Beauty Trends To Wear This Valentine's Day

If you're searching for the perfect look for that big date this Valentine's Day, this is for you: my rundown of the hottest, freshest looks for 2012, straight from the runway. Feminine, flirty looks have been a big hit this season and what better day to try it out than Valentine's Day?

Dewy skin

 Alberta Ferreti

Glowing, dewy and even wet look skin has been a big hit on the runway - so moisturise well and skip the powder. Achieve this look using pearly highlighters and a tinted moisturiser - try Benefit's High Beam  for sculpted supermodel skin.

Tip: No tinted moisturiser? No problem. Mix your usual moisturiser and foundation together in your palm for a customised skin glow.

Red statement lips

Jason Wu

From dark, sultry reds to daring orange hues - whatever the shade, bold, red lips are back. There was a huge range of styles on the catwalks, but statement matte lips were among the most impressive.

Tip: Lip tints and stains are great for this look as they allow you to build up colour, blot and blend to a long lasting matte finish.

Nude nails

 Versace

This season we're taking a break from loud, intricate nail art and going back to basics - nude polish tones supply your nails with a touch of sophisticated glamour. This style looks gorgeous with shorter, natural, rounded nails.

 Tip: For those of you with very pale skin and/or poor circulation, choose a polish with peachy tones for a healthier, brightening look.

The kitten flick

  Valentino

Make up artists have been pretty liberal with the eyeliner in recent months - the kitten flick is a more subtle look than the traditional cat eye, with a thin line starting from the center of the eye.

Tip: For a clean, smudge-free line, ditch the kohl and use liquid or gel eyeliner.

Babydoll lashes

Betsey Johnson

Full, fluttering lashes are perfect for Valentine's Day and are right on trend - get the look with a rich black volumising mascara (NYX Doll Eye Mascara works great for this style) or fake it with strip lashes.

Tip: For super customised beautiful lashes, try individual extensions - many salons offer these for a professional application, or, if you've got a steady hand, do it yourself with Eylure.

What trends will you be wearing this Valentine's Day?

Review: Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask

We all need a bit of pampering every now and then, and if you can't make it to the world famous Sanctuary Spa in Covent Garden, I highly recommend their range of indulgent products, available from Boots stores nationwide. My current favourite is the 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask - a great winter warmer for oily/combination skin.

The key ingredient in this mask is kaolin clay - if you have oily skin this is great for you, it absorbs excess oil and is fantastic for battling spots. I used to struggle a lot with breakouts and although my skin is in much better condition these days, I still get zits popping up here and there. When I see a bad breakout coming on, I treat myself to an at-home mini facial using this mask and it keeps them at bay. My skin sometimes feels a little dry or tight after using it - although it's nowhere near as drying as some products on the market - but using a good moisturiser afterwards sorts that out easily.

Of course, my favourite part of this mask is the thermal action - it gently heats up as you apply it, which is just a wonderful skin treat for chilly winter nights! The heat, unfortunately, doesn't last very long, but it's still has a lovely, luxurious feel.

Sanctuary Spa's 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask is available from Boots for £10.20.

Reviews: Dermalogica Skin Care

 

 As I mentioned earlier, last month I was lucky enough to attend a day of training with world renowned professional skin care brand Dermalogica and left with a few product samples to try out. As a beauty therapist, I've used Dermalogica on my clients and I've treated myself to a few Dermalogica facials as well, but I've never had the opportunity to use their products at home, on my own skin.

I was given three products to try out - Special Cleansing Gel, a foaming cleanser that's ideal for combination skin but suitable for most skin types, Daily Microfoliant, a gentle everyday exfoliator, and Skin Smoothing Cream, a moisturiser created mainly for dry or sensitive skin. Personally, I have combination skin (specifically, dehydrated with an oily T-zone and dry cheeks) so I was interested to see how I got on with these products.

The Special Cleansing Gel was wonderfully easy to use - I've tried out a lot of cleansers that label themselves as a 'foaming face wash' that require a lot of hard work to get a tiny bit of foam, but this worked beautifully. This is a very gentle soap-free cleanser, it didn't dry out my skin or leave it feeling uncomfortably tight. However (and this may just be because I'm too used to harsh, cheap cleansers) it didn't really give me that 'clean face' feeling.

 

Left to right: Special Cleansing Gel, Daily Microfoliant, Skin Smoothing Cream

Daily Microfoliant is a very different type of exfoliator - instead of squeezing a cream from a tube, you have a powder that you rub between very wet hands to create a creamy scrub. Again, this is very gentle, and is suitable even for sensitive skin. But...this is designed to be used daily and I just can't get on board with exfoliating every single day! Maybe I've had my traditional beauty training drummed into my head too well, maybe I've heard too many over-exfoliating horror stories (tearing skin, yikes!) but I will always advise clients to exfoliate twice a week if they have oily skin, once a week for all other skin types. I know a lot of people will disagree, and I have heard 99% good things about Daily Microfoliant, but it will never be for me.

The first thing I will say about Skin Smoothing Cream is if you have oily/combination skin, try something else (if you want Dermalogica, I'd recommend Active Moist). As I mentioned, I have an oily T-zone and I decided to give this a try anyway but it's really better suited for sensitive, dry and mature skin. It is a thick cream moisturiser and it felt very heavy on my skin, almost like it wasn't going to absorb properly. Of course, my face felt soft and plump, but I could never use this on a daily basis.

I checked my skin regularly throughout the day and I immediately noticed my skin was looking brighter and more even. However, it looked slightly oilier, even on my cheeks. I would consider purchasing the Special Cleansing Gel and if I could get over my daily exfoliating fear I'd try Daily Microfoliant again, but the moisturiser is definitely not for me.

If you're considering Dermalogica for your skin care regime, I'd highly recommend Face Mapping - this is a service provided by Dermalogica therapists to analyze your skin and determine your ideal products. Many salons offer this as a free service, hoping you will purchase the products recommended to you, but you're under no obligation to do so (use the Dermalogica website to find your nearest location). Be warned, though - Dermalogica is not cheap. Prices (RRP) for the products mentioned are - Special Cleansing Gel, £25, Daily Microfoliant, £38, Skin Smoothing Cream, £43.50.

Review: Pantene Pro V Protect and Smooth Range

I'm sure most of you have now seen or heard of Pantene's reformulated hair care range. These new products fall into 3 main categories - those for fine hair, thick hair and coloured hair - and each contain products to target specific hair needs, such as volume, frizz and shine.

Pantene used to be my everyday hair range - these days they don't really cut it for me, but whenever they come out with a new product I just have to try it! So I got kind of excited when I received a selection of samples from the new Protect and Smooth range - designed specially for coloured or highlighted hair to protect from styling damage and leave hair feeling silky smooth.

So, on to the verdict! I used the shampoo, conditioner and mask from this range, in one wash. The shampoo has a texture halfway between a cream and a gel, with a light, fruity scent. I found it quite hard to get a good lather with it and I needed a lot of it to get right through my hair (I have very thick, below the shoulder length hair). The conditioner however, I didn't need a lot of - it made for an interesting change, usually I can get through a bottle of conditioner in a couple of weeks! After washing off the conditioner, my hair felt instantly super smooth (always a good sign!). The mask, on application, didn't really seem like anything special - it just felt like a slightly heavier version of the conditioner.

After getting out the shower, I spritzed my hair with some of Tresemme's heat protection spray and gave it a quick blow dry until it was about 80% dry. At this point it was feeling extremely crunchy and not at all smooth - I, of course, decided I had found yet another dud hair range and went off to weep into my morning coffee. However, after it had fully dried, the results were so much better than I had expected. My hair had beautiful volume and my split ends looked as if they had disappeared. My hair felt softer, and while it wasn't shampoo ad smooth, it was damn good for a (relatively) cheap brand. I should stress though, I used the conditioner and the mask together - so I doubt the results will be quite as good using the conditioner only.

If you're wondering which of the new products are for you, Pantene have a cute little gadget on their website to diagnose your hair type and recommend the best products for your hair. And if you've tried any of the new Pantene products yourself, I'd love to hear how you got on, so let me know in the comments!

These products were provided to me by a third party. All opinions are my own. Pictures courtesy of Pantene.co.uk.

3 Things I Learned From My Dermalogica Training

As most of you will already know, when I'm not here gushing about the latest products, I'm working full time in a salon and attending college to become a qualified beauty therapist. Well, last month I was lucky enough to do some training with skin care geniuses Dermalogica - we had a full day learning about the history of the brand, the products on the market, their techniques and approaches. For a skin geek like myself, it was just so much fun and I really did learn a lot - here are the top three things that really stood out during my Dermalogica training:

The Amazing Precleanse

Precleanse is designed to be used prior to your usual cleanser to break down oils and make up and ensure a thorough cleanse. I have to admit - before my training I really didn't see what the fuss was about but I have officially been converted. As our lovely trainer explained, a lot of us these days are wearing heavy, long lasting, wax based make up, which can be incredibly resistant to our usual cleansers. So to demonstrate the power of Precleanse, she put it to the test against (wait for it...) black boot polish. Eek! She put two swatches of boot polish on her arm - on the first she used a regular Dermalogica cleanser (I believe it was Special Cleansing Gel). She cleansed once and, as you can expect, the polish barely budged. A second cleanse removed a little more, but she was still left with a great black smudge. On the second swatch however, she used Precleanse and it was gone (and I mean completely gone) in one cleanse. Amazing!

The Dermalogica Girls Really Know Their Stuff

This one might be a little obvious, and maybe a little more interesting to budding beauty therapists, but during the demonstration of a Prescriptive Facial I was just completely in awe. From the little unique touches in her treatment - such as wrapping her client in a large sheet, almost like a cocoon, rather than using a blanket - to the basic, practical, 'Oh-my-god-how-did-we-never-think-of-that' additions, we were all pretty envious of her techniques and skills. The part that really stood out to me was when she started her blackhead extractions. Now, if you're training in beauty, you'll understand how awkward it can be to get your extractions technique just right - even the more experienced girls in my salon have trouble with them from time to time. But this girl did it so quickly and made it look so easy, we all ended up getting out of our seats and crowding around her saying "How the hell are you doing this so quickly?". With that in mind, if you ever have the opportunity to get a treatment at one of Dermalogica's flagship spas, go!

 joinFITE

Maybe I was a bit dim to have not known this before, but Dermalogica are partnered with non-profit organisation joinFITE (Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship) - a wonderful organisation that helps women finance their own business through microloans in countries where it may not be the norm for women to to be entrepreneurs and may face discrimination when attempting to fund their business through traditional methods, such as bank loans. Dermalogica products with a FITE logo on the box contain a code for you to use on the joinFITE website to contribute $1 to a microloan - you can choose the country and the type of business you want it to go to and they'll send you an e-mail when the loan is financed, introducing you to the woman and the business that you've helped. Fantastic products and a fantastic cause.

Before we finished our training we all got a handful of samples as well, so keep your eyes peeled for some Dermalogica reviews in the near future!