Leap Year: Facts, Tips and Skincare!
The Skinsmith | 26th February 2024
What Is Leap Year All About?
(Photo credits: The Scotsman, Info Please)
2024 is a Leap Year and we thought it would be fun to look at some of the facts around February 29th and give you some tips to perfect your complexion in case you are planning on popping that big question!
Why do we need a Leap Year and an Extra Day?
Leap year came about because of the sun!... it apparently takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds for the Earth to circle around the sun…this means we would lose about 6 hours every calendar year if we didn’t make an adjustmen,t as our “Gregorian” calendar relies on just 365 days for a year. We correct this by adding a day to the shortest month approximately every 4 years, otherwise our calendar would be off by 24 days after 100 years!... Now that’s a lot of numbers!
We’ve Been Doing This For Centuries!
Leap year’s introduction goes back to the Egyptians who mimicked the Solar calendar to help keep their seasons on track. In 46 B.C. Julius Ceasar introduced the 12 month, 365 day calendar, and to keep his man-made calendar aligned with the solar calendar he introduced a leap year but his leap years were in any year divisible by 4… this equated to too many leap years though. It was Pope Gregory XIII about 1,500 years later who tweaked the mathematics to years divisible by 4 but century years by 400! This lead to the Gregorian calendar we know and use today.
Fun Facts and Traditions:
Here are some fun facts and traditions around Leap Year and Leap Day
Some cultures such as ours, add an extra day creating the 29th February, whilst some repeat the 24th February instead!
There are over 4 million people who are born on 29th February, they are called “Leaplings or Leapers”. Mostly these leapers celebrate their annual birthday either on the 28th February or the 1st March as oppose to only every 4 years! The chances of being born on the 29th is 1 in 1,461!
There is a Leap Year Capital of the World in Texas, USA. The town of Anthony declared itself “leap year capital of the world” in 1988 and celebrates with a 4-day festival.
A Leap Day cocktail was invented in 1928 at London’s Savoy hotel to enjoy with their leap day celebrations. Its ingredients are Grand Marnier, Sweet Vermouth, Gin and Lemon Juice.
There will actually be 8 years between the leap years of 2096 and 2104!
Quite a few celebrities are leapers! The list is long and includes such celebrities as; Tony Robbins, Anthony Sabato Jr, Ja Rule, Pitbull, Leona Lewis, Paris Hilton, Gerard Butler, Annette Bening, Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, astronaut Jack Lousma and even Superman, to name but a few!
The most commonly known leap year tradition is the one where it is the day a female can propose to a male. Although this tradition is becoming less profound it is still a day where the mainstream marriage proposal sees an increased role reversal.
Some countries consider leap days to be unlucky, in Greece and Italy, many weddings are avoided on 29th February just in case!
Leap Year Skincare Tips
If you are planning a leap year proposal, here’s some tips to ensure your complexion is at is best for the big question.
First of all, make sure your skin is glowing: to do this you need to exfoliate! Try our Arctic Berry Peel & Peptide Illuminating System. With a blend of gentle AHA’s and nourishing botanical actives this 2-step organic peel will remove any dullness and uneven texture from your skin whilst evening out your skin tone. It will leave your complexion hydrated, smooth, plumped and glowing.
An optional step is to apply a beneficial facial masque, such as Raspberry Pore Refining Masque or if you can take some heat try our spicy Eight Greens Phyto Masque HOT! Both masques are infused with antioxidants and brimming with botanical actives to nourish, hydrate and leave your skin youthful and luminous.
Must Haves & Some Optional Extras!
You should definitely consider a potent serum or concentrate; they are applied underneath your moisturiser and can really help to improve your skins appearance and health. Try our Mangosteen Daily Resurfacing Concentrate as it is nicknamed “selfie filter in a bottle”. It blurs imperfections and leaves your skin radiant and perfected! For an extra dose of luminosity in your skin you can also try our Kombucha Microbiome Luminosity Serum with pre, pro and post biotics, apply on it’s own or underneath our Mangosteen Concentrate.
Another optional step is to look at specific products for your eyes and lips, we have a wealth of great eye serums and creams and our suggestion for this day would be Snow Mushroom Moisture Cloud Eye Cream as it plumps, hydrates and refreshes the eyes. We also have a full range of lip serums and balms and our Lip Trio Kit with exfoliator, masque and lip balm would certainly leave your lips in perfect poutable condition!
To Finish Off:
You will need to make sure you apply a great moisturiser to finish off your “pop the question skincare routine”. Eminence has over 20 exceptional moisturisers to choose from:
If you like a matte finish from your moisturiser try Mangosteen Gel Moisturiser, it is high in Vitamins and Red Clover Flower extract helps to balance oil production, refine the texture of your skin and minimises pore size.
If you prefer a dewy feel to your moisturiser opt for our Firm Skin Acai Moisturiser which is brimming with superfood berries and vitamins. It also contains Botanical Hyaluronic Acid to plump and firm the skin for a softer, smoother, firmer complexion.
If you like something in the middle, Stone Crop Whip is a fabulous choice with soothing Stone Crop, this moisturiser is perfect for all skin types and has the most amazing fresh scent. It will help to brighten the complexion to leave your skin hydrated, fresh and glowing.
For a little extra zip in your moisturiser you could add a scoop of our wonderful Superfood Booster Powder, an intense vitamin packed powder that takes your moisturiser to the next level!
Discover The Benefits of a Regular Routine:
After all these beneficial botanicals your skin will be more than ready for 29th February, so bring on that extra day and enjoy all that another day in February can bring!
Happy Leap Year to you all!
For more information on our skincare products and the best options for your skin type please speak to a member of our experienced and friendly team today on 01305 300950 or by emailing [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.
