In deep water...

When I was 25, I awoke one morning to discover I’d magically morphed overnight into a weathered old woman. It wasn’t some odd remake of Freaky Friday, either.

The puffy bags under my eyes were so big they could have doubled as emergency flotation devices. My skin resembled the driest part of a Siberian desert at the peak of drought season.

For a 25 year old, this was a shock – shouldn’t I have the peachy, glowing skin of well, a 25 year old?

I retraced my steps and here’s where I hit ‘Stumbling Block 1’. The total inability to actually retrace my steps. Too many cocktails, too little sleep and (here’s where Agatha Christie made the discovery) – no water in days.

I was high-tailing it around London in a frightening state of dehydration, none the wiser.

The only water I drank was in a cup of Tetley’s and… well, vodka and soda has water in it, right?

Before I even start reviewing anything you put on your skin, consider for a moment the effects even mild dehydration has on your overall fabulousness.

Research has shown about ¾ of all Aussies are “chronically dehydrated” – which means we’re plodding through life with slightly fuzzy-thinking, mildly depressed, with a 3% slower metabolism and daytime fatigue.

A little story: I did a makeup trial on a lovely bride-to-be who had spent close to $500 on pre-wedding facials. She was lamenting the dry and dull state of her skin. She was in her late twenties but could have passed for much older.

I asked her how much water she drinks – and bride-to-be stared back, blankly. Without flinching she told me she had not drank water. For 2 whole years.

She survived on fizzy drinks, coffee and wine. Consequently, no matter how many luminising and hydrating products I used on her, her skin looked a bit like a Hobbit's heel.

Unless she got cosy with water, the bride was only ever going to look just a teeny bit mummified.

Before my water-loving days I had persistent eye bags, despite slathering on the eyecream every morning. Oddly dull skin, no matter how much I invested in expensive scrubs. Even after 8 hours sleep on clean sheets, a girlfriend commented I looked 'freakin exhausted'.

I’m not pretending I’m now a water-guzzling saint. Sometimes I go days on just a few glasses and the results are simple: I look really bad.

So before anything else, start with the basics. Your skin will say thank you.

Bottoms up!



~ Rosie x