We often imagine top models surrounded by expensive bottles, complicated protocols and care reserved for backstage at fashion shows. However, behind the bare skin selfies of Bella Hadid and Irina Shayk, a simple gesture from the cold is causing a lot of talk and promises, on screen as in real life, smoothed features as soon as you wake up. This ritual, inherited from countries where winter is harsh, has become a favorite of models and social networks. It is based on an ultra basic, almost childish principle, which can be reproduced at home with simple ice cubes on the facebut whose effect on the skin seems very real for those who have adopted it. And it all happens in a few seconds.
Ice cubes on the face: the icy habit that promises lifted skin
For Irina Shayk, it all started with advice passed home very early on. “And my best beauty advice comes from my mother: in the morning, when your complexion is tired, you take an ice cube from your freezer and pass it over your face to make like an ice mask“, says Irina Shayk in an interview with the magazine Marie Claire. From this grandmother’s gesture to the ice baths practiced in the Nordic countries, the idea is the same: use the cold to wake up the face, smooth the features and restore tone to the tissues.
Concretely, pass an ice cube on the skin or immerse your face for a few seconds in a bowl of iced water, what we today call
skin icing Or ice bath
face, causes a lightning reaction. The blood vessels tighten, then relax once the skin is warm, which stimulates microcirculation and gives that instant healthy glow effect. The cold also helps to reduce temporary redness, to deflate bags and dark circles by promoting the drainage of water under the eyes, and to temporarily tighten pores, hence this side of lifted skin what Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk and many other models look for before a fashion show or a shoot. On the other hand, on very sensitive, dry skin prone to rosacea or rosacea, this thermal shock can trigger persistent redness and tightness, especially if you repeat the procedure every day. Instead, specialists recommend limiting yourself to two or three cold sessions per week and stopping if you experience discomfort.
How Irina Shayk integrates the ice bath into a simple and very mastered routine
When I wake up, Irina Shayk starts with a glass of warm lemon water, then moves on to the most invigorating part of her ritual. “The cold is very good for the skin. Every morning, I run an ice cube over my face to tone it up.“, explains the model. For Irina Shayk, this gesture from her Russian roots has become automatic, even before applying moisturizer, sunscreen and lip balm. “I always arrive with my skin ready and hydrated. I’m obsessed with skincare“, assures Irina Shayk. As a result, the model arrives on set or backstage with her complexion already fresh and smoothed, which allows her to make do with very light makeup.
In the evening, Irina Shayk focuses on technology with an LED mask that she applies to the face and neck. “It is really effective if used regularly.,” explains the model, who combines it with nourishing creams from prestigious houses, but with very simple cleansing. “Pharmacy products are sufficient, as long as you wash your face thoroughly twice every evening.. Behind the ultra glamorous image, the message always remains the same: “You don’t have to wear layers and layers of makeup to look beautiful. I prefer to be natural”. And Irina Shayk sums up her philosophy in one sentence: “I’ve always taken care of my skin, and I think it’s paying off today“, a way of reminding us that its famous ice cube, just like its ice bath express, only really makes a difference when it is part of a regular routine, well hydrated and carefully protected.