Global make-up artist Sir John is always a wealth of knowledge when it comes to make-up, beauty and wellness.

If you are looking to update your beauty routine this season or just go into the new year with a more wellness-driven, holistic beauty routine that will help you level up your skincare game or improve your make-up techniques and brushes maintenance, take notes as we share five valuable lessons learnt from Sir John that prove that real beauty is holistic, cares for your wellbeing and allows you to create easy, beauty looks with the right tools and confidence to use them.

1. The things that have nothing to do with make-up can actually impact your skincare regime as a whole:

Real beauty is not only about what you put onto your body but also what you put into it. Sir John believes that taking a holistic approach to your skincare can greatly affect your overall make-up routine, so make sure to get all your supplements and vegetables in.

“Gut health equals skin health and great skin starts in the stomach; so make sure to take probiotics. Juiced beets are great because they increase circulation and blood flow and bring oxygen to the blood. Carrots are great because they have beta-carotene. Beta-carotene speeds up cell recovery so if you have dull, lacklustre skin, it will speed up that brilliance underneath. Kale and any kind of dark leafy greens e.g. broccoli, spinach etc. are also really great for sluggish circulation underneath the eyes.”

2. Use any restorative or reparative skincare at night:

Whenever you need to repair skin, really treat it with skincare that has very active ingredients. Sir John advises that the best time to do this is while you’re sleeping.

“Any time you want to take something that you want to pay off on your skin, take it when your body is recharging and when it’s restful, that’s the best time to repair your skin. Before bed, I take apple cider vinegar tablets for my metabolism and I take marine collagen as well. I also take lion’s mane, which is really great for making sure that the mind and heart rest at night and also chlorophyll, which decongests your face and gets rid of mucus.”

3. Wash make-up brushes regularly to prevent the spread of bacteria:

In a time when hygiene is of the upmost importance, avoid unnecessary skin flare-ups and infections by washing make-up brushes regularly as they can be big germ carriers.

“For your own brushes, wash them once to twice a week, it depends on which brush. For a foundation brush or egg sponge/beauty blender, wash them quite often. When it comes to an eye brush or blush brush, they can be washed at least once a week. Even if it’s only you using your make-up, there are bacteria on your skin that you are still using on that foundation brush. You could have had a small breakout from hormones then that bacteria is trapped into the brush and you end up using that all over your face three or four days later.”

4. There is a correct way to wash make-up brushes for longevity and effective cleaning:

If you have ever struggled with how to wash make-up brushes, Sir John shares that there is a correct way to wash and dry brushes so that you get the best wear out of them and keep them for longer.

“Wash brushes with shampoo for colour-treated hair or use dish liquid or some degreaser. Put a little bit in the palm of the hand and give them a good swirl. Don’t place your brushes upside down, as it will put water into the barrel and widen the wood and then you won’t have your brushes forever. So after you wash your brushes, squeeze the water out and lay them out to dry on a towel and then the next morning – they are dry.”

5. Use dual-ended colour sticks like a convertible colour tool:

One of Sir John’s favourite products from his latest Volume 3 collection is the dual-ended colour stick in Bashful and Queen Protea which is an easy way to add a natural flush or 3-D effect to skin.

“Convertible colour is something that you can use in a myriad of ways all over the face so there is no right or wrong reason for this. Tap a couple of dots and use your ring finger, as this is the weakest finger you have so it’s going to pick up the least amount of product, then start to really get in there and saturate the colour in. It should look soft, almost like you just came in from a run. Then you have the deeper colour that you can have more fun with by going in and giving yourself a slightly more 3-dimensional cheek or use as a lipstick and apply a gloss over it.”