Skin's little miracle worker

I’m not too sure how I landed this sample, maybe as a cover mount on the front of a magazine or in a goodie bag, but however it came into my being,  I love it. So much so, I’m going to gift myself a full sized one. Up until now I haven’t really found a Flash Balm that rivals Clarins, but Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm from Elemis certainly gives it a run for its beauty money.

Classed as a ‘hybrid moisturiser’ its wizardry is in its vitamin complex that helps protect against moisture loss. Upon application it  somehow gives the skin a dash of youthfulness. It’s come to my rescue a couple of times when I’ve used it the morning after a (very) late night before. And by golly, it does switch on an inner light without leaving the skin looking overly dewy – read a shiny finish. If you want super fresh looking skin that belies its feeling tired, then make this your new staple.

Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm, £32.

www.timetospa.co.uk

Worthy of a handshake

Handcream. How hard can it be to find a really good one? Well, it can be tricky. I’m a right fusspot when it comes to what I put on my hands. It can’t be too slick, too sticky or too smelly. It has to have the right consistency as well as do the job in hand so to speak.

I collect handcreams as a squirrel collects nuts. They are in my handbag, desk drawer, glove compartment in the car and by the sink. They are all different brands and I mentally judge them out of 10. Rituals Miracle Balm rich, nourishing hand balm gets a nine. It looks funky in its on-trend pink metallic tube, it faintly smells of white lotus, it feels luxurious without rings sliding off the minute you apply it, sinks in quickly and any superficial crepey lines disappear the minute you rub it in. What’s that one missing point? It doesn’t include an SPF so I wouldn’t use it in the summer. I told you I was a fusspot!

 

Ritual Miracle Balm, £10. www.rituals.com

the ultimate skin boost

Talk about good timing. Indeed Labs responsible for such skin wonders as nanoblur and pepta-bright are launching their new hydraluron moisture boosting mask on New Years Eve. Do you know what this means to your pooped out Christmas skin? It means it will look plumped, pepped and ready-to-party that night. 

Cloth masks are having quite a renaissance, and little wonder as they can be short lived miracle workers. Although not flattering to wear - I advise to close the bathroom door and steer clear of small children, they do temporarily give the skin a rocket fuel boost. I wore this one on a Saturday afternoon after a skin draining week at work, and my complexion certainly looked rebooted and re-lit for a night out that evening.  All in the space of 15 minutes. The USP for hydraluron mask is that it has a 3D enzyme structure. This means rather than skin binging on all the goodness at once, it drip feeds a slow release of hyaluronic acid over time. This adds up to better hydrated skin for longer. As each mask is sachet packed, they’re also really handy for travel. My only grumble is the mask is quite big, so it doesn't sit tight on a smaller face. I had to really pat it down to make the most of the impregnated serum. But it certainly doesn’t skimp on goodness. The masks are literally soaked with product once removed from the sachet, and they’re good value too. A penny short of £20.00 for four facial making masks makes for a very smart beauty pick.

Hydraluron moisture & boosting mask, £19.99 for four. Launching December 31^st at Boots.  

Maybelline's lip love

A quick shout for Maybelline’s Baby Lips Lip Balm. I trolley grabbed this in my supermarket as the graffiti tube caught my wandering eye. I'm always slightly disappointed with tinted balms that you don’t get much of a punch when it comes to colour, but this Cherry one really gave my lips slick and shade in one non-fail swoop. Lips are left softened for 8 hours, although I kept swiping every hour or so as I just love the lip love it gives. I have a feeling the remaining five shades will all be falling into my shopping basket very soon. No one leaves Baby Lips in the corner - or in this case, on the shelf!

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm, £2.99  

Estee Lauder's undercover agent

This may not look overly exciting, it’s just a concealer after all, but it’s an essential if you suffer breakouts or blemishes. Its coverage and the ability not to go AWOL half way through the day is commendable. Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Stay-in-Place High Cover Concealer SPF35 – yep, it’s a mouthful, is new to the Double Wear tribe and the mother of all concealers. Creamy in texture, yet lightweight upon application, it boasts a built-in setting powder and immediately covers any flaws minus the cakey-ness. And without endless layering. There's nothing worse than concealer grabbing more attention than the spot! Going beyond the odd breakout, it also helps with scars and diminishing the appearance of tattoos. Water, sweat and humidity resistant it’s available in nine shades. Blemishes be scared. Very scared.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place High Cover Concealer SPF35 costs £21.

www.esteelauder.co.uk

How to do wake-me-up skin

If you make any New Year resolutions for your skin next year let it be, ‘I will buy Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream Foundation.’ Honestly, it will wipe away the sins of 2013. Well, nearly! CC stands for colouring correcting and this little tube of wizardry contains three pigments that give an airbrush action. I’ve been mixing it with my moisturiser and it really does give a wake-me-up-before-you-go-go kind of radiance to the complexion. Colour pigments include apricot for anti-fatigue, green to combat anti-redness and white to help diminish dark spots. And by golly, it does seem to disguise all of these skin disrupting trio. It’s an oil-free formula so works for every skin type and has an inclusion of an SPF15. Available in four shades, it’s your new must-have and for a penny less than a tenner, it's a January bargain too!

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream Foundation, £9.99 available from 23^rd January