Summer feet; The Art of the Home Pedicure

The sun is shining and your tootsies are sweating in a par of trainers cause you don't have the time or money (or possible inclination) to get a prof job. With so much focus on feet with this season of beautiful arty shoes, primed feet are must! So take half an hour, your feet will thank you for it.

After wearing warm winter boots and poosible even higher heels your feet are good to need a good exfoliant and moisturizer. But, back to basics. Grab a large tub (big enough for both you feet) and fill it half up with hot hot hot water, you can always add a little cold water later. The point is to make your feet swell up and absorb as much water as possible so that any hard skin will be easier to get off, warm water also opens your pores so your moisturizing creme can soak in to where it is needed. Add a product to the water such as The Body Shop Peppermint Cooling Foot Soak for maximum impact. The peppermint smell will also perk up your feet and you, as peppermint will make you think clearer. For a more luxurious treat try Organic Pharmacy Cleopatra's Milk Bath with rose petals and a gentle exfoliating property it can also be used in the bath tub and you are sure to come out smelling divine. If you don't want to spend money on a new product, grab your moisturising shower gel/cream and pour some in. Stir well.

Before sticking your feet into the water make sure you have the following present; small towel, exfoliant, pumicstone. After soaking your feet for a minimum of 10 min take one foot out and towel dry. Now to bring out the exfoliant! Recipe for home made foot exfoliant: 50% coarse salt, 50% sugar, add some essential oil of your choice (optional), a little Body Oil (recommended for softness, I use Johnsons Body Oil) and mix in water very very slowly till you have a think paste - be very careful not to add too much water as the salt and sugar will completly dissolve. Apply to your feet in small circular motions. Rinse of in the basin of water. If you feel you do have place in your budget for a lux product I strongly recommend L'Occitane Shea Butter Exfoliating Foot Care that contains poppyseeds and white clay, that will rid you of the worst rough hard skin while giving some moisture. For those extra tough heels use a pumice stone such as Moom Beauty Stone made from volcanic rock, but be careful not to scratch too hard as you don't want to damage any new skin!

Cover your feet in thick rich cream. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Jar is a thick version of the classic Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion and is perfect for dry feet. Once a week before bedtime, cover your feet in a thick layer of Cocoa Butter so you can't see the skin, put on some clean cotton socks and sleep with them on. You will wake up with oh so baby soft footsies!

Don't forget to apply nail polish! Hot shades are everywhere and your nails are a cheap and low maintanaince way to sport the new summer colours. For a shiny metallic gold (very very hot colour this season) slick on Maybelline Colorama no.25. It looks yellow in the bottle but goes on beautifully!

Beauty Releases

Clarins have launched a new Sun series to ensure you a beautiful tan with maximum protection. The series includes self tanners, sun cream with self tan in and after tan products. Intense Bronze Self Tanning Tint is not for the pale-skinned. It leaves a beautiful colour that deepens to a "I've been at the Bahamas for a week" kinda tan and last for almost a week. The new Clarins

Dr.Hauska is expanding his fantastic Rose Cream series with a new Rose Day Cream. Make sure you read his 7 pearls of skin wisdom and join the holistic movement, but remember that not all skin is created equal.

Elizabeth Arden have created a new version of their long loved Ceramide Capsules. Ceramide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules for the face and throat claim to help strengthen the skin's barrier against the visible signs of time. Each capsule is a single dose and contains the right amount of product for face and throat for a peachy complexion. I have already switched my regular Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Advanced Time Complex Face Capsules for these new supercharged Gold. Oddly seductive with Catherine Zeta Jones as the spokes model.

Lancome is back with more of my favorite juicy tubes. With cool tube detailing and bolder colours, 25 new juiced up glosses are hitting a Lancome make-up counter near you. Now all I need is to get a detector on each one so I don't keep losing the damn things! Lancome hav also come out with one of the oddest looking mascaras ever.... see if Cils Design Pro is your cup of tea.

MAC is as always trying to be a little edgy and different and this time they have def succeded.

Clinique is taking their famous 3-step-system three steps further and created the 3-step Anti-Blemish Solution. Kill them with kindness seems like an alternate way to handle spots...

Philosophy almost always have something on the go. I love the way the bottle make you feel god about yourself while you use them, and the products themselves are absolutly divine. I will be saving up for the new pink lemonade series coming out soon. For a sneak peek at what is coming out soon click here. Until these become availiable I will be sticking to some of my favorites, and despite not being a Bride-to-be I will be taking the handy and divine Philosophy Here Comes The Bride with me one hols which will keep me prim and prime in Hong-Kong or the Gobi desert. This set is also great if you are a Philosophy first-timer as it reflects the brand's standard and diviness!

The Body Shop has launched a new range of skin care for mature skin called Wise Woman. The long living noble stance of The Body Shop is branching out with everything now 100% Vegitarian. With half the products already recommended by reputable magazines and with The Body Shop's history of high class product, this'll be one not to miss this season if you have mature skin!

Molton Brown has created a new haircare line using natural scents such as lili shampoo and plum. I can't wait to try out this series. If you are new to Molton Brown products why not try an old favorit of mine Molton Brown Easygroom Quillaja Hair Texturizer, which gives hair medium hold, a light sheen and good texture with a subtle smell of sweet nutmeg.

Neutrogena are preparing us for a summer of sun with high factor sun protection essencial with our ozon layer rapidly declining and giving us less and less protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays. My newly bought Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunblock availiable in SPF30 and SPF45 in great for the girl on the move. The areosol can is maybe not so enviroment friendly but it does mean you can reach all those hard to get areas without any help, who needs to bring a man on holiday anymore?!

What have I forgotten? Or is there a brand that you would like to see here? I'm always up for testing new products!

Cellulite? What cellulite....?

The Mini-skirt is back!!! We hear this every few years, but what the men don't realise (and ladies, they do like us in them) is that wearing a mini-skirt is no just picking out a t-shirt to go with it, but a baring of the flesh, of our legs and thighs which is the part a woman we are most likely to hate about ourselves! They are too big, too small, too wobbly, too anything and the fear over all fears - cellulite. The woman who is happy with her pins is a happy woman indeed. I have lately come to appreciate my legs with a lot of product and exercise (sorry, cremes can only do so much) and this summer I will be spotted wearing the deep red silk mini by Prada, cause if you are going to do it, you may as well do it in style. Here are some of my tips on how to get mini-skirt ready.

Run Running/ jogging is not only great cardio it has a great effect on your skin too. Your blood gets pumping and flushes out toxins which is what a lot of products aim to do, aka improve circulation. If you run regularely your leg muscels will tighten up giving you good, strong, toned thighs, calves and buttocks which reduces the appearance of cellulite a lot. Doing squats tones up the same area minus the calves and the benefit of a cardio workout. Now for the products....

Exfoliate no more than once a week to avoid damaging your skin and promoting premature ageing, but do exfoliate. The benefits are numerous, the obvious one here being that it gives the skin an even texture making cellulite less visible. Also, when you apply your skin product, old skin cells that will have no use for your precious creme, will not be sucking it up and creating a barrier between you and bump free thighs. My long time favorite exfoliant is Clarins Gommage "Tonic" Corps which leaves my skin soft, supple and slightly geranium scented.

Hydrating creme is your best product weapon for everyday use 365 days a year. Hydrated skin feels and looks smoother. Be your cremeof choice 2 quid from tesco or creme de la mer with additional spa treatments (a girl can dream), H20 is close to being the be all and end all of skincare. I am not saying that all products give the same result, but some is better than nothing. For good moisture on a budget, try Palmers Cocoa Butter lotion. This takes time to massage and sink in so good for bedtime, just apply before brushing your teeth and you should wake up with supersoft pins. If your skin is extra dry or you feel like a treat smooth Clarins Renew-Plus Body Serum all over from your ankles up before your moisturiser for softer than silk skin overnight.

Cellulite creams are flooding the market, with every brand worth its salt producing at least one attempt to iron our legs out. One after the other have passed through my bathroom (I was going to write cupboard, but that would be lying) storageroom and one thing they all need is dedication. Here I find that price does matter. While off the shelves products have made a small difference, my moisturiser and a bit of massage could have yeilded the same result. One cheaper product that temporarily made my legs mini-skirt worthy was a combination of Bliss FatGirlSlim and Bliss FatGirlSlim High Thighs Cellulite Serum. No product that I have ever found has ever removed my cellulite completly, but a feirce rutine of products, massage and exercise can reduce its appearance drastically. More to come on the subject.....

Fake Tan is great for a glowing look without the skin cancer scare. Some colour disguises bumps better than anything short of wearing trousers or wolly tights. So slap on some fake-bake and strutt your stuff! More to come on the subject.....

Product of the month June '07 nr.1

Every month I will tell you what I am not leaving the house without wearing or putting in my handbag - this gives me an alibi to go out and try all the things at the beauty counters, it also lets me take home my favorite product guilt free!
Holiday season is coming up and the hubby and I have opted for a 6 week holiday in China. I didn't want to pick a make-up product because the heat and not least the humidity will have it running down my face in no time. With the high polution levels my skin is going to need some extra protection which is exactly what PraevoSkin from PraevoDerm gives me!
It was originally formulated by oncologists for cancer patients who have chemotherapy to protect their skin from high radiation levels hereby fighting wrinkles. That should keep away any raised levels of radiation! The product also boast a dermologically tested LMW-Q complex, but a seach into what this is yeilded a lot of pages in German (German product) and not much explanation.
The creme is quite runny, but the pump makes it easy to get the right amount. Oil-free it sinks effortlessly into my skin, leaving it feeling hydrated with a little residue. SPF 15 ensures sun protection for those late afternoon strolls, but I will have t get my hands on some higher SPF for the middle of the day (No need to get cancer even if I do have the product for my skin....). PraevoSkin has a quite strong scent, think Beautiful by Estee Lauder, but my delicate skin had no reaction. PraevoSkin can be used all over your body (and should be as both sun and radiation get through your clothes). Unfortunatly, as far as I know, the product is atm only avaliable in Germany, but you can buy it and other products from the series on the net at mycare.de
for the midlevel price of EUR 26.65.

Bonus: The bottle is exactly 100ml so I will be able to take it in my handluggage to hydrate my jetlagged skin!