Living a hectic lifestyle, whether it’s through a bad diet, or lack of sleep, is defiantly one way to get bad skin. Often when your feeling stressed, your face will reflect this with the appearance of spots, black heads, dark circles, puffy eyes and eyes bags. All of which can be very aging to your appearance and no one likes to look older than their age. Professional chemist and creator of iRejuvenate, Dr Barbara Olioso explains that, “Stress and lifestyle go hand in hand. Stress is not only implicated in premature aging and collagen loss (Collagen is to the skin what the frame is to the house ~ a support that gives structure) but it also leads to the cause of acne. When you’re stressed you generate unconscious facial movements such as frowning, which in turn cause wrinkling of the skin.”
One way to get healthy looking skin and stop the signs of stress from showing is to eat the right foods, drink plenty of water and get lots of sleep. Another is to try one of these products; after all we need all the help we can get.Heaven, After Soother, £19.53
As much as we really need to wax, shave or have electrolysis, after a time, it’s going to damage your skin. What to do you ask? Well the natural organic people at Heaven have come up with this, the After Soother. Simply apply daily to the affected area just like a moisturiser. It can also be useful to alleviate skin disorders, such as, eczema, acne and bites.
www.heavenskincare.com, 0195 246 1888
Clearasil Spot Blocker Pen, £6.82
I always know the moment I’m about to get a spot. It’s that time of the month and I get that scratchy tingly feeling and a couple of days later, there’s a spot village on my face. Obviously covering with a concealer is a must, but that doesn’t really treat the problem. So I tried Clearasil’s new spot blocker pen which is clinically proven to help clear existing spots. And I must admit it did actually help. It stopped the itching and stopped my spots from getting any worse, which has got to be a good thing.
www.clearasil.co.uk
A’kin Facial Cleansing Gel, £12.99
Cleanse your skin with this pure facial cleansing gel from A’kin. It’s packed full of vitamin B5 & witch hazel to help remove all traces of make up, leaving your skin feeling refreshed. The gel is quite thick so you don’t really need to use a lot to get the job done. A’kin is totally animal friendly because it’s made without using animal ingredients or testing.
Available in the UK from QVC – www.qvcuk.com, Wholefoods Market, Fresh & Wild, Farmacia Selfridges, Nutricentre and independent pharmacies and health food stores nationwide or www.mypure.co.uk. Or visit www.purist.com
Miracle Eyes
Sometimes it doesn’t matter how much sleep you get, come morning when you look in the mirror, you’re greeted with the sight of puffy eyes and dark circles. Drinking water does help, but sometimes you need that extra bit of help. And that comes in the form of Miracle Eyes. Simply apply the eye patches for 20 minutes each day to help get firmer, plumper, tighter looking skin. Did it work for me? Well, I did notice my eyes were a lot less puffy, so yes it did help.
Miracle EyesTM is offering a special introductory offer until 31st October of 5 pairs of patches for only £14.99 (+£2.99 P&P) before they return to their normal retail price of £24.99 for 5 pairs. Only available from the Miracle Eyes website www.miracle-eyes.com
Lush Oatifix fresh face mask, £4.95 for 75gm
We all know the benefits of eating porridge, well thanks to Lush you can now feed your face with it too. Oatifix is full of fine oatmeal and fresh bananas to soothe and nourish, while the ground almond acts as an exfoliator. The ingredients are so fresh you need to keep it in the fridge. It smells good enough to eat, although I wouldn’t recommend that you do.
01202 668 545, or order on-line at www.lush.co.uk
Forest Secrets iRejuvenate, Face Oil £36, Skin Serum £36
iRejuvenate comes in two parts; step one the lifting Pro-Youth face oil is full of anti-oxidants to protect your skin and step 2, the Regenerating skin serum includes ingredients to hydrate and repair the skin. When used together they become the ultimate personalised, multi-tasked moisturiser.
For oily and stressed skin apply 4 drops of step 2 with 1 drop of step 1 in the morning, in the evening use 1 drop of step 1 and 4 drops of step 2. Dry and mature skin needs 3 drops of step 1 and step 2 in the morning and evening. If you have combination skin you only need to apply step 2 to your T Zone. I must admit it took some time to get used to the different steps, but after using it a few times you get used to it.
www.lovelula.com, www.mypure.co.uk, www.forestsecretsskincare.com
Organic Spa, Dry Zone, £10.50
The Dry Zone acts as a barrier cream helping to prevent moisture being lost from your skin. It’s so gentle and natural that it can be used on your face or any dry parts of your body. Made using Almond, Lavender and Calendula, it smells really natural and is quite thick in texture. It’s also 100% vegetarian, made using 100% cruelty-free ingredients and is even approved by the Vegan Society. You’ll also be doing your bit for the environment as 10% of net profits are donated to organic and environmental charities.
www.greenpeople.co.uk or mail order 01403 740350
Dermalogica – Sebum Clearing Masque, £35.30
Ever since a beauty therapist introduced me to Dermalogica, I’ve become a bit of a fan. So when I herd that they were introducing a new clearing masque, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. The masque acts like an exfoliator removing the dead skin cells, which helps to minimise any potential breakouts, ideal if you’re prone to having spots or blemishes. It also contains Cinnamon Bark extracts to help prevent any of the bacteria from growing back.
Dermalogica products are only available in appointed skin care centres on the recommendation of a qualified skin care therapist. For stockist details, please call 0800 591818
Efamol Pure Evening Primrose Oil
Give your skin some extra nutrients by taking some Efamol pure Evening Primrose oil capsules. Research suggests that Evening Primrose oil has real benefits to the skin, including moisturising and maintaining your skins elasticity. It’s also packed with vitamin E and is an effective natural aid to maintaining healthy, smooth skin. It has also been clinically proven to be especially helpful if you suffer from dry skin and eczema.
Available in 500mg 90s and 1000mg 30s capsules priced at £8.09 and £6.74 respectively and in 500mg (30s), priced at £3.59. Available from Boots, Holland & Barrett, independent pharmacies and health food stores.
Lubatti Skincare Clear skin tonic Rose, £23.50
Developed by Tracey Malone exclusively for Space NK, is Lubatti’s Rose Clear Skin Tonic. It’s made using softly scented Rose water and acts as a refreshing astringent. Using astringent helps to firm and tone, constricting the pores and creating a protective layer of firm tissue between the under layers of skin and the pollutions of everyday life. It’s very gentle on the skin and suitable for all skin types, especially fair and dry skin.
Use regularly followed by Lubatti’s Honey & Almond day moisturiser (£28.50), to help keep your skin looking smoother and re-energised.
Sold exclusively in Space NK, by mail order 020 8740 2085 and on-line at www.spacenk.com, www.lubatti.com
Witch Blemish Stick £3.02
Blemishes can be just as annoying as spots; there caused by stress and too much excess oil on your skin. Get rid of them with this blemish stick from Witch. Made using natural Witch Haze it helps break down the excess oils and fights bacteria. Apply as soon as the blemishes start to appear for it to be effective.
Available from selected Boots, Tesco, Superdrug, Sainsbury, Morrisons, Waitrose and all good independent chemists.
Top Tip
If you suffer from oily skin try rubbing a slice of apple over your face twice a day, followed by a splash of cold water.
