Lush’s new FUN bar

Lush, one of my favorite bath brands, have unveiled their latest invention the ‘FUN’ bar. I must say I think it is their most fabulous invention yet, but that may just be my childish side coming out to play at bath time.

This multi-purpose, mouldable soap is amazing, you can wash your hands with it, shower with it and bath with it for masses of bubbles. But that’s not all you can use this soap to wash your hair or clothes with as well as being able to play and mould it because of the putty like texture.

The FUN bar has a softening base of corn flour, talc and glycerine. Cornstarch or corn flour is made from maize which is used to make a thick paste for cooking and confectionery making. When mixed with water Cornstarch forms a gel which makes the skin soft and tender. The Glycerine is palm-free and made from vegetable oils, so it’s great for dry or sensitive skin with its high moisturising qualities. The FUN bar is solid, with little water content so uses no preservatives. It is gentle on the skin, hair, scalp and body so is great for the whole family. It is even wrapped in a biodegradable film of cellulose, made from eucalyptus. Once it has been disposed of, it breaks down in to water and carbon dioxide in the natural environment, so it’s even good for the environment.  

The FUN bar comes in five different colours and smells:

-Sentai Ranger Green, was what I received, with lemon and lime oils to awaken the senses. After I bathed in it I smelt like a green Starburst.

-Sentai Ranger Yellow contains Vanilla and Gardenia extracts for a comforting marzipan aroma.

-Sentai Ranger Blue makes for a calming soothing bath with its mix of calming oils such as Lavender and Camomile.

-Sentai Ranger Red possesses a fruity combination of orange and mandarin oils revitalising the mind.

-Sentai Ranger Pink is a girly sweet treat mix of tonka absolute and benzoin resinoid which have warming qualities and help with circulation.  

L'Occitane

My favorite beauty brand at the moment has to be L'Occitane, I am in love with it. It all started when I got a sample of the Creme Mains Peaux Seches, Shea butter hand creme free with a magazine about a year ago. I thought nothing of it and just chucked it in my bag. Until my hands felt dry from the winter cold later that day and I remembered it, got it out, and applied it. That was it, I was hooked, the smell was divine and my skin felt soft as satin for the rest of the day. I have tried other hand cremes since then, of course, that's my job, but none of them ever match the moisturization of L'Occitane.

I was recently shopping for a good friends birthday present and could not think of what to get her, purely by chance I stumbled upon a L'Occtane shop in Westfield Shepherds Bush. The choice of gifts and gift ideas were overwhelming and I knew she would like anything I purchased from there, because I wanted it all. Everything was so chic and had that classic Perisian look. The perfumes smelt divine especially the Rose De Champs, the face cremes catered for every skin type possible, the travel packs were so cute I wanted to book a holiday just to use them. Very importantly, it was all in my price range, so its not expensive at all, an absolute bargain. I ended up buying my friend a pack for her face with a cleanser, toner and a moisturiser, the lady at the till wrapped it for me free of charge and put it in a lovely bag. I was so impressed I signed up for their mailing list and every month I get a beautifully designed card through my door with great offers, deals and discounts.

Join the UltraLift Challange!

Garnier, in their nationwide advertising campaign have invited consumers to join the UltraLift Challenge.

To take part, go to ultraliftchallenge.co.uk to request your free kit. This will include 14 free samples of Garnier UltraLift crème, amounting to a  generous 21ml of UltraLift Day Cream, and a Wrinkle Reader.

Designed in the L’Oréal laboratories and used as a scientific tool to clinically grade wrinkles, the Garnier UltraLift ‘Wrinkle Reader’ has never been available to the public. Its aim is to help participants track the improvement in the appearance of their crow’s feet to really see for a difference after the 14 day trial.

To start, Garnier ask that you match the UltraLift wrinkle reader to your skin type. Then you use the free crème daily and at the end of the 14 days re-evaluate your skin again with the wrinkle reader. Et voila, send in your comments, results and feedback.

UltraLift day triple action formula is said to act in 3 ways. By Immediately hydrating skin to make it noticeably smoother and softer. With its Anti-wrinkle action, enriched with Pro-Retinol derived from nature, reduces the appearance of wrinkles, even deep ones. Lastly its Firming action leaves your skin feeling noticeably firmer.

My mum is trying it I shall let you know how she gets on!

Olympia Beauty

Professional Beauty is returning to Olympia London on the 23-24^th September 2012 in association with Louise Page academy, a professional make-up school. This explains why, for the first year running, they are holding The Art of make-up competition over the two days. This year it is ‘Grecian Goddess’ themed with two categories, Best Newcomer and Junior Make-up Artist of the Year. There are over £10,000 worth of prizes to be won and winners will have their work published in FACEON Magazine, official media sponsor of the show. Anyone can enter as long as their details are in before Friday the 16^th of August.

Along with the make-up competition this year The Nailympics London, the UK’s biggest nail competition, will be running.  For all of you who are unaware this is one of the world’s most prestigious nail events.

The show will be larger than ever before showcasing over 400 of the industry’s most iconic brands including over 150 new launches and previews for 2013. There will also be over 40 live educational seminars over four stages and arenas including Beauty, Make-Up, Fashion, Nails, and new to this year Medical aesthetics.

There will be the usual savings and discounts this year and entry is free to all trade visitors who pre-register at olympiabeauty.co.uk.

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. 

Clinique House Of Frasier

Most of the companies that have done the makeovers have been rather make-up based I wanted to get a better skin care consultation so set my sights on Clinique. I have heard that Clinique is the place to go for good skin care and good make-up too. So I managed to book my model in for a full makeover yet again in House of Frasier on Oxford street. It seems like House of Frasier is the best place to go to get a varied range of counter freebies. I will as usual keep you informed.