With the gyms finally reopening, it’s important to remember to take care of your skin.

Skincare before and after your workout is more vital than you may think. We have collated the top skincare tips for pre- and post-workout.

Pre-workout skincare tips

Pre-workout skincare is all about keeping it simple. You’re about to sweat, so you won’t need to use any heavy creams or serums. Cleansing the skin is the first step for pre-workout skincare. Whether you’re wearing makeup or not, washing the face is crucial before working out so that your complexion is clean. Washing off skincare products that include active ingredients such as AHA’s or using an acne cream with benzoyl peroxide is vital. Sweat will mix with these ingredients, causing the skin to become irritated and red. Using a calming cleanser such as the Kate Sommerville DeliKate Soothing Cleanser will stop this issue from arising.

Finish by applying to the skin a light moisturiser such as the Ren Clean Skincare Glow Daily Vitamin C Gel Cream. Gentle and irritation-free, this moisturiser will brighten up your complexion so you can feel confident in your skin at the gym.

If you can, try to skip wearing makeup during exercise. Makeup can stop your skin from being able to breathe while exercising and clog up the pores. However, if wearing makeup is a must, keep reading for makeup products that are perfect for working out.

£ 38

REN Glow Daily Vitamin C Gel Cream

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£ 34

Kate Somerville DeliKate Soothing Cleanser

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Post-workout skincare tips

Wash the sweat off after working out to prevent breakouts with a gentle cleanser such as the Elemis Superfood Facial Wash. Gel cleansers are powerful and reduce surface oil which is great post-workout. This cleanser will feel like a green smoothie for your face, leaving your skin feeling fresh. Cleansing the face after a workout is vital whether you have makeup on or not.

Toning is another post-workout skincare step. Toner is a way to thoroughly get rid of excess dirt and oil. If you’re in a rush after the gym and need something quick, try the Pixi Glow Tonic To-Go pads. They are the travel-friendly versions of the acid toner from Pixi and the perfect size for your gym bag. These pads have been pre-soaked in a brightening solution that will quickly eliminate dead skin cells post-workout.

Hydration is crucial post-workout. After exercising, the skin might be a little dehydrated so, it’s important to use hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid. Moisturise the skin with a lighter moisturiser such as the Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream. Not only does it contain three different molecular sizes of hyaluronic acid, but it also attracts moisture from the atmosphere, keeping the skin continually hydrated. This level of hydration is just what the skin needs after exercising.

£ 42.95

Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream

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£ 28

Elemis Superfood Facial Wash

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£ 20

Pixi Glow Tonic To-Go pads

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Exercise friendly makeup

Going bare faced to the gym isn’t for everyone. That’s okay! If you wish to wear a full face of makeup, pick lightweight products. A tinted moisturiser is the best choice for a good amount of coverage yet remaining light on the skin. The Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturiser is a great option for this look. Choose a water-resistant mascara to avoid it smudging around the eyes. The Glossier Lash Slick is light on the eyes and water-resistant.

Try out makeup specifically for exercise, such as CliniqueFIT. Clinique created this sports-friendly makeup line so that the makeup will not block the pores while exercising. The products in the ClinqueFIT line won’t irritate the skin when exercising either. Ensure you wash off the makeup once you have worked out to clear the sweat and dirt that has built up during exercise.

£ 14

Glossier Lash Slick

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£ 30

Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturiser

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£ 45.60

CliniqueFIT Workout Makeup Broad Spectrum

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Words By Eleanor Coleman

The post The Gyms Are Opening! Skincare Tips For Pre and Post Workout appeared first on Voir Fashion.

It is now 2020 and the word ‘restriction’ isn’t something we women with an independent nature deal well with. We don’t need no man holding us down, much like we don’t need no gym membership holding us down. Voir fashion is partnering with Auro, the genius app on a mission to improve your self-confidence (and booty).

The app offers Over 400+ workouts for all fitness levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced), from HIIT and spin to yoga and stretches. The workouts, designed to be done at home, in the gym or even outdoors. It’s the ‘friends with benefits’ of fitness; all the motivation without the strings attached.

We’ve got Janine George (@missjaninegeorge), group exercise instructor, personal trainer and the woman behind the voice on many of the workouts on Auro to spill the ‘T’ on booties, cheat days, and the fridge contents that give you abs you could grate cheese on.

1). What made you get into fitness?

I’ve always been doing something active, from the age of three I’ve been a gymnast, a swimmer, involved in athletics. I’ve always visited the gym after work to get my dose of fitness as a stress reliever. It made me feel good about myself and I was pleased with the results, so professionally it just made sense.

2). What is in your fridge right now?

At the moment I have celery, hummus (such a great snack!), oat milk, almond milk, lemons and dates; that keeps me going.

3). Cheat days? What’s your opinion?

Cheat days are VERY necessary. We go through a lot of stress throughout the week, it’s nice to be human again for a day or two.

4). What do you eat on your cheat days?

I like to eat pizzas; I’m currently opting for vegan pizzas these days. What I would suggest when you have a cheat day is to try not to go crazy with what your consuming and try and stick within the realm of the calorie intake that you’re supposed to be consuming on that particular day.

5). How long does it take to build a perfect booty?

I would say at least two months after starting a glute programme, you’ll start to feel your glutes firing up very hard during all the types of exercise that you perform. Definitely leave room aside for twelve weeks as a baseline to get accustomed to the programme your trainer has provided you with.

7). Is there a certain food that will assist you to reach your goal faster?

Always make sure your food has nutritional value. Make sure it has the micronutrients, the macronutrients, the fats the carbs, the vitamins the minerals. You want to make sure that you are consuming enough calories with your workload, that it’s nutritional and it’s fuelling your work out and obviously your recoveries also.

8). Are there different exercises for the different areas of the booty?

Yes! You can focus on glute dominant exercises. There are exercises that are more quad dominant like squats, hip dominant which would be your deadlifts, straight leg hip dominant which would be a cable kickback, more hamstring dominant which would be a hamstring curl (hamstring curls are so great).

9). Do the exercises differ depending on the body type?

Yes, there are three main body types; ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. The ectomorph needs to focus more on calorie intake, resting for longer periods. You need to minimise your cardio because you tend to have a body type that is very slim and lean, so you really want to be consuming more calories and focusing on building strength. The mesomorph is in the middle, they’re more athletic and can gain muscle easily, so you might want to target a particular area twice or three times a week. The endomorph has a slow metabolism, giving a slighter ‘softer’ figure. They may want to be focusing on more high intensity or longer distance training and more cardio. By all means, every single one of those body types will benefit from strength-based training.

10). Do different exercises give you different results?

Strength training will help you to burn calories a lot quicker and burn body fat. I wouldn’t worry so much about checking the scales because muscle weighs more than fat. Really start looking at yourself in the mirror and see how your body is adapting and changing throughout the process.

11). Is there anything that can hinder the results of working out

Definitely your nutrition and level of consistency you are putting into your work and the discipline. If you have been given a programme and your trainer has said stick to it, there is a reason why they have given you that programme, so if you decide to have 3 cheat days, the scales are not going to go the way we want them to go.

12). Is it true that squats are the ultimate booty work out?

No, the hip thrusters are the best for targeting your glutes. As you rise up you’ve got better contraction there and they work more effectively.

So, there you have it, a fridge full of hummus and an exercise routine full of hip thrusts, what are you waiting for!

Auro have created 5 workouts (especially for us), to firm up those stubborn problem areas and plump up that booty. Head over to the Auro website to start your 14-day free trial today.

Interview and words by Ella Winfield

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post Booties and Cheat Days: Voir Teams up With Auro to Give You the Fitness Low-Down appeared first on Voir Fashion.

January. Cold, bleak, dull. Not the most inspiring conditions for that ‘new year health kick’ we’ve all been planning since purchasing the first Terry’s chocolate orange of the festive season. What is even less inspiring is when you find yourself in the middle of January, you hop on the scales ready for them to tell you you’ve dropped a stone and the number is two pounds less than it was.

After practically surviving on dust for two weeks, whilst begrudgingly forcing yourself to peel yourself out of your nice cosy bed at stupid-o-clock to awkwardly perch your bum on an uncomfortably hard bicycle seat whilst someone yells at you to ‘PEDAL FASTER, PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN’ under the (quite frankly) irritating flashing lights and overwhelmingly loud pumping music of the spin studio, whilst reassuringly reminding you that ‘WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER’.

After the two weeks of hell you’ve put yourself through…TWO POUNDS!

The novelty of re-inventing yourself as one of those people who gets up at 4am to fit in the time to 1. Exercise and 2. Muster up the motivation to convince yourself you want to exercise has just about worn off by now. Is your body filled with a surge of pure heart-sinking dread when you are rudely awoken by the irritating trill of your alarm named ‘GYM!!! (bicep emoji, bicep emoji)?

Do you find yourself really needing to organise the contents of your fridge in alphabetical order, having to rip your loo roll into individual pieces and realising the importance of organising that pack of cheerios into lights, mediums and darks; all a subconscious effort to justify not going to exercise?

Do you have to physically restrain yourself from leaping off your bicycle seat and punching your spin instructor every time he has the NERVE to shout at you to ‘TURN THAT RESISTANCE UP’?

Then you, my friend, have a bad case of the ‘mid-January slump’ (technical term). And we have the cure. Well, technically we don’t have the cure, YouTube does. The humble YouTube video has helped us through many problems’ life throws at us; from how to do the perfect winged liner to how to twerk. And now it is going to help you get over your case of the ‘January slump’.

YouTube is brimming with thousands of dance-based exercise videos. Everything from Broadway-themed cardio dance routines from Joseph Corella to Leilah Isaac’s Belly dance fitness cardio fat burn. You no longer have to mortify yourself in the sweaty, red-faced dash from the class studio to the changing rooms past the weights section (obvious reasons).

Cancel that fitness membership that is draining your bank account and soul, and exercise in the comfort and privacy of your own home. You need that feeling of dread you now associate with exercise to simply evaporate away to enable you to enjoy it again.

So, if you fancy strutting and sashaying your way off the sofa (whilst burning up to 400 calories every half hour), here are our top three YouTube Channels that will definitely make you sack the slump.

1). The Fitness Marshall

2). MYLEE Dance

3). Hip Shake Fitness

Words by Ella Winfield

Graphics by Araceli Alonso

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The post The ‘January-Slump’ Cure! appeared first on Voir Fashion.