Blissful time

Blissful time

Everybody deserves some ‘me’ time especially when daily hassles leave us drained and stressed out. Last Thursday, both of us experienced the most fantastic Continental facial. The main difference between this and other facials lays in the technique of the face, shoulder and neck massage. The whole experience lasted an amazing hour and a half and left us both feeling blissful for the whole weekend!

We’re aware that not everybody can find time or the budget for a session in a professional salon. However, there is no reason to stop you from taking the time to enjoy yourself. There are just a few steps to get you into that blissful state!

Simply, plan to spend 40 minutes on pampering yourself. Lock yourself in the bathroom, light some candles and run a bubble bath. While the bath is filling with water you cleanse, tone, exfoliate and tone your face again. As you cleanse and exfoliate make sure that you use circular movements that start from your neck upwards avoiding eye area.

Once your face is ready for a quiet pampering, choose a mask you like the most or one that your skin seems to need at that moment. Once you layer it evenly, soak two cotton pads in your toner and place it carefully on the edge of your bath tub. Get into the bath and once you make yourself comfortable, place the cotton pads one on each eye and relax. Fifteen minutes later you will feel relaxed and ready to take the mask off. To do so, take a little face sponge or a muslin cloth, rinse with warm lurk water. When the mask is off, tone before applying moisturiser.

Now you’re relaxed and ready to face the world outside the bathroom! Stay beautiful!

Mags & Stace xx

21 February 2010

A little Valentine je ne sais quoi...

A little Valentine je ne sais quoi...

Happy Valentines day! Here at Beautiful You we believe that beauty is about how you feel, and sometimes it is just nice to pamper yourself and make yourself beautiful just for you! So whether you are spending the day with your loved one or on your own, make it a day about Beautiful You!

Here are just a few things we will be doing to make us feel truly beautiful:

*Soaking in the bath with our favourite candles burning, we love Diptyque Figuier scented candle.

*Wash with the gorgeous smelling Exotic Frangipani Monoi bath and shower cream from Elemis.

*We will be covering our body in Body Shop Nutmeg and Vanilla Hi-Glimmer body glaze, which naturally shimmers in the light and smells sensational.

*Spritzing our perfume of the moment, Estee Lauder Sensuous.

*Lightly covering face, neck and chest with Laguna bronzer from Nars, with a slight glitter to the bronzer it keeps you glowing for hours after application.

*Using Boots No7 Liplicious Marshmallow flavour to make our lips ultra kissable!

*Using the amazing Laura Mercier eye pencil and Lancome mascara, even if we aren't leaving the house.

Have a great Valentines day, and make yourself beautiful for you and no one else! We promise all these things will make you feel on top of the world, and if you do have a special someone then they will definitely notice!

If you're new to Beautiful You, find our old posts in the season section, follow us on Twitter to find out about up to the minute beautiful news and let us know what you think!

Look out in the coming weeks for more in depth information about eyelash perming and eyebrow tinting and shaping, and meet out in-house beauty expert Jess!

Stay Beautiful!

Stace & Mags x

13th February 2010

10 days perfect skin routine tips for Valentine's Day romance

Perfect skin in 10 days for Valentine's Day romance

Winter lasted for so long that a thought of upcoming Valentine’s Day fills us with happiness. It’s time when many think of romance. Whether you plan to spend the day with someone special or make plans for yourself, you will like to have a sexy skin for Valentine’s Day. There are just a few steps to perfect skin and you can make it on time for that perfect day!

Face

• Every day routine (morning and night) includes cleansing, toning, using non-abrasive exfoliation (daily scrubs or tri-enzyme wash), toning again, serum or oil (oil preferably at night), and moisturising. We won’t go into more depths of the daily routine but today we'll focus on the tips for any imperfections.

Tips that can help to boost your routine and make your skin look glowing!

• Exfoliate:

Twice weekly use a face scrub to take off any dead skin and impurities that make your skin look dull and unhealthy, and may create spots. Use scrub that best suits your skin type. One of our favourites is Gentle Face Exfoliator by Liz Earle. Smells fantastically fresh! Keep exfoliating and you’ll see the amazing results in your skin!

• Masks:

We’ve never believed in the power of facial masks until we used one! Facial masks can make wonders and are able to take years off your skin! Choose a mask that is suitable for your skin type (combination/oily skin – purifying mask, dry skin – moisturising, mature skin – lifting, ect.). The results will give you a beautiful look and the more you use masks the better the results.

If you have Elemis’ Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Mask, use it for 10 days as a night cream and your skin will be lifted, plumped and beautiful with fine lines reduced! For misbehaving skin, like ours, use a clay mask (our fav is Decleor’s Instant Purifying Mask) every night but only on the spot area. The spot is gone (or diminished) in the morning and you’re ready to face the world again!

Body

• Exfoliate:

Your body, as your face, needs exfoliating, as well. Use body scrub (which is harsher than a face one) twice or even three times a week during your shower. That will help your body to shed the dead skin and bring out the healthy look.

• Moisturise:

A good body lotion is another tool in your arsenal to moisturize the skin and give it a plump, smooth texture. There are a number of quality lotions on the market. The one we use at present is L’Occitane’s Shea Body Lotion, which fabulously moisturises the skin.Apply your cream or lotion to slightly damp skin and it will help lock in the moisture and make your skin silky smooth ready for the loving touch.

Enjoy your sexy skin on Valentine’s Day and every day afterwards! Stay Beautiful!

Stace & Mags xx

5 February, 2010

Winter-proof your skin!

Winter-proof your skin!

Harsh winds and freezing temperatures can only signal one thing - dry, flaky, chapped-skin season. At Beautiful You we don't allow the cold weather to chap and chafe you. Below are our winter skin survival secrets :

1. Swap your lotion or foaming cleanser with a creamy, richer cleanser that will help nourish and balance your skin. During the winter months I use the luxurious creamy Pro-Radiance Cleanser by Elemis. Its rich consistency leaves my skin supple and clean, ready for another step.

2. Exfoliation will buff away the dead cells that might otherwise dull the complexion. It also stimulates cell production. Don't overdo it, though. Over-enthusiastic scrubbing can undermine the skin's barrier function. I tend to exfoliate twice weekly; however, in the winter months, I like to use the Tri-enzyme Facial Wash, which enhances the non-abrasive exfoliation process and replenishes moisture.

3. Layer your skin with hydrating serum or oil under your moisturiser. That will allow the moisture to penetrate deep into the cells, nourishing the skin.

4. Don't let the winter gloom deceive you! Even though you can't see or feel the rays of sunshine on your skin, the UV rays that can cause lines and wrinkles are in the atmosphere all year long. If you are concerned about premature ageing, invest in a sunscreen or UV filter that you can layer on top of your moisturiser. Remember, for better protection re-apply during the day.

5. Central heating in your home or office is also causing your skin to feel dehydrated. You can counteract the drying effects by placing a bowl of water near the radiator to put more moisture back into the air.

6. Remember about your lips! During the cold months not only your skin suffers. Lips also need looking after to ensure they stay super-smooth. To de-flake dry lips, massage with a gentle exfoliator than rinse off. Put on a good lip balm morning and night, and keep that routine every day to avoid the horrible look of chapped and sore lips that often misrepresent these cold but beautiful winter months.

We're hoping that the above tips are going to help you survive the remaining winter months. Remember to be positive and stay beautiful!

Stace & Mags X

1st February 2010