With the world of beauty expanding every day, there are so many different options and products that, instead of making it easier, complicate our skincare routines and confuse us on maintaining a healthy lifestyle according to our skin's needs. However, and regardless our skin type or products' preference, there are some things that apply to all of us, and we should all consider into our beauty regime. According to Dr. Nicholas Perricone, world-renowned dermatologist and health expert, a beautiful skin comes more from a healthy lifestyle than from a range of pricey products.

Skin maintenance shouldn't be neither confusing nor overwhelming, and there are five things that, according to Perricone, have a strong incidence on how our skin looks.

1. Using too many products. Perricone's skincare routine is as easy as 1, 2, 3: cleanse, moisturize and apply sunscreen. Using more than five products at once is just too much for your skin and might lower the effects of each one. "Most people lay on around 10 or 20 different products. It doesn't make sense to me." - Clean your face twice daily with the best cleanser for your skin type, moisturize, and apply SPF. You can skip the rest, since too many chemicals touching your face might cause inflammation and irritation.

2. Poor lifestyle choices. "Excessive exposure to sun, not getting enough sleep and, of course, being overly stressed out are the biggies. A lot of this is common sense, but obviously stress is something we have to learn to deal with... I like meditation." According to the expert, the lower the stress hormones, the younger the skin looks, while high stress hormones accelerate the wrinkling process. Use at least 20-40 minutes daily to de-stress.

3. Not eating the right foods. Eating a green salad at least once a day makes the difference. The antioxidants and nutrients in vegetables and fruits give an instant radiance and glow to the skin. However, according to Perricone, your diet's "color IQ" is as important. He says that the right diet should include 10 different colors in your meals, since each color has a different benefit for the body. "The more colors you have in your diet a day, the more kind of phytonutrients you're getting."

4. Not drinking enough water. "When you're dehydrated, the cells aren't working right because all the biochemical reactions take place in the presence of water." Every diet doesn't recommend drinking at least eight glasses of water daily for no reason. Replace juices, sodas and coffee drinks for water. It's way better and healthier to get your vitamins, sugars and nutrients from actual food.

5. Wearing too much makeup. It's like a vicious cycle... If you don't eat healthy, don't get enough sleep, and don't drink enough water, you'll probably need more makeup to cover up imperfections such as puffiness, breakouts and dullness. But excessive use of makeup isn't the best idea either. Chemicals and dirt stuck in your pores all the time will trigger the worst skin problems. If you follow the previous recommendations, you won't need a lot of makeup, and therefore, look naturally better. And even if you wear makeup all the time, having a day or two weekly makeup-free is a good treatment for the skin.

Happy skin-caring!

Credits: The Parisienne and Perricone MD

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