Duchess Meghans facialist: you should wear sunscreen indoors

A few days ago I noticed a story in People titled “Dermatologists Say You Should Still Be Wearing Sunscreen Indoors” with quotes from dermatologists and affiliate links to sunscreen they recommend. It reminded me of a video I saw by Hot and Flashy with her anti-aging skincare routine. (I think it was this one but she has a few and I’m not watching the whole thing to confirm.) She used a mineral-based sunscreen before working out indoors. A lot of people were wondering why she bothered with sunscreen, especially when she was washing her face and reapplying layers of sunscreen under her makeup. It turns out that dermatologists recommend wearing sunscreen, even when indoors, because UV light comes in through the windows and can still damage your skin.

People has a new interview with Duchess Meghan’s facialist, a woman named Sarah Chapman who has a line called Skinesis and worked with her when she was in the UK. Chapman recommends wearing sunscreen indoors too. She also has some at-home recommendations for lockdown skincare, including giving yourself a facial massage, using yogurt as an exfoliator and making sure to moisturize before you clean to protect your hands from cleaning products. Meghan has such gorgeous and glowing skin, but I think a lot of that is genetic. Of course she’s a great advertisement for Chapman’s services. Here’s some of what Chapman said, with more at the source:

The Natural Exfoliator in Your Fridge
Yes, in true 1990s style, Chapman recommends checking the contents of your fridge for some DIY inspiration. “If you have any natural yogurt, put that on your face and leave it to dry. The lactic acid really helps to digest dead cells, but it also brightens,” says the Chelsea-based facialist, who suggests leaving it on for approximately five minutes before rubbing it off with your fingertips.

Daily Massage
Known for her signature deep lymphatic massage technique, Chapman says even a few minutes of firm facial massage a day can be hugely beneficial. “A massage with a great oil or elixir can make a massive difference. Put the product on and use your palms, hands and knuckles to really knead the skin — that will bring the blood flow, help drainage and give you a glow.” Responsible for Meghan’s wedding day glow, Chapman who worked with the former royal throughout her time in the U.K., says massage can also be incorporated into your cleansing regime.

Protect Your Skin from UVA Rays (Even Indoors)
Whether or not you’re managing to get outdoors for daily exercise, Chapman says sunscreen is still essential. “I get asked this a lot and yes it’s really important because even if you aren’t outside, UVA rays penetrate through glass and there’s also the blue light that comes from our computers.” From the facialist’s skincare line, Glow Illuminating Elixir not only tackles blue light pollution, but also raises money for charity. “It’s a limited-edition product we launched for The Prince’s Trust and their Women Supporting Women initiative.”

Protect Your Face from Toxic Cleaning Products
Whether it’s spraying our surfaces at home or wiping down our postal deliveries, most people are going through excess bottles of cleaning products at the moment. “The fumes from cleaning products can affect our skins quite a bit,” says Chapman, who is currently consulting with her clients via video and offering masterclasses online. “I’m getting a lot of questions about sensitivity and redness so I’ve been advising my clients to put a thick barrier cream on before cleaning – something simple like Nivea or a really rich moisturizer works.”

It seems like if someone is using using toxic cleaning products they should just switch to more natural products, but that’s not an option at this time when cleaning products are scarce and we need strong disinfectants. It never occurred to me to moisturize before cleaning, and I’m going to do that to protect my hands particularly. One thing that changed my skin so much was using retinol-based products. I use prescription Tretinoin and I definitely see a difference in my skin, although it did make it peel for a few months before I saw a difference.

My favorite allover moisturizer which does not have sunscreen is CaraVe Moisturizing Cream. I’ve featured it on the Amazon posts and a lot of you say you love it too. I keep it at my desk and use it throughout the day on my hands and face. For sunscreen I like Neutrogena Clear Face and Elta MD is also very good, but it’s pricier. I also use a primer with sunscreen that makes my face look so smooth, Revlon Colorstay Prep and Protect primer. It does have a hint of color to it which may be best suited for pale skin.

For serums I’m currently using the niacinamide by Cos De Baha and hyaluronic acid by Cosmedica. Both are more affordable and have given me the best results. Now that I’m hearing about this facial massage I’m going to try kneading it in like Chapman suggests.

Oh and Chapman also gushed about working with Meghan and said she finds her inspiring and selfless. There are so many stories about what a generous and kind person Meghan is, but those get hardly any attention. (We talk about that phenomenon around minute 31 of the podcast this week. The stories about nice celebrities don’t get much interest.) The one story about Meghan maybe making someone cry once for asking them to do their job gets so much attention.

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Photos credit: WENN, Avalon.red and Backgrid

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