What you didn’t know about sunbeds…

Well everyone knows that sunbeds are not good for you, it is common knowledge but we can forget about the risks if we want a glowing and healthy look.

I have friends who have developed skin cancer by abusing sunbeds and they are the most dangerous way of achieving your sunkissed look!

I was surprised when I found out that skin cancer has trebled in just a decade by people using sunbeds. On average 70,000 Britons are diagnosed each year.

If you are a tan-addict you should try and only go on twice a week at the very max. Research states that sunbed users aged around 15 to 39 are at the risk!

You have to keep checks on your moles and if you notice any changes like getting bigger, changing shape, bleeding or painful consult your doctor immediately.

There are so many amazing self tanning products out there now that there is no need to hit the sunbed shops. I highly recommend a fake bake spray tan as it leaves you with an all over natural tan and lasts for weeks!

How to control your cellulite

We will all get dreaded cellulite at some point in our life! Not everyone knows how and why we get it but believe it or not stress is one of the biggest contributors!

Stress:
When you are stressed it is hard to click out your mood and cheer up. Stress can be caused by your job or having a tough time in life in general. If you feel as though you are stressed you should take on an activity that has a calming effect on you, the gym is by far the best place to go to distress if that does not sound appealing you should try yoga.

Birth Control Pills:
These are the worst pills for storing fat and retain water! Two of the crucial ingredients for cellulite.

Think about your diet:

The biggest and best way to control your cellulite is all about your diet.

To help you avoid getting cellulite or prevent anymore from appearing change your ways quick with the below:

1. Drink LOTS of water
Yes I know its boring but keeping yourself hydrated ensures that the toxins and waste are continuously flushed out of your system. The toxins that you have in your body are the major culprits in cellulite. By drinking 2 liters a day you will notice a difference within days.

2. Say goodbye to coffee
For all you caffeine addicts out there ditch it quick if you want your cellulite to disappear! This does not mean just coffee everything from beverages to energy drinks. Caffeine constricts blood vessels, therefore constraining blood and oxygen circulation to cells.

3. Quit smoking
Smoking is a huge part of why you will have cellulite. It has the same effects that caffeine has on you.

4. Alcohol 
Its getting near Christmas and it will be rude not to go out and let your hair down but don’t be surprised if come January you have dimply thighs! Alcohols toxicity is a burden to your system. In addition to being toxic itself, it also stops your body from efficiently processing other toxins.

5. Learn to cook and stop eating processed foods!!!
Processed it food is soooooo tasty but it is filled with crap! It is full of preservatives, sweeteners and salt. They all add toxic waste to your body which we all know by now causes cellulite as your body finds it difficult to process and stores as fat.
Try and eat as much fruit and vegetables as possible.

6. Bad Fats
Replace bad fats with good fats – if you have a sweet tooth try eating walnuts or pumpkin seeds. Use olive oil and eat plenty of fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring.

7. Exercise
You really do have to exercise daily to reduce your cellulite. Running and cycling is the best training to do as it can help break down the food more efficiently.

Try the above and I guarantee that you will have less dimples and be more confident next time you slip your bikini on!

Bag a bargain

If you are looking for a bargain and an anti-ageing cream that actually works head to Tesco’s at only £1.79 it has become the best selling moisturiser outselling all of the leading brands including Nivea and Olay .

Q10 Derma intensive+ anti wrinkle day cream has been a huge success at Tesco’s. It only launched a couple of weeks ago and everyone seems to love it!

I don’t usually pay much attention to supermarket own brands but I will be now.

You can pay hundreds of pounds for a decent cream but Tesco’s have introduced this as part of its campaign to become the counties biggest discount supermarket.

Tesco have reported that they are selling 1 pack a minute so next time I am doing my shopping I think I will have to try this out. If you have already tried the cream what did you think?

So don’t let the credit crunch effect your looks and your beauty regime!

Beauty products to be wary of…

After doing some research I was pretty surprised to find out that some products that we use in our daily regime are actually not that good for you.

Some of the products that I have stated below can cause damage to your face and should not be used.

1.    Toners
Everyone seems to own a toner! In my regime I scrub my face with a deep cleansing wash and instantly spray toner on my face but I don’t know if I will be doing this anymore after finding out that most toners are made of alcohol, striping the natural oils and dries up your skin. This obviously then causes you skin to dehydrate and will make the appearance of fine lines more apparent. It also takes out the shine in your face and makes your skin look dull.

2.    Blackhead Strips
We all love to use a blackhead strip as a quick fix but DON’T! These “magic” strips actually have the potential of causing micro tears in your face and can break capillaries and blood vessels – not a good look!!!

3.    Face Masks
I love face masks! I find them relaxing and always put one on if I am having a pampering session. So I was not a happy girl when I found out that many of these scrubs contain large non spherical particles, some even have ingredients like apricot pits! In time your skin is bound to tear causing redness and broken blood vessels.

4.    Oil moisturisers
Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! I always use an oil moisturiser, every morning and evening! But it is not the best idea to use one as they can cause acne as they are full of mineral oils. In future I will be looking for creams with hydrating non-oil ingredients.

Why use an organic beauty product instead of a conventional one?

Because of superior purity, quality and effectiveness!

Everyone has there own opinion and some people don’t care if the item they are using on there face is organic or been tested on animals.

In the ideal world all beauty products should by natural beauty products.

I have noticed that most organic products seem to be more expensive so that is why I believe people tend to shy away from them. There are many reasons why you should use them:

1. You are what you eat and the same with beauty products whatever you put on your body ends up in your body so why would you want to put chemicals, pesticides, synthetics and other modified ingredients into your body??? I prefer not!
2. If you care about animals you should only go for organic products as these products come from natural ingredients not a lab that has been tested on animals.
3. The main reason is product effectiveness. Natural products are more effective than waxes, fillers and chemicals.

Organic products are available in skincare, hair care and cosmetics and leave your skin vibrant and beautiful and I noticed that after using them I had a naturally healthy glow. The smell was just as scrumptious if not more than my usual non-organic products.

I am a bugger for reading a label I usually can not be bothered but I am going to be aware now and read exactly what I am putting into my skin.

Will you wear bird crap on your face for beauty???

Victoria Beckham’s “dirty” beauty secret is out! It has emerged that the style queen who suffers from skin problems and acne as a teenager puts her new clear complexion down to bird poo.

A source told Britain’s Closer magazine: “When Victoria was in Japan recently she was admiring the local women’s clear skin and discovered it was down to these facials.

“She was intrigued and when she got back to the US she found that some New York beauty salons now offer the treatment.

“She tried it and loved how great her skin looked. She also uses a cream derived from nightingale poo at home.”

These Geisha facials do not come cheap at £100 per session! At the moment you can get the facials in Japan and US but i am sure it will be in the UK very soon. It is made from a paste of nightingale droppings, ewwwwwwwwww! The facial helps combat acne and general blemishes on the skin.

Supposedly, Geisha in Japan would use the droppings to remove the heavy white make up they wear and add some rice brain to neutralise the smell…nice sounds more appealing now 

I do have to say that Victoria’s skin does seem to look much clearer, so maybe there is something in it after all…

A little bit of TLC

Everyone loves a bit of TLC every now and again so why not indulge in a hot stone massage to help you relax, relieve muscle tension and forget about your day!

Hot Stone Massage is a style of massage therapy in which water-treated stones are placed at specific pressure points on your body to promote relaxation and to help open up your energy meridians. The heated stones allow the beauty therapist to more easily perform deep tissue manipulations. Cool stones are sometimes used alternately with hot stones. Most of the time massage oils are usually incorporated into the massage treatment.

Just one session can help you to relax, release, and rejuvenate. The therapeutic massage creates a sense of well being. If you have difficulties sleeping this can often be cured through the use of hot stone massages because of its ability to put the mind at ease.

Your body will thank you for it as it is a wonderful treatment with lots of benefits.

The pain of beauty

Can you believe that the snake venom face cream become a best-seller since its launch in Selfridges the other week yes you have read this right SNAKE VENOM!

Planet skincare costs £60 and incorporates syntheised snake venom, which mimics the effect of a snakebite. This will leave you face in a stunned state and has a similar effect to botox.

It is made from venom from an Asian snake and is being touted as the latest miracle to fight off those dreaded wrinkles.

The makers claim that the product visibly reduces lines and wrinkles in 28 days, with a 52% reduction in wrinkles and 82% increase in skin smoothness, sounds very convincing and not one to shy away from new products I think I will be heading to Selfridges this weekend to buy this pot of pain!

Super wrinkle solution alert…

Most beauty insiders insist that the secret behind anti-ageing products is oils.

I love Aromessence Excellence, this is definitely one of the must-have face oils to have in your collection. It is my pot of magic now, its main ingredient is neroli essential oil (citrus aurantium amara) which is basically bitter orange flower oil. This is the most expensive essential oil in the market.

It has the best oils all in one pot, there is such a variety that it is perfect for all skin types. It consists of the following:

a) Hazelnut oil – it contains vitamins, minerals, proteins and essential fatty acids and is suitable for all skin types, especially inflamed conditions

b) Neroli oil – good for scarred skin, thread veins, wrinkles and it tones the skin

c) Sandalwood oil – for dry, cracked and chapped skin and also greasy skin

d) Juniper oil - good for people who suffers from acne, dermatitis, eczema

e) Clary sage oil – for oily skins

f) Parsley oil – good for broken blood vessels

It is really easy to fit this product into your daily skincare routine. Just add a few drops onto your face after cleansing and hey presto your done! I have been using it for the past week and I have noticed that my skin is much clearer than usual and the redness on my cheeks has toned down.

This is not a cheap product at £70.00 but it promises an impressive 77% reduction in wrinkles after four weeks! See it as a little treat for your skin!

Free £5.00 Skincare Voucher* at Boots

Boots has a huge collection of beauty products and are currently giving away a free £5 voucher when you spend £5 or more in a single transaction. You have until the 9th September 2008 so be quick!!!

Redeemable only on these fantastic brands:

Olay Regenerist
Olay Total Effects
Olay Definity
Boots Time Delay
L’Oreal Wrinkle De-crease
L’Oreal Revitalist
The Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden
Tri-aktiline

Terms and Conditions

Redeeming your voucher
Voucher valid until 9 September 2008
Voucher can only be used on facial skincare products
Your £5 facial skincare voucher can be spent on facial skincare products from the following brands: Tri-Aktiline, Olay Definity, Olay Regenerist, Olay Total Effects, L’Oréal Wrinkle Decrease, L’Oréal Revitalift, Boots Time Delay and Sanctuary Facial Skincare
Voucher cannot be redeemed on www.boots.com or bootsdirect
No change will be given for any products under the value £5 when using this voucher
Vouchers cannot be used as part payment when redeeming Advantage Card points
Only one voucher can be redeemed per transaction in store
Vouchers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or coupon
No cash alternative is available
Photocopies will not be accepted and vouchers are not transferable
Some products featured may only be stocked in larger Boots stores
Subject to availability

To find you nearest Boots store click here.

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