Beauty Profile: Sureshnie Rider

With a simple routine of cleansing and moisturizing twice daily, Sureshnie’s only learning to take care of her skin now. “Way too late, I know, but I always thought drinking lots of water would help.” The 5FM Top 40 host and 3 Talk with Noeleen production manager exfoliates regularly and tries to use a face mask at night. Sush, and her hubby also enjoy using nose-masks and she never goes to bed unless she’s removed all her makeup. Golden rule, ladies and gents.

When she left Durban for Johannesburg, her skin took a beating and irregular working hours did not encourage her to have a strict skin care regimen. After trying numerous well-known skin care brands, Sureshnie is currently using Nivea. “Nivea seems to be the one I love. It's clean and my skin feels light and less oily.” Also, it is super accessible and doesn’t require detour stops at salons. So she is trying to stick with it for the next 6 months. Sureshnie is also trying out Clarins Cotton Seed Gentle Face Wash and says it feels like silk. She changes products every 6-8 months out of personal preference. “Products are constantly changing on the market, as well as our lifestyles, so I try to go with what my body is saying to me.” She also goes for hydrating facials and a peel once in a while when she finds the time.

“Coming from an Indian upbringing, Ayurvedic medication and treatments have been part of my life. I have used many products that had sandalwood in it, and it really soothed my skin. My family still use Ayurvedic creams to treat skin conditions etc, and where I can, I still use home remedies before turning to store or pharmacy products.”

When asked about taking old school advice, listening to old wives tales or even tips shared with her by her mom/grandmother/aunt, Sureshnie had this to say:
“Tooth paste. Tooth paste. Tooth paste! It does NOT work! I was told that you should put toothpaste on pimples. Errrr... Not to be funny, it smelt really fresh, but it did squat for any pimple. But I tried
it...several times. I also tried the cucumber slice on my eyes. It is still widely practiced in most salons. It did cool my eyelids for a bit, but then I felt like adding an olive and enjoying it while I lay there,” she said while giggling.

Her favourite skin care product? Elizabeth Arden Skin Protectant for lips. “This has been my friend for years, and I have carried that little jar in my bag to get me through late night gigs, bad and sad days and for every moment that I have smiled.”

Sureshnie’s top 5 skin care tips:

1. Keep things natural. Try not to overload your skin with a million products, start with the basics.
2. Drink lots of Water
3. Avoid a product that does three in one, chances are it does nothing for you
4. Make time for a facial
5. Always remove make up before bed

Sureshnie says that this is the most makeup she's ever worn.

Mrs Rider likes very natural makeup and says all a girl needs is a light foundation, a little shimmer on the eyelids, liquid eyeliner, mascara and a soft lip gloss. She’s still discovering her signature makeup look, but insists on keeping it “clean”. Her focus is always on her eyes. “I never wore make up until I was in my late twenties. I grew up loving the natural feel of my skin, and I'm hoping to instill that same belief in my daughter,” said Sureshnie. “Water, healthy foods and sunscreen is all she needs.” Sureshnie’s biggest concern is skin cancer, and makes sure that her family is always stocked up on sunscreen...and more importantly USE the sunscreen on a daily basis.

Like every other girl, Sureshnie battles to answer the question “Which ONE makeup product can you not go a day without?” Her answer: “My bag full of Mac and Bobbi Brown eye-shadows”. I suppose, technically, her bag is ONE object. We’ll give it to you this time, Sush.

Sureshnie on her wedding day. She said that this was her most special day of makeup. Her hair and makeup were done by Mark and Clint. They also draped her sari. 

Miss B: What is important when getting ready to attend an event?

Sureshnie: “Your scent, your body lotion, your accessories and your hair. If you take time to pay a little attention to all it’s amazing how you begin to glow. I always turn up my music and it usually helps me pick out my best dress, and then from there, it all SOMETIMES falls into place.”

If Sush is not on air, running around at the 3 Talk studio, behind the decks at clubs or behind the wheel of a very fast car, you can find her at home (good luck getting that address) cooking up a storm...which is also a very good way of steaming your face. ;-)

Miss B

The Body Shop Colourglide™ Lip Colour #46

This is a peachy, bordering on orange, colour. Depending on your complexion, this may pass as a nude. It is not a moisturizing formulation, so be sure to use a lip balm before applying this lipstick. I'd recommend always applying a lip balm before using lipstick as the lip balm may smooth the surface of your lips. This is especially important if you have dry lips. Lipstick over dry lips looks really terrible. And of course, if you want a glossy look, you may add a clear or nude gloss over it.

I've taken many pictures so that you can get a clearer idea of the colour.

Miss B

Hands On...

I am such a girl. A girly-girl. I love lip stuff, and makeup, and dresses and stilettos. I am also never without hand cream. Hand cream is a MUST. Simple. Signs of ageing are most visible on your hands and neck. I'd say more so than the eye area, especially with great eye products, and botox and all those fancy things these days. Exciting.

I've been using different hand-creams for 6 years now, so I am kind of experienced. I'm the crazy chick at CLICKS reading all the labels, sniffing tubes of hand-cream, laughing my head off in the store because of some of the claims of these cosmetic products, and asking the store assistants why there aren't testers and/or samples. Ha ha ha. I wish I could tell you which hand creams are the best for you, but everyone has different preferences when it comes to moisturizing and anti-ageing mediums, so I'll try my best. Some women hate hand-creams, because it feels oily or "doesn't make a difference". People who suffer from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) hate having to put on hand cream, or anything for that matter.

One thing to note is SPF. You have to find a hand-cream with sun/UV protection. It is worth it. If you're ok to use your regular sunscreen as a hand-cream, that is great, but know that it is solely sun protection. You cannot expect a sunscreen to reduce signs of ageing and/or sun damage. If you prefer something that has a better scent and/or is multi-purpose, give these a try:

Sh'zen Perfecting Cream SPF 30
I'm currently using this little gem. It contains Japanese Rice Bran Oil, Silk Extracts, Hazel Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Grapefruit, Aloe and Green/White Tea extract, which contribute to the lovely aroma. It smells great! It has an SPF of 30, and has anti-ageing properties. I sometimes use it on my feet too. Warning: This isn't a quick-absorbing hand-cream, unless your hands are super dry. Having said that, it is not excessively oily either. I've also noticed a difference in my nails and cuticles. My cuticles are much more flexible, and I don't need to push them back as often as I used to, and my nails are much brighter than before.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Hand and Nail Treatment
This is quick-absorbing. I often applied it twice, accidentally because I forgot I just applied it. There is almost no sign of it after you've rubbed it in. It's very light and has a light scent, too. It contains Sweet Almond oil, Algae extract. Licorice extract, Vitamin C and also has an SPF 15.

Nivea Q10 Plus Age Defying Hand Cream
I don't love the Nivea, but I really like it. It's thick, and a bit oily, but it smells lovely, and I noticed the difference in the appearance and texture of the skin on my hands after about 3-4 weeks. Thank goodness I have such patience. I'd also be very interested to try their Pure and Natural (right) hand cream. 95% of the ingredients are of natural origin and is paraben-, silicone-, mineral oil-, and colourant-free. I haven't seen this in stores yet, but will keep an eye out for it. How exciting.

Oh So Heavenly
This is super affordable and there's a variety. Available at Clicks only. My favourites are from the Happy Hands Hand Creams: Sweet Solution and Soft Touch. You can probably try them all. They often come in packs of smaller tubes. Ideal for those who love tiny hand bags and clutches.

Now that you have some options...be more hands on.

Miss B

In the nude...

I absolutely love nude eyeliners and I think that it is an essential for your cosmetic bag. It can be worn on the upper eye lid or the "Water line" of your lower lid (the part that many people get wrong by wearing their dark eyeliner there everyday. Liner applied to the lower lid, especially darker liners, should be applied at the lower lash line i.e. between/on/over the hairs, NOT(!) on your waterline.) Nude liners can make your eyes look bigger and/or brighter, especially when the rest of your eye makeup is dark as in the very popular (and proving to be timeless) smokey-eye. White eyeliners are also often used for this but white liners have lost me...YEARS AGO...when it was still cool to wear it on the upper eyelid and then go to a disco/party/rave/dark room and stand under a UV light and think you're cool. (No, I've never been in a dark room, so if there are no UV lights present, I'm sorry. And no, I didn't do such crap and think I was cool. *rolls eyes*) 

You can see the nude liner on the waterline clearly,. It looks natural compared to the white shadow on her upper lids. This could look good with a white liner instead of a nude, but mostly for such photos, I think. Not for everyday.

The thing about wearing white eyeliner on your water line is that it's obvious, and I hate seeing it. It looks tacky and untidy (even cheap)...most of the time. It can look great and serve a purpose, but you have to find the right white liner that isn't too soft, pasty, and heavy...unless of course that's what you're going for. I realize that some people wear white eyeliner for reasons other than brightening or making one's eyes "pop". 

White Liner (barf)

I maintain that a nude eyeliner can do all of above...but better than a white liner. It's less harsh and more natural. And very few people have snow white eyeballs where this can actually look natural.

It can be used everyday with ANY makeup look, just remember to remove it before bed as you would usually do with makeup. Dip a cue-tip in eye makeup remover, and gently rub the cue-tip over your waterline. Remember, your eye-makeup remover shouldn't burn or sting your eyes, if this happens, use a cue-tip dampened in luke-warm water instead. Repeat, until cue-tip doesn't show any makeup residue after wiping.

It's great with dark/heavy upper lids, and it's often better than not using anything on the lower lid at all.

Also great for a completely nude eye...with a bright lip colour or baby pink. If you go with baby pink, make sure you wear a great blush, so you don't look washed out with all the nude and muted colours.

My favourite nude liner is Essence Kajal Pencil no.19 All I Want. It is very soft, so use with a light hand, which you should be doing anyway, as your eye area is very delicate, and you should never use a lot of pressure when applying eye makeup (or removing it).

If you'd like something more glam for night-time or an event, you could also try an iridescent nude or a gold, but keep it to a light gold, such as a champagne-gold or yellow golds as opposed to your more orangey-golds. For this, I love MAC's Eye Kohl in Powersurge.

One of my favourite liners ever.

How gorgeous?!

Be daring...go nude! :-)

Miss B