Browsing Tag

beauty

Posted on February 17, 2014

Dry skin VS dehydrated skin

Natural beauty
derma
I recently went to The Buff Day Spa to get a mini facial and somewhere between the time that I arrived and the time that I left, I found out that my skin is dehydrated – I know right, how could a person who is prone to oiliness ever suffer from dehydrated skin right?
Those were my thoughts exactly.
Up until now, I was part of the confused group of people who thought dry skin is caused by a lack of water and moisture in the skin and that a person prone to oiliness could never suffer from skin dehydration, but boy have I been wrong….
Although one part of this misconception is true, the other part couldn’t be further from the truth and here’s why:
Dry skin is a skin type so if you’re born with it, chances are you’ll die with it too –sorry but it’s the truth. It usually occurs when someone has under active oil glands. This means that the skin doesn’t produce as much oil that it needs to stay moisturised, leaving them with a rough and flaky appearance.
Dehydrated skin on the other hand is a skin condition, meaning it’s easier to treat than dry skin. Often caused by external factors like the weather or harsh cleansers, dehydrated skin lacks water content but is still able to produce oils – which is why someone with oil skin can also have dehydrated skin.
The underlying  difference between the two if that one is a skin TYPE and the other is a skin CONDITION. The only way to treat either one is to use products recommended for your skin.
I’m currently using Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser and I’m quite liking it at the moment. I’ll wait until I finish the whole bottle before doing a review, but so far so good.
If you’re unsure of your skin type,you can find out here.

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derma

Posted on December 27, 2013

How to use coconut oil in your beauty routine

Natural beauty

how to use coconut oil in your beauty routine

I’ve recently incorporated coconut oil into my beauty routine as a way to grow my hair. A few weeks back, I popped into Holland & Barretts in a quest to find a natural hair treatment that I could use on a daily basis, and of course – like olive oil– I quickly discovered that coconut oil is yet another beauty multi-tasker.

It’s one of the very few oils that can be fully absorbed in the hair shaft, rather than just sitting on it’s surface. Besides applying this oil to the roots of your hair, here are five other ways you can use it as a beauty product.

Shaving cream: Coconut oil is a great shaving cream substitute,especially for those with sensitive skin. Since it’s a natural oil, it’s a good option for people that might have an allergic reaction to normal shaving creams – unless of course they’re allergic to coconuts! Other than that, it also gives a smooth base for your razor, leaving you with glamorous supermodel legs.

Body moisturiser: For a nice glowing finish, use a bit of coconut oil on your body right after the shower. It will give your body a silky sheen before a big date or a regular night out.

coconut oil in beauty

Makeup remover: Another gentle way to remove makeup, just apply a bit of coconut oil to the eye area and use a cotton pad to remove it. You’ll be very surprised by the results and to put the cherry on top, it will hydrate the skin around your eyes – the more its hydrated the more you avoid getting crows feet!

Hair mask: If your hair is particularly coarse then you will definitely feel a difference after this mask. Warm a chunk of coconut oil between your hands and massage thoroughly through hair. Once evenly distributed, wrap hair for 30 minutes and rinse out before following your normal shampoo and conditioner routine. (Some people like to leave it over night, but I’m pretty sure your hair will stop absorbing  the coconut oil well before you wake up….)

Body scrub: Why buy a body scrub (or any scrub for that matter), if you can make one at home? Just mix a bit of sugar with coconut oil and scrub scrub scrub! Since coconut oil has anti-fungal properties, it makes for a good foot scrub as well.

If you’re not sure about investing into a tub of coconut oil right away,you could probably get a small bottle of the liquid in a pharmacy (It certainly isn’t as off putting as the jar of lard that I have!) All jokes aside, this natural oil is definitely worth trying, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed shaving so much!

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Posted on May 30, 2013

Thermal Water

product review/ Youthful Skin

thermal water

I’ve always thought that hot bottles were a great idea! You feel cold, heat up some water, put it in you bottle and voila! you instantly  feel warm! I thought, who ever came up with that is a genius…… and then I thought, well maybe not! why don’t cold water bottles exist?? I mean we don’t have too many options when we’re too warm, and the ones we currently have, never get the job done quite right!
Well let me tell you, that very thought escaped me ever so quickly, after having used one of the most refreshing summer products that are presently out there : thermal water
Thermal water is a miracle water which essentially soothes and refreshes your face with a single spray!  Now I haven’t gone crazy yet so this isn’t all  in my head, the reason why thermal water has the ability to do this is because it comes from the untouched waters (untouched by humans anyways) of the beautiful glaciers and lakes of France. Meaning it’s filled with essential minerals and nutrients that you would never find in still water, or better yet, tap water.
What better substance to put on your face than one that has been untouched by humans in a multi-mineral environment? 
 The debate between La Roche Posay thermal water and Avene thermal water will always be ongoing, as both French brands are absolutely amazing!  (leave it to the French to perfect something as simple as water!)  and believe it or not, but  both products are equally effective!
So why should you include this in your hand luggage?
One reason being that there is nothing worse than travelling while you’re too warm. You’re flushed, you feel like you’re sweating and you just want to shower really!  What can be worse than that? Well how about arriving  to your destination without freshening up at all!? that really sounds like a nightmare for me, one that could and should  be avoided with a travel size thermal water spray.
It’s a simple solution! All you do is spray this directly on you’re face 2 to 3 times a day, especially when you start feeling warm. No rest room required, no mirror required, nada! After a few spritz and you will instantly feel your skin coming back to life! Also, the French have soooo much respect for their wine, so you could only imagine how much respect they have for something as natural and pure as thermal water!
For me it all comes down to packaging, I have yet to see a travel size thermal spray by La Roche Posay, so if you’re ad bad as me with kilos, then I suggest you get the travel size Avene one which is just under 7euro! If you’re willing to give this miracle water some extra space in your bag, then why not go for La Roche Posay! Just remember you will be storing this in a fridge so not too sure how good a big bottle would look in one!
Have you tried any of the three in the picture above? If so, what do you make of it?
Here are a few reviews you could check out:
http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemId=16027/Thermal_Water/Avene_/Skincare_-_Face
http://www.skinstore.com/p-9468-avene-thermal-spring-water.aspx
http://www.aveneusa.com/thermal-spring-water/
http://www.cherrysuedointhedo.com/2012/05/thermal-spring-water-its-very-many-uses.html

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Posted on May 19, 2013

Not so guilty pleasure: Dark Chocolate

Guilty Pleasures/ Nutrition

not so guilty pleasure

I never thought I’d ever see the day I’d praise something that I don’t even enjoy eating! It’s not very like me to recommend the things I don’t like, but I guess I’d have to be fair once and a while so my promise to you is that I will not impose any of my personal feelings towards dark chocolate in this post (not intentionally anyways), instead, I will just give you cold hard facts on the benefits of consuming dark chocolate!

Just so we’re on the same page, I must say that if you really want to enjoy the health benefits of dark chocolate then you would have to be looking at the ones that contain over 70% cacao; the darker the chocolate, the less sugar and milk it contains and the closer it is to cacao, the secret behind it’s health benefits.

Cacao is probably one of the main sources of health benefits from the consumption of dark chocolate. The reason being that it produces neurotransmitters in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin which are associated with feelings of well-being and happiness…..

Do you see where I’m going with this???

It’s a natural anti-depressant! So don’t be afraid to indulge yourself with a bit of 70%+ if you’re feeling kinda down!

Alright so now you’re thinking, ”it might help me with my mood and I wouldn’t feel as down if I take a few squares of it, but what about the fat? Isn’t it as fattening as all the other chocolates out there???” I’m afraid not!! The fat that is in dark chocolate comes primarily from plants so it would be a lot healthier for you. It contains the fatty acid that is also found in olive oil and this promotes antioxidant activity and also prevents heart disease. So as long as you look for a dairy-free bar (which would contain more of the bad fat),  I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about if you’re taking these in small doses!

What about the beauty benefits?

Dark chocolate contains an antioxidant called flavinoid which are usually found in plants such as the cacao plant. These bad boys are associated with the anti-aging effects in the skin and the flavinoid found  in dark chocolate are greater than the antioxidants found in some berries. So if you’re feeling guilty about passing on the fruit salad the other day, you can forgive yourself!

Lastly, these flavinoids also absorb UV light which helps protect your beautiful skin from the sun. It also increases blood flow to the skin which improves your complexion and keeps your skin well hydrated.

Now that you know that dark chocolate isn’t all that bad, you no longer have to make this a secret pleasure. Just remember, the more bitter the chocolate, the higher the cacao content and the better it is for you! 🙂

If you’re not convinced, here’s a few more articles that you can read:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/benefits-of-chocolate

http://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/3-health-benefits-of-dark-chocolate/

http://www.naturalnews.com/031959_dark_chocolate_antioxidants.html

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Posted on May 1, 2013

Guilty pleasure #1: Caffeine

Appearance/ Guilty Pleasures/ Nutrition

Something tells me that there’s a few coffee worshipers out there who are now dreading to read the rest of this post. Not to worry, I’ll keep this as short as I can (which isn’t always easy for me to do, but I’ll try my best!)

We all know the list of foods/drinks which contain this addictive drug(yes it’s a drug,don’t look so surprised!). The list is endless really, to name a few, coffee, energy drinks and chocolate would be the most common sources of caffeine. Since my new respect for chocolate has motivated me to write a POSITIVE  ”guilty pleasure” post on it, I’ll leave chocolate out (For the most part anyways) and instead, I’ll focus on the other two (bare in mind that I’m a recovering coffee addict so there’s no judging here….)

Now, I can go on and on about how the consumption of coffee and energy drinks increase health problems for both male and female, how they increases blood pressure which leads to heart problems or how they both contribute to blood sugar problems. But that really isn’t my focus. (And I’m not exactly your doctor!)

My primary focus is on beauty (Surprise surprise!!) and here are the main reasons why I think you should avoid taking these products:

the affect of caffeine on your appearance

1.It speeds up the aging process.
Caffeine accelerates aging because it contributes to the decline in the production of hormones that are usually produced ‘in riches’ during youth. As well as this, it dehydrates your body which sucks all the water from your skin cells and as a result it causes wrinkles and sagging.

2.It affects sleeping patterns.
Because caffeine is a stimulant, it keeps you awake for longer which in turn makes you sleep less, and as Sleeping Beauty already informed us, no sleep takes a toll on your overall appearance and reflects very badly on your face.

Still not convinced? Well how about this one…..

3.Say Cheese!
This alone should be a reason to cut down! Not only is it visible on your face, but too much coffee/energy drinks reflects very badly on your teeth!! You might think that by adding milk or cream to your coffee, you would prevent your teeth from staining,but sorry to burst your little bubble there but white coffee would still contain the same pigments and acids as black so it doesn’t really make much of a difference!

Now that that’s all said and done, I’ll let you go enjoy your cuppa. After all, coffee addicts have always been the toughest to crack! Just don’t say you weren’t warned though!

Hope you enjoyed reading my post.  Feel free to comment below 🙂

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