This summers Beauty

This summer the trend is high ponytails, a natural face and red lipstick. There are many new products that have been released to make sure you look fabulous while basking in the summer sun.

The most important thing to keep in your bag during this time of year is sun tan lotion. Neutrogena have a new Ultra sheer body mist spray with an SPF of 30, 45 or 70. It provides a broad spectrum of UV protection in a mist spray with a non-greasy finish. It is waterproof, sweat proof, is oil free and won’t clog pores, the perfect blend for the summer heat.

Instead of foundation which can be quite thick and clog your pores, over the summer months try and wear a tinted moisturiser which is a lot lighter and moisturises your skin. Bare Minerals started producing a tinted moisturiser in April called Advanced Protection, this has SPF 20 in it. They are one of the best brands to use in the summer months as it contains vitamins and minerals to keep your skin healthy.

To keep those lips looking red and fresh all day long Mac have released their pro long-wear lip crème which lasts up to 12 hours. It won’t feather or rub off on those cocktail glasses while protecting and hydrating your lips from that sea breeze.

For long lasting eye shadow use crème eye shadows, these will remain looking fresh and won’t disappear the moment you break out in to a sweat. Yves Saint Laurent have a long lasting water resistant crème eye shadow that now comes in a range of summer colours.

Mix this long lasting eye shadow with a black waterproof mascara to give your eyes maximum impact. Mac's Zoom Lash is a waterproof mascara that lasts all day. Its dense formula thickens, lengthens and conditions every curve of every lash separating them to make your eyelashes look fuller.

After a day of sun you should always moisturise your skin preferably with a product that contains Aloe Vera, as it cools and soothes irritated skin. The Body Shop has a range of Aloe skin care the body butter will help moisturise the skin and revitalise it for another hot day.

This summer the latex look is in to stay in the height of fashion don’t forget your nails. Illamasqua have released their ‘Theatre of Nameless’ collection which has a new kinky rubber look finish to their chip resistant hard wearing nail varnish. There are four colours to choose from ‘Kink’, ‘Vice’, ‘Faux Pas’ and ‘Taint’. The caps of the bottles are also rubber rather than a hard plastic making them easy to work with.

Your hair needs to look as good as you feel with your sun blushed shin, Bumble and bumble's thickening hairspray works wonders to achieve a volumised look for those sultry evenings on the prowl. It can be used on any hair type and will hold your locks in place for hours.

Beauty News

Get rid of stress in your lunch hour

The North London Buddhist Centre on Holloway Road offers a great range of activities to promote health, happiness and well being. 

Currently its Body and Mind Complementary Health Centre is offering treatments to promote relaxation like homeopathy, reflexology, reiki, osteopathy, massage, psychotherapy, acupuncture, Thai massage and shiatsu. As well as these treatments the ‘Yoga and Bodyworks’ studio provides exercise classes such as yoga, tai-chi, pilates and qi-gong. 

Most importantly they have started to introduce meditation classes during lunch breaks for busy workers to relax and unwind, helping rid themselves of stress and tension before returning back to work refreshed. This has become very popular in the local area and all the centre askes for is a token of generosity in return.

New salon offering free spa day

A new salon has opened up on Holloway road called ‘Beautiful Star’, based inside ‘The Rosso Signs Business Centre’. They provide Mary Cohr facials, a pioneering skin care brand which uses the purest ingredients to promote healthy skin, as well manicures, pedicures and waxing.

The salon is currently celebrating its opening by giving free 15-minute back massages and a 10% discount on any treatment when you book in for a facial. Not only are these bargains on offer but the salon is also hosting a spa day in August, in which 70 lucky people will be invited to eat, drink, and get a day of free mini treatments. Beauty fanatics are encouraged to get in touch to snatch up your invitation: call 07515571128. 

Beauty market on the rise

It looks like now is the prime time to be involved in the beauty industry with the professional treatment market increasing by 17% over the last year. It is now worth a whopping £1.8bn annually. According to figures from market analyst Kantar World Panel, the rise is due to an increase in nail and tanning treatments as well as discounted beauty packages.

From February 2011 to February 2012 women spent almost a third more on tanning treatments, and nail care saw a 24% rise. Discounted treatment packages saw a 35% increase and body treatments rose by 21% from the previous year.  Women in the UK also spent 17% more on eye lash and brow treatments.

Many believe this increase is thanks to women trying to compete with the starlets of such reality TV shows as Made in Chelsea, Geordie Shore and The Only Way is Essex.

AIDS drug could become the new hair removal treatment

A gel made from Cidofovir, a drug used to treat people with AIDS, has been shown to have the potential for use as a hair removal treatment.

Doctors noticed the gel caused a loss of facial hair in male patients with AIDS. Further trials were conducted by the University of Philadelphia involving 16 men who were given between 1% and 3% concentrations of the drug.

The research revealed that the loss of hair was not as apparent in the healthy men with the low dose as the men with AIDS on the highest dose possible. These findings could be developed in to a product used to stop hair growth in both men and women.

Botox on Holloway Road

‘Beautiful’ salon on Holloway road has started to offer free consultations with their new specialist practitioners.

Dr Victoria Salem, an aesthetic specialist in non-surgical procedures such as Botox, fillers and dermal rollers, welcomes people interested in these treatments to come and talk with her.

She is also going to be introducing IPL lazering to her list in order to treat long-term hair loss, acne and signs of ageing.

Shellfish could help reduce signs of ageing

Scientists from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, USA, discovered that nanoparticles found in the shells of lobsters and prawns can stimulate stem cell growth. 

The nano particles, called chitosan, could have potential in enhancing the appearance of ageing skin and accelerate the wound-healing process.

Tests on skin cell fibroblasts and keratinocytes found that the particles have skin regenerative properties.These results could have huge implications on anti-ageing and scar-reducing beauty products.

Chitosan is a natural, non-toxic, particle that can be obtained from shells of shrimps, lobsters and the beaks of octopi and squid.