the sun is shining, the weather is sweet

Here in London we have amazing weather! Our usual grey and gloomy skies have been replaced by bright blue, clear loveliness!!

However, all this beautiful weather highlights how terribly unprepared our city is for heat!  Our underground (metro/tube) has no air conditioning. So i will just leave it to your imagination how pleasant a rush hour train journey (squished together with a thousand other people) is at the end of a long hot day!  You really can end up looking like a hot mess!

But I have a handy set of beauty tips and products which help me stay looking fresh and feeling cooler.

At home:

- I steer away from foundation in the summer months, and use a tinted moisturizer/BB cream (or just concealer where necessary).  A lot of us girls become really dependent on foundation, when we actually don't need it!  You will really feel much fresher throughout the day without a heavy foundation!

If you do however prefer to use your usual foundation, make sure you apply a good primer before, and use a setting spray after! Primer and setting sprays are regularly available now from most make up brands in drugstores etc.

A friend once told me that she opens the freezer and pops her head in right after applying her foundation - this apparently helps set it too!!  (well it will at least cool you down! haha)

Out and about:

- Blotting sheets: There is nothing that icks me out more, than seeing sweaty faced ladies piling on powder!  I always carry a little pack of blotting sheets in my bag during the summer months, to gently blot and absorb the extra moisture on my face before applying any powder to matify. You can find these in everyday supermarkets, drugstores and high end make up brands. You could also just get a facial tissue, peel the layer sheets apart and blot your face with this!

1. Bobbi Brown blotting papers.  2. The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Facial Blotting Tissue.  3. Boots Skin Clear Shine Blotting papers.  4. Clean&Clear Oil absorbing sheets


- Facial mist: After I've 'blotted' any extra unwanted moisture from my face, I then spray a mist of wanted moisture! haha..it cools you down straight away and absorbs into your skin in an instant!  I would recommend a water based mist, rather than the cream based options - more cooling and refreshing!You can find a variety of options, but I would recommend then Avene Eau Thermal Water Spray!

- Water: keep a small bottle with you all the time, and sip regularly throughout the day to keep hydrated.  But it's actually better to drink cool room temperature water, rather than very cold water, as your body will generate heat after to compensate for the heat loss.

 

You can also hold your wrist under a cold tap for a few seconds, this is a main pulse point so cools your blood down, which can help you feel cooler.

 

An one last random tip - the temperature of our feet really affect how hot/cool we feel.  So forget about any closed shoes, and embrace sandals/flipflops (anything strappy and airy) whilst you can!

 

 

 

Hope this was helpful! Enjoy the weekend!! : )

 

xxx

Magazine Freebies! - June/July 2013

It's that time again, where you can go grab a magazine and get a great product along with it!

Here's what you can get your hands on this month!

Red is giving away a free 15ml sample of Elemis' illuminating beauty flash balm (worth £11.50)!  I'm a fan of the Clarin's beauty flash balm so had to get this to compare!







In time for summer, Cosmopolitan's July edition is offering a pair of sunglasses (3 styles to choose from). I'm overrun with sunnies at the moment, but am quite tempted by the tortoise shell design!

Another summer time goodie, Elle is giving away a Rodial Brazilian Tan in clear/light/dark 58ml (worth £13.50).  I've never really fake tanned so this one wasn't for me.

Marie Claire has a free Ciate mini nail polish and caviar kit worth £10 with their July edition! I couldn't resist this! Have never applied 'caviar' to my nails so will have a go and show you the results!




Company are also giving away a make up bag with their July magazine! You have a choice from 3 patterns!




Need a new moisturiser? Instyle is giving away a 50 ml Neal's Yard Remedies Daily moisturiser (worth £12!).  Sounds lovely, their website states they've "blended "antioxidant-rich acai, bilberry and goji berry with moisturising hyaluronic acid in this lightweight, easily absorbed lotion, for beautifully nourished, radiant, healthy-looking skin"




Not bad this month! Let me know if you're interesting in a review of the Elemis Illuminating Beauty Flash balm!

Did you get any freebies?

Megan xxx

On a mission to better hair!

I have recently been following my friend's fairly new blog Hair Envy by Alicia, which is all about her transition from relaxed hair, to natural hair.  She is documenting her journey, sharing tips along the way regarding styling and treatment.  She also delves into the 'science' behind some products, and our hair itself! Very interesting regardless of your hair type, go read!

http://byalicia.blogspot.com

Her posts have inspired me to take better care of my own hair! Particularly with regards to the use of treatments.  She has blogged about different oils we can use to treat our hair (natural Coconut Oils, Castor Oils etc.) and methods of washing (co-washing).


To get the ball rolling on my new 'better hair mission', I have ordered 2 hair oils from Amazon:  100% pure cold pressed Almond oil and Pure Peppermint essential oil.  I intend on creating a oil mask to use weekly, by mixing the Almond Oil (to nourish and moisturize my hair), with a few drops of peppermint oil (to stimulate my scalp).  I will update you on how this works out for me after I do this for a few weeks



I also picked up a new Shampoo and Conditioner whilst browsing in TK Maxx (you can also find this on Amazon US).  The set is by the Italian brand Phytorelax; and is from their Olio di Argan range. 

They say it:

Deeply restructures hair

Protects hair from external agents

Softens and nourishes hair

Performs an anti-aging action

Performs an anti-frizz action & protects against humidity 

Gives extreme shine to natural reflections

I have really been wanting to use an Argan Oil based shampoo/conditioner; so although I haven't heard of these products before, I have high hopes!  The products contain no Sodium Sulphates or Parabens. 

 

"Argan Oil is extracted from the Argan tree "Argania spinosa", which grows only in southern Morocco. For thousands of years, Berber women have used it as an elixir of beauty. It's one of the best known remedies for ageing of the skin, and is specially prized for its anti-oxidant, emollient and hydrating properties."

 

 

Following the 'beautiful insides make beautiful outsides' mantra, I am also determined to start drinking more water during the day and have started taking a 'Skin, hair and Nails' supplement, which contains a range of vitamins and minerals to improve the health of your hair and skin. You can find this type of supplement almost everywhere; mine is from Holland & Barrett

 

 

So to summarise, as of now I will be washing my hair every other day (or every 3rd day if I can get away with it) with my Olio di Argan set, followed by applying a small amount of leave in conditioner (either Morrocan Oil or Uniq One: all in one hair treatment).  Then once per week I will apply a oil treatment (as above), wrap up my hair in clingfilm or a towel and leave it on for a few hours (or overnight if I can).  Let's see if this small change in my routine will show any improvements to my hair! 

 

After I have been doing this for a while, I will post a more detailed routine and review of the products mentioned here, and let you know how I get on!

 

Megan xxx

 

 

 

Tips and Tricks!

Here are a few beauty tips and tricks I’ve picked up in the past. Thought it would be interesting to share them with you!

-        Want to keep your face mattified and even? Dab your finger over a stick deodorant and pat it onto the areas that you want to appear more matte and where you want the pores to be less visible.  It works!

-        Want to create a matte lip? – apply one coat of your chosen lipstick, then lightly dust on some face powder.  Follow with a second coat of lipstick.  The powder draws out the oil from the lipstick – giving a more mattified effect. This trick also makes your lipstick last significantly longer.

-        Have hard to curl eyelashes? – run your eyelash curlers under hot water or blast them for a few seconds with a hair dryer to make your own ‘heated eye lash curlers’.  You can also opt to use waterproof mascara as this formula dries faster than the regular one, and will help set the curl.

-        Do you get red patchy skin (like between your brows/chin/cheeks?) – steep a bag of green tea for 1 minute, then remove it from the water and let it cool down. Dab it all over your face, concentrating on your problem areas – the antioxidants in the tea reduce the redness/inflammation.

-        Run out of shaving cream? – use conditioner! I think this is actually better than shaving cream. The conditioner softens the hairs making it easier to shave, and also allows a closer shave.  As an added bonus, your legs are left silky smooth.

-        Tired of your perfume wearing off?- Dab some petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the areas that you want to apply the perfume to (wrists, sides of neck etc) then spray your fragrance on top. The perfume adheres to this and doesn’t disappear as fast as it would from dry skin.  Also – if you’re wearing a dress/skirt, spray your perfume onto your knees and ankles, as scent rises.

-         Want thicker eyelashes? – With an eyeshadow brush, lightly dust a face powder or matte eyeshadow onto the tops of your eyelashes, then apply your usual mascara over this.  This instantly makes your eyelashes appear thicker.

-        Want to get rid of rough/dry skin? -  Cut a lemon and rub onto the areas you want to improve – (elbows/heels). The citric acid helps remove dead skin.  Be aware that this can also have a lightening effect.

-        Want your make-up to last?  - Typically it is advised to use a primer before and a setting spray after applying your make-up.  But if you don’t own or want to buy expensive primers/setting sprays there are other options: use aloe vera gel as a primer (which you can find cheaply anywhere e.g. here) this works well as a base for makeup. To set your face (now, have an open mind…), open the freezer after you have finished applying all your make-up, close your eyes and put your head close to let the cold air hit your face.  This will help set your makeup. You can also spray a fine mist of hair spray over your face.

-        And my final tip is not to always follow the rules with make up.  Use lip-stick on your cheeks, blusher/bronzer on your eyes etc.  When you start experimenting with your make up and using it in different ways, you will discover so many new looks.

I will update on tips/tricks regularly when I come across more!

 Are there are tips/tricks that you know of?

Megan xxx