Wake up your make up!

We all love our trusted make up produts and wouldn't be without them, but are they doing more harm then good? with the explosion of BB creams is it time to look at what make up contains and how that affects our skin?

In an ideal world i would love to be able to spend more time applying make up, i used to enjoy getting ready for the day. fast forward 10 years and my main goal is to get my face on before the kids start drowning each other in the bath! and this got me thinking, is make up doing more harm? 

I think that depends on what you use and your skin type, some ladies look gorgeous with or without make up and it doesn't matter how much they spend on a foundation or mascara, but for others they really have to be careful what they use. more and more professional make up is becoming available. the tricks the celebrities used to use are now readily available for us to try. I am curious to find out what is on the horizon for 2014!

I will start with a product i have been using for over 6 months, i didn't expect it to have any effect at all, but actually it is a key essential in my daily routine.

Eyelash conditioner

You may be thinking that i have gone a little mad, but Lash conditioners are a big market, from high street to high end, everyone is getting in on eyelashes! we spend £££££ on Mascara so to me it makes sense to get the best from your lashes, i don't wear mascara in the day anymore only if i go out at night, i like the fact my lashes feel long and strong and if i do choose to rub my eyes during the day i don't look like king fu panda!

Here are my favourites

Revitalash 

£78 for 3.5ml, this may sound pricey but this is worth every penny. you apply nightly like liquid liner on the lash line, after a month you won't even have to apply it weekly! just apply once a fortnight and my lashes are great! available from 

Celebrity skin

No 7 Fanomenal lash serum £22.50 6ml

This is a lot more purse friendly and is great for maintaining your lashes it did strengthen my lashes but i prefer the texture of Revitalash, this is thicker and takes longer to dry, but apart from that its great essential for any woman to have in her duly skincare collection, Apply nightly like liquid liner found i had to use this daily for longer and after a few months i could drop down to once a week. 

Available from 

Boots

Advanced skincare

Advanced skincare has quickly progressed in the beauty market over the last 5 years, as i mentioned in my previous blog one of the key differences between a cosmecutical and a cosmetic product is the strength of the ingredients, but the other vital point is the delivery method and the size of the molecule. Don't worry its simpler then it sounds.

Classic beauty and cosmetic brands are designed to sit on the top layer of the skin and if you listen to many adverts the key word used it APPEAR. (makes wrinkles appear smaller, makes dark spots appear lighter, makes skin appear brighter). This is because these are topical products designed to sit at the top layer of the skin, yes they do make things appear different but they are not changing the problems, Cosmecuticls are designed to penetrate the skin, the ingredients are delivered into the skin through smaller molecules so they can get down deeper and work on the cause rather then masking the concern. 

The technologies used within the cosmecutical industry are advanced so when you put together the strength of ingredients and the technology you can see why they cost that bit more, and are only sold through professionals. Some of the products could severely irritate and even damage the skin if not used correctly. But if used under medical guidance the results can be amazing and many products available now were initially used in the medical field and have slowly filtered through into the cosmetic industry. This is an exciting time for us woman and i am enjoying my cosmical journey so far!

Do Mummy's have time to do their nails?

As Much as people believe we don't, i have found a great little LED nail system which is quick, easy and gives a salon finish.

SensatioNAIL

When this kit was on offer at Boots over christmas i was unsure, would this really give me a salon finish?. The kit includes all you need to create your own Gel manicure, the above photo is exactly what you get. I have had my nails done for years and spent ££££££ on them, this is why i decided to go for the kit, as i thought it would be cheaper and actually i don't mind doing mu nails its just the fact they don't last with polish! the amount of times i wash my hands in a day, its easy to see why standard varnishes tend to chip. This LED Gel system is very easy to use and i have to say it lasts, providing you follow the instructions:

1. File nails
2. apply gel cleanser and air dry for 30 mins
3. apply 2nd primer and after 30 seconds start gelling
4. cure for one minute per layer under LED lamp
5. wipe to finish 

This whole process takes about 40 mins start to finish and they are so easy to soak off.

If you enjoy doing your nails and want something that lasts a little longer this is a great gel kit, and it won't wreck your nails. 

for more info about SensatioNAIL see the links below 

http://www.sensationail.co.uk

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Brands-A-to-Z/SensatioNail/