Look Like Yourself

A secret to looking good.
Bobbi Brown, the woman behind the label of the same name has been around a long time. She recently celebrated her 50th birthday with the realease of her lastest book, Bobbi Brown Living Beauty where she defines and redefines beauty for women in their 40's, 50's, 60's and later. In the "later" part exploring unchartered teritory where women in their 80's can still be beautiful and sexy. Beauty is lifelong. Her messages is that it isn't about looking younger but looking good. She also sells make-up that doesn't take over your face but gently accentuates your feminine beauty.

It is an age old line. Love yourself. Self-respect echos in the way you carry yourself and other humans can smell it on you like a wolf can sense your fear.

Women are different; our tempers, our lives, our complexions, our checkbones and a million other things, so no one makeup trick is going to work for everyone. The one thing we do have in common is that we are women and all women have something beautiful; be it a Marilyn Monroe figure or an enviable personality. Accentuate what you have. And if you use no other make-up at least invest in a good concealer as it has the abbility to make you look like you have had your 8 hours sleep instead of the 5 you managed slouched over your desk!

Whoever you are, be who you are. Learn to appreciate your childbearing hips, your ability to enthral a room with an otherwise boring subject, your unike facial characteristics, your wrinkles wherein you can see your life and appreciate it!

Product review - Lancome Primordial Optimum Yeux

The windows to your soul are delicate and precious - I think that sight would be the sense I would least like to lose! The eye surroundings are also very fragile and must be attended to accordingly. For the past two weeks morning and evening I have been following the Lancome instruction video (which I must admit I absolutly LOVE) how to apply Primordial Optimum Yeux. After just a few days my eye surroundings were extremly well moisturised despite using a very small amount - less than a pea size for both eyes. I texture is creamy and luxurious and sinks in really well and quickly and the smell is subtle and "lancomeish". Application is easy and quick making it ideal for people who have trouble keeping to a beauty rutine i.e most of us, or for taking on holiday when you don't need all the fuss and your eyes need some extra moisture from too much sun/ cold/ wind/ clorine.... or if you just have very dry skin around your eyes. After about a week I noticed a reduction in my under eye blackness ( I had to stop using my regular eyecream for about 3 weeks before I started this test to make sure of the results) and also a much less under-eye-morning-bags look. My skin looked brighter after about a week and felt wonderfully soft and firm to the touch. Not yet having any visible signs of ageing I am ill disposed to comment on the effect this cream will have on lines, but it did what it promised in all other cases so why not?! It's a bit on the pricey side, but if it will keep you looking as good as it promises it'll be well worth it! Longlasting effects are not mentioned, but I suppose if you keep on using it.... I would recommend Lancome Primordiale Optimum Yeux to anybody with a dry eye-contour area and to people seeing the first signs of age around their eyes. Happy beautification!

10 Makeup Purse Must Haves for this Seasons Look

The Spring/Summer catwalk look was bare matte skin, straight hair either tied back or hanging straight down and violently coloured lips and nails. Here are the basic products, some new and some old returning favorites that you will need to get The Look.....

1. The Hair Shine Product
This season your hair has to look well maintained and moisturised. Use a product that will give your hair shine without making it heavy such as Bumble and bumble Brilliantine, or to tame those pesky flyaways an old favorite, John Frieda Frizz Ease Normal Strength Serum (also avaliable in Extra Strengh).

2. Massive Powder Brush
To get the perfect skin look you need a large application brush for when you are applying the powder foundation that is essential to this look. Pour a little powder into the lid, if you are using loose powder and dip your oversized brush in. Blow of any excess carefully and apply in small circles - this gives the most natural look. If you don't already have a large brush try ID Bare Escentuals Full Coverage Kabuki Brush - pricy but worth it.

3. Hairspray
Hairspray this season is being used as a lacquer. Either your hair should be hanging straight down or be pulled into a tight ponytail. Whatever style you choose you will need hairspray to keep those strands in place. Elnett Satin from L'Oreal has been around for so long, that that alone should be enough to recommend it! It give good hold without giving you the "I've used hairspray" look and also comes in a little size that will fit in your handbag for later touch-ups. Or for the more lux choice try Bumble and bumble Classic Hairspray that you can brush out! I am in love with all their products.

4. Mineral Foundation
The pure, clean look is all over the catwalk and for this look you have to have regular clear skin. Don't fret if your skin goes red and blotchy at the slightest sight of he outdoors, mineral foundation to the rescue. Colorescience Take Out Box Kit Light As A Feather contains all you need for a pure-face; loose mineral foundation, bronzing powder, Invisible Matte Finishing Powder and a retractable brush. I haven't tried this product myself but I have been told it stays put and also has the added bonus of not clogging up your pores, so that your skin stays clean. The bronzing powder contains a little bit of shimmer and leaves a beautiful sheen.

5. Moisture Spray
To keep your skin looking fresh all day a moisture spray is a must. It keeps your make-up looking fresh and revitalised. Ole Henriksen has made Ole Henriksen Balancing Cucumber - Face Tonic Mist that tones and conditions skin while the cucumber naturally calms. Keep it with you at all times for that instant lift.

6. Dark or wild nail varnish
If you aren't ready to display this seasons vivid colours on your lips make a fashion statement on your nails instead. Chanel is still an authority in nail colours and if you are looking for a dark look then look no further than the colour 333 madness - just remember an undercoat so your nails don't get stained. For a vivid colour try one or many from the new Maybeline series Colorama.

7. Black Mascara
Either no mascara or lots and lots of long, black gothish lashes. Start at the bottom of the lash and continue right out, then give the the outer part of your lashes a few more lashings and don't forget your bottom lashes. If you aren't used to applying mascara to your bottom lashes this look may initially look a bit violent, but give it a chance. There is a sea of masacaras out there promising heaven reaching lashes and many are very good. Go fo a mascara that gives volume and length like the new YSL Luxurious Mascara Falsh Lash Effect Black which thickens your lashes optimally while lengthening them beautifully. For ultimate impact use a highlighter under your eyes and under your eyebrow so that your lashes stand out extra. YSL Touch Eclat no 01 will always be a favorite of mine, but Dior have also created a mention-worthy touchup pen. Dior Skin Flash Radiance Booster Pen is easy to use and the light reflecting particles are a god send for those early mornings.

8. Pink Lipstick
You can't get around lipstick this season. Pick one in a pink or orange shade and use a lip liner in a similar colour first (always lighter, never darker), then your lipstick won't be going anywhere. If you aren't that into lipstick then try one of the new Lancome Juicy Tubes that are out in 25 new colours/ flavours. For a pink look try the Fraise (Strawberry) and for a more orange tone go with a yummy Mangue (Mango).

9. Nailvarnish Remover
Chipped nailvarnish is not an option. It doesn't matter how much of an effort you have made, if your nailvarnish is chipped you are going to look shabby - people notice your hands more than you think. With the wild colours we are slicking on this season, the nailvarnish remover is going to be used regularily and to avoid drying out your nails and making them brittle, I advise you to use an acetone free version. It will require a little more scrubbing than with an acetone remover, but will keep your nails in better condition. Try nailpolish remover pads as they are simple and convenient to use and make correcting a flaw much easier.

10. Concealer
A girls best friend. Just after diamonds of course.... and maybe lipgloss. Removes any redness in a flash and smooths over bumps and other facial flaws we would rather not flaunt to the world. A cream concealer gives very good coverage and is good if your skin is not overly oily, such as Philosophy Supernatural Concealer that comes in light, medium and dark. Each comes with three different tones so you can mix and blend easily to achieve an exact skintone match! Really good product. If you have oily skin try a powder version without added oil like ID Bare Minerals Multi-Tasking Mineral Bisque.

Now all you have to do is practise your runway walk - it's harder than it looks!

Product of the month July '07 nr.2

Elizabeth Arden has the honor of being the brand of the product of the month. This is actually a product I come back to time and time again. Elizabeth Arden Overnight Success Skin Renewal Serum is a revolutionary good product. Despite having strayed several times, been led astray by clever marketing and promises of eternal beauty, this is the product I always come back to. I apply the serum to a cleansed face and neck before bedtime, then I brush my teeth giving it time to sink in before applying my nightcream. That simply. I wake up feeling feshfaced and softer than soft. My skin lookes even without any red patches and it claims to enhance your overnight skin renewal process and stop premature aging. The scent can be quite strong (the add says it smells of lavender, but I hate lavender and I like the smell of this product....) especially if it is used with the night cream that goes with it Elizabeth Arden Good Nights Sleep Restoring Cream, but it really does the job! For optimal effect use the morning serum under your day cream Elizabeth Arden Good Morning Skin Serum and I promise you that you will see an effect after just a few days use. After a few weeks you'll also finally know what the magazines are talking about when the say "Glowing skin".

ps. You can sometimes get all three products in a packet where you only pay for two products and the third one is a gift.

Let your lips do the talking

While we all dream of a pout with a likeness to that of Angelina Jolie, most of us fall short at a likeness to Jennifer Aniston's thin lips. Here are the new products on the market that help plump up your kisser whether your fullness is declining with age or you just want to plump up what your parents gave you.
The number of lip-enhancing products availiable has risen exponentially in the past few years, and luckinly for us, so has the product effect. Full red lips are desirable to men because they signal sexuality and arousment, and while lipstick has long been the only way to achieve this, women (and men) are demanding a more natural and kissable look. Lipgloss has been an intermittent answer to our kissing woes, but now it seems that, while they like the look, men do not like the feel of kissing your sticky lips. Damn. Until lately anything short of plastic surgery could do very little for our even smaller lips. With these new products you are assured a non invasive augumentation, if only tempoarily. My girly friends and I set out the other day to find the best of the best in lip gunk and came home with a whole arsenal of products that we now believe we cannot live without! Lip exfoliating, moisturising, plumping, priming, dyeing....... Perfect soft bee-stung lips being my goal, here is my pick of the ocean of products on your way to the perfect pout.
As we headed into the shopping center we instinctively went for our favorite top brands. As I stood at the Clarins counter resisting the temptation to try all their creams on at once I spot an old favorite the Clarins Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm. This is a balm with a lovely texture and great if your lips have a tendency to become really dry, I take it with me everywhere in the winter and if ou are a skier it is a great base for your SPF. The assistant helps me find the Clarins version of lip plumper. Unfortunatly, while it gives my lips a nice shine and my lips feel soft, the don't look at all enlarged past what a good lip gloss could do. Next.
Set on giving my man a kiss he won't soon forget when I get home, I go over to my friend who is inspecting the contens of Elizabeth Arden's counter. Here we decide that 8 hour cream is a must. For lips or anything fullstop. The Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick SPF 15 is a handy little one to carry around to ensure super soft lips, and you can get them with a slight tint that isn't too offending. We decide that the Eight Hour Lip Tint in 01 Honey is the most naturally pleasing. We are then introduced to the Ceramide Plump Perfect Lip Moisture Cream SPF 30 which is designed to go under your lipstick to give your lips a plumper and less lined effect. While this is a good one for under your lip -stick/-gloss of choice it fails to meet my expectations. Still an excellent product, possible when I am older...
In the cheaper department we all fawn over Burt's Bees and all buy at least one tube of Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm Tube, which is the same one as the original in a tin but in a handy tube. And if you are considering doing some foot home pampering (see previous article, skin) try Burt's Bees Foot Care Kit.
My friend swears by City Lips BAREcelona and uses a tube a month to keep her pout prim. I have never used this product myself, but may have to give it a go as everything else seems to be a bit disappointing.
Too Faced win the competition hands down! After trying on Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme (not actually an injection!) my lips tingle faintly and there is a slight burning sensation, nothing uncomfortable. After a short while my lips are visible enhanced and have a beautiful bee stung natural pinky colour! Amazing! In my great excitment I buy the Too Faced Lip Injection Set and the moment I great through the door and discard of all my shopping I am in my bathroom reading the instructions on how to make my lips a full on smacker. The set includes all the best selling lip enhancment products from Too Faced, and I begin by using the Too Faced Lip Injection Mask. Applying without getting it in my mouth is a little tricky and the provided spatula doesn't ease things that much. Luckily the mask only has to be left on for a few minutes. It tickles slightly while I inspect my boobs in the mirror for the 3-5 minutes you have to leave the mask on. I remove it gently with a wet-wipe and coat my lips with the orginal Lip Injection. My lips are definitely fuller and have the beautiful pinky tone I experienced in the shop. Two more products to go. The Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme is supposed to be used morning and evening to create constantly full lips, while Lip Injection is used during the day to top of the effect, but it's quite late by now so I go for the full package and smoother it on.
After waiting for a few minutes my pout looks less grandmother and more sex siren. I even get an you look very pretty today darling from my computer-screen-bound man! Result. Definitly a keeper. Memo to self- buy all products full size....

ps. Remember- your lips need exfoliating too. Use a soft toothbrush put on some lip balm to avoid scratching youe lips and lightly brush awat any old and dry skin.

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!