Beauty In A Flash

A superhero in a tube

When I use  Clarins Beauty Flash Balm I feel like the Queen song, Flash, should be played. Flash a-ah Savior of the Universe , Flash, He save everyone of us , Flash, He's a miracle. It really is a superhero in a tube. It's supposed to brighten and tighten and it really does.

Whenever I look wrecked, which generally is every morning, I pop this little miracle worker on before  putting on my make-up. The second I put it on I feel better and to boost look better. A little goes a long way with this. Too much and your foundation and powders will clump. Apply a thin layer over your face, neck and décolleté (I love using that word) and resist the urge to rub in. As well as giving your skin a lift your make-up will last longer.

Beauty Flash Balm also makes a great face mask. I like to use it after cleansing and exfoliating. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, remove the excess with a little toner and hey presto you're skin will be smoother, brighter and more radiant. You may have to wear sunglasses to look at yourself in the mirror.It is scented, but not overpowering. In fact it's a smell I've grown to love as I know I'll look better after putting it on. 

It's 50mls and around €35. My last tube lasted me over 7 months so you do get your value out of it. If you're heading abroad it's usually cheaper in the duty free. Keep an eye out for the Christmas gift sets too, these are usually great value. It's been repackaged over the past few months and now comes in a thinner and longer tube.

Stick To The Lippy

I'm going to get a bit lippy with this post, I'm going to literally put my money where my mouth is and I'm going to seal it with a kiss. Now that's all the puns out of the way .... sorry about that .... it's time to talk lipstick.

For most of my make-up wearing life (..which is quite a while) lipgloss was one of my can't live without items. Juicy Tubes and MAC lipglass are my favourite. But after years of mediocre colour and my hair sticking to my lips I discovered I was missing out.

I was afraid of lipstick, because after trying it  few times I found it be very drying and I always ended up with it on my teeth and sometimes smeared off my lips. One Halloween I invested in a bright red lippy to match my costume and I was impressed.

Over the last couple of years I've gone for strong shades, mainly for going out, but one of more recent additions is a lovely one for daytime. It's MAC, Chatter box in the Amplified Creme finish.

It's pretty, it's pink, the colour lasts, and it doesn't dry out my lips. The day after I got it I dropped it on the floor while it was open. I managed to mould the bit that got damaged and thankfully it was salvageable.

It's not cheap, but you know what you're buying is going to be good and will go the distance. I can't fault it and definitely will be investing in a few more shades. Girl About Town is on my wish list!

Perfect Pins

My hard working bottle of Sally

This summer one lady played a major role in my life. Her name, Sally Hansen. 

Sally's got a lot going on in her range but my must have product is Water Resistant Airbrush legs. With no natural tan and a boyfriend who threatens to throw me out of the bed for wearing self tans I had no choice but to go with instant. 

Now I used to be a fan of mixing Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan with my moisturiser, and when they released the waterproof version I thought I was sorted, but it wasn't to be. It was sticky, it streaked if your legs got wet and it seeped into my pores making me look like a plucked chicken.

So it was Sally to the rescue. The waterproof version of Airbrush Legs can withstand even Irish weather. It gave me flawless looking legs, with a tanning mitt it's easy to apply and it doesn't smell.

The water resistant version doesn't have the shimmer of the original product, which to be honest is probably better for day to day. 

Cons:

•  It is leg make up, so it can feel heavy when your wearing it.

• Your sheets will be ruined - a wash at 30 won't get it out.

• You really have to scrub it off ... and then you'll need to scrub your shower.

• It will rub off on your clothes, shoes, couch and car seat.

Pros:

• You'll have a flawless looking tan in an instant.

• It's easy to apply.

• It won't wash off in the rain.

• It doesn't smell - so you can sleep in your own bed.

• If you buy it in the right place, it's affordable.

Skin Saviour

Well well can you believe it, we've actually had more than a day of summer and it doesn't look like the sunshine is gone yet. For many that's meant flashing the flesh, and if you've been spared the sight of some moobs it's generally good news.


We're not timid when it comes to embracing the sun. Vest tops and short shorts are the new uniform, and that's just the men. The lack of clothes and eagerness to soak up the rays has left many with a red tinge, tut tut. So I don't want to harp on about 'protection' but Baz had a point: If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.


Beyond the burn there is a thing called a tan, be it farmers, dirty or golden we'll take what we can get. When you're not faking it a bit like a lot of things (ladies, wink wink, nudge nudge) there's nothing better than the real thing. You'll feel better, look better and you'll literally be glowing. But getting and keeping a colour is the next challenge.

A bit like fake tan there's nothing more important than the basics, exfoliation and moisturising. So after you rid yourself of all those nasty dead skin cells you want to keep what's left in tip top shape. If you're a lucky duck and can throw on any kind of body lotion you're sorted but if like me you've spent more moula than you'd like to think trying to find the right potion than it can be more of a challenge.

Fortunately with body lotion you can selfishly ask the question 'what can you do for me?' My main concern is, can you moisturise my dried out skin and after that smell, absorption, effectiveness and price.

Generally fragranced body moisturisers don't do it for me. Between deodorant, perfume and what ever other chemicals I lump onto to my body it's one whiff I like to eliminate. I also have an issue with products that are too rich or too light (I swear I am no relation to Goldilocks). Too rich and they don't absorb, leave me feeling sticky, I have to wait ages to dress and then more of it soaks into my clothes than skin. Too light and my skin's like a dehydrated prune.

The most recent ones I've tried are:

Soap and Glory's The Righteous Butter - smells nice, you may want to eat yourself, but it can be over powering. It also was a little to rich for my skin and even left me with clogged pores.

Clairns Mositure Rich Body Lotion - its' lightly scented but I should have known better from the rich part, my skin just couldn't soak it up. Plus I#m not 'rich' enough to be buying it reguralry.

Dove Essential Nourishment - the best way I can describe this is grand. It does the job but not amazingly.

... But the winner is:

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion - It claims to moisturise skin for 24 hours and it does. It promises to improve skin condition in 2 weeks and it's does that too. It says your skin will fell soft, smooth and healthy and you guessed it, it was telling the truth. It's got Collodial Oatmeal in it which means very little to me only that it works. On top of that it's fragrance free and absorbs quickly. Price wise it's generally around over the €7 but if you're clever about it stock up when it's on offer, which it very often is. Most chemists and supermarkets stock it so it's handy enough to get.

So don't forget soak up the sun, your mosituriser  ...... and your your sunscreen!

Summer's Just A Stroke Away

My Summer Friends

I'm sitting here with the heating on, it's raining outside and I've just checked a calendar which has confirmed to me it is MAY! Now I might not be able to do anything about the sun or the temperature but I do have summer at my finger tips.

Back in spring I fell in love with the nail varnishes from YSL's Candy face collection. It was an unrequited love because as much as I lusted for them, it was strictly forbidden ...... by my bank balance. The main objects of my affection were Mint Green, Bubblegum Pink and Tangerine. I even went as far as showing people pictures of them on Google, I would have stalked them on Facebook if only they had a page. I knew I had to try and forget them but what better way to move on then to find a replacement, even if they aren't packaged as nicely.

Rimmel, a long time friend to my talons, came to my rescue. One day in Boots while having an obligatory nose at what's new I laid eyes on them, Peppermint, Show Off and Ultra Violet. The good news is they were included in the 3 for 2 offer, and with just one green and one purple left there was no leaving them behind.

Mine are Lycra PRO Professional Finish with the maxi brush. (By the way if the idea behind that is that you can do your nail in one stroke then I need a bit of practice.) It's supposed to be long lasting, chip resistant and anti-fade colour and I have to say it's relatively true to its word.

You'll need two coats but the colour is amazing. If your nails don't get complemented I'll be shocked. As for chip resistant, that can be a challenge even for Shellac but it is pretty durable. When I first brought them home I was most excited by Peppermint but Show Off, which is a very sweet pink is super cute, especially on your toes and Ultra Violent, which is a vibrant purple, is just fab.

I did learn an interesting lesson this week. Mr Sheen is so mad for having things sparkling that it will attempt to take off your nail varnish while you go about dusting and polishing. My thumb nail was the main casualty which I was none too pleased about.

My trio of polishes were definitely a wise investment for summer (if that's what you can call May - July in Ireland!)

Miracle B.B.eauty

When I face the mirror the Fragma song ' I need a miracle'' often comes into my head. So when I try out a cream that has 'miracle' in the title I'm mildly hopeful I'll get one. I've been using Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector, Daily All-in-one BB cream for a while, mainly after the gym when I can't face trowleling on the make-up but don't want to scare the neighbours kids with my deathly complexion my going bare faced.


BB (blemish balm) creams promise all sorts and fill the gap between tinted mosituriser and foundation. Garnier's offering claims to do 5 things: mositurise, even complexion, sort out blemishes, give your skin a glow and protect against the sun (not a major problem in Ireland ...ya ya I know the sun can still get through)


It comes in two shades, light and medium. I have light and tried my sisters medium which made me look like a toddler who'd gotten their hands on their mothers fake tan, not a good look. I put it on the same as you would a mosituriser but be warned it won't even out if you put on too much at once. It's best to layer it.


When it's on I can't say it fills me with the confidence  I get from foundation. It gives me a bit of a glow but adds very little colour to my face. As for it's benefits I can't say that I've noiticed any! It's not as good as my normal mosituriser, my complexion is still grey and you guessed it the pesky spots are still raring their ugly heads,literally.Oh and how could I forget the SPF, well I'm still as pale as ever but who's to know if that's the cream working or an extreme lack of SUN.


When I run out I don't think I'll be going with this particular BB Cream again, even though it was one of the first on the market over this side of the world. ( It's big in Asia don't you know.) It's taking all kind of liberties using 'miracle' as part of its name. And as for value for money it comes in under 15 quid and is often on offer. It will go far but  won't really do much. So the search for 'flawless, healthy glowing skin' continues.








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Sea 'weed' Out The Stress

There's nothing like a week off to recharge the batteries and banish the dark circles, even if their disappearance is short lived. My R&R unfortunately didn't feature any winter sun or taking to the slopes in some quaint European town. I did however get a little piece of heaven in the form of the Nadur SPA in Ballygarry House in Tralee.

There's great deals to be had out there at the moment, so after watching the pennies for a few weeks I was able to indulge in the monthly offer at the spa. The November deal involved  a Voya sweet seaweed sugar scrub, Voya mineralising seaweed facial, Voya forget me knot reconditioning hair treatment.  Seaweed was the magic word for my afternoon of pampering. The benefits of seaweed have long been shouted about but it was my first encounter with products that capitalised on its natural properties. 

Before my treatments I had the use of their thermal suite. It was the perfect way to get me in the mood for relaxation. After slipping in to the not so flattering over-sized dressing gown and slippers I headed for the crystal steam room. Then it was onto the Glass Herbal Sauna. I did my best to stick it out for the ten minutes but despite all its padding my bum wasn't able to cope with the heat off the wood so I bailed out. Because it was November and Tralee the rain inevitably was falling so I decided to give the outdoor hot tub a skip. That and it was already taken and the look you get off someone in that situation is like you've gotten into their bath with them. After chilling out in the relaxation room for a while my therapist came to get me and then the real pampering began.

It started with the hair treatment - and by no means was it brushed through. It was like getting a head massage, it was glorious. Ignoring my natural urge to create chit chat, I closed my eyes and lapped it all up. I've never had a professional body scrub so I was pleasantly surprised at how relaxing removing dead skin cells could be. I have to say the therapists ability to gracefully preserve my modesty was something I had to admire. How the towel was moved to strategic positions, so I wasn't left red faced, and the way the muslin cloth was placed over my chest was effortlessly perfect. After ever inch of my body was scrubbed it was time to wash it off. The well equipped room had a wonderful shower where I was able to indulge in more Voya products - shower cream, shampoo and conditioner. I was fascinated with how the scrub looked. It was like little black crystals scattered all over my body. 

It didn't end there. After I'd washed off, I then had the pleasure of having the most indulgent body cream applied. It felt like it was heated and smelt amazing. At that stage I was well on my way to pure bliss so when the facial started I was on another planet where stress was a word I didn't even recognise. The facial was the usual amazing rigmarole of cleansing, scrubbing, and a face massage - but the twist came in the form of the face mask. To help the mask along strips of seaweed were placed all over my face. Even though I knew like one of the creatures out of Pirates and the Caribbean I was too relaxed to care. 

Unfortunately by 1 hr 3/4 of pampering came to an end, despite my pleas for it to last forever. To ease me back into reality I was led back to the relaxation room where a cup of herbal tea and yummy homemade shortcake biscuits helped to bring me back down to earth.

The next day my hair was like silk, my skin was glowing and my pores were practically non-existent. 

After discovering the magic of seaweed I think I'll be picking some up the next time I pass a beach!