Category Archives: beauty look

Some holiday (or pre-holiday) skincare essentials. The VO5 Hot Oil is a bit of an anomaly because it’s for your hair and not for your face, but it was orange and summery and looked good in my photographs! Hot Oil is one of those beauty products that seems very old fashioned, now, because it’s been around for such a long time, but it’s actually an excellent idea. There are loads of pre-shampoo nourishing oils out there (you pop them on a few hours before washing your hair to give it an extra conditioning session) but they can be really expensive and I’m not sure that many of them are more speedily effective than the VO5 one. The Hot Oil is, as the name suggests, hot. (Or “very warm”, anyway – you don’t want to boil your scalp!) This helps the oils to get to work faster and it means that you only have to leave the oil on for a very short amount of time (one minute) before shampooing it off. It’s a good post-beach treatment, and I like that the oils come in four separate tubes so that you only have to take one small product on holiday. You can find the packs of Hot Oil at Boots.com here – £4.29.

And from one oil blend to another, this one rather more pricey but something of a summer skincare favourite for me. Decleor’s Solaire Tan Activator Serum is just brilliant if you know that you’re going to be getting lots of sun on your face and want to provide a little bit of extra protection. Often people think that these tan “enhancer” or “activator” products are bad news, promoting the idea of fast tanning or deeper tanning, but they’ve actually been designed (usually) to help the skin boost its own natural sun defences. The idea is that the antioxidants in the serum encourage the skin’s natural ability to deal with UV exposure and therefore tan more evenly. (Read more on antioxidants and their oft-cited benefits here.) There are loads of antioxidant-rich oil blends, but I do love Decleor’s – it’s soothing, nourishing and I’m pretty sure that the carrot oil in there helps to give me an excellent glow! I use a few drops massaged in before my sun protection, and if I’m feeling indulgent I add a drop to my SPF when I reapply, too! You can find Deceor’s Tan Activator Serum at LookFantastic.com here for £37.55. (RRP £44)

Another serum that I tested out quite extensively earlier in the year; Kiehl’s Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate. A Vitamin-C powerhouse, I find this one to be very brightening and it’s great for skin that’s dullish and needs a kick up the proverbial, but it’s also great for crepey, fine-liney skin around the eyes. I wouldn’t apply it too close to the eyes, because it’s quite warm and spicy when it goes on, but see how you get on! I’m erring on the side of caution because I don’t want thousands of people burning their eyes out, but I have tested it a lot with no particular eye trouble to report. You can find this serum  – which is more like a thick, dryish cream than the usual light-textured serum that you’d expect –  for £35 here. It’s usually £49.

Other bits and pieces that you see in the pics above; La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios Ultra-Light which has been one of my hero SPFs of the year (read more about it here) and two self-tanners for the face. Now you really have to excuse me with the first one, which is by Sisley and insanely expensive. I was in two minds about whether to include it at all, but it is the one that I use most regularly and so, in a way, it would be unfair and also a bit odd not to mention it. Sisley’s Self Tanning Hydrating Facial Skin Care is the best I’ve tried, but I would stress that there are other beautiful and very lightweight formulas out there for a fraction of the price. You don’t need to spend sixty-odd quid on a face tanner! But I did, and I still love it more than any other one I’ve tried, so it’s in.

But feel free to ignore it completely, because there are nine other options in the video below that I filmed with Caroline Hirons. I am ordering the Clarins one that she mentions, it felt amazing, and I’ve already praised the Elemis gradual face tanner here on A Model Recommends. If you want to splash out on a luxurious-yet-lightweight gel-cream face moisturiser with added self tan then Sisley is just dreamy; if you need to be sensible about things then try the Clarins (here) the Elemis (here) or the James Read (here). Watch the video for a full rundown of our favourite fake tanners (mine are all gradual because I’m a tan-scaredy) and let me know which ones you’d recommend in the comments below. Summer is only just in full-swing, plenty of time for my tan-testing yet!

Caroline’s Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/dixierae25

Sorry to start with such a pricey tanner, but I do love it.

Sisley Self Tanning Hydrating Facial Gel: sorry, this IS ridiculous, but I love it. http://rstyle.me/n/en58vt6a6

Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanner: http://tidd.ly/484c1ce0

Elemis Gradual Tanner for Face: http://tidd.ly/41d245ab

and Body:

Clinique Body Tinted Lotion: http://tidd.ly/dc070062

Clinique Face Bronzing Gel: http://tidd.ly/e4d6f431

James Read Gradual Tanner for Face: http://tidd.ly/7aa72c55

Vichy Capital Soleil Auto Bronzant: http://tidd.ly/5e4e1053

Dove Gradual Tan Deeper Effect: http://tidd.ly/248e69bf

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Astalift is a premium anti ageing skincare brand developed by the Fujifilm team where they’ve used their cutting edge, core technologies that they’ve accumulated over 70 years of research and development. Fujifilm found that collagen is not only an essential ingredient within photographic film, but it is also a key component of the skin, whilst antioxidants prevent images from fading in colour and repair and protect the skin from UV damage. Fujifilm have applied this knowledge from their research to create a skincare range and developed the most unique of technologies to prevent UV rays from weakening both collagen and elastin within the skin.

Astalift is available to purchase from Beauty Expert, and they stock a pretty extensive range of their products. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been trialing three products from the Astalift skincare collection, but until trying these products I’ve never tried or heard of the brand before, even though it launched back in 2012, so I was intrigued to see what they were like.

The first product I’ve been testing is Astalift’s bestselling serum; the Astalift Jelly Aquarysta Rejuvenating Concentrate Serum £51.75. The name Aquarysta is derived from ‘aqua’ and ‘crystal’ which symbolises the light as water texture of the clear jelly, and the crystal-clear moisturised skin is said to bring. Astalift recommend applying the serum after cleansing, before you apply your moisturiser and the formula is said to target; dark spots, lines, dull skin.. delivering visibly younger and more luminous skin. The consistency of the Astalist Jelly Aquarysta is so unlike anything else I’ve tried, in that it’s a clear red jelly and you only need a pearl-sized amount per application, which you simply massage into the skin.

Now I am lucky enough not to have any lines/wrinkles yet, nor do I have any dark spots of pigmentation issues.. I do however suffer with very dry and dehydrated skin, so I was hopeful that this wonder product would help inject some much needed moisture into my skin. Once massaged into the skin, it does feel a little tacky for a few minutes but the tackiness does eventually subside thankfully. Once the serum has fully absorbed, my skin instantly feels and looks more hydrated and ‘plumped’ which I assumed would be short lived, but to my surprise, my skin remained feeling hydrated throughout the day. This serum is my favourite from the three products as it really does make a considerable difference to my skin, and the price is pretty high but seeing as you only need a pearl sized amount per use, I’m hoping it’ll last for at least three months which makes the price a little more reasonable at £17 a month.

Next up in the trio I have is the Astalift Revitalizing Moisture Emulsion £29.25, which is recommend to be used after applying the serum. The Astalift Revitalizing Moisture Emulsion contains an innovative formula that utilises the red pigment ‘astaxanthin’ to combat free radical damage and boost collagen production. The lotion is said to minimise the visibility of freckles and skin ageing. Now I have a lot of freckles all over my face and I don’t have an issue with them, so I’m not entirely happy with a product which works to reduce the visibility of freckles as I don’t see freckles as being a bad thing, but I guess some people might. The Emulsion is designed to increase the skin’s hydration whilst working to balance oil and water absorption of the skin, preserving moisture from within.

The Emulsion has a lightweight lotion consistency which is quick and easy to massage into the skin without any greasiness or residual tackiness. I think this lotion works well as a base before I apply my makeup primer as it leaves my skin looking and feeling soft and smooth, but I cannot honestly say I’ve noticed an improvement to my skin with this lotion alone like I’ve seen with the Aquarysta so if you were going to choose one or the other, I’d have to recommend the Aquarysta Serum but the Emulsion is still a nice enough light moisturiser.

Lastly I have the Astalift Nurturing Eye Cream £29.25 which is targeted towards wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles. It contains an uplifting formula combines astaxanthin with nano-Lycopene to pamper the eye area, leaving it feeling revitalised and looking radiant. As far as eye creams go, this has quite a rich formula so you only need a grain of rice sized amount per eye or you’ll have issues with your under-eye concealer. As I mentioned above, fine lines and wrinkles isn’t a concern just yet but I do suffer with puffy eyes every morning especially during the Summer when my hayfever is at its worse, as well as dark circles.

The first improvement I noticed within only a few days was that the cream had diminished all of the dryness around my eyes which I’m really pleased about as I’ve never found an eye cream that gets rid of dryness completely. I’ve even used a little of this eye cream on my dry patches as it made such a difference. I do definitely agree that it reduces puffiness, but I have tried more impressive depuffing treatments but I’m more than happy with the effect it has on my puffy eyes and my dryness. I think this tube is going to last me for such a long time as it’s so incredibly rich, so again it should last for at least three months which I think is pretty good going.

So overall I’m pretty pleased with my first foray into Astalift Skincare. Have you ever tried any of the Astalift products? Are there any products that you’d recommend?

The post Astalift Skincare appeared first on Miss Makeup Magpie.

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Okay, so I’m doing one last post on the Daily Mail and then we’ll just let it go off into cyber space. I’ve had SO many amazing comments that are so supportive and kind on the blog that there is no way to see this as anything other than a very positive experience. However, I’m aware from comments, texts, DMs and Twitter that it’s been upsetting and unsettling.
But, what you need to remember is that this kind of thing is part and parcel of on-line life. It shouldn’t be, but it is. For as long as I’ve been writing on line, people have done this. One of my first on-line jobs (about eye drops, believe it or not) led to threats along the lines of ‘I know where you live’, ‘I know who you are’… etc.. far more sinister than being called a hound from some random bloke in Sheffield. I asked the company to not allow further comments, and they said no. In fact their advice was to ‘take no notice – they’ve got nothing better to do but we need them for our stats.’ I pulled out of the job, which broke my contract, they threatened legal action and I said, ‘bring it on, I want to see this come out into the open!’ Needless to say, they didn’t.

Bloggers, YouTubers, on-line journalists – everyone is subject to this kind of abuse on-line. It’s not just me (I think where I would have a real problem would be if all the other comments on the DM website were delightful and only mine were vile – now that would be upsetting) – think of the Facebook Memorial sites that are set up and trolled by people who have no respect for the dead, young or old. Interestingly, a couple of DM freelancers have been in touch saying they refuse to do any work either at all, or where pictures are concerned, because they’re sitting targets for monumental levels of abuse. And are they protected one bit by the DM or any of the other sites? Not at all. Stats are king of the internet, not ethics.

Bearing in mind I knew what would happen, I’m genuinely unmoved by it. It’s so meaningless to an ordinary woman with an ordinary face who just happens to have a beauty blog. So, lots of readers have been upset and angry on my behalf; that’s more touching than I can say, but please do be assured that it’s had absolutely no negative impact whatsoever. I’m actually quite proud to put age on the agenda within the beauty world so that people can truly see what we’re up against. Age and beauty aren’t related in my world; older women are more relevant within the beauty industry now than they ever have been and if the many comments under the initial post of that aren’t a learning for the industry, then I don’t know what is.

So, while it’s not okay that journalists, You Tubers and bloggers stay totally unprotected from people with too much time on their hands and spikes in their hearts, I am 100% okay, definitely not broken in any way and exactly the same as I was before DM! So to lighten the mood, I’m sharing a couple of things that my friends sent me ; one is a picture mocked up from when I did a Google Hangout and realised they had *extras* that you can play about with and the other is a suggested new tag-line for BBB!

and…

“British Beauty Blogger: Looking grumpy with poor lighting and expensive makeup since 2007.” @manfaceblog

Love! So, a massive thank you to everyone who’s taken time to comment – it’s so appreciated. x

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Clinique’s 3-Step skincare system seems to divide people, opinion-wise, like no other beauty product I’ve seen. There are those that have used it religiously (and successfully) since their teens, and there are those who are so vehemently anti-three-step they would seemingly rather clean their face with washing-up liquid than touch that famous yellow bar of soap. A quick Google and you’ll find people who are almost evangelical about the three step – they’ve used it for twenty, thirty years and wouldn’t ever try anything else – and you’ll also find a heap of beauty reviewers who are, at best, scathing. They hate the soap for its drying effects, the toner (“clarifying lotion”) could “strip paint”, the bottle of yellow moisturiser is fine, but nothing to write home about….

I have to say that when it comes to the standard-issue 3-Step I am firmly in the second camp. Scathing. The 3 Step was commonly (probably for many people) the first foray into proper skincare. When I was in my teens, getting “fitted” for your Clinique 3 Step was a kind of rite of passage. The questions about skin type! The special board thing they had with the sliders that magically revealed which products would transform your spot-ridden, red-nosed life! I was prescribed a bar of soap, which came in its very own green dish, a toner that I had to use with my eyes shut for fear of the fumes burning out my retinas, and a moisturiser that would simultaneously moisturise (hydrate wasn’t really a buzzword twenty years ago) and help with my oiliness. I think that I lasted a week with my “regime” – the soap dried out my face and my hands into little shrivelled prunes, the toner ended up being used to clean my laminate floor in the bedroom after I’d had friends round and we’d dropped a packet of hair dye. The moisturiser  was the only product that stood the test of time, but it was, unfortunately, quite boring compared to the other mango/strawberry/orange-scented, brightly-packaged moisturisers that you could get in Boots for half the price, and I don’t think there was ever a repeat purchase.

So I wasn’t at all sold on Clinique’s bestselling beauty phenomenon. But a recent successful episode with their new Dramatically Different Moisturizing Cream (above) had me thinking: Clinique have so many brilliant skincare products and none of them are included in the 3 Step System. The gorgeously effective Take the Day Off cleansers, the brilliant Super Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer – there’s even a gentle version of the clarifying lotion (the Mild, a very well put-together acid toner) that I discovered through Caroline Hirons. Wouldn’t it be great if some of those products, that really work beautifully on the skin, were offered as part of the 3 Step routine? Here’s my idea for a new 3 Step – coming soon to a counter near you! (That part’s untrue. Though it would be nice.)

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