Introducing Brows A Go-Go!

Let’s get real here: who HASN’T had a brow emergency? You’ve got a last-minute hot date/big event/awesome party planned, you’ve got the wardrobe set aside in your closet, the beauty look all planned out in your head, when suddenly you glance in the mirror and… “WHAT IS THAT ON MY FOREHEAD!? OMG. It’s my brows!”

We’ve all been there, and we all know that sometimes you just need to get your brows done ASAP. Immediately. NOW!

BrowsAGoGo_1

Introducing Brows A Go-Go—Benefit’s VERY FIRST service-only instant beauty hotspot. Making its debut in New York City this week, Brows A Go-Go is the brow spot for the woman (or man) on the go. Sometimes you have more time to check out all of Benefit’s girly-glam products at the full-service boutiques or counters, but sometimes you have to get in & out. This new, smaller & quicker brow bar is perfect for those on-the-go moments.

The goal at Brows A Go-Go? Wax, tweeze, primp & please! The menu is packed with all your essential waxing, tinting & threading services, offered either with or without an appointment. Our waxing-wonders (our licensed & trained aestheticians) guarantee to keep your service fast, flawless & fun!

So, what are you waiting for? Book online to look divine, or just drop in now & walk out WOW!

Brows A Go-Go is located at 828 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10065

Hours:

M-F 8am-8pm

Sat 10am-7pm

Sun 11am-6pm

Book online here or by phone at (646) 448-9106

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Rahua Voluminous Shampoo & Conditioner

Rahua Voluminous Shampoo

This 100% natural, organic shampoo cleanses to create body and bounce and is safe for color-treated hair. Rahua Voluminous Shampoo’s natural formula safely and effectively cleanses and refreshes hair without drying hair like other volumizing lines. Citric juices break down oils, effectively extending time between washes, resulting in healthier hair. Lavender and eucalyptus provide calming aromatherapy while Ungurahua oil strengthens hair.

For best results: Apply on thoroughly wet hair to begin shampoo and work into a lather. Rinse and follow with Rahua Voluminous Conditioner.

Complementing products: Rahua Voluminous Conditioner, Omega 9 Hair Mask, Voluminous Spray, Hair Wax.

STAR INGREDIENTS

RAHUA-UNGURAHUA – fortifies weak, damaged strands while nourishing and regenerating the scalp and hair follicles.

LEMONGRASS & GREEN TEA – create body, volume and bounce by balancing and removing excess oils from the scalp and hair shaft, without compromising the integrity of the hair.

LAVENDER – provides an aromatherapeutic experience.

EUCALYPTUS – well-known for refreshing and clarifying properties, extends time between shampoos.

My Glitzy New AMR Lights!

rocket and rye carnival letter lights

Favourite thing of the month (unless Baby AMR appears early, in which case, obviously…): my glitzy little AMR lights, made by Rocket and Rye. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that these are actually really lightweight – I thought that they would be great, heavy clod-hopping metal things, but they are easy to move about and reposition. Which is important, as they are going to be in the background of my new videos when I make my grand return from baby-producing! I can’t wait to use them.

They are available to buy as single letters or you can have a pair of initials with an ampersand in the middle – very cool, too. They come in silver metal or a rust-coloured metal and they cost £30 each for the 23cm high “mini” versions or £60 for the larger size. Have a browse here, if they’ve tickled your fancy – they are all available online at Not On The Highstreet.

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Olay Regenerist Luminous Serum Trial: An Update

olay regenerist luminous review

You may remember that in mid-December I started trialling the Regenerist Luminous Serum and Regenerist Luminous Brightening & Protecting SPF20 Moisturiser, both new products from Olay*. (If they haven’t reached the shelves yet then they will be with you very soon, I’d imagine.) I thought that I’d do a mid-way-ish update and fill you in on what I’ve found out about the Sepiwhite ingredient, lauded as one of the two main actives in the serum, because I wasn’t too sure what it did or how it worked.

So just to recap; I was to use the entire Regenerist Luminous range for 30 days and record my results. No other skincare, though I have been using the Regenerist Skin Perfecting Cleanser because there isn’t a dedicated cleanser for the Luminous range. (If Olay brought out a gorgeous, massagey balm cleanser I would literally be in my element.) Routine: cleanse, serum, eye swirl (see previous Olay post for more details on the range) and then either the Skin Tone Perfecting Day Cream or the SPF Moisturiser, depending on my situation. (I’ll be honest, there haven’t been many opportunities to test out the SPF yet!)

ruth crilly model recommends

Handy dropper application…

Thoughts so far? A massive hurray for the serum. It’s just lovely. I have always felt that the moisturiser on its own doesn’t give me enough of the hydrated feel that I like – though my skin never seems lacking in moisture, it just doesn’t have that dewy, juicy finish that I always crave. On the one hand, that’s great if it’s a moisturiser designed to suit all skin types (which it is) because it’s a lovely finish for oily and combination skin, but if you want your moisturiser to feel very nourishing and rich then the “dry touch” feel isn’t the most desirable. (Perhaps a version for dry/very dry skin would be a good addition? I’d definitely go in for some of that!) Anyway, all this is kind of irrelevant with the addition of the serum because it is so plumptious and silky to apply and really makes my skin feel hydrated. I can see it being a product that will slip easily into my skincare routine post-trial; I’m a big advocate of serums anyway (see post here for more on serums) but when they have targeted effects like this one it’s a great way to make noticeable changes to your skin without having to buy a heap of new products.

olay regenerist luminous serum

I’m applying my serum – and reading your mind.

Talking of targeted effects, the Regenerist Luminous Serum has been designed to even out skintone, both by managing the production of excess melanin (the pigment that looks dark on the surface of the skin; if there’s an excess then you get darker patches, or dark spots) and tackling the dark spots once they’ve appeared. So, both prevention and a bit of damage control. Hero ingredient for me, as I mentioned in the last post, is Niacinamide, which is a bit of a skincare superstar, doing all kinds of wondrous things. (Read more here.) But since the start of the trial, I’ve been reading up a bit more on this Sepiwhite, otherwise known as Undecylenoyl Phenylalanine. Try saying that after a Christmas Sherry! I had never heard of this ingredient, but when I started researching there seemed to be quite a buzz around it. It’s supposed to be really rather effective at helping to improve skin-tone, especially when combined with our old pal Niacinamide. Good news if you’re tackling a bit of unevenness, and it’s also a brilliant one to apply in the morning before you go in with your SPF, as although it doesn’t provide any UVA/UVB protection, it’s there beavering away to keep your melanin production nice and steady.

Right – onwards with the rest of the trial! You’ll notice that I’m quite considerably over the half-way point; I should tell you that for the first week or so of the trial I was really under the weather and hardly even got out of bed, let alone applied much skincare, so I thought it only fair to start it again properly the week after. Remember that I’ll be giving away a whole shedload of Regenerist Luminous for you to try in the final video post, so keep a lookout for that.

Find the Regenerist Luminous range at Boots.com.

Read the first trial post here…

*this trial and the associated posts are sponsored by Olay.

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How to Wear Makeup on Blemish-Prone Skin…

skincare and makeup for acne prone skin

Smashbox’s Photo Finish Blemish Control Primer has been very swiftly promoted to my “hall of fame” level – or “holy grail” status, as I think the proper term might be these days. It’s outstanding, this primer, in that it addresses a concern that deeply affects many women but it does this without going in for any overblown marketing spiel or farfetched claims. It’s a skincare product (more than just a primer, as it modestly states on the tube) that helps to fight blemishes and blackheads and keep acne-prone skin under control as well as creating a beautifully smooth base for makeup application. The salicylic acid in the formula exfoliates the skin and keeps it clear, working away beneath whatever you decide to put on over the top, so you don’t have to go through that worrisome process of wondering which of your foundations might break you out. The rest of the ingredients help to hydrate (without adding oil) and prep the skin for foundation.

When I used to get my random blemish outbreaks, I would be absolutely petrified to put any makeup on. I went through whole phases of blaming certain products for my spots appearing, or at least convincing myself that they were making the situation worse when I applied them. And if you use lots of different things (as I did, and do) it’s really hard to know which makeup items – if any – are exacerbating the situation. How fabulous to find a makeup “first step” that is actually an effective BHA exfoliant as well as a great primer – it’s like a bit of skin insurance that makes you feel far more confident about getting on with the rest of your makeup routine. Spots and blackheads taken care of, box ticked, on with the rest of the day.

My adult acne…

I’ve tested this primer underneath makeup and as a standalone skincare product; it excels in both respects, though it has that silicone-slip that admittedly, for me at least, makes it far more suited to being a primer than a leave-on treatment. It leaves a really silky-smooth finish that’s matte enough to be a boon for oily skins, yet it doesn’t feel drying on the skin or at all tight. I’ve taken to using it every day during the dratted PMT/PMS week and can’t really find anything bad to say about it whatsoever.

Lots and lots of people write in asking for BHA exfoliant recommendations (BHAs are the types of acids that really do a deep-down job on the pores, so perfect for preventing and treating blackheads and spots) but I find good ones to be a little thin on the ground. I do love Effaclar Duo+ and it works amazingly on my skin at night or on makeup-free days, but this More Than Primer: Blemish Control is a top, top choice for daytime. I apply it straight after serum (though some might prefer a moisturiser in between) and before my foundation or tinted moisturiser.

Blemish Control Primer from Smashbox is £28 from Boots.com. When I reviewed this on Youtube, there were plenty of people with “better” primers that they urged me to take a look at; NONE of them had any ingredients that would fight blemishes and certainly no ass-kicking salicylic acid! I’d say that this is a pretty sturdy choice.

More skincare for blemish-prone skin…

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