Beauty guru Rona Berg, the former beauty editor of the New York Times Magazine, is also author of two books that take a down-to-earth approach to skincare
Says the former beauty editor of the New York Times Magazine where she wrote the beauty column: 'There's so much going on when you think about beauty - you can link beauty to health and beauty to wellness'.
She is also the author of Beauty: The New Basics and Fast Beauty: 1000 Quick Fixes, books that take a down-to-earth, healthy approach to beauty with tips, tricks and techniques on everything from skin to body to hair care that she had picked up over her two decades in the industry.
As a guest speaker at the launch of Spa Botanica's new skincare products - Rosa Sun Burst and Eye Serum - Ms Berg emphasised the importance of setting aside 15 minutes a day for what she calls 'self pampering'.
'It can be a bath, it can be a walk, it can be a mask, everybody should have that 15 minutes. Beauty is sensory. Although the pampering effect of beauty is only psychological, it is still important and should not be neglected. Even lobsters relax when they are massaged,' she says with a laugh.
But most important, she says, is having a proper skin care regime - a cleanser, exfoliator, moisturiser and sun protection are must-haves for all women.
To her, a good cleanser should not be too complicated because it doesn't spend much time on your skin, three paragraphs of ingredients for example is too long and sun protection should always be at least SPF 15 even if combined with another product like tinted moisturiser.
In her book Beauty: The New Basics, she writes: 'The good news is that the minute you begin to take care of your skin - keep it clean, nourish it, and pamper it a bit - it will respond with gratitude. Nothing takes the place of good, gentle, consistent, balanced care.'
'When you have good skin, you don't need a lot of make up!' declares Ms Berg with aplomb.
But that does not mean that make up is not important, merely that make up is a want, not a need.
She says: 'I think that most women want to look like the most beautiful person they can be but women sometimes forget that make up is meant to enhance your assets not change it.'
For corporate women on the go, she has the following tips to save time when putting on make up.
Mix your concealer with eye cream before dabbing it around your eye with your fourth finger because it provides the gentlest stroke;
Look out for products with multiple purposes like self-curling mascara; and
When you have spare time, practise your make-up techniques so you apply make up faster.
'People always think that they have no time, but it's possible to have a fast beauty or make-up regime, it's just a matter of getting used to and comfortable with the products,' she says.
Other interesting tips that she revealed in her speech include carrying a small toothbrush around to exfoliate lips, rubbing olive oil into dry cuticles to soften them; using honey to get rid of a pimple overnight; and applying tomato juice to tighten the face temporarily.
She adds that every woman should have a little beauty bag in their office drawer that includes hand cream, a face mist, concealer for touch up, lip balm or chapstick and vitamin pills.
She also points out a few beauty faux pas. For example, mascara stains are no-nos and streaky blush is bad, so always remember to blend your make up - don't pull your skin too much, be gentle.
She concedes though that when it comes to beauty products women tend to be impulse buyers to which she has the following advice.
'Eliminate clutter, don't buy stuff you don't need. If you don't use a lip liner, don't buy one,' she says.
'But splurge on items like eye cream, moisturisers and foundation because these are products that you wear for long periods of time.'
Ultimately however, she firmly believes in the mantra 'to each its own'.
She concludes: 'I may not think that a product is good, but it might work for you. And if it works for you, then that's good enough for me.'
