YOUR WINTER NIGHTIME BEAUTY RITUAL, WHO WANTS THE NEW SKINNY BROW AND A SUPER GENTLE RETINOL TO WIND DOWN YOUR WRINKLES!
Now while I’m not a fan of the fact that by 4.30pm it’s dark and I’m tempted to jump into my pjs for an early night, with the run up to the festive season and all the fun and excitement it promises, I do get a bit of a warm, fuzzy feeling about this time of winter - being cosy after dark and the glow you get after a walk on a cold sunny day.
It’s also a time I take a long look at all the skin care products I’ve scooped up during the summer and haven’t had the time to use properly and get ready to hone my winter beauty routine so my skin has a fighting chance of surviving the freezing temperatures and one to many vinos!
With Self Care Week days away it makes sense to use the longer nights to indulge in a little pampering once dinner is done and the kids are in bed/husband is engrossed in the football or whatever would normally stop you having time to yourself!
A bath is one of the nicest ways to induce a great night’s sleep and according to lifestyle guru Gywneth Paltrow we should all be aiming for a minimum of seven hours to keep energy levels high whatever time of year. One of my new go-to natural skin care brands is Urtekram that combines proven-to work botanical ingredients that are planet-friendly and encompass that lovely Hygge feeling I talked about last time and its Tune In Body Wash Soothing Lavender leaves skin clean and soft, £8.20, bodykind.com
.
Once you’ve cleansed and patted skin dry, now’s the time to smooth over a skin hydrating body lotion such as Alexandra Kay Time to Restore Magnesium Lotion, £40 with mood-calming organic lavender and chamomile oils as well as magnesium, the mineral that helps eases out stressed muscles and encourages restful sleep.
I dig out my collection of face masks I’ve been hoarding over the summer too: might as well make the most of shut eye by using a mask that helps feed your skin while you snooze. My current fave is the Age Defy+Hydra-Glow Sleep Mask, £40 from Green People, a super luxe blend that combines the moisture-retaining properties of hyaluronic acid with the potent power of plant botanicals to intensely hydrate and plump your skin while you sleep so you wake up happy.
You can double the benefits by using a night cream. I know they can seem a bit overrated and overpriced when you watch those glossy commercials but the main difference between them and your every day moisturiser is the skin repair ingredients including firming peptides that can help restore the damage done to skin during the day. Eco-friendly FruitFul Nights Night Cream combines antioxidant vitamins found in rosehip, hibiscus and cranberry with omega fatty acids that give skin a real deep moisturising boost, helping to reduce the look of fine lines at the purse friendly price of just £25.50, available at greenpeople.co.uk.
EMBRACE THE NEW SKINNY BROW
I was intrigued to read about this new trend inspired by the 90s especially as I’ve subjected my brows to a whole lot of abuse over the last 30 years trying to get them a better shape and now, while I have a semblance of a brow, it’s mainly due to semi-permanent make-up combined with some great brow products.
Award winning permanent make-up artist Sian Dellar, permanentmakeup-specialist.com says: ‘While full, defined brows have dominated in recent years, there’s a renewed interest in more delicate brows that add a softer, classic look. The good news is thin brows can suit a range of face shapes and work really well for people with smaller, delicate features, as they enhance natural bone structure without overwhelming the face.’
You can define the shape using a fine-tipped gel brow pencil to draw in small, hair-like strokes. This gives the appearance of more fullness even with a thin outline while avoiding the ‘drawn on’ look and use a subtle highlighter under the brow arch which enhances definition and gives a lifted, fuller look to thin brows.
Brows past the point of no return? Sian says ‘Permanent makeup, like microblading or nano brows, can be a great solution for achieving precise, natural-looking thin brows. These techniques use fine strokes that mimic real hairs, allowing you to maintain a thin shape while still looking full. Permanent makeup is especially helpful for people with naturally sparse brows who want a low-maintenance option - that lasts!
And for flaky, itchy brows especially post treatment, I love the currently trending Hydrosil HydroBrow gel beauty wanD that helps soothe and smooth brows in a flash, £8.50, skinshop.co.uk.
HAIR’S LOOKING AT YOU
As someone who’s main beauty indulgence is a regular blow dry to tame my wayward frizz I was in total agreement with Jason Collier, Victoria Beckham’s stylist and key opinion leader at hair care brand Jerome Russell who reckons many of us are guilty of hair blindness - not bothering with how our hair looks at the back on most days!
It’s trending on Tik Tok now thousands of us looking for quick and easy solutions to get the back V front style a whole lot more equal and Jason reckons it’s all about choosing the styling product. He says using something like Jerome Russell BStyled Wave & Salt Spray you can boost body and add texture so when you blow dry your style will look fuller all round, £6.99 at Superdrug.
THE GLOOP AND GO FACIAL
Kim Kardashian and Beyonce are just two of a whole bevvy of skin savvy celebs who have a regular ‘gloop and glow’ facial, better known as the Hydra Facial which has become the Starbucks of beauty treatments: you always know you’re going to get the same great result!
This glow boosting facial’s main aim is to get rid of the dead cells on the surface of the skin that can make your complexion look claggy and dull. It has a vacuum-style application that gently sucks them all away and you get to see the results in the clear plastic container at the end, hence the gloop factor!
The team at doctor-led Dr Medi Spa clinics have been using the Hydrafacial in clinic and can’t rave enough about the results especially at this time of year when skin needs a little extra boost - it’s also great pre party season.
In clinic it’s combined with the new cosmetceutical-style skin care range including Dr Somji’s Detoxifying Charcoal Cleanser to prepare skin for treatment and finishing with the Vitamin C Daily Defense Moisturiser that helps reduce the appearance of age spots and protects against UV and blue light damage.
The Hydrafacial costs £225 available at drmedispa.com and products from £40 at drsomjiskincare.com.
RETINOL V BOTOX
I remember having my first Botox treatment over 25 years ago: a very glamorous Sharon Stone-esque therapist I went to have my first injection in my furrowed brow actually said ‘welcome to the club honey’ as she gently inserted the needle, meaning once you’ve had the miracle line eraser jab once, it’s unlikely you’ll stop.
She was right, I have become a bit addicted to its near instant line smoothing abilities but it’s also a fact that the more you have it and as your get older the less of an effect it can have as your muscles literally get tired of having it applied.
But there’s a super ingredient waiting in the wings to help me out. With National Retinol Day earlier this month, I was interested to learn that this powerful vitamin A derivative offers a gentle, natural alternative to traditional injectables, gradually reducing fine lines and improving skin texture from within and it’s not nearly as scary. Unlike Botox, which provides immediate but temporary results, using a really good retinol product such as Voila Pure’s Retinol Moisturiser you can achieve much longer lasting results after around three month’s of regular use. This little skin care gem in a tub contains green tea extract that helps skin retain moisture and lots of additional skin protecting and repairing vitamins. It’s also suitable to use on sensitive skins which is a bonus as some retinol based products can make some skin react and at £37.99, its goes a long way and is a lot cheaper than your average injectable. Looks like I’m hooked all over again!
Thanks for reading and do please share the news - it’s always great to have a new shiny subscriber!