Category: Beauty & Skin Care

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Mmm…glass of sun cream anyone? This offer isn’t as odd as it may seem since an American company claim to have created drinkable sun protection!  Osmosis Skincare claim that this is a holistic breakthrough and that drinking your sun protection is the way forward. The product is called Harmonised H20 UV Protection is supposed to provide protection up to factor 30 and the makers say that once the product has been ingested, molecules “vibrate” on the surface of the skin to cancel out the harmful aspects of the sun.

Product Lacks Scientific Backing

The product is not endorsed by any skincare experts and so apparently has no scientific proof backing these claims up…but the instructions are to drink 4ml of the liquid every three to four hours whilst exposed to the sun. The product is available in two forms, “tanning” and “non tanning” which is supposed to enable consumers to control their suntans.

Advice regarding this product is to be cautious as it is doubtful that it really will provided the protection it claims it will. Professor Antony Young of the St. John’s Institute of Dermatology at King’s College said it is unlikely that a drink could offer the protection it claims too and Dr. Rang Singh said; “We know that ingestible sun products aren’t that good. To say they have changed the frequency of water molecules…well I just don’t know how they could have done that.” He went even further and added, “I wouldn’t just take these claims with a pinch of salt, I would take them with a fistful!”

Stick To The Traditional Methods…Or At least For Now.

So if the experts are this doubtful what are consumers supposed to think? The drinkable “sun protection” is coming at a time when topical sun creams are already in the spotlight for having failed rigorous tests which have highlighted the fact that many off the shelf are not offering the amount of protection which they claim to.

The advice remains clear; to wear a good quality topical sun cream and to wear a hat; don’t expose yourself to strong sun for long periods of time when unprotected and drink plenty of water…not sun cream!

This company are not the first offering drinkable beauty treatments…in recent years there have been a surge of elixirs which claim to improve skin health and hair condition in addition to gummy bears with beauty properties; although some of these undoubtedly contain some good vitamins and minerals it’s questionable how successful they really are. The best advice is to listen to the experts who have studied the effects of the sun and advised that consumers stick with the traditional methods of protection.

Although some sun cream can be a little uncomfortable on the skin, there are plenty of finer, sprays on creams on the market which feel lighter and less sticky. If you really don’t enjoy applying cream then look out for the spray on type and wear clothing with sleeves! It’s going to be quite some time before we can drink a glass of sun protection that actually works![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

 

If you have ever wondered how to get clear, luminescent skin then look no further.  We have put together the top 10 ways to ensure your skin positively radiates good health and is the envy of all those around you:-

1. Wear suncream

Almost 90% of all wrinkles come from skin’s overexposure to UV rays and it is much easier to prevent wrinkles altogether than to try and reduce their appearance.  Ensure you apply suncream all year long; the winter sun can be just as strong, if not harsher than in the summer.

2. Eat mixed nuts

Brazil nuts, walnuts and macademia nuts are all great for the skin as they help to increase elasticity and reduce inflammation.  For best practice, eat a small handful every day.

3. Clean your brushes

Clean make up brushes can help to prevent breakouts as every day use can cause them to collect dirt and bacteria.  As a rule of thumb, you should ensure you are cleaning your brushes once every two or three weeks in lukewarm water with a small drop of shampoo.

4. Switch your moisturiser to serum

Serum is much more concentrated than cream so you only need to use a small amount to see results.  Looks for a serum which contains antioxidants and pentapeptides as these will boost collagen, keeping skin looking youthful.

5. Clean your mobile phone

The majority of us touch our phones constantly throughout the day, meaning we are transferring all kinds of germs onto it.  When we then put the phone up to our ear, we are putting those germs into direct contact with our cheeks.  Not a pretty idea!  Wipe your phone down a couple of times a day with an antibacterial wipe to keep it clean.

6. Use your products correctly

The order in which you use your skincare products is vital if you want to see proper results.  Use your most powerful products first, as you want them to come into direct contact with your skin, and also ensure that you use lighter products before heavier ones otherwise you will block the lighter products from reaching your skin, thereby making them completely redundant.

7. Drop the dairy

Dairy products stimulate oil glands and pores, which can lead to acne breakouts.  If you can’t rid your diet completely of dairy then stick to skimmed milk where possible.

8. Start using retinol

Retinol is a clinically proven ingredient which can boost collagen production, reduce the effects of wrinkles and other sun damage and also has great anti-inflammatory properties.  Beauty experts recommend that everyone have one product containing retinol in their beauty regime.

9. Get some sleep

It might seem like an old cliché but lack of sleep causes poor circulation, which means you will look pale and tired.  So it really is all about the beauty sleep; more sleep, means a more youthful appearance.

10. Exfoliate

To ensure that your pores are clean of dirt, oil or dead skin cells, you should exfoliate on a regular basis.  You should do this on a daily basis, then follow with a cleansing product which will soften and smooth your skin.

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The word all-nighter sends shivers down my spine…seriously the single though of not being able to climb into my bed at night is unimaginable. The thing is things weren’t always this way; I actually used to stay up to all hours of the night and would watch the sun slowly descend on the other side of a hillside that was in full view of my Living Room window only to watch it reappear hours later. What was I doing?

Good question and to be totally honest I wasn’t doing anything, I just found myself staying up for no reason whatsoever. Usually I would relive some movie classics such as Jaws, Back To The Future or Jurassic Park – has anyone noticed the amount of mistakes in this movie?

It’s ridiculous, but it’s still one of my all time favourites. Other times I would be surfing the net doing a bit of virtual window shopping, playing on Facebook or wasting countless hours watching funny cat videos on YouTube, you would be surprised at just how many you can find.

The thing is I didn’t realise just how damaging pulling all-nighters actually are?  I am not just talking about being tired here and the lines and wrinkles and years it adds your face, I mean it can be seriously damaging both physically and emotionally which in some cases are irreversible.

Once you read the below you will never want to pull an all-nighter again:

Stress

As you head off to bed little stress hormones known as cortisol start to decease in your body. Studies have shown that these hormones in people who stay up all night decease at a significantly lower rate meaning that you get a build up of cortisol in your body. Think about it, it’s no mistake why sleep deprivation is used as a torture technique. This build up can lead to and make you more prone to panic attacks and chronic depression.

Susceptible To Illness

Sleep deprivation has been proven to lower the amount of white blood cells in your body. Yeah this is not good!! These cells are vital in fighting off all the nasty bugs and germs that inhabit our world keeping us healthy.

Gain Weight

Like cortisol other hormones in your body are also affected by a lack of sleep. These are called:

• Leplin: lets the brain know when you are full and when to start burning calories
• Ghrelin: tells the brain when you are hungry and need to eat and when to stop burning calories to store energy.

Staying up all night messes with these hormones making the leplin hormone levels decrease and the ghrelin levels increase.  Look again at the above functions of these 2 hormones and you will realise why this is bad for your weight.

Age Quicker

During the busy day your body is given a rough time so at night it uses this time to repair itself. Clever thing!! This repair stage is called catabolysis and during this stage blood flow is increased, cell debris removed and general repair takes place.

Not getting enough sleep either means your body doesn’t complete catabolysis or that it is forced to skip it resulting in your skin looking worn out with more wrinkles and less elasticity. So if you want to maintain your youthful appearance make sure to hit the hay early.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Having beautiful skin doesn’t have to be something we only see within the few proceeding days from the spa and it shouldn’t be something we neglect. Putting into practice quick and simple techniques like exfoliating and knowing the needs of your skin can reduce blemishes, acne and set dry and oily skin right.

Cleanse Your Skin

Exfoliation can greatly assist you by removing dead skin cells to make way for the new cells. It can also help to de-clog your pores and act as a deep cleanse for removing excess dirt and oil. Researchers have shown that we touch our face an average of 3.6 times per day after touching the many surfaces, objects and people 6.6 times per hour and so there will be no morning or evening when our faces should not need a deep cleanse. Warm water should always be used as it opens up your pores instead of tightens them allowing the appropriate cleansing cream to release the dirt and grease collected throughout each day.

What Skin Type Are You?

By being aware of your skin type, you can own beautiful skin; it doesn’t have to be something that only the goddesses are blessed with. There are four different skin types; one of which yours will fall into: normal skin, dry skin, oily skin, and combination skin.

Skin Types Explained

The first three are quite easy to identify from looking at the surface area: normal skin is non-greasy, equally balanced skin subtle with a good level of moisture, but not enough to present itself as oily. Normal skin is also usually young skin with fairly closed pores preventing much of the grease which reaches our skin from being trapped within.

Pores of dry skin are tighter and can be prone to suffering in harsher temperatures both hot and cold. This is due to lack of water content making skin feel tight and uncomfortable. Then there’s oily skin which can often appear to be in need of more attention if not cleansed efficiently with large pores. It’s useful to know that skin types can change with regular alcohol consumption as pores can in fact grow in size and so normal healthy looking skin can change to oily skin.

Combination skin is something which can be misplaced for any of the outstanding skin types. This is because the t-zone – forehead and nose and chin can be oily whereas areas such as the cheeks can be normal. By knowing your skin type, you can avoid spending unnecessary money on cleansing treatments that shouldn’t be applied to your skin and with only a little understanding you can achieve healthy skin without fail and without a huge expense.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Our skin works hard for us. Despite hours of heavy makeup, being brutally punished by British weather and regularly dehydrated by air conditioning or central heating, our skin keeps on protecting us, however in order to look our best we need to invest in our skin with these top tips to maintaining a youthful glow.

Night time is associated with rest and rejuvenation, and although this is true, our skin is actually working at its hardest during the night to repair any damage sustained during the day and restore the skins hydration levels. With this in mind, applying a little extra TLC to your skin before your bedtime routine can go a long way in helping to replenish lost moisture and nutrients.

Clean Up Your Act

The first rule of great skin is to always cleanse before you go to bed. Never sleep in a face full of makeup, even if you only wear tinted moisturiser because your pores will be blocked and unable to breathe, and the oils and dirt will work their way deep in to your skin resulting in breakouts and enlarged pores. A quick three step skin care routine is easy to implement and will make a huge difference to your complexion within the first week. Also ensure that you use separate products for your eyes and face, the eyes are much more delicate and will require much smaller amounts of gentler products that do not build up to cause puffiness.

All Hail Vitamin A

Our skin’s connective tissue is held together by the protein collagen, named after the Greek word ‘kolla’ meaning glue. Collagen keeps our skin plump and firm, however it’s production decreases as we age, therefore using a collagen boosting production our skin care routine is essential. Vitamin A can significantly stimulate the collagen production process in our skin, and so helps smooth fine lines and wrinkles and decrease the size of enlarged pore. Vitamin A can be found in several serums and anti ageing moisturisers so give your face a natural life with this ingenious supplement.

Me, Myself and Eye

Eyes are incredibly sensitive, and the skin around our eyes and eyelids is paper thin, therefore required special attention in the skin care routine. As we age this skin becomes thinner still and can result in ageing dark under eye circles, so pamper your peepers with specialist eye creams or serums containing super vitamins A, C, E or K to promote skin repair. When applying eye serums or creams ensure that you don’t drag the skin, rather just pat the product along the eye socket bone and allow the skin to absorb it naturally.

Get Great Skin On Your Back

We all have a preferred sleeping position, however even the side we lay on most often can affect our skin as this side of our face will often have more wrinkles and fine lines than the other. Try and sleep flat on your back, or if this is not possible for you, change your sleeping position regularly and invest in some anti-wrinkle pillows with quality textiles that are much gentler on your face than synthetic polyesters.

Say Cheese!

We are constantly told that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, so why not take this old adage on board and make an effort to have a happier countenance? Even if you have had a tough day and just want to go home and curl up on the sofa, take a few minutes to yourself, count all the blessings in your life and remember some funny quotes or memories to turn that frown upside down. Your motions affect your emotions, and you will look and feel much happier in minutes.

Hand and Foot Beauty Tips

Our hands and feet take the brunt of our daily activity, so why not indulge them with a bit of attention to help prevent dry skin and cracked heels? Two or three times a week gently massage some 12% lactic acid lotion into your feet to help remove dry excess skin, then slather moisturiser on top and finish with a pair of cotton socks and let the creams do their magic while you catch up on some zzz’s.  For hands, gently exfoliate with a hand scrub them apply a rich thick hand cream into your fingers and cuticles before hitting the pillow to wake up to beautifully smooth hands by morning.

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We all have those ‘go-to’ secrets that we pick up along the way; little tricks and clever ways of recovering in a beauty emergency.  Sometimes though, wouldn’t it be better to just be told the top beauty secrets without having to work them out for yourself?

1. Smudged Eye Make Up

If you are out and about and notice that your eye make up has smudged, whatever you do, don’t use your fingers!  You need to use a cotton bud or edge of a napkin and wipe under your lower eyelashes.  This creates a clean line, making your eye make up appear as though it has been done deliberately!

2. Green stains from jewellery

We’ve all been here.  You buy a gorgeous piece of statement jewellery, wear it a handful of times and then one day, take it off and there on your skin is an unattractive green stain.  This problem is incredibly easy to solve, all you need to do is seal the metal by painting it with clear nail varnish.  Problem sorted.

3. Deodorant Stains

If you discover a deodorant stain on your clothes, then fear not.  Use a baby wipe or a dampened towel and rub the mark in one direction so that you remove it from the clothing, not just ingrain it further into the material.  Don’t scrub at it, rub it gently.

4. Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion, otherwise known as the ‘instant facelift’, this is a great beauty treatment to opt for if you want to revitalise your skin and give it back a healthy glow.  You can easily do this at home and ‘buff’ away the surface layer of skin to remove imperfections and dead skin cells to make your skin look healthier again.

5. Bad Hair Days

Cover up a bad hair day by sweeping your hair up into a bun.  You can make yourself a simple DIY sock bun (look up how tos online) which is an incredibly popular look at the moment and the perfect solution for any amount of hair distress.

6. Chipped manicure

You spend hours painting your nails only for them to chip within minutes. Nightmare!  Applying a clear top layer can assist with chips but the best thing is to carry the nail varnish with you, so you can reapply as necessary.  If you have a French manicure and are truly stuck, correction fluid is a good temporary solution.

7. Torn Hems

This is a tricky one to fix if you are out and about.  In short, it’s about making use of whatever comes to hand; tape, staples, or safety pins if you have them.  Once home you can easily fix a torn hem with iron-on hem tape but the above work well in emergency situations.

8. Wrinkled Clothing

If you don’t have an iron to hand and need to get rid of a wrinkle quickly then use your hair appliances!  Simply place the wrinkled fabric between the plates and hold for a few seconds.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]How To Wash Your Hair Correctly

I know what you’re thinking, you wash your hair everyday and you don’t need some patronising article to tell you how to do it. Well maybe you are right, but we can guarantee you that most people reading this will learn a thing or two.

So instead of keeping you all in suspense, as I know you are dying to learn our secrets, I will get straight to it.

It All Starts With The Rinse

Ok no biggie here, I am sure you all start by giving your hair a quick rise straight off. However did you know that the hot water opens up the cuticle meaning that any trapped dirt or hair product will be more easily removed? Another added bonus of the rinse is that it loosens the oils through the scalp which in addition to opening up the cuticle means that it is able to absorb the oil in your conditioner.

The Exception To The Rule

Ok you know how we have just told you to rinse first, well we might have lied a little. If you have long hair that falls below your shoulders then it is best practise to apply a small amount of conditioner to the fragile ends which will help stop them from drying out and getting damaged. Then you can rinse away and then apply your favourite shampoo. Using conditioner first will also fill the holes in the cuticle with moisture meaning you will get that added shine.

Lather Away

Because the new, young hair is closest to the scalp it is oily than the hair that is furthest from the root. On the flip side the hair that is at the ends is the oldest and will most likely be the driest and most fragile. This means that the best way to lather is from the roots all the way to the ends!

Don’t Be Too Hard

Your hair is delicate and requires that you treat it with care. Too much friction can cause damage that either results in it breaking or transforming into a frizz ball. Make sure when lathering to go in straight vertical motions which will prevent the event of your hair becoming knotted.

No Need For That Second Wash

You may have read from experts that you should ‘rinse and repeat’ in order to achieve the best results. Well the truth is you don’t. Over washing your hair can actually do more bad than good by totally stripping it. The only exception to this rule is if you have extremely clunky hair that is saturated in product or dirty hair which may require a second wash in order to achieve desired results.

And Then Add The Conditioner

After washing out all the shampoo from your hair give it a quick squeeze to remove any excess water and then apply your conditioner. Unlike the shampoo it’s important to leave the conditioner in for a while before rinsing it out to ensure it is better absorbed. Another little bonus tip when it comes to conditioner is to make sure to only apply it from mid hair length to the ends, missing out the root section – the reason being your hair will be more oily near the scalp.

Seal With A Shine

If you want that added shine effect then you need to turn that hot water dial on the shower all the way down to the blue section. There is nothing worse than freezing cold water after having a hot wash but by finishing off with cold water the cuticle will be sealed off leaving a nice glossy, shiny finish.

And Finally…

To finish off the beauty tip for the day we will leave you with one final tip that many people ask regarding their hair…How often do I need to wash it? The answer to this question depends on the individual and their hair type. If you have naturally oily and fine hair then you will most likely need to wash it daily however if you have thicker hair (average hair) then every other day will give the best results.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]So the festivities are finally over and as you pack away your party frock and give your feet a well earned break from your skyhigh statement heels why not take the opportunity to give yourself some post party season TLC this month.

Whether you are looking to try a new hair style or undergo a complete makeover, this is the perfect opportunity to make 2014 the year that you become fitter, healthier and more confident in your own skin than ever before.

With celebrities already rocking the latest trends in hair cuts and colour for spring/summer 2014 whilst the rest of us assess the toll taken on our bodies during the festive season, why not take inspiration from your favourite starlet and kick start the new year with a new look?

Cutting It

Nothing boosts your mood like a good haircut, so why not opt for the chop with a professsional hairdresser this January? The assymetric bob hair cut is proving to be the style of choice for celebs including Jennifer Aniston, Keira Knightley and Katy Perry, and this uber flattering style will suit most face shapes.

To Dye Or Not To Dye

If you fancy a change but don’t want to commit to a full colour makeover, why not embrace the current trend of dip dyeing? 2014 is all about a subtletly so opt for a colour that is just a few shades away from your own like celebrity fans including the style savvy Caroline Flack and Chanel’s muse Alexa Chung.

Nail It

Spring is on its way so why not get your fingers ready to embrace the pastel palettes with a white manicure? Customise your nails with some stunning transfer nail art prints to really make a statement in 2014.

Be Green

Celebrities like Jessica Alba and Gwyneth Paltrow have long been championing eco friendly products that not only make you look and feel amazing but also benefit our environment too, so make 2014 the year that you go green.

Flower Power

Spring/Summer 2014 has gone floral, no need to invest your hard earned cash on hair accessories with a hefty price tag, simply add your favourite flower to your hair and enjoy the admiring glances as you turn heads this season.

Feline Fine

The sixties cat eye makes a welcome return this year so recreate this classic look as seen on Rihanna and Angelina Jolie with a sweep of black liquid eyeliner along your eye lids with a gentle flick at the end.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]