5 Well Kept Italian Beauty Secrets for La Dolce Vita

[By Isabella Ricci]

“At the dressing table, every woman has a chance to be an artist, and art, as Aristotle said—completes what nature left unfinished.”— Sophia Loren, Italian actress, beauty icon.

From the stunning architectural construction of their ancient duomi,musei and palazzi to the impeccable workmanship in handmade crafts and their exuberant flair for fine tailoring in fashion, it is clearly in their DNA for Italians to gravitate towards all things beautiful in life. Be it screen legend Sophia Loren, actress Monica Bellucci, supermodel Maria Carla Boscono, or your averagele donna italiana strutting across Piazza Di Spagna, there is something about Italian ladieswhich sets them apart from the rest. If you yearn for a taste of LaDolce Vita, emulate their unique Mediterranean style with these 5 well-kept beauty secrets that have been passed down from generation to generation, living vivaciously alla moda italiana.

Sun out must care

Unlike South Korean ladies who advocate total sun avoidance and living life like a vampire if possible, Italian girls won’t be denying themselves one of life’s simplest pleasure anytime soon. Afterall, how many can actually say no to the warmth that seductively caresses your skin under the Tuscan skies? But let’s get one thing straight, Italians are expert when it comes to enjoying a spot of eternal sunshine. Always armed with an oversized tote filled with ample sunscreen, water spray, oversized sunnies, wide brimmed sun hats and minimal clothing (as tan lies are sacrilegeous and absolutely déclassé to have), Italian ladies champion responsible sun exposure with adequate sun protection against the harmful effects of UV rays. The idea is to be luminous today, and not end up as an alligator Birkin tomorrow.

However, if the best of efforts couldn’t stop wrinkles, fine lines, sun spots and uneven skin tone from showing through in years to come, it is possible to reverse some of these damages and restore the youthfulness of aged skin with some form of resurfacing lasers. The FDA approved FraxelDUAL Laser governing the BB Aqua Touch treatment employs patented Fraxel® laser technology, the first and most extensively studied fractional resurfacing technique often hailed by experts as the gold standard for ultimate skin renewal. Engaged as the primary aesthetic procedure in the Baby Skin Program, this non-ablative laser can combat the unwanted signs of dermal aging or age-proof yourself by keeping them in check.

“The Thulium 1927nm wavelength is the feared nemesis of sun-induced superficial brown pigmentation such as sun spots, age spots and freckles, while the Erbium 1550nm wavelength can be used in selective cases to stimulate and speed up the remodeling of collagen for enhanced skin rejuvenation.” Further explains Dr. Toby Hui, senior medical consultant with the SW1 Clinic “Clinical studies suggest that for most patients looking for improved tone and reduction in prominence of wrinkles, fine lines and skin discoloration, satisfactory results can be attained after 4 to 6 sessions done consecutively at 4 to 6 monthly intervals.”

Read more: My Skin Renewal Laser Experience

Olive oil does it best

Often hailed as“liquid gold” not by virtue of its colour alone, olive oil has been revered since time immemorial for its outstanding culinary and health benefits. Not just a well known key ingredient that governs good Italian cuisine, olive oil is truly at the center of Italian life.Packing a ton of beauty benefits from anti-aging vitamin E and A to skin-nourishing polyphenols & phytosterols, and deeply-hydrating squalene, it is as much a staple in the powder room as it was on the dining table. The legendary silverscreen siren Sophia Loren was known for splashing olive oil not just onto her pizza but also over her body and into her baths. Italian bombshell Monica Bellucci remembers her mamma putting olive oil on the ends of her hair after a long, hot bath to maintain its healthy shine, a beauty ritual which she continue to observe, and had since passed on to her two bambini.

Glistening olive skin, red ruby lips and dark luscious locks forms a formidable trio that’s quintessentially Italiana. Every Italian girl takes pride in her dark, flowing tresses and why shouldn’t she? For a woman’s hair endorses both her femininity and sexuality, and is not called her ‘crowning glory’ for nothing. Italian women know not to over-wash their strands. Instead of stripping their locks out of important oils every time they step into the shower, they rely on products like dry shampoos to keep their manes clean and lively. Boldly experimental, with an inclination for changes that reflect their moods and perspectives to keep things afresh, the Italian girl embraces hairstyle changes over the boring signature look of a ‘one-trick-pony’.

Laser light therapy has gained recognition and became increasingly popular as a modality in the prevention and treatment of premature hair loss. The FDA approved Revage 670 Laser engaged in the Keramax Scalp Program is widely recognised as the gold standard to your follicular woes, rejuvenating thinning hair back to its former glory. With a total of 30 laser diodes, this state of the art system provides critical coherent beams as a direct source of laser light in a hood that goes over the scalp to ensure maximum laser energy contact over the area(s) to be treated. With its Rotational PhotoTherapy (RPT) system, Revage 670 maximizes stimulation of each hair follicle at a much higher level that sets its reliability and efficacy way above that of traditional hand-held lasers, working equally well for both men and women.

“Revage 670 is a low-level laser energy system that is safe and painless with absolutely no downtime.” Explains Dr. Toby Hui, senior consultant with the SW1Clinic (formerly from The Sloane Clinic). “It works by thickening fine, miniaturized hair, and is therefore highly suitable for women with diffuse thinning or general weakening; equally effective as a preventive measure to maintain the lushness of one’s crowning glory.”

Read more: 10 Reasons Your Hair Look Thin 

Chase the pantone rainbow

In a land where the city hall was designed by Michelangelo, who also gave the world all 17 feet of David and his unapologetic masculinity in full display, let’s just say that subtlety is hardly a virtue.A largely judgement free zone that do not follow trends nor play by rules, the Italian approach to beauty is amazingly liberating, allowing one to breathe easier when you lean into it.

Reflected in the style of top-notched Italian designers such as Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Emilio Pucci and even Miuccia Prada in recent years, minimalism is a strange sounding word in the vocabulary of the Italian girl. While the style advice championed by French women is to look in the mirror and remove one accessory before stepping out, le donna italiana looks in the mirror and put on another one, two or more! Less is just less and more is never enough, embrace every tenet of your femininity and allow yourself to indulge with wild abandon. If you live life big, bold and beautiful, chances are you’ll look that way too!

Read more: How to Look Amazing With Natural Makeup 

Eating real food, Mediterranean style

One of the fundamental aspects to everlasting beauty circles around your food consumption, and top grade nutrients needed to feed and boost the health of your skin, hair and nails can be found in abundance in true blue Mediterranean diet. Even when they come from a world’s leading fashion powerhouse, Italian women aren’t big on fad diets and do not share the obsession with carbs control as their American counterparts. They are less likely to count every calorie consumed or down meal replacement shakes. Instead, you’ll find them opting for a variety of real whole foods, enjoyed in controlled portions.

Vegetables and roots such as olives, tomatoes, garlic,aubergines, capsicums and arugula rocket that are rich in anti-oxidants, seafood choked with essential fatty acids and even cheese, chocolate and full cream milk are allowed. And we know how much the Italians love their red wines. Stick to the fundamentals of simple Italian cooking and you won’t go wrong. Even if it’s just pizza or pasta, make sure they’re cooked from scratched with the finest fresh ingredients, and not come out of a box frozen, processed and preserved.

Read more: Simple Ways to Stay Young  

Confidence is key for everlasting beauty

“It’s a lack of vanity that leads women in so many wrong directions in the quest for beauty. If you have a low opinion of your appearance, you are at the mercy of every shop girl and every hairdresser who would give you a bad, if ‘fashionable’, advice about how you should look”— Sophia Loren.

Being aware of your looks, knowing what you like about yourself and learning how to encourage beauty shouldn’t be something to shy away from, nor should it be determined by your age bracket. Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful. The Italian girl much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size zero, and she is less likely to lost sleep over an additional wrinkle or more strands of white hair showing. her She knows that beauty is an equal opportunity that cannot be denied, and believes that every women should strive to look her very best at any given age.

Defy aging and rejuvenate deteriorating complexions with Rejuran DNA Resurgence treatment, a no-frills, 30-minute lunchtime procedure that’s supported by advanced scientific findings from extensively studied publications. It has been found that the DNA of young people is regulated to express the right genes at the right time, and with each passing year, this regulatory mechanism gradually gets disrupted, making this an important element that aged our looks with time. However, this doesn’t hold true for everyone, with those lucky few who tend not to show their age easily found with DNA that appear youthful despite their advanced years.

By delivering salmon DNA extracts (polynucleotides) into your skin via this simple, ingenious therapy, aging skin cells get re-programmed, jump-starting their faulty repair mechanism for total skin rejuvenation from within. Effects are seen about 3-5 days from each treatment, with most patients reporting an improvement in brightening, lifting, elasticity and the overall appearance of their complexion.

By planning the exact route that your beauty Vespa scoots, be that woman who charts her own destiny from 20 to 70, embracing La Dolce Vita and living life the way Italians do.

Read more: A for Anti-aging