth out the surface of my skin. If you’re new to acids, I’d definitely recommend starting out with an exfoliating acid that contains any of the AHAs or BHAs. Then, just like me, you’ll sound really smart – and have glowing skin at the same time!”