‘The Beauty Night’ and why you must schedule one

By Tammi Ireland

Ladies, you have to agree with me there is nothing better than feeling sexy, confident and beautiful – just for you.  But how do you get that way if you’ve worked three different deadlines in a row, felt sick from lunch and been told some horrible news?  You schedule it!  Just like your dentist appointment or meeting your superiors, this is important, too.  Once a week is all I ask, and I’ll explain why it’s so great right now…

Tonight was my ‘Beauty Night’.  I try to schedule one a week or – failing that – one a fortnight.  On ‘Beauty Night’ everything gets done. And I mean everything.  Here’s my ‘To Do’ list…

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Obviously there’s no way I could (nor should) do all these on a daily basis, so scheduling one night a week to check everything off the list is not only a great idea, but also something to look forward to.  Because you feel AMAZING afterwards.

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It’s all in the products you use – ‘Beauty Night’ is not the night to skimp on products. On ‘Beauty Night’ it’s the best of the best.  Here are my must haves, working down the ‘To Do’ list:

Green Tea is not just for drinking

By Tammi Ireland

I love a cup of warm green tea in the morning.  It wakes me up, does wonders for my skin and has no milk so doesn’t leave me feeling heavy with every sip.  But recently I discovered something else to do with the magic green leaf (not that one, silly) and it’s a little more topical.

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St. Ives have released a Green Tea Cleanser (gel) that I have been using twice-daily for the past month, and my gosh can I notice the different.  Much thicker in consistency than other gel cleansers, the St. Ives Green Tea Cleanser (RRP $9.99) has a light shade of green that easily smooths and holds onto the skin while cleansing (others often slip right off once they hit water).  It takes off makeup like a dream, including stubborn lipsticks, and it doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight or smelling of fragrance.  Most of all, it cleans the shit out of my pores and I’ve got less blemishes because of it.  St. Ives Green Tea Cleanser? You can stay.

WELLBEING: How does stress impact our bodies?

By Marian Rubock

We all experience the feelings of stress at some stage in our lives. Although we can recognise the emotional signs, do you know how it can impact on the health of your body and skin?  Our body can react to stressful times by affecting the way our internal organs operate and this can lead to other complications. Sometimes, our system may find it hard to digest and absorb nutrients from food. When this happens, we call it ‘malabsorption sydrome’.

This breakdown in our system can also lead to conditions, such as ‘pernicious anaemia’, which simply means our body has lost the ability to produce enough red blood cells, due to a lack of vitamin B12 absorbed in the system.

During stressful times, because we may not effectively digest food or absorb nutrients, our bowel lining can also be damaged. When this occurs, naturopaths refer to this as ‘Leaky Gut Sydrome’ and essentially means the cells of the intestinal lining widen, allowing toxins and undigested food to enter into the body.

All of these effects to our internal system can also lead to hair loss and this will have all been started by stress as the catalyst, which shows it plays a huge role in our lives.

Go from this...

Now let’s take a look at the impact this has on our skin. Just like the rest of our body, our skin relies on receiving nutrients via our blood supply. If our body is in stress mode from poor diet, unhealthy lifestyle, as well as an overactive brain, it can result in digestive upsets, like irritable bowel, poor sleep, increased moodiness and cravings for sugary foods. If this continues, it will lead to a reduction of the blood supply to our skin and hair translating to possible hair loss and unhealthy skin. This may take the form of acne, rosacea, dermatitis, and unusual rashes just to mention a few.

The Men’s Room: A Guy’s First Skincare Routine

By Mark Reed

Mark is our resident male writer, bringing you the low-down on everything masculine in beauty.  Not afraid to hold back, he’ll be honest when reviewing products you may consider as grooming tools for your husband/boyfriend/brother/Dad.   – Ed.

 

Cleanse, tone, moisturise. A mantra I was unfamiliar with until a week ago.

Sure, I use a face wash, and yes, I moisturise. But what on earth was a toner? And how long would it take? Am I going to have to factor this into my morning pre-work prep time?

“But Mark, it’ll do wonders for your skin. And your partner will thank you for it.”  Leaving aside for a second my increasing paranoia vis a vis my girlfriend’s feelings RE: my skin, lets talk about Olay for Men.

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The Multi Solution Smooth Cream Foaming Cleanser (RRP$10.95) is essentially a face wash. It feels softer than other men’s products on the market, notably L’Oreal’s line. Mind you, who said these things had to be rough? The fact is it works, and since it’s only replacing an action you already perform every day, why wouldn’t you use it?

Fresh out of the shower, and we get to the mysterious Multi Solution Refreshing Toner (RRP$16.95). For the blokes, the closest comparison I can make is aftershave in look and texture. A few drops massaged into the face and YOU CAN FEEL IT WORKING. It’s strange. The skin tightens ever so slightly. The good news? Takes three seconds. So far, so good.

The Tips and Tricks Every Beauty Lover Should Know

By Ali Sims

I have always believed sharing is caring, unless we’re talking about a vintage Chanel (a tip from me to you – that should never leave your sight!) The world would be a more beautiful place if everyone shared the whereabouts of their favourite hairdresser (Lee Preston), the best tanning salon (there would certainly be less oompa loompas running around) and, dare I say, the best online boutiques (*gasp*).

I have never really been that great at keeping secrets, so I’d like to share with you some of the best makeup tips and hair tricks I have discovered and practiced religiously over the years (more gifts from me to you!) Enjoy!

1. Learn how to highlight your facial assets with your bronzer

Khloe, I love you, but Kim's subtle bronzer is the winner

Bronzer should not be used as a blush below your cheekbones – it should be a subtle brush stroke to add definition to them. To slim your face, slightly brush your bronzer down both sides of your nose and on your forehead from the top most point of your eyebrow up to your hairline. Also apply your bronzer with light strokes down the middle of your neck. Less is more, so always tap your bronzer brush before application to remove excess powder (*Ed’s tip: don’t blow on your brush, as you could spread bacteria).

2. Use an eyebrow powder instead of an eyebrow pencil

Beauty Q&A: Fiona Hay, celebrity manicurist

Fiona Hay, celebrity manicurist and ORLY Creative Director

 

Beauty routine (day):

I start my day by cleansing with Malin + Goetz Grapefruit cleanser, Ageproof CoQ10 serum by Trilogy, Vital Moisturising Cream by Trilogy, To Save Face 30+ by Mecca Cosmetica.

Beauty routine (night):

Cleanse with Malin + Goetz Grapefruit cleanser, exfoliate twice a week with Microdermabrasion in a jar by Dr Brandt, Ageproof CoQ10 serum by Trilogy, Ageproof Replenishing Night Cream by Trilogy.

It Makes Sense to Clean Your Face This Way

When reviewing these products, I got to thinking about Organic and natural skin care.  Before I got into beauty writing, as a young teen, I would scoff at the idea of an organic product doing anything productive to my skin.  I mean, weren’t the chemicals what worked to cleanse deeply and give me that tingling, tight feeling?

Beautiful, natural skin.

Well, I’ve since learned that tingling, tight feeling shouldn’t be lusted after.  Tight skins means the pH levels have been interupted.  That’s no good.  So, really it makes sense to clean your face, i.e. remove all impurities that are makeup, with products that are natural and don’t add more chemicals to the mix.

Take Time.

Christmas season is intense, no? It’s all about shopping and planning and organising and cooking… it can be stressful for even the most calm of us.  So, on the weekend I took some time for myself, slapped a mask on my face, and read a magazine.  It was the perfect 20 minute break to a whirlwind weekend, and it reinvigorated my inspiration.  If you have time or are feeling stressed, I suggest you do the same.

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Seeing as this is a beauty website, you’d love to know which mask I chose, right?  Well, since you asked, it was the Alaskan Glacial Mud Co. Glacial Facial from Bathing Beauty.  

Cheap as Chips Skin Care

Yesterday, we posted about the new Soap & Glory skin care range that cost roughly $20 per item but today we bring you something even cheaper.  The Derma Intensive + Q10 skincare range products are ONLY $4.99 EACH!  Wowzers!

The range consists of an anti-aging day cream (50mL) and an anti-aging night cream (50mL) that are both in heavy-weight glass jars, plus a 30mL eye cream as well.

The prods are so good, girls queued up outside Coles to buy them when they were released recently! Nutso!

I Scream for Eye Screen!

As a young person, I understand what I say next may take you by surprise but it’s a very true fact for this Beauty Editor. I am terrified of ageing. Absolutely terrified to the point of applying every anti-aging lotion and SPF cream I can find to prevent wrinkles and dark spots.  I haven’t really needed to worry until now because I’ve been relatively wrinkle-free, but years of fun and laughter are catching up with me and I’m spotting crows’ feet near my eyes.  Horror!

Prevention is better than cure and so I’m going to let you in on my secret cult product.  Every morning and every night after cleansing, I dab three dots of Ulraceuticals Ultra Moisturiser Eye Cream under and around the eye to keep the sensitive skin hydrated, fresh, de-puffed and wrinkle free.