Vichy's hot new cream

I received this new skincare cream from Vichy with a sweet little comp slip saying it would make a perfect post for Mother’s Day. It’s always a tricky decision whether to give something that shouts anti-ageing and menopausal!  But personally, anything that helped or improved the appearance of my skin I would be grateful for. So with this in mind I may well introduce Vichy’s Neovadiol Magistral to my mum next Sunday, and even have a little slather myself!

Although none of us like getting older in terms of skin biology and the word menopause is hushed over, the fact is 1 in 4 women is menopausal, 1 in 3 will be in years and 1 in 2 will be in 50 years. So, with our ever increasing ageing demographic, it’s smart to wise up on how skin behaves leading up to the peri (from 35 years) to post (after 50 )menopausal years. Peri-menopausal skin can act drier and more fragile, but a new observation from Vichy has discovered that after menopause, the skin changes again and loses up to over half of its lipids. These play a leading role in the skin’s structure, whereby the oils particularly omegas 3, 6 and 9 ensure skin remains nourished and provide it with energy to remain dense and supple – like a well sprung mattress. On hand to re-spring and upholster is Vichy’s new breakthrough densifying balm. it harbours a powerful trio of treatment oils  along with other active ingredients to help stimulate the production of proteins for growth factors. Although it looks extra creamy in the pot, it definitely has a balm like feel and sinks in quickly giving an instant softness to the skin. In tests 2 in 3 women preferred it to their usual cream. Ageing? We're ready to face it!

Vichy’s Neovadiol Magistral Densifying and Nourishing Balm, £26.

www.vichy.co.uk

Givenchy's mistress of lipstick

A SEDUCTIVE, LEATHER CLAD LIPSTICK!

This isn’t a lipstick to be taken lightly. It’s dressed in black leather! Naughty. Seductive. Powerful. If ever there was a statement lipstick, then this is it. Le Rouge Givenchy gives intense colour with just one swipe, where lips play up to its all lasting day long formula. The rich and creamy texture is thanks to the inclusion of beeswax and the re-densifying of lips is down to a skincream favourite – hyaluronic acid microspheres. A lipstick that makes your lips look thinner should never be an option. And like all good seductresses, fragrance is key. This bullet subtlety smells of powdery mimosa and blackcurrant notes. Just like luxurious lingerie, it’s a lipstick that makes the absolute most of an asset. A kiss of a buy.

COMPLEMENT WITH LE VERNIS. IT ADDS FASHION TO FINGERTIPS

Le Rouge Givenchy is available in 12 shades in three colour families: Les naturels, Les roses and Les creations. £24 each available from this month.   
 

Givenchy’s Le Vernis puts fashion on fingertips at £15. 

Stockists: 01932 233824

Where scent meets art

THE BE DELICIOUS KEITH HARING COLLECTION

When art meets fragrance (or Donna meets Keith)  what do you get? DKNY’s new limited edition Be Delicious Keith Haring Collection. This really is a fabulous collaboration where two New York brands have collided to celebrate this pool of high energy, all-happening city.

DKNY ART WOMAN AND MEN

Keith Haring, although born in Pennsylvania, was inspired by New York street culture and graffiti artists when he moved to the big apple in the eighties.  Haring’s influencers were Dr Seuss and Walt Disney, and you can see he took up on their simplistic cartoonic qualities, but put a fresh spin on his own designs, making them fresher and edgier. But why the collaboration? Donna Karan has said that she admired the artist upon first seeing his works appear in a metro station in New York, and could relate to not only the visuals but his messages via his art. Haring’s designs communicated birth, death, sex and war messages that clearly portrayed an urban, youthful and original spirit.

Sadly, Haring died at just 31 in 1990, but his art is just as relevant and socially conscious today. Be Delicious. Be Artsy!

The DKNY Art Woman and Men launches today at £34.

The DKNY trilogy of Be Delicious Art Collection of Fresh Blossom, Golden Delicious and Be Delicious launch in April priced at £36.

Origins new brightening act

I really like waking up to this cleanser from Dr Andrew Weil for Origins. Call it skin psychology, but with a distinct lack of sunshine around at the moment, the thought of lathering on something called Mega-Bright Skin illuminating cleanser is very appealing. A gentle foaming cleanser – be warned a very little goes a long way. On my first outing with it,  I squeezed a generous amount into my hands and let’s just say there was more foam than face! But once I dialled down the application it cleansed like a dream, leaving skin feeling cleansed, refreshed, hydrated and yes, subtly brightened.

The cleanser is just the first step in a Mega-Bright illuminating collection, I’m trialling the serum too, all of which helps the skin in two ways. They help keep irritation at bay, so melanin production isn't triggered, which in turn helps stop discolouration and an uneven skin tone. Meanwhile, at the same time, it focuses on the existing signs, so they appear less visible to the naked eye, making the skin appear more youthful. Remember, it's dark splodges that make our skin appear older rather than lines.

Harvard-trained medial doctor, Andrew Weil is a know-it-all botanist (in the best possible way!) and word-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine, and certainly knows his stuff when it comes to ingredients that make a difference. Key ones for this line include rosa roxburghii – a flowering bush that grows wild throughout Asia, containing ingredients that help quell melanin triggering stress, along with liquorice root extract and peony that are both known to brighten and improve the appearance of skin.  In a 12 week clinical study on women with all skin types, 92% showed a brighter, more even skin tone in just four weeks.

The Mega-Bright Skin Illuminating Collection isn’t available until June this year, where hopefully there will be a little more sunshine around, but for any skin that’s sensitive to dark spots, discolouration, irritation or for those just seeking a more radiant look to their complexion, then add to your summer must-buy list.

Dr Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Bright Skin illuminating collection starts at £25 for the cleanser.

www.origins.co.uk

Stockists: 0800 731 4039

Clinique fine tunes your skin tone

CLINIQUE'S NEW CC CREAM - NOT A BRA SIZE!

Move over BB creams, we now have the CC cream. Yes, it may sound like a bra size, but funny enough it does wonders to up-grade your skin too. CC stands for Colour Corrector and you probably need it more than you think. Ahead of the launch of Clinique’s Moisture Surge CC Cream SPF30 Hydrating Colour, their guiding dermatologist reveals that skin’s complexion and tone can sometimes go off-message and cause skin to look different. Less radiant, a little dull and in need of that much elusive natural glow.

In research Clinique discovered that women thought their skin looked its best half an hour after exercising. And I agree. Post workout once my sweaty, red complexion starts to fade, skin looks naturally invigorated. There’s colour in my cheeks that no blush can replicate. And that’s the natural glow Clinique are hoping to mimic with their chemistry magic. Incorporating advance colour correcting technology, it utilises light to achieve a healthy looking skin. Dual-layered colour correcting optics scatter light multi-dimensionally to neutralise skin’s complexion. The result? An instant brightener.

The product could mildly be called addictive. It melts effortlessly into the skin and gives a cooling burst of hydration. As for the finish, it’s less drying than a BB cream, leaving skin feeling soft and supple. With six shades running from light to dark, I would definitely recommend a personal skin fitting!

Clinique New Moisture Surge CC Cream SPF30 Hydrating Colour Corrector is available from 26^th April price at £28.
www.clinique.co.uk

Ojon fights the fade

Smells gorgeous. Tick. Feels gorgeous. Tick. Leaves a weightless blow-dry. Tick. Gives colour shine. Tick. Yep, all boxes ticked to make me want to use a shampoo and conditioner combo the second time.

Ojon Colour Sustain PRO Fade Fighter Shampoo and Conditioner has found a place in my line-up of favourite hair lathers and calmers. Why? Because they both make my hair feel like something out of a shampoo ad. And who doesn’t want a slice of touchy, feely, camera ready looking hair? The shampoo is a sulfate-free, clear, pearlescent shampoo formulated for coloured hair. This means it doesn’t strip hair of natural oils and leaves a halo of shine. It actually feels like a hair treatment. The lather is creamy, although rinses clean away and it smells super yummy. I’m guessing this could be the essential oil blend of sweet neroli, fresh petit grain and green, floral violet leaf.

As for the conditioner, it mirrors the shampoo in the same way with its creamy, hydrating smells-good formula, as well as being fast absorbing. Post blow-drying it leaves cuticles sealed and ends somehow appear thicker. I like to brush through using Tangle Teezer’s Aqua Splash which distributes conditioner evenly without snagging or pulling. For both hair revivers, a whooping 93% of women through their hair colour looked vibrant. Life’s too short to stick with a so-so shampoo and conditioner, but these ones are worth striking up a relationship with!

Both available from March with Shampoo priced at £18 and Conditioner £19.50

Tangle Teezer Aqua Splash, £12.99

Pretty Powerful Bobbi

Love the strong sisterhood sentiment behind Bobbi Brown’s The Pretty Powerful Campaign for Women & Girls. Launching on International Women’s Day – diary date March 9^th, Pretty Powerful Pot Rouge will put their support behind organisations that empower women and girls with the confidence and resources to be their best.

“Pretty Powerful symbolises my belief that all women are pretty,” says make-up artist Bobbi Brown, and with the right tools, are empowered to a higher level of pretty.” And to me that totally sums up the power of make-up – making good what you naturally have, and playing out the confidence it cannot help but give you. Of course Bobbi realises that make-up alone cannot even the playing field for women and girls across the globe, but believes that together, those who create, apply, buy and wear make-up can. This campaign aims to helps women ‘be who they are’ and will raise funds to support programs that provide them with education, job skills and work experience. Here in the UK, the initiative will support Dress for Success, a non-profit organisation that promotes women’s economic independence through career development and job retention.  

As for the Pot Rouge it’s a keeper, a real make-up bag staple. The colour is a make-anyone-pretty pink, popping both cheeks with a flush of stained colour and giving lips a kissable soft finish. It’s a win win buy!

The Pretty Powerful Pot Rouge will be available at all Bobbi Brown Studios and the full price minus VAT of £18 will be donated to Dress For Success London.

www.dressforsuccess.org.uk

www.bobbibrown.co.uk