It's Christmas time!

It's Christmas time!

Here at Beautiful You we are feeling the Christmas vibe already! With Christmas decorations going up, Christmas foods all around and many Christmas parties round the corner, we have been busy planning our Christmas party skincare and make up routine.

If you're new to our site, it's simple, we want to talk about all things beautiful! Check out our Autumn posts in the Seasons section, or our top tips at the bottom of the page, and let us know what you think at info@beautyu.co.uk.

Party skincare routine

Before the party
Preparing your skin for that party season you've waited for so long is the key. Remember, the face is your canvas for the make up so it needs to be in its best condition. The three steps of cleansing, toning and moisturising are very important to improve any areas of concern that you have and by sticking to that routine you may say goodbye to the breakouts, blemishes, fine lines and even dark circles. The moisturiser that I use at the moment is Hydra Floral by Decleor; first application made such a difference to my thirst quenching skin. No wonder people say that it ‘provides continuous drip-feed hydration’.

I know Christmas is the most expensive time of the year, but if you have a few spare pennies, it would be great if you could treat yourself to a relaxing, more penetrating and cleansing facial that will make your skin look even better. For range and prices of facials check your local beauty salons.

On the day of the party - two things to remember: sleep and hydration!

You need to remember that adequate amount of sleep before the party (at least 8 hours) will be crucial to you feeling well rested for the big day. In addition, drink plenty of water; this will not only help your complexion by hydrating the skin but also will help your stomach to feel fuller so you won’t eat more than you need, and will help you from getting dehydrated if you by any chance overdo on the mulled wine.

Christmas party eyes

I really like to focus on my eyes at Christmas. This year, Lancome have introduced a version of Hypnose which is called 'Drama' and aims to magnify the lashes by 12 times, it is perfect for extending the lashes for Christmas parties.

Christmas is the time of year to go over the top with everything, so I like to use colours, and sparkles as much as possible. Glam Crystals from Collection 2000 are a must have in my Christmas party handbag, I like to layer some crystals over my eyelid like an eyeshadow before going out, and keep it in my handbag for re-applying more heavily throughout the night. And costing less than a fiver you can afford to get them in more than one colour!

For a more sophisticated party look, I apply a thick layer of Laura Mercier eye liner, smudging it slightly with a thin brush. I then choose a colour that will compliment my eyes. At the moment I love Lancome Colour design 'Best dressed' as it brings out the green in my eyes. I take a small precise eye shadow brush and apply a thin line under my eyeliner to frame the eyes, and then apply small strokes to the eye lid, using very little powder to begin with and building up the colour, adding depth with a darker eye shadow. This look lasts for a whole night of partying, frames the eyes beautifully, and looks amazing in those party photos that are sure to do the rounds in the new year!

Look out over the next week for info on eye treatments from eye brow tints to eye lash perms.

If your heading off to a Christmas party this week, have fun and remember Stay Beautiful!

Stace & Mags x

Why it’s good to use a toner?

Why it's good to use a toner?

Facial toners should fall in the middle of each skincare routine. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing. Some dermatologists say that if you cleanse your face regularly twice daily you don’t need to use a toner. I can tell you from experience though that toners keep my combination skin at bay - it's clean, fresh and toners help remove the excess oil from my T-zone.

Recently someone asked me why the need for a toner in her daily routine? It’s simple; a good toner removes excess oil from the skin and whisks away impurities that usually lead to blemishes and breakouts.

There are toners containing alcohol and people with problem skin usually reach for it as it dries the skin faster. You should look for a product specifically designed for you, preferably without alcohol. If you suffer from oily or acne-prone skin, toners containing salicylic acid, glycolic acid, hydroxyl acid could be of your choice. However, if the amount of alcohol is too high it can provoke production of more oils which in turn means more blemishes, blackheads and clogged pores.

Benefits of using facial toners:

• Remove dirt and makeup residue
• Complement the cleansing process
• Refine pores and tighten pores temporarily
• Make skin feel fresh and clean
• Remove excess oil from the skin
• Refresh tired complexion
• Whisk away impurities
• Increase blood circulation
• Restore your skin’s natural pH balance
• Improve skin tone
• Speed up cell renewal

Useful tips:

• When applying toner avoid the eye area
• If your skin is sensitive look for a rosewater facial toner
• Never rub your skin when applying facial toner
• A toner containing alcohol can dry out your skin
• Always apply the toner to a cleansed face

I would urge you to use toner every day when you cleanse your face. It can only help your skin!

Stay beautiful!

Beautiful buy of the week

Beautiful buy of the week

No 7 Liplicious Gloss from Boots (RRP £9.25 12ml)

I, like every lady who is breathing on this planet, loves my Lancome juicy tubes. They are great for parties, sparkly and always stay in place, but the high price tag (RRP £13.50 15ml) means keeping my strawberry flavoured tubes for the weekend.

Liplicious gloss, by Boots No 7 is a great everyday alternative. It lasts a long time, is non sticky, moisturising and the marshmallow one tastes fab! I always stock up when Boots have the £5 No 7 voucher deals, that’s the kind of math I like to do!!!

Body Shop Party

Body Shop Party

A few weeks ago we co-hosted a Body Shop Party, as a close friend has recently become a Body Shop consultant. Having not used the products since I was a teenager, I had no idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised to see the Body Shop range seemed to have grown and become sophisticated with age.

A personal favourite, which I went on to purchase was the Nutmeg and Vanilla Hi Glimmer body glaze. A great body cream for adding sparkle for those Christmas parties coming up. It really moisturised and sparkled, without drying out the skin. This will definitely be a repeat purchase!

The coconut set smelled good enough to eat, and I have enjoyed using the shower cream and scrub, resulting in lovely smelling soft skin.

The peppermint foot set, with spray scrub and lotion, was great to sooth aching feet after a long day at work, and is helping towards getting my feet into tip top condition for the party season.

A pleasant surprise was the Buriti baby set. Meant for babies, the lotion is incredibly soft and applying after shaving my legs left me with baby soft skin.

And last but not least was the Cranberry Christmas set. From the minute you open a product from this set, it immediately makes you think of Christmas. The hand lotion has nicely set up camp on my office desk for the run up to Christmas!

A Body Shop Party is a great excuse to get some friends together, have a good time and try out some new and lovely smelling products. For more information about hosting a Body Shop Party email us at info@beautyu.co.uk.

Next month we are hosting a make-up party, so watch this space for all the best Body Shop make-up buys!
Stay Beautiful!
Stace & Mags x

Beautiful buy of the week

Beautiful buy of the week

Each week we will bring you what we think is the best beautiful buy of the week.
This could be an unmissable special offer from QVC, an instore high street offer or a spend or save product that we have discovered.

Today, it's an alternative to a luxury favourite of ours.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration intensive mask
(RRP £3.98 200ml)

Philip Kingsley elasticizer has always been our saviour, pumping elastic and shine back into our over processed hair, but the steep price (£23.50 150ml) means saving it for every other week or holidays. This new mask from Herbal Essences is just amazing at adding shine and silkyness to long hair. And it even worked on just coloured, hair sprayed and curled hair, renewing it back to its former glory!

Cannot recommend this one enough!

Remember all our old posts are still on here! You can find our review of glam live in the 'Seasons' section under 'Autumn'.

Stay Beautiful!

Stace & Mags x

Beautiful You visits The Glam Show

Beautiful You visits The Glam Show

We attended The Glam Show in Earls Court, London at the weekend, in association with Nicky Hambleton - Jones, from Television's 'Ten Years Younger'.

The show offered the latest trends on the catwalk, the newest brands showing us their wares, and a chance to talk with like minded people.

We spoke to Nicky Hambleton - Jones about the bridal collection that was showcased - Stace is getting married next year so this was of particular interest to us! Nicky commented on how beautiful the collection was and that her very own wedding dress came from the collection.

One of the highlights of the day was the talk given by Eryca Freemantle, make-up artist to the stars.
She discussed the importance of blending make up, how we should all be cleansing, toning and most importantly moisturising to provide a good base for our make up. She described our skin as a "bank", the more you put in the more you will get out. She also recommended a staple of hers, the Astral cream (RRP £3.99) from Boots.

The emphasis was really on make up being fun and self expression and how we should trial new things. Eryca recommended not using pencils, and to use brushes to enhance eyebrows and eyes. To save us all money she let us into an industry top tip; use blusher as eye shadow and vice versa – they are the same thing! She also told us to never apply make up straight to the face, build it up directly so once putting the powder on your brush, you should then tap some of it away on the back of your hand. Your foundation brush can also be used to wipe away the excess.

The Q & A session produced some thought provoking questions:

1. What do you recommend putting under your eye shadow to ensure longevity?
   - Concealer or foundation
2. Primer to use or not to use?
   - Although there was life before primer, they do work, and keep make up in place.
3. Red lipstick, what are the rules?
   - Know your undertones and you will get the shade of red correct.

Eryca finished with two further thoughts, foundation is her product of choice and is what makes her feel beautiful. And her lasting thought that echoed through her talk ‘because you’re worth it.’ Yes we know that’s from a famous advert, but makes so much sense!

Eryca Freemantle is really someone to watch, and with her new range of make up out soon, we really can’t wait!

Stay Beautiful!

Stace & Mags x