Ladies Day at Aintree

The ladies gathered at Aintree today ahead of tomorrow's Grand National & the race course was in a flurry of fake tan as well as brightly coloured chiffon & fascinators to Jimmy Choos as glamorous girlies turned up in their thousands to celebrate the Grand National Festival's Ladies Day! One of the most famous attendees was Coleen Rooney who showed up in a Roberto Cavalli maxi-dress, speculation has been building over the last week on whether Mrs Rooney is pregnant & her light chiffon dress showing a slight baby bump this afternoon has only added fuel to the gossip fire!
Many attendees are there in the hope of being spotted as part of the Style 2009 competition to become 2009's most fashionable man or woman. A catwalk will be held in front of judges today including Coleen herself as well as Nikki Hambleton-Jones, Jeff Banks & Sheree Murphy, the winner will receive some amazing prizes including a car & a Caribbean holiday as well as starring in Matalan's new fashion campaign.
Some of the efforts were pretty gaudy & a tad OTT to say the least but that is only to be expected & certainly adds to an already colourful event!!! A collection of some great contenders for Style 2009 as well as some the great fashion disasters are pictured below, we'll leave it up to to decide who falls into either category!

Ready for UK Launch - Jergens Naturals

Jergens Bodycare's groundbreaking solutions for firm, smooth, glowing & deeply hydrated skin is now known worldwide as well as being a favourite with the Hollywood elite!! Now available in the UK, America's No1 best selling bodycare range is launched here as Jergens Naturals, this is the first natural moisturising range launched to deliver premium results through natural ingredients, Jergens have developed natural formulations with the finest plant derived ingredients available & as they say 'Our skin is not synthetic so why treat it that way?'
Ruby Hammer, international make-up artist, has been using the products for many years on clients & top celebrities alike & loves the excellent moisturising qualities of the body care range, she says of the new Naturals range 'I now have a clear conscience knowing I am not putting synthetic chemicals onto my clients or my own skin, but still getting the results associated with Jergens'
Over the last week I have been trying out 3 of moisturisers available in the range... Firstly 'Extra Softening', which calms the skin & with rich emollients & vitamin packed moisturisers it softens immediately, it also contains Shea Butter to protect & revitalise the skin, Yogurt to balance the ph levels & Soy Extract which contains Vitamin E for healthy skin. The scent is very subtle & pleasant & it is absorbed quickly into the skin. Straight away after using this my skin felt beautifully soft & smooth! The 'Skin Firming' with Pomegranate visibly moisturises & firms cellulite prone skin in just two uses...! Pomegranate is a powerful antioxidant which helps to eliminate free radicals, Aloe is also known for it firming properties & White Tea also is rich in anti-oxidants which fight inflammation. There was a noticeable difference with my skin after it's use, particularly on my upper thighs where it feels definitely much smoother & firmer, also the cream smells good enough to eat!!! Definitely a perfect quick fix for your bikini-bod this summer!!
Their 'Age Defying' lotion promotes younger skin in just 2 weeks - not bad at all! The formula awakens mature skin & with a blend of ingredients such as Green Tea which contains antioxidants to combat skin damaging elements, Mint Leaf Extract to protect the skin & Sage to stimulate the blood circulation & help tighten skin.
Over all an excellent range that has fantastic & quick results on the skin, also with the added bonus of being completely natural & environmentally friendly - as they say themselves, 'The Future of Bodycare'!

New from Bobbi Brown - Long Wear Cream EyeShadow

Bobbi Brown have just launched 4 New shades for their Long Wear Cream Eyeshadow, it maintains it's colour without creasing & stays put all day long! It has a soft blending formula that goes on easily to create a range of looks from a natural wash of colour to a deep smokey look & has a velvet soft finish. The shades available are pictured here & are called 'Ash', Heather, Platinum, & Steel. Platinum shades are hot this coming season & as Bobbi Brown says herself - "A touch of Platinum makeup instantly highlights and gives the face a fresh, modern edge."
Available Nationwide at Bobbi Brown Counters - £15.66

Best Budget Foundation - Maybelline's New Dream Satin Liquid Foundation

Maybelline's brand new Dream Satin Liquid Foundation is a light skin perfecting formula that feels weightless on application & gives a flawless finish that would give any supermodel a run for her money! Maybelline say themselves that the formula contains amino-acid treated pigments that help unify the complexion. With a 100% poreless look & airbrush finish to give you luminous skin all day long it's budget price tag of £7.99 makes it a true winner!!

Brand New - Body Shop's Tantalising Lip Butter

The Body Shop has just launched it's new limited edition 'Yes, Yes, Yes - Tantalising Lip Butter' which will raise money for HIV and Aids Awareness. The product is in collaboration with MTV & £3.98 from every lip butter sold will go straight to the MTV charity Staying Alive Foundation, so what better excuse is there to treat your pout to some tantalising lip service! Body Shop's Lip Butter like ther Body Butter has great moisturising & softening effects which get to work straight away leaving your lips smooth & kissable, it also smells fantastically fruity with essence of exotic dragon fruit. Available Nationwide - £5

Brand New - Dove HairMinimising Deodorant

Dove has just launched the first ever hair minimising anti-perspirant deodorant, Dove HairMinimising is a brand new range of antiperspirants that not only cares for delicate underarm skin around the clock, but also helps you have underarms that look and feel hair-free for longer between shaves - what more could a girl ask for in her deodorant!.

Contained in the anti-perspirant is a unique hair minimising formula that contains the brand new Pro-Epil complex, with natural extracts & combined with with Dove ¼ moisturising cream it is gentle on the skin. With everyday use hair will start to seem less noticeable, your underarms will feel and look smoother and hair will feel softer, finer and easier to remove.
Like all Dove products, Dove HairMinimising nourishes and cares for delicate the skin on your underarms as well as providing 24-hour antiperspirant protection.

After using the product for the last week I have been delighted with the results so far & it will be a firm fixture in bathroom cabinet from now on! Firstly the scent is really fresh & subtle which doesn't over power your perfume which is always important, also it doesn't leave a white residue either which is an added bonus, I found that none of my clothes had any deodorant marks on them at all, plus it really does feel very gentle on the skin, no stinging at all once applied. Anyway most importantly does it reduce under arm hair growth?? Well I have definitely noticed a visible improvement with the hair finer & definitely easier to remove, with it growing back a lot slower than before, no prickles the following day!.. As I have dark hair this is a god send & having to shave your underarms each day or every other day can start to really harm the skin there so this genius deodorant will certainly be a saviour in the summer!!!

Available Nationwide from this Month.

Skinfood Launches Fresh New Skincare

Over the last few weeks I have been putting a new skincare brand from New Zealand that is now available in the UK to the test, it is a natural & green product which is also unisex, the products are also all free from & free from artificial colours, perfumes or paraben preservatives making them suitable for sensitive skins too.

All the products are enriched with pure ingrediants from New Zealand such as Manuka Honey to soothe & heal, Avocodo Oil which is a rich antioxidant, Aloe Vera to hydrate, Organge Oil to rejuvenate & revitialise & Lavender to balance the complexion & stimulate regeneration, they are also formulated Coconut Palm that is rich in Vitamins A & E to give excellent protection & nourishment to the skin.
The full range includes an Exfoliator to a Cleanser, Mud Mask & three fantastic Moisturisers as well as Shave Gel too.

Firstly the 'Cleans All' is a light gentle wash for the skin which is tough on make-up at the same time (!!), just wet your face & apply a little cleanser & massage into the skin then wash off with warm water, it is also gentle enough to use as an eye make-up remover too, I found that only one wash was required to remove my make-up & then a little on some cotton wool to remove any eye make-up, my skin felt really soft afterwards unlike other face washes that can leave your skin feeling tight or dry. Their 'Exfoliating Scrub' is used once a week to gently polish the skin & brighten the complexion by removing dead skin cells, it also contains Tea Tree to heal as well & as with the cleanser it doesn't leave the skin feeling dry but instantly softer instead.
The 'Light Moistuiser' is probably best suited to those with an oily skin, non-greasy it absorbs instantly into the skin without leaving any residue, it also leaves a light matt finish on the skin & is great for men who don't want a heavy perfumed moisturiser but for us girls it is great for using as a base to make-up! Another light moistuiser is the SPF15 Moisturiser which protects the skin against sun damage obviously so helps promote a youthful complexion & with SPF being the only proven anti-ageing ingrediant it's as good as any anti-ageing cream! The Nourishing Moisturiser is great for those with dry skins but I found it works really well as a night cream, it is very think in consistancy & creates a barrier to lock in moisture, the avocado & sunflower oils help repair the skin while you sleep & balance the complexion. The 'Mud Mask' is a great weekly treat for the skin & is made with New Zealand's famous mud from Rotura (known worldwide for it's amazing healing qualities), only left on for 10mins it draws out impurities in the skin leaving it cleansed & feeling soft as well as reducing pore size - even only after one use! Finally is the 'Shave Gel', again a unisex product, it protects & heals the skin to counteract the drying effects of shaving, I found my legs felt great afterwards as the skin can feel pretty dry & sore afterwards at times meaning I have to apply a lot of lotion, but no need this time!
All in all this is an excellent range that is natural & great for all skin types, it's also inexpensive, each item costing only £4.99, available nationwide at Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose & Online at Amazon.