In this whirlwind of people arriving and departing we can probably detect where they are from, but it is not so easy to work out their approach to beauty care!

Although trends are becoming more and more universal, thanks to the way the new technologies unite the world with a single click, there are distinct differences in beauty care. These are not as insignificant as one might expect. For example, tests and studies reveal that Europe and the United States show the highest consumption of anti-ageing cosmetics. In Asian countries, fighting pigmentation spots plays a fundamental role in beauty care. European women are much more practical and give priority to a versatile product which, if possible, treats all the signs of ageing. It is therefore possible to find various products on the market that are intended for overall anti-ageing care. How about Portuguese women? What are their concerns and how do they behave in terms of beauty? The first word that springs to mind is wrinkles, but this is not actually the case. In fact the major national poll on beauty habits conducted by Clinique and Eurosondagem in 2007 revealed that the main skin problem for Portuguese women was age spots (28.7%), ahead of the (inevitable) lines and wrinkles (24.8%).

This concern, which affects women of all ages and ethnicities, may seem strange at first but it is less so when we consider the sun that Portugal is lucky enough to be blessed with almost all year round. So in order to prevent the “cursed” age spots, sunscreen must come top of the list for any woman, whether Portuguese or not.

Whatever your nationality (or sex) it is important to bear this concern in mind and use adequate sunscreen throughout the year, come rain or come shine. If you do not already do so, think now about starting to use a daily face cream with a high sun protection factor and thus ensure effective protection against UVA and UVB rays. You can also, if you wish, continue to use your daily moisturiser and apply a sunscreen above or below it. As to the order in which you apply both products, many specialists advocate applying the sunscreen first, especially when it is chemical. If it is chemical (i.e. contains either oxybenzone or avobenzone), it must be applied on clean skin so that it is absorbed efficiently by the skin and can produce all its effects in terms of protection. If the sunscreen is physical (i.e. contains titanium dioxide or zinc oxide), it can be used at the end, over the serum and cream.

Now that you have learned the tips it is time to put them in practice! Touch up on your sunscreen or, if you are not yet wearing one, take advantage of the last minutes before boarding to find the most suitable one for you in the airport Duty Free Store – Just For Travellers!

Because beauty care has no nationality!

Mónica Lice
Blogger and image consultant
Author of “Mini-Saia” (http://mini-saia.blogs.sapo.pt/)