Celebrate The Samantha Harris Glow

Forget the fact she secretly wed before her fiancé went to jail, when Samantha Harris made headlines this week, we were mesmerised by her radiant, glowing skin, rather than the words circulating social media…

Samantha is an Australian model of mixed heritage (Aboriginal, Dutch, English and German) who has walked the runway for designers like Dion Lee and Ellery. She’s an ambassador for both David Jones and The National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.

 Her beauty extends from that luminous complexion, to those totally “on-trend” eyebrows, limpid brown eyes, and a cupids-bow mouth. Yes, she’s a captivating cover gal, that’s for certain, and prompted SPA+CLINIC to investigate how skin and makeup specialists can treat darker skin tones to cultivate Sam Harris-esque radiance.

SELL YOUR SPF STOCK

Fostering perfect skin in darker complexions begins with preventing sun damage.

“People with darker skin don’t have to worry about wrinkles as much,” says Larissa West, skin therapist and spa manager at Espavita, a Sydney day spa that boasts a bevy of offerings from infrared sauna, to teeth whitening.

“This is because of increased melanin production, which helps protects against damaging sun rays (which cause skin to wrinkle).

It’s therefore not surprising that Samantha admits to skimping on sunscreen when she was younger. She now realises how damaging the Australian sun (in particular) is and reportedly, “never leaves the house without putting it on.”

“It’s true,” confirms Larissa, “Darker skin is not unbeatable, and melanoma is still a serious danger. Wearing sunscreen every day is absolutely essential.”

Iman (aka Mrs David Bowie), Somalian-born model, celebrity and author of cult favourite book The Beauty Of Colour declares in the opening pages: “Women of colour tend to have oily skin, but not all of us do.”

Larissa suggests mineral or physical formulas to her darker skinned clients because they tend to last the distance on oily skin better than chemical SPFs.

Star Products:

Ultraceuticals SunActive SPF 50+ Mineral Face and Body Lotion – Certified cruelty free option.

O Cosmedics Mineral Pro 30+ Sheer Tint – Smells like vanilla.

Lycogel Breathable Balm SPF15+ – One of the only SPFs on the planet suitable for skin broken with acne, dermatitis or excema

HYPERPIGMENTATION = KEY CONCERN

It’s “clear” from her candid #unfiltered social media pics, that the tone of Samanthas’ skin is naturally ‘even’ and flawless without makeup.

“Hyperpigmentation is common among women of colour,” says Iman in The Beauty Of Colour, “Truth be told, it’s the bane of our existence! It’s the darkening of skin in patches, caused by post-inflammation skin traumas.

“When the inflammation subsides, the skin is left with a dark mark, and the fading process generally takes longer on darker skin. It can take months or years.”

Larissa agrees: “Skin of colour is susceptible to dark spots and anything from hormones to sun exposure to acne can trigger it. The safest way for clients to treat at home is with a once a week exfoliating treatment mask—it’s super important to slough away the skin cell build up.”

“Hydration is key in treating pigmentation in-clinic, often a sequence of 4-6 treatments are needed.”

Star Treatments:

Aromatherapy Associates Essential Enzyme Peel – Contains pineapple and passionflower.

Hydradermabrasion – A hydrating alternative to microdermabrasion that can be set to combat hyperpigmentation, and is safe for the most sensitive of dark skins.

Aromatherapy Associates ARL Lift treatment – Ultra moisture boosting, the micro-current assists with removing dark spots.

BRONZE + BLUSH

… and be healthy.

Asking Larissa how to get a gleam similar to the photo of Samatha Harris (above) she suggests: “Think positively about your overall health, so an alkaline diet is great for the skin, lots of water with lemon to purify the system, good sleep and moderate exercise.”

Iman shares a tip for applying bronzer and blush to darker skin: “Women of colour always need to apply blush before bronzer. Since we’re already brown, most bronzers won’t show up on us, but if bronzer is blended over a rosy blush, it’ll not only be visible, but the rosy-bronze combination gives an impossibly sexy look.”

“For an ultra dewy look use sheer gel bronzer over gel blush then use a highlighting stick.”

Star Products:

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics – Mineral Radiance in Riviera – Both rosy blush and bronzer (in a complimentary shade for brown skin) together in a dinky compact.

Babor Age ID Cushion Blush in 02 Rose – a light, hydrating liquid blush.

Smitten Cosmetics Whipped Mousse bronzer – looks and feels like the lightest, fluffiest caramel mousse.

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