When we think of fashion, we think of clothes, accessories, and shoes, but we seldom pause to think about how important it is to look good in the clothes you wear. We get so caught up in the designer’s name, the design, the colors, and the motif that we tend to get a little too abstract about fashion.

Imagine you’re a celebrity at the golden globe awards, and you are wearing a gorgeous outfit made by one of the top designers in the world. However, you look as if you haven’t slept in days and did your own hair in a hurry. Your haggard appearance will detract from your perfect outfit.

So it’s time we thought of fashion in a broader way: as not only the perfect outfit, but also the popular hairstyle, the beautiful skin, and the shapely body. There is a reason why the most beautiful women in the world are selected to be models. We don’t just want to buy their clothes; we want to buy the entire look-and-feel that goes with the clothes. In other words, beauty care and physical fitness should go hand-in-hand with a high sense of fashion.

Choose Natural Beauty Care Products

When it comes to beauty care, don’t be tempted by expensive advertising that sells high-end products loaded with ingredients that damage hair and skin. We’re talking about products that have parabens, synthetic colors, fragrance, phthalates, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, formaldehyde, and toluene. If you want to improve hair and skin, then use natural beauty products which provides effective aging benefits and holistically addresses all skin care concerns.

A Skin Care Routine

Once you’ve selected the best facial cleansers, exfoliants, toners, facial moisturizers, eye treatments, facial masks, sunscreens, and body moisturizers, you have to figure out a routine to make sure that you use them regularly.

Some reasons why women don’t stick with a beauty care routine is because they don’t fully understand the benefits of a particular routine and lose motivation. They also get overwhelmed by choices and have frantically busy lives.

The first step to overcoming these hurdles is to carefully choose your skin care products– understanding why you are using them, how to apply them properly, and when to apply them.

Next, create two routines: a basic routine and an advanced routine.

The basic routine will help you take care of your skin when on workdays when you are in a hurry. The advanced routine is what you can use when you have more time.

Here is how a basic routine might look:

In the morning: start with a cleanser, then use an exfoliant, and finish off with a moisturizer with sunscreen.

In the evening: start with a cleanser, then use an exfoliant, and finish off with a moisturizer without sunscreen.

Naturally, there will be variations to this template based on your skin type and the products you are using. You may not need to exfoliate daily, and you may have to use an eye cream instead of just relying on your moisturizer.

Advanced routines are necessary if you have specific skin problems like breakouts, uneven skin problems, large pores or wrinkles. If you have the time, you can do these daily, but if you don’t then use an advanced routine for when you do have more time.

Here is how an advanced morning routine might look: cleanser, toner, exfoliant, serum, moisturizer with sunscreen.

And here is how an advanced evening routine might look: cleanser, toner, exfoliant, serum, moisturizer without sunscreen.

A Hair Care Routine

Hair care, by comparison, is much easier. Here are a few guidelines to taking excellent care of your hair:

1. Frequency. Only wash hair once or twice a week. If you do it more often, your shampoo can strip the moisture out of your hair. This will be especially noticeable if you have curly hair.
2. Conditioning. After you wash your care, use a conditioner. If you have dry hair, then use argan oil or a leave-in conditioner.
3. Deep conditioning. Do a deep hair conditioning treatment at least once a week. Do this before you wash your hair. Deep conditioning will ensure that your curls remain bouncy or that your hair is smooth and silky.

A Body Care Routine

The staples of a healthy body are eating foods close to nature, staying hydrated, and getting enough exercise and rest. Let’s take a quick look at each one.

1. Foods. Choose Foods that are close to nature are organic fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, or those that have a minimal amount of preservatives or additives.
2. Water. Staying hydrated can be tricky but one rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink at least 75 ounces a day. Also, drink from a clean water source rather than one loaded up with chlorine and fluoride.
3. Exercise. Ideally, you should do strength and endurance exercises along with those that increase flexibility.
4. Rest. Get 8 hours if your body needs 8 hours. Don’t do 6 hours because you want to be productive. Choose the rest amount that your body needs. Some people need 10, others 6. Don’t try to alter your circadian rhythm. It seldom works.

The Complete Package

Fashion, beauty, and health are closely linked together. Mannequins may be used to display fashion in a store window, but in real life the person wearing the clothes makes all the difference.