All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
With isolation on the horizon for the foreseeable, we’re putting self care – and a healthy dose of skincare at the top of our quarantine to do lists. Who better to steal glowing skin tips from than selfie queen, model and wife of Justin – Hailey Bieber, who has just about the most beautiful complexion on the planet? She shares her exact beauty regime (thanks to her beauty guru and inventor of the vampire facial Dr Barbara Sturm), and the skin struggles she (and her hubby) face.
Hailey Bieber’s skincare routine
“I don’t like a lot of steps as I don’t usually have the time. I start with cleansing and washing, then putting on a serum and moisturiser. If I have more time at night, I’ll put on a face mask or extra moisturiser. I never sleep with my makeup on, even at my drunkest I’ve never fallen asleep with makeup on my face. Sleep and rest is so important for the skin. If I’m working and travelling a lot and my sleep schedule is off I notice my skin gets really dry.
“Dr Barbara Sturm taught me to apply products while the skin is damp so that it drinks up more of the nutrients from the moisturiser. Food is so important too, whatever you put into your body, it’s going to reflect on the outside as well.”
Hailey (and Justin)’s skin struggles
“I have Perioral dermatitis, so certain products irritate my skin, giving me a horrible itchy rash around my mouth and eyes. I always try to avoid fragrance in products as it’s too much on the skin. However, I don’t always know what’s being put on my skin as I work with lots of different makeup artists.
“I’m on a birth control now where I don’t have a period, but I still feel symptoms of PMS and this can also affect my skin too. My skin actually stays a lot better in Canada where there’s cleaner air, than when I’m in New York or Los Angeles.
“Justin has struggled with adult acne. After he works out he uses clarifying pads to wipe the skin after he’s been sweating.”
Scroll down for everything you need to know about looking after your skin right now from Hailey’s go-to facialist, molecular cosmetics extraordinaire Dr Barbara Sturm…
How can we give ourselves the ultimate facial at home?
Spending more time at home during this crisis gives you time and space to take care of yourself. Facial massage and face masks are all worth incorporating into your regime.
You can do a DIY Sturm facial. Cleanse with my Cleanser, exfoliate with the Enzyme Cleanser, put the Face Mask on and leave it for 15 minutes. Then, gently remove the residue with a warm washcloth. This will already generate a super hydrating glow. I then apply my Hyaluronic Serum, Face Cream and finish with my Glow Drops. Your skin is left looking healthy, fresh and radiant.
If you sign up at my website molecular-cosmetics.com we are offering digital masterclasses with DIY Sturm facial techniques and tips you can put into practice at home to prep, protect and bring your skin back to health. You can also talk directly to my team of facialists, dermatologist Dr. Lang and myself about your skin concerns, skincare regime and the products you are using and need advice on, via FaceTime/phone/email and WhatsApp. You can email our team at Service@Drsturm.com to book.
What’s the beauty hack you can’t live without?
There are two products that I find absolutely essential – my Face Mask and my Anti-Pollution Drops. My patients, customers and I are all experiencing the same thing during quarantine – dry, inflamed skin. There are a variety of factors contributing to this, but an overlooked one is the high energy visible light rays emitted by our computers, mobile phones and flat screen TVs. They penetrate our skin as deeply as UVA and UVB rays, and cause similar damage. As internet usage has spiked, so has the damage. Anti-Pollution Dropscreate a screen against screens, boost the natural skin barrier function, and provide potent anti-oxidative protection against the free radical damage unleashed by our electronic devices. The Face Mask is the ultimate inflammation-buster, calming redness, irritation and oxidation, and replacing dry, dullness with glow.
Tell us more about your ‘magic’ ingredient purslane?
Portulaca oleracea or purslane, is one of the many ingredients I have been researching and working with for years. It has been widely clinically studied for the last decade for its remarkable anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, nutritive, wound healing and telomerase activating properties. Purslane is truly a superfood and an herbal medicine, and is a great example of the wisdom of nature.
What is your hero product at the moment?
While we’re devouring internet news, communicating with loved ones and enjoying our movies box sets, more than ever we need to protect ourselves from HEV – the high energy visible light that’s emitted from our devices. HEV light penetrates deeply, reaching the hypodermis and making it potentially more damaging to the skin than UV rays. HEV light exposure can cause premature ageing, dryness, impaired skin healing, compromised melanogenesis, sensitivity, wrinkles, uneven tone and texture and sagging skin.
So if there was one of-the-moment product to highlight, it would be my Anti-Pollution Drops to protect your skin against both the air pollution that everybody is living in, and also from HEV rays – a screen against screens. The Skin Protect Complex includes extracts derived from marine microorganisms that strengthen the skin’s defence against pollution and purslane, the plant extract that provides potent anti-oxidation against the free radicals unleashed by HEV, while combating the irritating effects of pollution. Cocoa seed extract builds a shield-like film on the skin to protect against HEV rays and air pollution.
Which of your products would you suggest for different skin types?
A dry or normal skin type benefits from moisture and richer oils that protect and nourish the skin – like my Face Cream Rich, for instance. Oily skin, on the other hand, needs more help to gently reduce sebum flow like my Clarifying skincare line. It is a myth that oily skin needs to be dried out and aggressively washed. Oily and acne-prone skin needs moisture too; attempts to dry it out are counterproductive and prompt inflammation and increased sebum production to compensate.
Darker skin has a greater susceptibility to the skin-killing inflammation cascade – and benefits from my Darker Skin Tones, line which helps skin prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and higher sebum production. For those experiencing skin discolouration and unevenness, I created my Brightening line.
What superfoods do you recommend to build up our immune systems?
Diet is essential to immune system and skin health. But superfoods won’t help you if you are loading up on inflammatory foods and activities. For skin and general health, now is the time to moderate or break those inflammatory habits – excessive drinking, smoking, eating sugar, fried and processed foods, and inadequate sleep.
Emphasise anti-inflammatory food – dark berries such as cherries, blueberries, blackberries, green leafy vegetables, beans, seeds and nuts as well as foods that are rich in gluthathione, a potent antioxidant, like asparagus, peppers, carrots, broccoli, avocados, squash or spinach. Fatty fish such as salmon is full of Omega-3. One of the ultimate superfoods is purslane, whether fresh in salads or in supplement form. It is one of the highest food sources on earth of essential vitamins, minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids, and it has been widely clinically studied for its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and immune modulatory properties.
How can we look after our skin as well as your celebrity clients?
Skin is skin; there is no difference between a celebrity’s skin and yours. Right now, I’m telling all of my clients to maintain a thorough cleansing, hydrating and nourishing regime with nutrient-rich ingredient science. I’m advising them to go makeup-free too – it’s the easiest way to allow your skin to heal and have a high performing skin barrier function to protect from external stressors. And since everyone has dramatically increased their already high exposure to screens, I’m telling everyone to protect their skin with my Anti-Pollution Drops.
My fundamental advice never changes – healthy skin is glowing, beautiful skin. So provide your skin with essential nutrition, drench it with hydration and combat inflammation with skincare ingredient science. Avoid irritating and aggressive ingredients, acid peels and lasers. Finish your routine with some Glow Drops to give yourself some pop.
What’s your view on tweakments?
I’m an aesthetics doctor, so of course I believe in these non surgical injectible treatments, for patients and for my own face. As we age, our faces lose structure, mass, and change dimension. In the right hands, moderate injectibles, like Botox and fillers can provide very satisfying results. Make no mistake, these injectibles require both art and science and must be paired with great skincare to provide the desired results.
Additional treatments including microdermabrasion, mesotherapy and microneedling are also very effective. These treatments stimulate the reproduction of fibroblasts and keratinocytes for neocollagenesis and therefore strengthen the elastic tissue.
Why do we need SPF while we’re indoors?
Sun protection for your skin is both a health and beauty necessity – even indoors. UVA rays (which can cause premature ageing and cancer) can even penetrate airplane, car and home window glass to do their damage to the skin. The term “SPF” is misleading and tells you nothing about protection from UVA. So “broad spectrum” protection (meaning a screen of both UVA and UVB) is the only way to go.
I created my Dr. Barbara Sturm Sun Drops with this in mind. They create a broad spectrum shield on your skin that protects it against UVA and UVB rays while also providing your skin with healing, moisture and anti-oxidative ingredients. They are a sunscreen that is also packed with skincare ingredient science and can be applied after and before makeup.
Have you been consulting any of your celeb clients virtually?
Yes! Treating celebrity patients – people whose faces and health glow is part of their work – has long been part of my work. You can watch me chat to my friend, actress and model Charlotte McKinney in Haus Calls, an exclusive series on my YouTube Channel where I join my friends in their homes to talk all things skincare. I’ve also been chatting to Emma Roberts on IG Live and I have some other exciting lives-with-friends coming soon – watch this space.
Many of us have more time on our hands now, what is the crucial facial technique we should be mastering?
Gentle lymphatic drainage is incredible for waking up and detoxifying the skin. The lymphatic system is responsible for carrying away and filtering out toxins and waste from every cell, tissue and organ. The accumulation of toxins causes blockages and congestion in the flow of lymph harming its ability to perform its job, which shows up first in skin puffiness and other disorders. It’s a key part of my Dr. Barbara Sturm facial, but you can also DIY and incorporate it into your skincare regime at-home.
I have videos on my website showing you how. Very gently, and using a serum or moisturiser to reduce friction, use the heel of both hands to lightly massage (using an upward motion), your way from the top of the forehead down to the eyebrows, then to the temples and following the jawline. Then, go down through the sides of the neck while transitioning from using the heels of the hands to using the outer small finger side of the hands. Repeat this motion several times. Then, beginning just above the collarbone in front of your neck, massage the skin in slow, gentle circles for about a minute. Move up the neck in a line from the collarbone toward your ears, massaging each inch or two 20 seconds, moving very slowly. You will see a de-puffing effect, less sallowness in your skin, and more glow and general skin health. I love to do it three times a week.