NEWS.COM

MODEL Elyse Knowles is a perfect physical specimen. Looking flawless is literally her job.

The 26-year-old is the face of Myer and Seafolly, so she spends a lot of her time on the set of photoshoots getting her hair and makeup done, or on the beach being photographed in a bikini.

Being a professional good-looking person like Elyse requires quite a ridiculous level of effort and maintenance that’s out of reach for the average woman.

But when Elyse opened up her beauty cabinet for this week’s Beauty Diary column, she showed us you don’t need a $300 serum or a cream made from your own bloodto look good.

She sticks to a few simple beauty rules - and uses a brilliant $12 drugstore mascara - that anyone can easily work into their own glow-up journey.

Here are the five commandments of beauty, inspired by Elyse’s at-home beauty routine.

Missed last week’s column? Here’s the $5 beauty product that will make you glowy AF in 15 minutes.

1. WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERYDAY

Every dermatologist and fancy facialist will tell you this is the single most important thing you can do to make your skin look good.

There’s no point spending $150 on a serum if you’re not also protecting your skin against the biggest cause of ageing - the sun.

“In the morning I apply a toning spray (Dermalogica Antioxidant Hydramist) followed by a moisturiser with SPF 50 in it (Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50),” Elyse told news.com.au.

“You never know when the sun can be damaging your skin so I wear it every day no matter what,” she said.

Some other brands that sell great sunscreens are Neutrogena, La Roche Posay, Mecca Cosmetica’s in-house line, Aspect and Rationale.

2. CHOOSE SKINCARE PRODUCTS WITH SCIENCE-BACKED, ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

Like foods you buy at the supermarket, the ingredients in beauty products are listed in descending order of weight.

You want your “actives” - the stuff in skincare that actually makes it work - to be listed as some of the first few ingredients. If they’re way down the bottom, it’s likely they’re included in such a small amount that they won’t be effective.

Confused about the ingredients in your products and what they do? Skincare brand Paula’s Choice’s has a brilliant Ingredient Dictionary that explains everything and gives each ingredient a rating. It’s honestly my version of the Bible.

Let’s break down the main ingredients in two of Elyse’s favourite skincare products.

FOR THE FULL LIST OF ELYSE'S PRODUCTS - CLICK HERE

When she’s not walking down the runway or on a photoshoot in full glam, Elyse lets her skin take a break.

“My skin is highly reactive. I have to take special care of it otherwise it can easily react to all the makeup that I wear for work. It needs to breath as much as possible otherwise I can get blemishes,” she said.

“If I don’t have a big day at work with heavy makeup, I like to let my skin breath so I simply apply a tinted moisturiser and I’m fairly good to go,” she said.

“I love makeup and the way it can make you feel but I also love wearing no makeup. Being natural is the new trend. Not covering up your signature lines or freckles and being confident in the person you are is empowering.”

- For the record, this column is not sponsored and this is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad-free.