Oil Control!

Do you feel that your skin is prone to oiliness & no matter what you do you can't have a shine free day....??!!! Well here's some tips & products to help keep a perfect matt complexion all day long!

With Oily skin types the oil producing 'sebaceous' glands are overactive and produce more oil than what is needed so the oil can create a shine that appears greasy. The pores will be enlarged, the skin can appear coarse, prone to blackheads & blemishes. The reasons for this can be heredity, diet, hormones or even the cosmetic products you use. Of course one great advantage with oily skins is that they age at a much slower rate than other skin types!
Oily skin needs thorough cleansing with plenty of hot water (dissolves skin oil better than lukewarm or cold water) to prevent the pores from clogging, it is best to avoid harsh products that strip your skin such as any products containing alcohol, as they will only harm your skin's natural barrier & encourage bacteria build up, it can also encourage the oil glands to work overtime to compensate for the loss of natural oils which in turn will worsen the oily appearance to the skin.
To clean the skin, use a clarifying product as it will remove the surface oil on the skin effectively, also opt for oil-free moisturisers to maintain a shine-free complexion & ensure you exfoliate twice a week to keep your skin healthy & remove excess oil & dead skin.

Here are a few top products I would highly recommend -

Lancome's Gel Pure Focus (17.55) - This is a foaming gel cleanser that has a purifying effect which absorbs excess oil around the pores, inhibiting oil production & bacteria build up. Leaves the skin feeling fresh & matt for hours.
Clinique's Pore Minimiser T-Zone Shine Control (£11) - This reduces & controls excess shine without drying out the skin & leaving a long lasting matt finish, works brilliantly under make-up as a primer. Also try their Blotting Sheets (£7.50) as it is better to use these rather than a build up of powder throughout the day.

Neutrogena Oil Free Fresh Moisturiser - An oil free moisturiser that still keeps your skin well hydrated & will help avoid shine throughout the day.

What Make-Up Item Could You Least Live Without?!

We all have our make-up saviours that we would not consider leaving the house without, let us know yours & vote below!

Brand New From Nars - The Multiple 'Orgasm'!!!!

'The Multiple' (£27) is a multi purpose make-up stick for eyes, cheeks & lips, it is a classic from the Nars range & gives a beautiful finish on the skin. It's great for using in your everyday express make-over before rushing out the door for work, it gives a cream to powder finish with intense even colour for the eyes, shimmering cheeks & a light soft colour on the lips!
Their brand new colour 'Orgasm' is perfect for the spring/summer months, giving you a warm glow while you build up your tan!

Vintage Glamour - Get The Look!

Demi Moore as well as hubby Ashton Kutcher, daughter Rumer Willis and many other A-Listers such as Charlize Theron, Penelope Cruz & Courtney Cox recently attended the The Art of Elysium Charity Event (for children battling serious illness) at The Beverly Hills Hotel in LA, where the theme was Vintage Forties & Dominoes (apparently Hollywood's hottest new party game!)
Vintage glamour is definitely in vogue this year, a timeless look that oozes style & sophistication and Demi Moore captures the look just perfectly in this picture.
Here's some top tips on getting the look yourself (all you'll need after is the fake fur & diamonds!

1 - A flawless complexion is required for this look so opt for Max Factor's 'Miracle Touch Foundation' (£10.99) which is a base with concealer & powder for the perfect finish.
2 - Use neutral colours with the eyeshadows, take a nude tone across the entire lid, use a highlighter on the brow bone to really define the eye, then take a medium brown into the socket line & blend out in circular movements with your 'fluff' brush (for best results, tilt your head up & look down slightly to apply shadow to the socket line) Try Revlon's Eyeshadow Quad 'In The Buff' (£7.99)
3 - The Top las line needs to be defined to achieve the vintage style, with a dark brown or black matt shadow & using a slanted defining eye brush take the shadow, as close the the lashes as possible, from the inner corner to the outer, build heavily at the outer corner just past the middle point of your eye, this will give more depth & shape to your eye, then trace a light line at the outside corner & flick outwards slightly. For the bottom lash line, take a lighter line with a shimmer eyeshadow, the same as you used for the socket line to create of softer finish on the bottom.
4 - Apply false lashes, the lashes really are a big statement with this look, go for Mac False Lash Strips (7.50), finish by applying mascara over the top as well as on your bottom lashes.
5 - Define your eyebrows, use the Body Shop's 'Brow Kit' (£10) to shape your brows, it is a powder with an application brush, apply over your brows paying particular attention the edge above the bridge of your nose & ensure it is neatly finished off (take a pencil & place vertically above your nose, the line should not go past this point), point them off at the outer corner of your eye to create a longer brow that will 'frame' the eye, soften by taking a brow comb through them.
6 - A warm shimmering colour will set off the cheeks beautifully & should sculpt & define too, take a large blusher brush & sweep the colour over the apples of your cheeks then upwards across the cheekbones, try Bobbi Brown's 'Bronze Shimmer Brick Compact' (£27) which has pinks & browns to give this effect for both warm & cool skin tones.
7 - Finish with a bold red lipstick to give it the forties glamour touch, keep it matt & apply some foundation underneath to hold it in place, take a lip liner in red & define your lip line first, soften with a cotton bud & then apply the colour with a lip brush, blot twice with tissue & re-apply, then pat some translucent powder over it gently to create the ultimate matt finish, go for 'Mac Red' Lipstick (£11) & Mac 'Redd' Lip Pencil (£9)

Body Beautiful Complex - Perfection In A Bottle!

Finally a miracle pill has arrived for that perfect glowing complexion, these beauty capsules by 'Skin Nutrition' are the all round supplement for your beauty regime, they promote healthy skin, hair & nails as well as speeding up your metabolism, removing stored fat & cellulite and as if that wasn't enough they can increase your energy levels as well as preventing wrinkles!
The magic ingrediants include N-Acetyl Glucosamine which is proven to reverse age spots as well as improving the body’s natural regeneration of collagen, Alpha Lipoic Acid to fight against Free Radicals plus Green & White Tea to speed up your metabolism as well as acting as a powerful anti-oxidant.
The recommended dose is as a dietary supplement, take 1- 2 capsules first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and another 1-2 capsules mid afternoon.
£30 for 60 Capsules (www.skinnutrition.com)

Benefit - Top New Products!

Just out is Benefit's new 'Lust Dust' mineral eyeshadow that creates intense colour sparkle, only a tiny amount is required with the high pigment so a little goes a long way indeed! Also for an extra chic look, wet a liquid liner application brush & dab into the powder then apply to your upper lid for a shimmering top lash line!

Another new product from Benefit is their 'Erase Paste', which is a brightening & camouflage concealer in one, the highly pigmented concealer gives a fantastic coverage without having to use a great deal of the product, and with the brightening qualities say goodbye to dark circles! It comes with a comprehensive user guide & an application spatula, my tip though would be to just apply with the finger tips! A definite must have for your make-up bag & it will certainly be a permanent feature in my make-up kit from now on! Launched this Saturday at all Benefit counters!

"Boob Job' - A Fuller Bust In A Bottle!

Just what we girls have always dreamt about, a Boob Job without going under the surgeon's knife and at a fraction of the cost too!!! 'Boob Job' is the latest product just released this week from cult beauty brand Rodial, some of they're best sellers include 'Tummy Tuck' which is a cream that promises to reduce your tum by 2cm in 8 weeks, as well as Glamotox, their needle free collagen injection cream which can dramatically reduce wrinkles with it's 'plumping' effects!
They have a pretty large celeb fan base too that includes the likes of Katie Holmes, Giselle & Eva Longoria to name but a few, all devotees to the miracle working range!!
So their latest product sensation 'Boob Job' promises a fuller cleavage in 56 days, it works with your natural fat cells 'blocking' the fat in your bust area so you will see a gradual increase in cup size (up to 10%) as well as a firming & lifting effect too. The gel is based on a natural phytosterol derived from an Asian root, it works on the skin and the layer of fat beneath it, with Myrrh extract to promote volume in the skin and pentapeptides to repair and smooth skin 'Boob Job' can definitely give you a fuller & plumper bust for this summers bikini season!
Visit their website for more info www.rodial.co.uk, 'Boob Job' is available to purchase on line from this week (£125).