The skin changer

From the people that gave us Nanoblur and Pepta-bright, Indeed Laboratories are back with another big blockbuster: retinol reface. The great thing about this breakthrough high-tech lab,  is their formulas are scientifically innovative backed with heavyweight R&D, yet totally affordable. A penny short of £20  for a skin changer, who isn’t up for that?  A friend of mine has been using it for the last few weeks, and her words were, ‘Magic’.

Retinol for those not in the skin-know, is a derivative of vitamin A. Its pedigree being, it's one of the most kick-ass ingredients in helping to swipe away the visible signs of aging. Taking this clinically proven ingredient, Indeed have used it with a twist: using a combination of three different types of retinol to deliver a more effective, faster and kinder formulation.  I could list the hat-trick of retinols along with their benefits, but I don’t think you’d care. I think all you care about is the results – and judging from my friend’s complexion, I’ve never seen it look so good. I’m sold!

Retinol reface costs £19.99 and available exclusively at Boots.

www.indeedlabs.com

Michael Kors Beauty Collection

Having posted last week about the new fragrances from Michael Kors, I thought I’d do a sequel and follow it up with his new Beauty Collection. And beautiful it is. A go-to list of key products created to achieve fresh bronzed skin, bold nails and kissable lips, it’s a collection that screams effortless style. This is a small edit in comparison to other colour lines, but what you don’t get in quantity, it certainly makes up for in quality. Here’s the lowdown:  

Lips: Colour saturated and beyond luxurious, the three Lip Luster lipstick bullets are twisted up seductively from a gold case. For lips wanting a lighter slick, the three Lip Lacquer glosses in matching shades are great for swiping on-the-go. With names such as Sexy Bombshell and Glam Dame, lips are anything but boring.

Nails: Fingertips instantly look high-end with a brush of classy colour. The six must-wear shades span from pale nudes to deep ebony. Pick one to match your mood.

Bronzers: Resort radiant skin is what every complexion craves and now it’s achievable out of season! Fabulously over sized in chunky gold compacts, the shimmering pigment is milled ultra-fine so it leaves skin looking lightly sun-kissed and sexy. Pick from three shades including Sporty Glow, Sexy Flush and Glam Beam.

Lip Luster lipsticks, £21

Lip Lacquer glosses, £23

Nail Lacquer, £15

Bronze Powder , £34

Michael Kors Beauty Collection is available at selected House of Fraser stores. For stockists call: 0870 034 2566  

Fragrance to upswing your mood

What’s your mood today? If you’re anything like the Michael Kors woman you would never feel grumpy. You would be Sporty, Sexy or Glam. That’s what I love about fragrance – the pure escapism of it! The new scent seducers from Michael Kors certainly don't do downbeat. The collection comprises of three upbeat and happy making fragrances that accentuate moods we would always like to find ourselves in!

So what’s the nuances that separate Sporty, Sexy and Glam? Well, sporty as you would guess is crisp and citrusy with orange and mandarin upfront whilst warm woods and white florals linger in the background. Sexy auditions amber as its main player seductively wrapped in sandalwood and musk, and Glam uses Kors’ beloved floral note jasmine to create a red carpet moment. Beautifully bottled with each one uniquely coloured, I wouldn’t be surprised if all three were purchased in one swoop just in case you changed your mood. Certainly a woman’s prerogative!

Michael Kors Sporty, Sexy and Glam retail from £38 for 50ml.

In stores at selected House of Fraser stores from September 18^th and nationwide.

Eau for the love of Percy & Reed

Hear my confession. I’m such a fan of Paul Percival and Adam Reed that I found myself watching a very large dose of them on QVC the other week whilst visiting my mum! Not cult viewing I admit, but nevertheless I came away with lots of styling tips. These guys know their stuff having earned their hairdressing honours running their own salons and being on speed dial for the coolest catwalk shows and music awards.

Unsurprisingly, their haircare and styling range with its fashion forward packaging and great formulations has gone down well with the hair conscious crowd. Their newest launch is kinda special –  Eau My Goodness Shine & Fragrance Spray. Heavenly scented with an airy green fragrance – think of the fragrance of garden flowers first thing in the morning, a quick spritz leaves hair not nose pinching perfumed, but just gently caressed with the lightest and prettiest of scents. But apart from imparting the bloom of flowers, it actually does make the hair noticeably shinier. A great tip from the style savvy duo is to mist a blusher brush and sweep over the surface of the hair. Scent and shine…what more could hair want?

Percy&Reed Eau My Goodness Shine & Fragrance Spray costs £22 available from QVC, ASOS and www.percyandreed.com

   

Fragrance with spirit

New fragrance notes are beginning to take flight as the countdown to Christmas begins. Unsurprisingly, the build-up to the ding-dong-merrily-on-high season is when scent buying is at its peak. Perfume houses literally go all out to seduce with the juice, the bottle and the imagery.

Not one to follow the crowd, Thierry Mugler’s limited edition Les Liqueurs De Parfums  is quite different and quite intoxicating. Each iconic Thierry Mugler fragrance is laced with a spirit. No, not a Charles Dickens spirit of the past, an alcoholic one! You can always expect the unexpected from Mugler. Using the inspiration from vintage spirits, each fragrance – Angel with cognac, Alien with rum, Womanily with vodka and A*Men with whiskey is ‘aged’ in wooden casks of toasted wood for six weeks. This laying to rest so to speak, enhances his original creations with smooth and sweet notes. The process also ensures a hot toddy warmth is added to each scent too.

 All fragrances retail for £40 except A*Men which retails for £45.

Available from October. For stockists call: 020 7307 6700

Peel and reveal

Having just discovered what an absolute skin saver Aromatherapy Associates Rose Face Mask is, I’m thrilled to add to my AA repertoire. Their newly launched Polishing Essential Enzyme Peel is a superlative exfoliator which left my skin with not a flush of redness or a tingle of irritation. I’m a big fan of enzyme peels for revealing a forgotten glow, they especially benefit the complexion in the seasonal shift from summer to autumn.

The glow factor lays in fruits acids of pineapple, passionflower and grape which party together to break down dead skin cells. Post holiday tan, my complexion was looking a little ‘murky’ and one 10 minute application brought about a new lightness of being. Skin looks more uniformed in tone, whereby serum and moisturiser readily sinks in after a treatment. Use once or twice a week depending on your skin. A great skin buy!

Aromatherapy Associates Polishing Essential Enzyme Peel, £39

www.aromatherapyassociates.com

How to do super skin

Anything that has the word super in, I’m there! The newest ‘super’ beauty hero is Clinique’s Superprimer Face Primers that lift skin to the next level. Sometimes foundation just isn’t enough to give dynamic looking skin – you need a foundation for the foundation!

The main role for these all-action customised primers is to prep skin so foundation doesn’t under achieve. Available in five colour correcting shades all will appear translucent upon application. This is comforting when squeezing out of a yellow, brown,  lilac or a baby doll pink tube! From correcting redness ,dullness, discolourations through to sallowness, there’s one for every complexion grumble.  And if you haven’t got a complexion grumble – lucky, lucky you! Then the Universal Face primer will instantly smooth your (already perfect) skin to create the ultimate canvas for foundation. Utilising the theory of colour science, each pigmented shade is created to neutralise the contrasting complexion grumble to give an almost photo shopped appearance. Ready for your close up?

Clinique superprimer Face Primers cost £20 and are available nationwide this month.

www.clinique.co.uk

A thoroughly Modern Muse

A fabulous new coat, an edgy pair of boots, the chicest of sweaters…the beginning of autumn feels less harsh after a summer of pretty, flippy dresses and sand tickling sandals with a handful of new wardrobe pleasers. The same goes for fragrance. Autumn calls for something a little more grown-up, a little more sophisticated and if not serious, then certainly confident and strong.

Modern Muse, the new fragrance by Estee Lauder makes for a fabulous addition to your AW13 scent wardrobe. Just like the layering of a cashmere sweater over the finest of cotton tees, this is a juice that also reveals layers of softness and strength. Karyn Khoury, Senior Vice President, Corporate Fragrance Development Worldwide explains that Modern Muse was ‘built’ by carefully selecting every ingredient to reflect the personality, style and distinctive femininity of today’s woman.

Bottling creativity, its innovative ‘dual-impression’ structure invites you to connect with the scent through two contrasting aspects: sparkling jasmine accord – this facet of the fragrance holds the energy and magnetic femininity of a modern muse with notes of honeysuckle nectar and dewy petals, whereas the sleek woods accord taps into her sleek style and sensuality through patchouli essence and the creaminess of amber wood and soft musk. Spritz, adore and become your own Modern Muse!

Modern Muse Eau de Parfum Spray retails from £44 for 30ml.

Available from Estee Lauder counters nationwide from the 18^th September.

    

Vichy's life saver

It’s a factoid that everything enjoyable in life – eating, drinking, sunbathing partying…eventually leads to skin damage! So, unless you want to live a very, very dull life, you have to look for an antidote.

The skin boffins at Vichy have pinned the acceleration of ageing on lack of sleep, tobacco, too much sun without protection, pollution, stress, hormones and an unbalanced diet. Heck, I’m sure every one of us can tick that check list off bar one or two. Indeed, Vichy highlight that seven out of 10 women will do at least one little excess a day. But before you give up on life beyond the health food store, help is in a bottle with their Idealia Life Serum.

ID-ing four parameters of behavioural ageing: overexposed skin, overstressed skin, polluted skin and skin affected by an unbalanced diet, they have created the first ‘lifeproof’ skin idealizer. What a clever play on words! With a light and opalescent texture – it really does lock in an inner glow on application, its USP is harbouring powerful skin quality correcting molecules. Their role? They act in repairing the visible impact of your life on your skin. Now, that’s not to say a lifestyle lived to the equivalent of Iggy Pop or Ronnie Wood would wipe away deep  wrinkles and sun damage, but for a girl that likes to have a little fun this could be the perfect way of getting your skin to play by the rules – even if you’re not!

Vichy Idealia Life Serum costs £29.50 and is available nationwide from today.