Best & Worst Sun Protection

With the summer holiday season almost upon us, supermarkets are stocking up their shelves with sun creams all claiming to offer us the optimum protection available from the sun, although recent tests have just revealed that 3 leading sun creams do not offer the protection promised on the bottles, first of all M&S's factor 15 only scored 7.1 in lab tests, Tesco's Factor 15 only came out as 12 and finally Malibu High Protection Lotion only scored 10.2 & not 15 as claimed.
Other brands were scored as well & some of the highly rated ones were Sanisbury's Factor 15, Ambre Solaire, Nivea as well as the one I would recommend, Boots Soltan. Sainsbury's lotion is only £3 which just shows you really don't have to splash the cash to get the best results.
Taking note of the SPF number of suncare products is very important, the numbering system applied to sunscreens is to advise on selecting the correct sunscreen for your skin type. The higher the number the greater the protection, the number indicates how much time can be spent in the sun before burning. For example if you use an SPF of 4, you could stay in the sun four times longer before burning as you would without any protection.
If you have fair skin it is more likely that you will burn quickly without any sunscreen and you may well still burn if your SPF is not strong enough. SPF 30 should provide sufficient coverage of any skin type, a higher SPF such as SPF 50 will provide more protection for very fair skins as well as young children. Medium skinned people are probably best to use SPF 15 or higher, darker skins do not need as much protection to their skin although the skin can still be damaged with over exposure to the sun so it is best to use SPF8.
To maximise your skin's protection from damaging sunrays, sunscream should be re-applied at least every 4 hours and more frequently if you are in & out the water. Apply generously to face, nose, neck, hands and feet as these areas are generally prone to burning, as well as the shoulders, chest & neck.
Always apply an After Sun lotion in the evening to moistuise & sooth the skin, even with sun cream applied your skin will loose moisture in the heat, also look out for creams that are rich in Vitamin E & Aloe Vera as these are great for the skin after being in the sun.

Guerlain Light Diffusing Perfecting Primer

This light diffusing primer works miracles on the complexion, the pearls are held in a clear gel & work to create a base for make-up that will enhance the skin, even out imperfections & give a natural healthy glow! The pearls also contain absorbing powders to control any excess oil to create a perfect matt finish & is if that wasn't enough they help conceal blemishes as well as smoothing away fine lines. Apparently quite a celebrity favourite & definitely a must have for any professional as well as make-up addicts everywhere!! (£37)

Birthday Girl - Kylie's Beauty Secrets!

As Kylie turns 40 today I think we can all agree that our favourite Pop Princess looks glowing and youthful whatever the weather, her make-up artist Karen Alder reveals that Kylie loves organic products for her skin as well as swearing by Rimmel Eyeliner for a dramatic finish to her glamorous looks, here are some of her favourite products she won't be caught without!

Philosophy Microdelivery Peel Kit (£57 - John Lewis), Kylies favourite, this wonder peel is like a mini-facial to give you an instant, radiant & youthful glow!
Neal's Yard Organic Rose and Almond Night Cream (£16 John Lewis), this cream keeps the complexion soft & creates a peachy healthy glow to the skin..
Rimmel Eyeliner Pencil - Black £2.99), great for creating intense smokey eyes for a sexy dramatic look.
Alpha-H Triple-Action Cleanser Duo (£26.75), a powerful, cleanser that removes make-up and daily grime in one easy go!
Nails Inc 5 Piece Neon Brights Collection (£20), great for adding a splash of bright colour to finish off any look, neon nails are very hot this season so as usual Kylie is right on trend!
Liz Earle Body Wash & Energising Gel Kit (£30), a natural invigorating body wash that leaves your skin fresh & energised.

Kylie is also a huge fan of Mac (obviously!!) & it was Mac that supplied the Make-Up for Kylie's Home Coming Tour last year, Senior Mac Make-Up Artist James Molloy spills the beans on how to copy Kylie's trademark smokey eyes! -

'This smoky-eye Kylie look is created using a mix of deep blackened violet and burgundy glitter shadows,' he says.
'Start by blanking out the tone of the eyelid using a medium coverage concealer, before working a matte deep charcoal plum shadow through the crease to create depth.
'To add dimension to the eye, smudge a soft kohl pencil in black in to the lash line, the inner rim of the eye and upwards on to the lid, before pressing a dark shadow with sparkle over the kohl.
Having the pencil underneath the shadow will make the glitter really stand out.
'Adding false lashes to the eye really adds that glam factor. For this look choose a set of lashes that aren't too thick as longer more separated lashes will add a softer edge to a really smoky look.
"Leave the rest of your makeup soft so the attention is all on the eyes. Nude lips are more peachy for this look so choose a butterscotch colour which won't look washed out.'
James recommends: Beauty Marked shadow, '10, Prunella pencil '11, Underplay lipstick '11, Shadowy Lady shadow '10, Smut shadow '10, Number 4 lashes '7.
All from Mac at Selfridges, Harvey Nicks or House of Fraser.

Also get into the spirit of Kylie with her latest fragrance Showtime (from £21), it is a sweet, voluptuous, fruity-oriental scent with cranberry, strawberry and blackcurrant as well as creamy toffee & exotic wood....sounds delicious!

Brand New - Maybelline Dream Sun Glow Range

Just in time for summer Maybelline have launched their new Dream Sun Glow range, this consists a shimmer bronzing make-up, pressed bronzing powder, a bronzing mouse & bronzing booster droplets as well as a moisturiser.
Firstly the Instant Shimmering Bronzing Make-up, this is great for nights out & is easy to apply (best applied to well moisturised skin as any areas of dry skin may show up), it is blended into the skin to give a light pearlescent finish & washes off easily with your face wash. The Mouse Bronzer is best for day time wear & again is easy to blend to give a light natural sunkissed glow. My favourite from the range is the Bronzing Booster, you simply add a few drops to your normal foundation or moisturiser to give a bronzed finish, great for when you're on holiday, so there's no need to buy a new foundation for summer! Also in the range is the Subtle Glow Daily Moisturiser, this has a little self tan & will gradually build a light tan. Finally the Pressed Bronzing Powder, this is great to use with all the products to give some extra shimmer!! A complete one stop shop for the summer months, prices range from 3.99 available at Boots & Superdrug, see www.maybelline.co.uk for more info.

Mineral Make-Up Mania!

Mineral foundation has been a growing trend over the last decade, Jane Iredale was the first to discover the benefits of mineral make-up to the skin with her signature brand, shortly followed by i.d Bare Escentuals, both are considered leaders in the mineral make-up field & have created a cult following not to mention that Bare Escentuals is now the number one selling foundation in the US, so it's no wonder many other brands are now following suit with their own take on the mineral miracle!!

Mineral make-up is basically based on titanium and zinc oxide which both occur naturally, they also provide spf 15 and with zinc having anti-inflammatory properties the make-up is great for skin conditions such as rosacea and acne. Another great plus is it can be worn after waxing as well as any abrasive facial treatments to help heal the skin.

The powdered foundation is used as one step only, no need for concealer & powder to set, some people have found this has proven a little tricky to apply & get an even finish, especially those with dry skin, here's some tips on getting the most from your mineral make-up -

1 - Start by applying to clean moisturised skin.
2 - When applying Mineral foundation it is essential to have the right brush, use one with a high density of hair, short, firm & soft.
3 - Make sure you don't put too much on your brush, it is very highly pigmented so a little goes a long way, you press the head of the brush directly against the holes of the sifter, tip the whole pot upside down, and then lift the brush off of the sifter, there should be a light dusting of powder on the brush head and that amount should be enough to cover at least one cheek, if not the whole face.
4 - To finish off make sure you buff in order to create a smooth appearance, buffing with the brush brings out the qualities in the minerals to give a glowing finish to the make-up, take your brush in firm circular motions & spread the make-up around the cheeks, down the jaw line & over the nose, repeat a few times & you will see the results with a flawless finish..!

As mentioned many of the large cosmetic firms are now producing their own mineral foundation, most recently including Revlon & Maybelline and now Mac have just released their Mineralize SPF15 Foundation (£22.50), a powdered foundation which promises to provide the skin with a smooth radiant & natural finish while keeping the skin, healthy, nourished & conditioned, definitely worth testing it out!

Clinique Bonus Time!!

Bonus time at Clinque again & they have a fantastic goody bag of treats worth £55 to give away for every 2 products bought & that's not all...with your 3rd product you'll also receive an extra gift of Water Therapy Hand Cream & Deep Comfort Body Butter, offer ends 31/05 so stock up on your clinique before then!

Poll Winning Anti Wrinkle Cream - Aldi's Siana Day & Night Cream at £1.89!

The latest beauty craze to hit the supermarket shelves is Aldi's Siana Anti-Wrinkle Day & Night Creams, just a few weeks ago the Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter was flying off the shelves & last year Boot's Protect & Perfect was causing queues around the block as women tried to get their hands on a tub... The Siana cream at just £1.89 has already topped many polls beating top designer brands such as Elemis & Helena Rubenstein, the day cream sales went up by 800% & sold 35,000 in just one day alone & the night cream is set to do the same wih Aldi now putting limitations on their stock. Tomorrow's 'How to Look Good Naked' on Channel 4 features the night cream in their beauty poll where it out performs Lancome's night cream at £51 to become top of the list! So if you want to try it out get down to your local Aldi store before the progamme airs tomorrow night!