As those who follow me on Instagram would know, I’ve spent most of these last weeks wandering around the inner reaches of France, Germany and Italy, with one conclusion: while French women are the epitome of understated chic and the Germans have a robust constitution, it is the Italian bellisima who wins the complexion stakes.
Seriously, have you ever seen their skin?
How it’s taut and tight, literally hugging the bones and glowing with an inner radiance that can’t be replicated with any amount of foundation or highlighter?
How it’s flawless, despite their spending hours in the sun and eating a diet rich in carbs and sugar-laden tiramisu?
It’s enough to give mere mortals like me a complex.
So… time to dig! And after interviewing a whole clutch of women from Milan to Matera (it’s the most exquisite Basilicatan village—look it up!), there are a few ingredients that crop up time and again. Humble kitchen ingredients that make for the most potent beauty treatments: olive oil, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), eggs and lemons.
And quite a few Italian mammas (all with the skin of a 25-year-old on an 80-year-olds body) offered up this one recipe that combines these beauty ingredients into one seriously potent face mask that soothes, nourishes, busts blemishes and leaves you glowing flawlessly.
The secret?
Chickpeas are a potent source of skin nourishing and rejuvenating proteins, olive oil is packed with anti-aging antioxidants and hydrating squalene, egg yolks are full of vitamins (including vitamin A or retinol, which boosts cellular turnover and keeps pores unclogged) to maintain skin elasticity, while lemon juice takes care of any blemishes and minor skin infections.
You will need
1/4 cups cooked chickpeas 1 tsp olive oil 1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice 1 egg yolkHow-to
1. Mash the chickpeas and mix them with all the ingredients; blend till you get a smooth paste.
2. Spread this face over your; let dry for 20 minutes.
3. Rinse off with warm water followed by a blast of cold water. Pat skin dry and apply your usual moisturiser.
Which country do you think has the most beautiful women? C’mon peeps, time to put it to a vote!
Anubha Charan is a powerhouse in the luxury beauty industry, with over 15 years of expertise shaping the global beauty narrative. As the former Beauty Director at Marie Claire, she worked with the magazine's French headquarters to craft cutting-edge beauty content for international audiences.
Anubha's bylines have appeared in some of the world’s most prestigious publications, including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Travel + Leisure, WebMD, and Architectural Digest. She is also the co-author of Paris Bath & Beauty, a Simon & Schuster book on French beauty rituals.
Aadrita says
Interesting! Next time I make hummus, I will keep some ingredients aside for my face pack for sure :))
kankana saha says
awesome…i had always wondered how could they have such silky black /blonde hair and such bright and expressive eyes !
Cristina says
we are also visiting to Italy for our 2nd honeymoon
solitaired says
Olive oil and chickpeas? I love how simple yet effective this mask is.