Category Archives: beauty products

Sorry, a little late with the (gargantuan) list of Alpha-H SPF winners. This will be a little like checking for your exam results, if you remember doing that (I don’t think I bothered turning up to school for mine, I’m pretty sure I just waited for the letter to be posted, but then those years are something of a Wonderbra-clad-short-skirted-Camel-fags-behind-the-bike-shed blur).

If you’re not a winner, and you do fancy trying something from Alpha-H then there’s a nice little gift-with-purchase running: a 15ml bottle of the amazing  Liquid Laser. The launch of Liquid Laser sort of passed me by – I was either heavily pregnant or had just given birth, I can’t remember which. So I didn’t ever really read the blurb properly and thought that Liquid Laser was a more advanced version of Liquid Gold; stronger and with more ingredients. I avoided it, because my skin had been really overly sensitive and I didn’t want to use anything that would rock the beauty boat.

Boy was I a) wrong and b) missing a trick! The lightweight, ultra-hydrating Liquid Laser was actually just what my skin had been needing; yes it contains a whole cocktail of AHAs and peptides to brighten and rejuvenate the skin, but it’s a sort of mega-moisture-boosting thirst-quenching face-plumping treatment, not as exfoliation-focused as Liquid Gold. Liquid Laser really works for my post-baby skin which – if left to its own devices – feels taut and dry and papery thin and can often seem dull and tired.

Liquid Laser does have a bit of a tingle going on, but nothing that requires you to stand in front of a desk-fan to stop your face from catching fire. (I wish I could remember who told me that their facials that were so acid-heavy that big fans had to be pointed at their face from all directions!) I can’t quite handle supersonic acid peels, these days – though I still try them now and then out of a sense of duty and masochistic curiosity – but I’m perfectly happy with a hint of a tingle. I don’t get any redness or irritation from Liquid Laser whatsoever, which is marvellous considering that it really does seem to do a complete turnaround job on my face overnight. Plump-feeling, brighter skin in the morning – rather like I’ve used one of those sleeping masks, except that the Laser sinks in immediately and doesn’t leave any goo on the pillows.

You can of course follow Liquid Laser with a moisturiser – the balm from the same range is brilliant (review coming soon – if you have dry, thin-feeling skin then this is a Godsend) – but I find that it works just as well, if not better, as a standalone night treatment. You can read much more about Liquid Laser at Cult Beauty here – to claim a free 15ml version, you need to spend £50 on any Alpha-H product(s) and use the code AMRALPHAH. (Which I keep reading as AM RALPH AH!) There’s no end date for the code, it’s just while stocks last.

Alpha-H at Cult Beauty

Now on with the winners – I’ve sort of bastardised people’s email addresses in some cases because I didn’t have their full names, so keep an eye on your inbox if you suspect you’re one of the lucky fifty. Congratulations people!

metaschlisbeth, mary.b.francombe, joannakinross, corriganrosie, debbie.robinson67,

RuthvenAndy, Salkovina_B, sanaa_mayet, farmermoley, richardandbev2205,

jillwrightwatson, gshg (Grace), elisacadams, Nicky Bullick, izzycrackett,

Emma Pau, kellylou212, krisztinarekaf, larabrown123, pdmimi (Susan),

Joanne Jessop, judyluk, Shabrina Khan, Tina Trowbridge, Mary Petrakakos,

Mohsina Kaan, Marianne Reynaud, sabidan (Sabrina), akahler91, Amelia Jackson,

nicaraman (Veronica), Liz Bracken, Georgia Birdsall,

Johanna Wahlfridson, Emily O’Mara (gertrude_gertree), chrismaas (Christine),

Tracey Tedford, robertcym96, dawnybriggs, puppieskittensandchemistry,

gabrielestark, claire@crcr, spikedangel, jessicalauren90, tw_wells,

Suzanna Gentle, Fiona Fishburne, rosemcgrory (Kate), 1105077 (Julie S),

luckyshadealwis.

The post Alpha-H: SPF Winners and a Liquid Laser GWP appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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I can’t actually remember what prompted me to use this beauty balm as a cleanser; I had always seen it knocking about in online reviews and videos and assumed that it was a kind of moisturiser. A bit like the Decleor balms that you heat between your palms and press over the skin. (It’s that too.) But anyway, one night I was about to have one of my epic bathtime product-testing sessions and I wanted to try a new cleansing balm, and lo and behold, when I popped open the box that the Wild Rose Beauty Balm came snuggled in, a muslin cloth fell out! It was almost as though the whole thing was meant to be…

I have to hold my hands up and admit that I don’t actually love the Wild Rose Beauty Balm as a cleanser; it feels too heavy and thick and I find it difficult to remove. Even after a once-over with the cloth and a Clarisonic, I still have an oily residue on my skin that I’m not quite comfortable with. People with dry skin will no doubt adore it but personally, and for my skin type, (combination), I like my balm to rinse off clean. Saying all of that, I have found that leaving on a layer of this as I do the rest of my ablutions makes for an effective cleanse and a soothing, plumping mask. There would be worse cleansing options if you were travelling and wanted to take an all-in-one beauty solution with you…

But the best use? Miraculous overnight treatment. A small amount of the Wild Rose Beauty Balm, melted between fingertips and massaged gently into the face, gives the most beautifully soft complexion come morning. I have been testing out overnight masks recently, and have to say that I’ve been disappointed by most. Little more than standard moisturisers, the skin drinks them up within ten minutes and I fail to see where the benefits lie. This balm, however, hangs about for at least half the night (there was still always a trace left when I went to cleanse in the morning) and it is truly, truly rejuvenating and radiance-boosting. The formula is rich in all kinds of things, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the high rosehip oil content might have something to do with the rejuvenating effects; I’m already a big believer in rosehip, especially for repairing skin damage and helping to diminish the appearance of acne scars. (If you would prefer a concentrated rosehip oil, no added essential oils, I can’t recommend Pai’s version enough. It’s £20 and there’s a free Echium eye cream with orders over £20 at the moment*, see here.)

So, Wild Rose Beauty Balm. A true multitasker, especially if you have dry skin. If yours is more oily/combination, don’t be scared by the idea of a balm texture; the rosehip is great at vanishing blemish marks and there are other ingredients to help soothe and calm the skin. A great product, as I said, for taking travelling – it would make a fabulous non-greasy in-flight mask. Not cheap at £37 for 50ml, but a little goes an incredibly long way, It would take years to finish this pot – in fact, a smaller pot would be a good idea, if Neal’s Yard could make one!

£37 for 50ml at Neal’s Yard Remedies

*so sorry, I think I read an old offer!

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Bobbi Brown is known for muted, wearable shades but every now and again she ventures into a colour splash, as with the forthcoming Bobbi Brown Pop of Colour lip and blush shades. New shades are Pop Pink, Coral Nectar, Watermelon, Ibiza Pink and Bright Poppy – above, in the picture you can see Watermelon and Pop Pink.

The pinker shade is Pop Pink and the redder shade is Watermelon. They’re veeerrrrryyyyy bright! So, if you love a cheerful, bright lip keep an eye out for these, on counters on 27th of July for £19.50 each.

The post Bobbi Brown Pop Of Colour appeared first on British Beauty Blogger.

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1) Goddamn you NowTV and your continuing encouragement of television-watching marathons: not only have you started showing the American series Girls, which I have always been keen to get started on, but you keep sending me emails that – if I didn’t know better – could be written by Satan’s very own hand. Listen to this for evil temptation, extract taken from their latest quasi-Satanic “bulletin” mail-out:

“Resisting sugary treats, spending hours in the gym…it all sounds like hard work to us. So why not kick-start the New Year by getting stuck into a gripping new season or Box Set?”

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? “Tired of being healthy and having a long life in front of you? Why not spark up a fag and down a litre bottle of meths as you get stuck into forty-eight episodes of Elementary*?” My eyes are literally square and it has reached the point where I feel a bit sick when I hear the Elementary theme tune. Also, I hear Lucy Liu’s voice in my sleep. (*Elementary, as if you didn’t know, my dear Watson, is the US Sherlock Holmes series starring Jonny Lee Miller. See here.)

2) Drastic Dog Shaving. Oh dear. There’s no let up for poor Dexter, who spent so long lying down when he was poorly and then having his harness permanently on (to keep his “cone of shame” from coming loose) that he was a huge matted mess down one side. We couldn’t very well have only one side of him shaved so it all had to come off at the groomers, and now he looks half the size and like some kind of strange, new-born alien sheep. Also, and I know that this is “TMI”, but the shaving has made his you-know-what look disproportionately large (Dexter knows all the tricks!) and it dongs around all over the place making me feel nauseous. Grow, dog-hair, grow!

3) Mr Bear: his usual Lord of Plushness self. Check out his look of utter disdain – you wouldn’t catch him flaunting his wotsit about, oh no!

The post Square Eyes and Drastic Dog Shaving… appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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I used to get very sore and sensitive eyes when I was a fully-jobbing-globe-trotting fashion model – layers and layers of black eyeliner and smudged-in shadow and eyelash glue and whatever else they bunged onto my lids would play absolute havoc with my skin. And I hadn’t really had sore eyes in ages until the other day, when I was trying out makeup looks and had layers and layers of black eyeliner on, and smudged-in shadow, and eyelash glue and – you get the picture. There’s a definite theme here: lots of eyemakeup = sore eyes. For me, at least.

So I pulled out some old tried-and-tested products in an attempt to soothe and improve – and made a new skincare discovery at the same time. All of the below are brilliant at pushing the reset button on sore undereyes and eyelids. They’re great to have on standby even if you usually prefer something a little more active and hardcore, and they’re not just for heavy makeup-wearers, either. Hayfever sufferers, those who cry easily, people who stare at the computer for too long: all will benefit from having the following in their bathroom cabinets…

Liz Earle’s Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion – £13.25 here. Great as an impromptu mask – just soak two cotton wool pads and place over hot, swollen eyes. I like to use it after proper eye makeup remover, just to get rid of any oily residue and soothe the skin. Brilliant in the summer, even more brilliant if you keep it in the fridge.

Pai’s Echium & Argan Organic Eye Cream, £30 here. I discovered this a few years ago and – when it came to sore-eye-treating – never looked back. I’ve actually used small amounts of this cream to remove eye makeup after particularly lengthy and intense beauty shoots, when everything else just felt too much, and I’ve layered it on more thickly as an overnight mask . If you really have very sensitive skin and struggle to find anything gentle enough, I would definitely recommend you give this a try.

Bioderma’s Sensibio Eye Contour Gel, £14.20 here. This is my new discovery, and a mighty fine one it is too. I was instantly wowed – a light, readily-absorbed gel-cream (it’s not a transparent gel, as you might expect) that packs an incredible punch when it comes to soothing and comforting the skin. Cooling but not tightening, this goes straight into my in-flight beauty bag.

Another tried-and-tested sensitive skin staple; Weleda’s Almond Soothing Cleansing Lotion – £8.55 with free delivery here. This very delicately cleanses the skin without leaving any greasy residue – in fact my face always feels far fresher than I expect it to after rinsing this away. I’ve also used it with cotton wool pads when I have been travelling and still, no unpleasant residue. I have no complaints whatsoever about this little cleanser and I love that it’s in a travel-friendly tube – though I wish there was a larger size available too, because I go through this stuff like nobody’s business!

More skincare reviews for sensitive skin…

What are your sensitive eye skincare staples? Anything I should be adding to the list? Let me know in the comments…

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