Our brilliant beauty contributor Sonia Haria has just published her first book South Asian Beauty, which was both a personal labour of love and quite possibly the biggest journalistic assignment of her career.
Sonia has worked on a busy beauty desk at a newspaper for the best part of 17 years, but found that as a journalist of South Asian descent, the wider industry hadn’t always catered for her beauty needs.
She is often asked for beauty advice, specifically from other South Asian women, about finding the right concealers and foundations for olive complexions; the best targeted pigmentation creams and vitamin C serums, as well as how to colour dark hair without it going brassy – all of which she covers in her book.
“Most were issues I had experience with in the beauty industry and tried to find solutions for, which wasn’t always easy, but it’s put me in a position of being someone who has tried and tested literally hundreds of products,” she explains.
These are two extracts from South Asian Beauty:
A good sunscreen for South Asian skin that won’t leave a white cast:
“If you’ve got skin that isn’t too oily or dry, I’d cleanse in the morning, apply an antioxidant vitamin C serum and then straight on with the sun protection. That’s exactly what I do most days.
There are also some fantastic sunscreens now on the market that have antioxidants and tyrosinase-inhibitors, so you don’t have to feel like you’re using a lengthy or expensive regime. I often used the following two-step skincare in the morning: the SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic Serum and then the Enlighten SPF40 Sunscreen by NeoStrata, which has a tyrosinase-inhibitor within on top.”
A quick DIY Ayurvedic ritual:
“Up until a few years ago I would stop my skincare at my neck. It’s a whole different story for me now, I relish applying oil to my body, and it turns out oiling oneself is one of the most immediate Ayurvedic rituals you can do. It’s great for the mind-body connection and making the skin look good as a result.
Ayurveda talks about abhyanga – the Sanskrit term for self-massage – as part of dinacharya, which is the Sanskrit term for engaging in daily rituals. I think applying oil to the body is one of the most powerful rituals you can do. It could be as simple as applying a little plain black sesame oil to your body every morning or evening.
While you can use it in lieu of a moisturiser after a bath or shower, many Ayurvedic doctors believe oiling the body 30 minutes before you shower helps to bring toxins to the surface. And then you can wash those toxins away.”
Ahead the beauty questions Sonia is asked most – and her invaluable advice
What is a good concealer for South Asian complexions?