3 Beauty Myths Shattered

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Frostie

We are all guilty of believing old wives tales or taking myths to the extreme when it comes to beauty. Thanks to the facial therapist, skincare expert and Bravura London founder -Amanda Elias – you can now put these 3 beauty mistakes to bed.

Blemishes are caused by oily skin

FALSE. Dry skin can suffer from bacterial breakouts too. Particularly when the skin is dry and flaky as this excess skin will block the pores and cause bacteria to multiply, therefore creating a spot.

Collagen creams will help put collagen back in your skin

FALSE. The natural collagen in your skin is too deep for any cream to penetrate. A collagen based cream will help nourish your skin but it won’t stimulate the collagen production. Products such as glycolic acid and lactic acid increase skin turnover which in turn can also stimulate collagen.

Facial oils are only suitable for dry skin

FALSE. Even oily skin can become dehydrated; but the oil you use is very important. Opt for oils such as Jojoba which has similar properties to your skin’s natural oil, or Castor Oil which can help to clear blocked pores.

Amanda Elias is the founder of Bravura London, which prides itself on providing the best quality, effective pharmaceutical skincare products at affordable prices.

How to get the Zombie look this Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Frostie

Halloween is here, so to make sure you bag the most treats – Big Fish has created the ultimate guide to looking and walking like a Zombie, to celebrate the launch of its spooky new game Zombie! Zombie! Zombie! (ZX3).

Getting the look…

First, prepare your skin by cleaning and moisturising.
Create the base. Apply a foundation that is either three shades lighter than your natural skin tone or use a white make-up. This will help give you that cold, dead look. Do not apply the foundation too evenly or thick – unless you want to look like a vampire or a clown! Use either a natural sea sponge or a cheap make-up sponge and pick pieces out to create a destroyed surface by dabbing the make-up around your face. The look you’re going for is blotchy.
Don’t forget to apply the same foundation to your lips and any other skin that is showing – your ears, neck and hands.
Using a purple or light blue eyeliner pencil, draw on some veins around your eyes cheeks and forehead.
Reapply a layer of foundation on top of the veins to wash them out a bit.
Shade the hollows of your cheeks, eye sockets, temples, and under your chin. Use a black matte powder and a large dome blending brush. This creates a gaunt look.
Using a green shade to add to the depth of your look. Apply with another soft dome brush. Concentrate the colour to the outside of your face and around your mouth, including on your lips. Just like your foundation, the application should not be even.
Now it’s time to add the blood! Use a splatter effect to apply fake blood around your mouth or dip a large sponge in fake blood and take a “bite” into the sponge. Where it is heavy, let it drip and don’t smear the blood.
For the ultimate finish you can add white contacts, stringy dirty hair, dirty looking nails, and torn bloody clothes.

Getting the walk…

Move slowly… Your muscles have wasted… and you have lost your coordination… shuffle and don’t walk in a straight line.
Your neck is broken, so let your head loll from side to side with your movements, and keep your head down rather than up.
Have a limp and drag one of your legs behind you, if you put one shoe on the end of your feet and wear thick socks you can create the illusion that your ankle has snapped – but remember to wear long trousers for this effect to truly work!
Let your hands and arms hang loosely from your sides, when you move them do so slowly as you must remember that you don’t have much muscle power left in your arms!
For extra inspiration and to get you into the spirit this Halloween, download Big Fish’s new Free-to-play game Zombie! Zombie! Zombie! available on iPad. Get ready to think quick, shoot quicker, and fight for your life against endless waves of un-dead with an arsenal of weaponry and zombie blasting power-ups.

Download the game by visiting iTunes.

The 5 Secrets To Avoiding Acne

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Frostie

From Facial Therapist, Skincare Expert & Bravura London founder, Amanda Elias

With hormones going haywire, teenagers can really suffer from a multitude of problems, one of which is dreaded acne. From mild to severe, acne can be extremely traumatic at such a sensitive age but it really is best to address the problem as early as possible and to get your teenager in to a good skincare regime as soon as possible; prevention is much better than cure.

Cleansing

Cleansing is extremely important but choosing the right product is essential.

Avoid cleansing wipes which don’t cleanse the skin thoroughly enough. Older teenagers tend to prefer a cleansing wash that’s applied and rinsed but younger teens don’t always rinse properly, in which case a light cream cleanser removed with a clean face flannel works best.

Application is important, when teaching a younger teen ensure they massage all over the face and neck, close to the hairline and behind the ears and neck. Cleanse twice in the evening and once in the morning.

Use a gentle treatment daily for acne prone skin; if dryness occurs use the product every other day. If your skin burns or feels itchy, gets very red or you break out in a rash, discontinue use.

Hair

A thick fringe (bangs) may be fashionable but it can cause outbreaks in young, oily skin.

Wash the fringe every morning and clip it off the face in the evening and to sleep; trapped dirt and oil will introduce bacteria in to the skin which is why it’s essential to keep any hair that touches the face as clean as possible.

Spot-Control

When spots have a head it is so tempting to squeeze but squeezing will not only introduce bacteria in to the open wound but popping the skin could leave a scar, think of what happens when you pop bubble wrap, imagine your skin with that tear in the surface! Neat tea tree oil applied directly on to the spot can help reduce bacteria and dissolve the blockage on the surface. Perform a patch test on the jaw line before applying tea tree all over as it can cause irritation in sensitive skin.

Avoid strong acne products which can irritate sensitive, young skin. A product such as the Dermaflannel (£11.99, www.bravuralondon.com) is perfect because it gently exfoliates and helps to remove excess oil and dirt from the pores without the need for any harsh chemicals.

Lifestyle

Although skincare can help control and heal breakouts, a healthy and active lifestyle can play a big part.

Vitamins and herbal supplements can also play an important role when combating any skincare complaint; a visit to an herbalist or a specialist in vitamins and supplements could be beneficial in balancing the hormones which in turn will control acne.

Make sure anything that comes in to contact with the face is clean; face flannels, towels, hands! And remember to change your pillow regularly.

Medication

In teenage skin where acne is very severe, the best option is a visit to the Doctor who will usually recommend a course of antibiotics.

Naturally Made For You Coconut Soufflé Exfoliator Review

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

Coconut soufflé brings one thing to mind: yum. This exfoliator looks and smells so good it is tempting to eat it. It looks beautiful too. The texture is so different and soufflé like that staring is definitely okay. As you can see from the pictures below, this exfoliator is definitely unique.

It is super gentle but tough enough to give you I-can’t-stop-stroking-myself skin. You can feel the grains but you are also left with a lovely moisturising residue. With Dead Sea salts, Shea butter and organic coconut oil, this wonderful product made my skin feeling so amazing I could skip moisturiser after. I am a huge fan of natural products and this really works. Naturally Made For You started with one self-made woman, Kadifa Jones, learning as she went and working from her kitchen. I hope the brand takes off, it will be well deserved.

Available from Naturally Made For You

Superdry Bento Beauty Box | Review

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

Superdry are not content just making fabulous clothes. Their beauty range is expanding all the time and their new Bento Beauty Box (£25) is funky and great value. It contains Superdry Beauty miniature versions of Lip Fix, Eye Marker (a great eyeliner which looks like a felt tip, perfect for thick or thin lines), Nail Paint, Highlighter, a mirror, a full size nail plane and a full size Mascara. You could almost create an entire beauty look just with this stylish beauty box.

Superdry Bento Beauty Box

The mirror is something you can keep forever and looks like a badge. The nail polish colour is a colourful hot pink that will make you happy – and is apparently their bestselling shade, their lip fix is great for chapped lips and the highlighter is great for sculpting the face and giving you a glow. The mascara is jet black and volumising. This recycled cardboard gift box is a great Christmas gift full of Superdry’s bestselling beauty products. Great stuff. It is out this month (October 2013)

Dr. Dulcamara Orange Flower: Victorian Inspired Beauty | Review

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Frostie

We get sent a lot of stuff to review but this Victorian inspired Orange Flower collection from Dr. Dulcamara really caught our eye. It is both original and stunning. It looks so beautiful on the bathroom shelf you almost don’t want to use it. But use it you must. It smells divine and just looking at it creates happiness.

We reviewed the hand cream, which leaves the hands silky soft and smelling great. It is a really good cream, rubs in well and works. The bath essence looks like a magic potion and sitting in the bath just sniffing it is a potential hazard to look out for. It makes bathing even more enjoyable and is good to the skin.

We really loved the Orange Flower collection from Dr. Dulcamara and already have a few people in mind who will be getting these as a Christmas present. Frost loves….

Orange flowers are the source of neroli, an essential oil distilled from the freshly picked blossoms of the bitter orange tree. Neroli is named after the Italian city of Neroli, where it was used to ward off a plague in the 17th Century. Today, the oil is mostly produced in the South of France and in Italy.

The rich flower-scented aroma has long been regarded as a symbol of purity and eternal love, and was a great favourite of Marie Antoinette.The oil is also used frequently in Middle Eastern recipes to add fragrance to food, water and tea.

Neroli oil has a reputation for its calming, relaxing properties, and is regarded as a mild sedative.

www.potsandpotions.com

Office To Party in 5 Minutes | Beauty

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Frostie

From Office to Party in 5 minutes; Amanda Elias of Bravura London shares her DO’s and DON’Ts for an effortless transition from Day to Night this party season.

DO use a toner if you don’t have time to remove your make-up. Spritz over the face and blot away or gently wipe over with a cotton pad, this will remove any excess oil and the bulk of your make-up. Then apply your foundation and powder.
DO exfoliate your skin in the morning or use a product containing AHA; this will remove the dead skin instantly leaving your skin looking fresher and your make-up will go on smoother and last longer.
DON’T worry about having to tie back hair for work. Invisibobbles are plastic rings which allow you to tie your hair back without leaving kinks.
DON’T apply heavy makeup first thing. Keep your makeup light in the morning, that way it will be easier to touch up in the evening. Use tinted moisturiser or a BB cream and keep the eyes light or neutral.
DO apply a good primer in the morning as this will help your foundation last longer.
DON’T be afraid of hairpieces, for a quick and elegant updo they can really transform your look in minutes- just be sure to match your hair colour as closely as possible. If you’re not a fan of faking it, a bun ring can create an elegant look with minimal effort.
DON’T have time to fix your eyeshadow? Keep it neutral and apply a bold lip colour. If you have dramatic, bold eyes, keep your lips neutral.
DO give yourself a basic manicure the night before; polished and evenly shaped nails can really complete a look without much effort.
DO get those false lashes out, they don’t have to be overly long or dramatic. Popping on a pair of lashes can instantly transform your tired eyes to look brighter and sexier. If you’ve never applied lashes then practise, practise, practise- 5 minutes before you’re due to leave is not the time to try false eyelashes for the first time.
DO drink plenty of water thought the day and cut back on the caffeine, hydrated skin looks more youthful.
DON’T suffer in silence. If you’re nervous about how to apply make-up properly or fancy a new look, Youtube will become your new best friend! Pixiwoo gives the most amazing, easy to follow make-up tutorials.

Esteemed within the skincare industry, Mum-of-three Amanda is an expert when it comes to all things parenting, skincare and beauty

iGeneration Facing Lifetime Of Back Pain: Jodie Kidd Talks About Her Experience.

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Frostie

We have become a nation obsessed with technology and social media. Much to the detriment of our health. We’re a nation on the brink of a potential back pain epidemic. Experts say the ‘iPosture generation’ spend more time in front of a PC or laptop than they do asleep in bed.

Simplyhealth surveyed more than 3000 adults and found more than 8 out of ten of us have suffered with back pain in the last year (86%) and that we suffer with it on average three times a week.

A combination of work and home screen time (excluding traditional TV) means that over 55s spend an average of 6.64 hours a day in front of a screen compared to 8.83 hour for a typical 18-24 year old.

However, key differences seem to emerge when it comes to the different generations’ use of technology. Two thirds (67 per cent) of 18-24 year olds agree they either slouch or hunch in front of their PC or other devices at work. Their parents on the other hand (45-54 year olds) are more than twice as likely to sit up straight at home, on a chair, with their PC or laptop in front of them.

And parents today are much less likely to tell their children to sit up and stand up straight – 59 per cent of those questioned said they never gave their children this advice.

What do you think? Is the iGeneration destroying their back?

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