Beauty Hacks that are Science-Backed

By Rachel Grunwell – writing geek to wellness geek (coach, yoga teacher, author + writer)

The Glow Edit: Beauty A-Z 

Talk Topic: Beauty Hacks + Knowledge that’s Science-Backed to Fuel Your Beauty Inside and Out 
 

By Rachel Grunwell – writing geek (award-winning journalist and author) turned wellness geek (trainer, wellness coach, yoga teacher + wellness speaker) 
 

This talk was shared at the first PHUEL Well series – a gathering to empower women to elevate their wellbeing, create more energy and live with more purpose, confidence and vitality. 
 

Phuel Well connects monthly with a community of women for movement, learning and connection – talking about ways to have more energy and on how to fuel a more vibrant life. The first event was held at the Red Room in Auckland city, New Zealand.

The Phuel Well series is sponsored by Manuka Phuel – ps their drinks contain ingredients like collagen, manuka honey, naturally sourced caffeine, guarana, and ginseng. And no synthetic ingredients.
 
 

The Glow Edit: Beauty A-Z 

A – Avocado: 
Good fat = great for your skin. Eat it, wear it, love it. (Yes, the flesh or oil makes an excellent face mask.) 
 

B – Biological vs Chronological Age: 
You can’t stop the birthdays, but you can trick your cells into behaving like you’re 10 years younger. Science says you can look 10 years younger due to things including healthy lifestyle choices. Chronological age is the number of years lived, while biological measures the functional health of a person’s cells and organs. 
 

Blue Zones 

Where people live long lives in certain spots around the globe. Think things like: plants, purpose, and good friends — not protein shakes and panic. 
 

C – Collagen: 
Think hair, skin, nails, joints… basically, your body’s building glue. Talk about different (and delicious) sources. 
 

C – Calm: 
It’s contagious. If your energy is calm, then it fuels the energy of others around you (work/home/everywhere!). The best beauty filter is inner peace (and maybe eight hours’ sleep). But it’s mostly about how you choose to “be” in this life. 
 

C – Confidence: 
The glow you can’t buy in a bottle. 
 

D – Drinking (as in alcohol): 
Rethink it. Alcohol is a beauty burglar — it steals your glow and your energy. 
 

E – Exercise: 
Because nothing looks as good as feeling strong, fit and healthy. This works magic inside the body and and how you look on the outside. 
 

F – Food: 
If your kai grows in the ground, on trees, or moves — it’s probably good for you. Real food = real glow. 
 

F – Fasting: 
Autophagy: the fancy science word for your cells taking out their own trash.  

F – Friends: 
Your real anti-aging secret. The quality of your connections helps you live a long, good life. Harvard Uni says so. 
 

G – Gratitude: 
Science says it rewires your brain for happiness. Reseracher Brene Brown says it reconnects us. I say, it’s gorgeous energy. 
 

G – Gut: 
Healthy gut = happy skin. Think miso, sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha — not crash diets and chaos. 
 

H – Heal Thy Self: 
Therapy is self-care, not shameful. Healing is hot. If you’re more grounded it helps you be a nicer person to be around. 

I – Intelligence (Emotional intelligence and actual intelligence…. both are hot): 

 
J – Joy: 
Turns out joy makes you more you. And nothing’s more beautiful than that. 
 

K – Kindness: 

Kindness + self-awareness = the most magnetic combo on earth. 
Still the prettiest trait. Full stop. Because it’s not how someone looks that you care about most; it’s how they leave you feeling. 
 

L – Love: 
Give it out freely — it’s the best anti-aging serum going. Love is the reason we are here on this planet. 
 

M – Manuka Honey: 
Nature’s sweet little overachiever — antibacterial, antioxidant, and glowy AF. 
 

M – Mindfulness: 
Stay present, stay peaceful, stay pretty (in the soulful kind of way). I’d recommend mindfulness meditation to learn how to live in the present and it’s a great tool for training your brain how to react less to knee jerk reactions, and rather staying calm and responding with a more skillful mind. 
 

M – Mirror Magic: 
Admire beauty in others and notice what draws you in — that’s your roadmap to your own glow too. Mirror those traits you love in others – but remember to stay authentically you. 
 

N – No: 
The word that protects your peace, your skin, and your sanity. Say it with love. No explanation required. 
 

O – Oxytocin: 
The love hormone. Get it through hugs, pets, and belly laughs to boost it. This changes your body chemistry! 
 

P – Protein: 
For muscles, hair, nails, energy and satiety (feeling fuller for longer). It’s not just a gym thing. 
 

Q – Quit Toxic Relationships: 
They age you – and stress you out – faster than sugar. 
 

R – Rest: 
Recharge, reset, and repeat. It’s not lazy — it’s luminous. 
 

S – Sugar: 
Sweet… but sneaky. Sugar ruins your looks. 
 

S – Sleep: 
The original – and free – beauty supplement that helps you look good and tap into the kind of energy that allows you to goal-crush dreams. Dark room, cool temp (I love 18-degrees), regular routine, no screens. Magic. 
 

S – Stress: 
Manage it or it manages your glow. Yoga, nature, laughter, mediation and friendship all help. But mostly it’s about learning how you perceive the world – because that dictates how you experience your life. 
 

S – Smile: 

Instant facelift. 100% contagious. Everyone always looks more beautiful when the corners of their mouth turn upward. 
 

T – Telomeres: 
Tiny protective caps on your DNA that shorten with stress. Treat them kindly — they’re your cellular youth serum. The longer your telomeres are = keeping your beauty! 
 

U – Understanding: 

Everyone deserves to feel heard, understood and loved. The secret here is using all the layers of listening. 
 

Judgment is ugly. Compassion never goes out of style. Also, where energy goes, energy flows. So send that energy out into doing good and helping others feel good, chasing dreams and doing good stuff in the world. Standing around judging others sounds ugly and it’s a waste of energy. 
 

V – Vitamins A & C: 
Science-backed beauty heroes — your skin’s best friends. 
 

W – Whole Fats: 
Coconut oil, olive oil, oily fish — feed your glow from the inside. 
 

X – X-Factor: 
You’ve got it. Yes, you. Own it. We are all uniquely beautiful! 

Y – Yes: 
To people who lift you higher, not drain your sparkle. 
 

Z – Zinc. Found in kai like seeds, nuts, and shellfish — and can also be in your SPF, which you should be wearing daily anyway to portect your skin. 
 

Beauty is biology + behaviour + belief. 
 

The science says you can glow younger — but the secret sauce? A happy gut, a calm mind, and a kind heart. 💛 
 

Please credit this content @rachelgrunwell 

inspiredhealth.co.nz