Elemis Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream

Our winter (well, all year round to be honest) hand saviour in a bottle! Just launched from Elemis is this amazing hand and nail cream. It works wonders for any thirsty hands or just to maintain healthy hands all year round. I've been using it for about a week now and my hands have never felt so soft and hydrated. I've used it little and often, and to be honest to get fully moisturised hands you probably don't need to use it as much as I have been,  I love the smell (magnolia and jasmine) and the feel of it! I've kept it in my handbag so whenever I need a hand cream fix its there. 

The hand and nail cream is the latest addition to Elemis' fantastic 'spa@home' body anti-ageing line. The way that it works is that when skin is exposed to extremes of temperatures it becomes easily dehydrated and dry. Hands in particular, are an area easy to neglect if you don't have a regular hand cream in your routine, but it is important to. Hands are one of the most prone areas of tell-tale signs of ageing to occur, they lose elasticity and easily get chapped which can result in the wrinkling or dullness of the skin on the hands which we do not want! 

So this is where the amazing Elemis product steps in to ensure our hands are looking their very best! It has been specially formulated with a combination of lipid-rich oils to ensure optimum hydration. This, combined with the silicon-free formula of the cream ensures that it works both on top of the skin for appearance, whilst also repairing and conditioning deep into the skin to keep hands and nails stronger and smoother constantly, it also doesn't leave any residue so your hands are not left feeling oily of greasy after use. The hand and nail cream is completely paraben free, and uses plant extracts as some of its ingredients.

For a good sized bottle (100ml) the pro-radiance hand and nail cream is £22, an investment that will not disappoint! 

Available online and on counters, February 2012.

www.elemis.com

NIP + FAB Shower Fix Oil

NIP + FAB is a body and beauty range formed by the creator of Rodial, Maria Hatzistefanis. They offer all sorts of different products from cellulite combatting to eye and skin brightening and plumping. This shower oil has been my go-to bath product of the moment and it is fantastic for giving skin a gorgeous smooth feel and a glowing finish. It simultaneously cleanses the skin to maintain skins natural moisture balance. It is so gorgeously rich, and smells like oranges and mandarins, with the orange element toning, energising and awakening the skin, and the mandarin element also encourages circulation and can  reduce appearance of lines with the addition of gentle oils to cleanse and protect. 

It's a great pick me up for skin, helping to eradicating dryness and giving skin a healthy glow whilst also keeping skin soft and supple. This is the first NIP + FAB product I have tried and it totally does what it sets out to do, so I can't wait to try more products from the range which I hope will be equally as good! For £12.25 it is quite expensive for a shower product so it is fortunate that the bottle goes a long way, only a little amount of product is needed for all over application.  

 http://www.nipandfab.com/

Figs & Rouge Organic Balms

These 100% organic balms are so gorgeous. The design is classic and original with a 20s/30s art deco feel.  Encased in the pretty tins is a highly moisturising balm for lips, hands and body, each tin having a different style that corresponds to the scent of the balm within.  Figs & Rouge pride themselves on the fact that their products are 100% natural and organic, enriched with vitamins, shea butter and natural bees wax to give them optimum effectiveness.  The balms are also completely petroleum free. Incorporating all these positive aspects to make for a little tin of joy!

They don't feel greasy on the lips at all, they are highly moisturising and they smell good enough to eat! All in all, a great daily essential that travels well, and that you can also use practically anywhere - from chapped hands and feet, nails and lips and dry skin in general to keeping brows in shape, using as a make-up primer and even as a cleanser. 

A product like this is such a make-up bag essential, their versatility makes them so practical and there is no end to the ways you can use them (even on your hair and as a perfume) that it could easily become a 'don't leave the house without it' product.

An innovative brand with an ethos that you can't fault, gorgeous and creative packaging with a brilliant product inside that is great for everyday skincare and perfect to carry around with you. They have a fantastic website too, packed with information about the products to give you a little more insight and to see the full range of balms. 

www.figsandrouge.com

Stockists - Boots, Asos, Urban Outfitters, Whole Foods and Anthropologie just to name a few...

Avene Eau Thermale Cleansing Milk

French skincare brand Avene specialises in dealing with problem skin. If you have slightly dry, irritated or even allergic skin then Avene should be your first port of call.
Famous for its use of Thermal Spring water that is found in each of their products, renowned for it's soothing and hydrating properties. Recently, I've been using their cleansing milk as part of my skincare routine in a quest to keep skin hydrated and nourished through the winter months and I'm impressed with the results so far.

The rich moisture of the milk keeps skin soft and smooth as well as giving it a hydrated and glowing appearance. The cleanser is really gentle and effectively removes make-up without being at all irritating, make-up easily comes off with cotton pads and leaves the skin clean.

This is a really great cleanser for the effects of outdoor weather, and indeed lots of other Avene products are brilliant for even the harshest of weather conditions. This one in particular focuses on combating dry skin and sensitive skin so is perfect for me at this time of year.
Avene products are really great value for such quality and effectiveness, this cleanser is £11.50 for 200ml so you get a lot of product for the money spent - a good investment!
Avene is only available in pharmacies, in the U.K you can get it in Boots and other independent pharmacies.

Dr Bragi Age Management Moisturiser

This is a fantastic moisturiser that I have been trying out for about 3 weeks and I am extremely pleased with how effective it has been. 

Dr. Jon Bragi created the line after his scientific findings and work based upon discovering new marine enzymes (in water) that had strong healing and therapeutic properties. He then decided to look at the enzyme technologies cosmetic potential and turned this potential into the creation of the unique Dr. Bragi skincare range. 

This is the only product I have tried from the range but it is brilliant at keeping my dry skin extremely healthy and constantly hydrated. After a few days of using it day and night, my skin looked much fresher and luminous and very soft to touch. Dr. Bragi recommends leaving it to work on the skin for around 15 minutes before putting any make-up on to the skin for it to reach its full potential. A little goes a long way with this product also and one pump is more than sufficient to fully cover the face and neck area. 

I love the innovative formula of this moisturiser, instead of a cream, it comes in a colourless gel-like consistency. It blends in easily without leaving residue and my skin feels fresh and breathable immediately afterwards. It is also completely oil free. 

The enzymes are also said to aid the cleansing and exfoliating process, so it is like having a variety of products combined into one compact bottle.

All this wonderfulness does however come with quite a hefty price tag, at £120 it is extremely high end as far as moisturisers go. Perhaps a rather huge investment, but a good one if you ask me. 

PRTTY PEAUSHUN skin tight body lotion

I am a huge fan of these body lotions created by make-up artist Bethany Karlyn which are designed to make you 'look good in your birthday suit'! They give the most gorgeous finish to the skin and really make the skin glow and give it luminosity. What is fantastic about these is they are available with a colour tint in them, as well as a colourless one too. The lotions with the tint in them are absolutely fantastic for going out or for when you are baring flesh in general as they give the skin coverage,as well as evening out skin tone and they also can reduce the appearance of bruises, redness etc. Instantly your skin looks flawless and supple. It also claims to give a more slender appearance. Bonus. I've been using the light shade and popping it all over my legs before going out to give them a healthy glow and a bit more of an even and richer colour, the lotions also contain light reflecting particles to give the skin that extra luminosity.
From a make-up artists point of view these photograph amazingly and make an excellent addition to MAC Face & Body in your kit.

They are so easy just to throw on and the coloured ones are not at all streaky or obvious looking, and blend into the skin with ease. They are available in plain, light, medium, dark and deep shades so there is a good selection to choose from. The lotion itself has firming and tightening properties to keep skin looking healthy and enhances its appearance, as well as keeping the skin well moisturised and giving it long lasting smoothness. It's formula is fragrance free and is made from 92% natural raw ingredients such as avocado butter, green tea extract and grapefruit wax - all good for you!

The packaging is also super cool with its original shape and it's great for getting every last bit of product out. It is also designed to be eco-friendly because it is incredibly lightweight and is 'anti-packaging' - taking up minimal space. Their list of regular users boasts huge celebrity names and the product is in big demand. It is a U.S based brand but available online for those of us outside the U.S.

One of my top products of the moment and is definitely one of my going out must haves!

Available from Guru - £39.00 236ml

Two of our favourite make-up removers

Just thought I would share with you two of our favourite, and probably our most reached for, make-up removers, and indeed potentially two of the most reached for in the make-up/model industry. You may have heard us talk about these before in tutorials, but I thought I would share the love of Bioderma and Embryolisse on the blog. They both have incredibly gentle, no-rinse formulas, almost to the point where you feel like you are only putting water on your face, but they are absolutely so efficient and brilliant and work amazingly at getting off every last bit  of make-up from your skin without it feeling at all irritated or distressed. It takes minimal effort - the make-up just glides off on to the cotton pad - but with instant results. What I ultimately love about these two products is that they are careful, soothing and simple, you might wonder how something so neutral could work so well yet I don't think there are better products than this, they are perfect on the face and on eyes and are for all skin types. Totally trustworthy.

 They are brilliant for being used over and over, for example if you wore different make up looks in one day or decided you didn't like something and wanted to take it off then they show no signs of redness and restore the skin back to how it was originally so you can apply the make-up from exactly the same starting point.

The only problem with these is that they are not available as widely in the U.K as they are in other counties. We get ours from Guru Makeup Emporium which is in Fulham, London. You can also buy online from them with an additional delivery charge from http://www.gurumakeupemporium.com/. See the Embryolisse remover here and the Bioderma one here






Do you guys use either of these two? I change between them both depending on what's in grabbing distance. Two highly effective, gentle and harmless removers. I love them both.

LMS Spotlights update

Julie from SayItToMyFaceMakeup has sent us this update on how she is finding the LMS Spotlights system 3 weeks on.

Origins Skincare for Men

I have a so called 'metro-sexual' for a boyfriend. He really does like to look after himself and without fail will try any skincare I leave around the place.

So it makes perfect sense that I would utilise his opinion, right?
I just called in some products from one of my favourite skincare brands Origins and told Ian that if he wants them then he has to review them.

After 8 months together I am still a little confused about what Ian's job entails. I know he works with computers but I simply do not have the ability to retain the finer details and I confess, my eyes glaze over every time it is explained.
However, I do know that he works very hard, leaves the house before the sun come up, drives a lot of miles and works till very late.
He wears a suit to work so has to be well groomed and because of the driving and early mornings he suffers from puffy eyes. I am hoping some of these products will help.

The Products

Jump Start

1. MORNING " When you're just too weary to wake up or when your systems start to stall, lather up and let nature's spark plugs, including Cinnamon, Geranium Oil, Lavender and Ylang Ylang, give your batteries a boost to maximize your momentum. Beleaguered bodies take a rosy glow, feels revved, recharged and raring to go. Kindly cleaners from Coconut plus conditioning Wheat Protein leave skin silky-smooth never stripped dry."

Skin Diver

2. EVENING "What's a body to do when the day's debris works its way under your skin? Lather up and let active Bamboo Charcoal go deep to draw out pore-cloggers and remove the kind of blockage that breedsbaddies like bumps and breakouts."

Easy Slider

3. Pre Shave Oil "Just a few drops of this lightweight Sesame and Orgasmic Jojoba Oil softens follicles to give blades a fast, friction free glide. And the crisp, clean scent leaves skin feeling awake and fresh."

Blade Runner

4. SHAVE CREAM "Just when you thought shaving was a drag, it becomes something worth waking up to. Feel blades sail with no resistance as skin-conditioning Kukui, smoothing Soybean and other plant protectors run interference between skin and blades to give you a close, friction-free shave."

Fire Fighter 

5. TAKE THE BURN OUT OF SHAVING "Soothing Chamomile, Cucumber and Winterbloom douse the flaming-feeling fast to cool, calm and comfort razor-scraped skin while refreshing Eucalyptus and Peppermint give you a burst of get-up-and-go. There's no stinging, no smarting, no ouching."

Ginzing

6. REFRESHING EYE CREAM "Late night? Long Flight? Look tired? Nature's clinically-proven wake-up cream visibly diminishes dark circles. bags and puffiness around the eyes.

We await the final verdict.

Botox in a jar?

I don't get this excited about skincare often. I have just received the Planet Instant Firming Serum with Pepha-tight® and Anti Ageing Daily Moisturiser with Syn-ake®  
The details :-

Instant Firming Serum with Pepha-tight®

A luxurious unique algae based facial serum especially designed to tighten skin immediately visibly reducing fine lines & wrinkles. The results of Planet Skincare Instant Firming Serum will appear almost immediately.
Planet Skincare Instant Firming serum softens and smoothes skin. Our serum contains essential skin vitamins and minerals. It protects and repairs even the most sensitive of skin types.
Skin is velvet to the touch, soft and supple whilst providing a long term moisturising effect on the skin.


Tightens skin immediately
Stimulates Collagen-1
Promotes healthy collagen network
Visibly smoothes fine lines & wrinkles
Improves skin firmness & texture
Protects against oxidative stress
Free of paraben's that can dry or irritate the skin
Allergy tested
Not tested on animals
Men & women of any age or skin type can use Planet Skincare and benefit from the remarkable results.

Anti Ageing Daily Moisturiser with Syn-ake® 
A luxurious revolutionary anti ageing day and night moisturiser
Our potent combination of active ingredients helps reduce the signs of ageing.
Active ingredient Syn-ake® inhibits the release of neurotransmitters which cause facial muscle tension (fine lines & wrinkles). With the muscle contracted inhibited, fine lines & wrinkles are visibly reduced.

Visibly reduce fine lines & wrinkles in 28 days!
52% wrinkle reduction
82% smoothing effect
Rejuvenates collagen in the skin
Provides essential skin nutrients
Powerful antioxidants help skin cells remain healthy and protect against ageing
Free of paraben's that can dry or irritate the skin
Allergy tested
Not tested on animals
Men & women of any age or skin type can use Planet Skincare and benefit from the remarkable results.

• I will keep you updated on my progress and will post a video as soon as I have some news. So far it feels amazing but it is too early to say how well it works. 

Nics skincare

ORIGINS Dr Weil Mega-Mushroom range.

What they say:
Do you have skin sensitivity? Extreme dryness? Redness? Hyperpigmentation? Lines? Wrinkles? Puffiness? Are you a flusher-blusher? All of these diverse skin conditions have something in common. Inflammation… what Dr. Weil calls “the fire within.” Sometimes it's barely perceptible, but it's there and he believes it to be a root cause of many seemingly unrelated conditions, including the aging of the skin.

Serum
This serum contains a proprietary blend of some of the most effective natural substances Dr. Weil has discovered to address skin problems. It includes Hypsizygus ulmarius, Cordyceps and Reishi mushrooms, Ginger, Turmeric, Holy Basil, Resveratrol and Argan Nut Oil.

Face Cream
This remarkable face cream with Hypsizygus ulmarius and Chaga mushrooms immediately helps quiet and calm skin. By mirroring the amazing process that sends Narcissus Lily Bulbs into dormancy as a means of “self-protection”, it signals skin to conserve its energy to optimise its defenses against age accelerators. Skin has the ability to maintain a stronger, healthier, more youthful appearance. This patented technology is further supported by Menyanthus and Heather extracts to keep skin firm; Fucoidan from Okinawan seaweed to discourage moisture loss and Vitamins C and E to defend against destructive oxidation.

My skincare.

At the cutting edge of innovation, BIODERMA has pioneered micellar solutions. Specially formulated for sensitive, normal to dry skins, the Sensibio H2O micelle solution gently cleanses face and eyes. It removes water-resistant make-up.
The micelles contained in its formula effectively micro-emulsify impurities while maintaining the skin’s balance (soap-free, physiological pH).


Lait-Crème Concentrè (24-Hour Miracle Cream) is a rich moisturizing lotion. This specially formulated lotion is quite versatile, throw it in your travel bag when you don't have enough space for numerous products. Our creamy lotion is really three products in one: it cleans, moisturizes, and reduces irritation after shaving. Massage into face and neck and rinse off with warm water to remove dirt and makeup. Apply to damp clean skin to seal in moisture before applying makeup. Smooth over legs after shaving to sooth irritated skin.