The Murads come to London!

I can hardly believe that it has been a whole year since I last heard skin genius Dr Howard Murad and his son Jeff speak about skincare and healthy living. Last year we were in the Mayfair Hotel but this year, things took a more scientific lean and the venue changed to 41 Portland Place and the Academy of Medical Sciences.

I really like the Murad approach to skincare, with ‘Youth building’ and ‘Inclusive health’ philosophies being the brand’s ultimate goal. Dr Murad makes things seem so much simpler than other fact-filled skincare brands – you always get the impression that they are trying to blind you with science, with making a sale being their target. Dr Murad breaks things down into terms which are easily understandable, and actually really inspirational. After a stressful week at work, a pep talk from Dr Murad was exactly what I needed. Here are the three key steps to a healthy, happy life (and great skin) according to the good Doctor:

1. “Wear your crown. You are the most important person to you. You should feel worthy to be wearing your crown”.

2. “Eat your water”. As well as drinking it, eat foods which have high water content. That way, your skin gets all of the good nutrients too. Pass the watermelon.

3. “Wear sunscreen all the time”

I was lucky enough to try out YouthCam, a ‘state-of-the-art skin analysis system featuring DermaDiagnose. This basically involves having a photo taken of your face and then having the results analysed. My results were surprisingly good, I was especially chuffed with the 77% hydration result. There is a machine at the Murad counter in House of Fraser on Oxford Street so I’m going to go back make-up free to check the results after using the Radiance Rescue Murad Christmas kit for a week or two.  I’ll let you know how I get on. You should try it too. The Murad counter is at the front on the ground floor, next to Christian Dior’s. After trying it, I also highly recommend a Murad facial (which you can also have in House of Fraser) – it left me looking and feeling like a new woman. I was definitely ‘wearing my crown’ afterwards!

Here are some more good tips I picked up from Dr Murad and his product-guru son Jeff:

Build muscle- muscles have more water than fat

Use SPF but anti oxidants are just as important

Eat beans, salmon

Take fish oil tablets and vitamin D

“Give yourself permission to be happy in what you eat. If you splurge once in a while, it's good for you. Before there was medicine there was food and before there was food there was chocolate”

Write down three things which were positive at the end of the day and write down everything you have to do the next day

Some Murad skincare tips:

Cleanse before bed

Toners are important

Moisturisers add water to skin, not oil

Use anti ageing products

Eat your water-fruit and veg. The more colourful the better

Exfoliate twice a week

Relax. Stress ages you. Be imperfect, live longer. Get enough sleep

Make your life more simple

You are what you eat

Smile-make your heart happy. Think positively - why have a bad day when you can choose to have a good day

Basically, my faith in Murad products knows no bounds and there are lots more I am excited about trying now, namely:

Active Radiance Serum (this has been recommended for the spots on my neck)

Blemish and Wrinkle Reducer (ditto this)

Clarifying body spray (as well as the neck spots, I also suffer with the occasional back/chest breakout too, I’m really hopeful this is going to help)

As usual, I will keep you updated with my ongoing quest for perfect skin. From Monday I am going to start ‘eating my water’, trying to reduce my stress levels and, most importantly, start ‘wearing my crown’ again. I do love a fresh start.