Category Archives: Body

07Jan / 2012

B’s Beauty: Le Bonne Arbonne

There are few things better than walking into a store and finding everything you need—and then some. What is better, however, is not even having to walk into that store, let alone extracting yourself from that dent you’ve created in the couch.

That’s where Arbonne comes in. From vitamins to shampoos, if you want it, they sell it. Don’t let the prices hold you back; it is a bit more expensive than your basic drugstore product, but that’s because this isn’t Boots. Quality does come with a price, but it also means a little goes a long way. As with most quality investments, you’re better off in the long run.

Exfoliating New Cell Scrub

What sets Arbonne apart from other online retailers (and many other retailers in general), is the quality of the products. All Arbonne’s products are entirely natural and botanical-based. Arbonne’s researchers and scientists in Switzerland (where the company is based) are also constantly innovating and developing new, safe, and effective skin care.

I have tried quite a range of what Arbonne has to offer. My personal favourites are their cleansers, particularly the exfoliants with their small sand-like grains that clean to the core, and the moisturisers.

You can also get involved with the company itself and sell the products to friends and family. We’ll understand if you end up investing the cash you’ve earned right back into the company. It’s hard to resist.

Arbonne Deep Cleansing Mask

 

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09Oct / 2011

B’s Beauty: Get em’, Girls!

Boobs, apparently, are in. In the last few months, everywhere I look I see that vixen Christina Hendricks in a smouldering posture, or Kim Kardashian, shirt button undone in a calculated fashion. These ladies know their best assets: if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

But what you don’t want to flaunt are your bra straps. This past season there have been so many gorgeous razor-back tank tops on the market, but these fun, flirty shirts present a fairly serious fashion emergency. Particularly in an office environment, it’s just not OK to have your bra straps on mass display. Sure we know you’re wearing one, but we don’t need you to prove it.

What you need is…a bra strap concealer! I bought a package of three: one white, one black, and one neutral—and I’ve never looked back. I use this product at least once a week. It’s handy and really does help to conceal your straps.

However, there are some downsides. Although it may not be a problem for the more acrobatic among us, I can’t get one of these on or off by myself, which obviously can be a massive hassle. Also, I do find it causes my bra to pull slightly on my shoulders and is less comfortable than wearing my bra without it.

Available from Amazon or from most lingerie departments, these shouldn’t put you back much more that £5, so they’re are worth having around even if they’re not something that will become part of your day-to-day attire.

Bra Strap Concealer

 

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09Oct / 2011

B’s Beauty: Foot Butter: These feet ain’t made for walking

I hate dry feet. I hate cracked feet. I hate calloused feet. They’re uncomfortable and not terribly attractive. With this in mind I’ve tried a lot of different remedies. I’ve yet to find perfect, but I think I can start to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

Care starts in the shower with a serious foot pumice. For me, it has to be one of the silver ones that looks like a cheese grater. A go-in-strong from the get-go type of approach. Give your feet, particularly your heels, a good file back and forth for a minute or two on each foot. You will notice and difference immediately, and don’t worry, this shouldn’t hurt; it’s just dead skin.

Foot file

Post-shower, it’s time for a product. I love “Heel Genius” by Soap&Glory. I have yet to try a product in this range that I don’t love. “Heel Genius” smells fresh and clean but not overbearing. It absorbs quickly and is not greasy or slimy. I find it can help to sleep with a night-sock over the top, but I don’t always follow my own advice. In the morning, even after just one use, my feet already feel softer and soothed.

Soap&Glory Heel Genius

I also like to use the “Foot Butter” stick. I found this at a small artisanal store in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but have since found that it can be purchased through its maker’s website, Merben. This product is wonderfully easy to apply. I actually find applying it quite fun, almost cathartic. The innovative packaging allows you to apply the butter easily, direct from the container: it’s like a little moisturising deodorant stick for your feet!  It’s made with the essential oils of grapefruit, pine, patchouli, and lemongrass, so it smells and feels great.

Foot Butter

 

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29Sep / 2011

B’s Beauty: I’m sorry for your…Floss

Floss, in a beauty blog? I promise I have not been possessed by your preachy dental hygienist (we’ve all had one of those), so hear me out. When I wash my face, I cleanse, tone, and moisturise. As for the rest of my body, I exfoliate and then moisturise. So why is it often such a shock that teeth also necessitate a multi-step programme? In the evenings I brush, then floss, then swirl around some mouthwash, and always in that order. Flossing takes two minutes, and although you may not notice a huge difference when you don’t do it, I bet you’ll notice a huge difference when you do. Here’s what I mean: every night when I floss I get gobs of god-knows-what in my floss. Ergo, if I hadn’t flossed…well, you get the picture.

However, as with all things in life, there is good floss and bad floss. I recently tried the Oral-B Satin Ribbon, as it looked like it might be easier on my gums and had a sexy name. Do not be fooled, wise friends. The point of floss is to get into all those nooks and crannies that no other implement will reach. The ribbon (it’s literally a flat, narrow ribbon; think Sellotape) is difficult to manouevre and does not fit naturally between teeth. Its “satin” texture is actually rather slippery and cumbersome.

 

I stick with the Oral-B essential floss. It’s cheap (retails at Boots for £2.10), simple, and it got its name for a reason.

Sometimes it’s best to go back to the basics.

 

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25Sep / 2011

B’s Beauty: Wax On, Wax Off: London’s Ministry of Waxing

Wax or don’t wax, it’s up to you. But if you’re gonna go for it, you ought to do it right. I’ve tried cheaping out on this element of my beauty routine and baby, it ain’t worth it. A few months ago I started going to the Ministry of Waxing in London and I was hooked. Those girls are serious about their waxing. Pretty much the only service the joint offers is…wait for it…waxing. Well, actually, hair removal in general; they offer laser services as well.

You can also buy packages—which terrified me at first—but now I’m, as I said, hooked. I paid upfront, which gets me 6 treatments for the price of 5, 10% off on all products (more on products later), and I got 10% off on the package itself because it was my birthday month.

The difference between a good and bad wax is pain. And not just day of, but I am convinced that bad waxes and bad products lead to ingrowns and weird regrowth. The staff at Ministry of Waxing are pleasant, competent, and efficient. What more could a gal (or guy, they do that too), ask for?

The other thing I love about the Ministry of Waxing are their products. I use two different post-wax ointments. The first is for ingrowns, called “X’ed Out”. No one likes to talk about ingrowns, but let’s face it: we all get them. (I’ve also read that this product can double as an acne cream, which makes sense to me, but I’ve personally never tried it.) Unlike most (in fact all, that I’ve ever seen) products for ingrowns, this is not alcohol-based. Instead it contains bromelain, a pineapple enzyme (an anti-inflammatory), tea tree oil, vitamin A, and Resorcinol, all of which work together to get down into your follicles and both treat and prevent ingrowns, without the typical harshness of alcohol.

X'ed Out

 

The second product I love is “Body Ultim E. Epil”. When my aesthetician first mentioned it to me, I recoiled in fear. It seemed so unnatural, and frankly I didn’t believe its claims. This product sets out to reduce hair regrowth and to slow down the regrowth process between waxings. According to the product description, its black truffle “impedes new hair growth and promotes finer hair.” Hoping for the impossible, I caved and purchased this product and upon use (once a day for 10 days), I was shocked. It honestly, truly, 100% works.

Body Ultim E. Epil

 

OK, good, but listen carefully to this next bit because I do have one beef with the place. The girls who do the treatments are great. However, the girls at reception are NOT. Walking in there you think you’ve walked into the United Nations or frickin’ Ministry of Defense. I realise they have the word “Ministry” in their name, but seriously people, get a grip. I was once about 3 minutes late for my appointment and upon arrival they both proceeded to give me the death stare and went on and on to me about how “well, they’d see what they could do. See if they could fit [me] in.” This isn’t brain surgery, girls; a little perspective perhaps? And then next time I was there, I heard them talking about another client who was a few minutes late saying “So should we cancel her appointment? I mean if she doesn’t walk through the door, right this second…” You get the point. They’re also just generally frosty and have a Mean Girls look about them.

The second problem is that because Ministry of Waxing so popular, it can be tough to get an appointment. I’ve taken to booking my next appointment just as soon as I’ve finished my treatment.

http://www.ministryofwaxing.com/

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22Sep / 2011

R’s Beauty: Grin and Juice

According to all those tantalizing cereal ads, juice is a nutritious part of a photogenically balanced breakfast. It turns out that it’s also a part of a balanced skincare routine (how’s THAT for a segue?). Think about this: the body absorbs up to 60% of what you put on it. Juice Beauty’s organic skincare products are natural, effective alternatives to all the products out there that just might be equivalent to slurping down a glassful of toxic sludge with your Grape Nuts (neither grape nor nut. Discuss).

I’ve used Juice’s Green Apple Peel, Green Apple body moisturizer with SPF, and the Green Apple SPF 15 face lotion (if one apple a day keeps the doctor away, think of what three can do! I’ll never die!!!!). The peel is brilliant, if a bit strong: it tingles intensely upon contact and my face is always red after I use it, but the day after my skin looks—dare I say—luminous. (There is a version for sensitive skin, never fear.)

The Green Apple body lotion smells fantastic; not too sweet and not at all artificial. The antioxidant vitamin C and SPF in both the body cream and the light, non-greasy face lotion are major bonuses, as I am determined never to freckle, wrinkle, or tan in any way, passage of time be damned.

When once again I alight on American shores, I am determined to get my paws on more Juice Beauty products. As the organic movement spreads throughout the world and the Midwest, it’s becoming more and more evident that you are not only what you eat, but what you slather on your largest organ (YOUR SKIN! Gah, what did you think I meant?!).

The apple of my...face.

www.juicebeauty.com

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21Sep / 2011

B’s Beauty: My deep, dark secret

I’ve got a secret. The only problem is that I’m not terribly good at keeping it and I’ll tell it to anyone, as long as they ask the magic question (cue drum roll please!): how do you stay so brown? Well, for starters, my mum’s half Indian, so that doesn’t hurt, but it’s more complex than that. OK, not really, the truth is actually very simple: it’s fake. I use fake tan spray. Boots Soltan Self Tan spray, specifically. That’s the only one I use and I apply it post-shower every couple of days.

While post-shower and post-moisturising (just make sure the moisturiser has completely set in) is the best time to use the spray (you’re fresh, clean and exfoliated), beware of using it post-shave: it may sting slightly. Regardless, this spray is the best. I have tried creams and mousses and tinted moisturisers and brand upon brand upon brand: Make Believe (£20-30), St. Tropez (£20-25), L’Oreal (£10-15), Garnier (£10-15)…you name it. And I have experienced streaks and spots and smells. Ahh did I mention the smell? Most fake tanners smell of fermenting socks, but the Soltan spray smells faintly of candy. It’s a keeper. It dries quickly, goes on evenly, and gives a noticeable yet natural colour.

What about the whole two-toned face issue? Another deep, dark secret: I just close my eyes and spritz a bit on my face. I always do this in the morning (not post-shower), as I do worry about how healthy it is to have it seeping into my face all night long.

Boots Soltan Self Tan Spray (£8.99)

Boots Soltan Self-Tan Dry Mist Spray

 

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21Sep / 2011

B’s Beauty: Nailed It

I have rather small, stubby hands. I thought I was doomed to doll-sized phalanges until I saw 30 Rock. Hope! You spring eternal!

Until I can get that transplant, I figured the best way to distract from my hands was to beautify my nails. However, my nails aren’t naturally great either. Weak and prone to breaking, they never seemed able to step up where my hands let me down. In a last-ditch effort, I began taking the Boots brand “Skin, Hair and Nails” supplement, which contains biotin and Evening Primose Oil. There are other supplements on the market, such as Perfectil, that address the same issue, but these sell for three times the price or more. As far as I can tell, the Boots version is doing a bang-up job.

Boots "Skin, Hair and Nails"

Boot’s “Skin, Hair and Nails” supplement

The second step in this action plan: nail oil. It took me quite a few tries to find one that really did the trick. I’ve used the OPI version, which comes in a nail varnish jar, so you simply brush it into your nail beds once or twice a day. This product is OK, but OK isn’t good enough for £16.  The oil was too thin and liquidy and would never fully absorb into the nail beds. I also tried a Boots brand oil that came with a little “eye dropper” top, but as far as I can tell, that product is no longer available.

Then—Hallelujah—I found the Body Shop’s version. Yes, the Body Shop reminds of Junior High (all those strawberry lip balms and passion fruit body butters!). But it’s still making great products, such as their almond nail oil. It comes in a little twisty pen with a brush at the end. It’s thick enough to not drip off your fingers post-application and it is quickly absorbed into the nails and cuticles. This is by far the best product of its kind I’ve found so far. For added fun, the lid doubles as a cuticle pusher. My only complaint is that it’s not big enough; I find myself twisting an empty canister after about three weeks. But a trip to the Body Shop is hardly a chore.

The Body Shop almond oil nail and cuticle pen

 

Retails for £7

The Body Shop “Almond Oil Nail & Cuticle Treatment”

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20Sep / 2011

R’s Beauty: Perfume, Disrobed

Estée Lauder’s new “Sensuous Nude” perfume wants you to come a little closer, baby.

A reinterpretation of 2008′s “Sensuous,” the blush-shaded “Nude” opens with top notes of Sicilian bergamot, baie rose (a pink peppercorn, not a rose), mandarin, and black pepper. This “Intimate” level of the fragrance dries down to “Feminine” jasmine, muguet (lily of the valley), coconut water, honey, and musk. As the second layer of scent dissipates, watch as the “Warm” base notes reel ‘em in: the combination of Lauder’s signature “Melted Woods NaturePrint®”, sandalwood, amber, musk, heliotrope, and vanilla lends this perfume sexiness without aggression.

This isn’t a going-out-clubbing fragrance; it’s “Nude,” not “Naked.”  It beckons rather than demands.  It’s a softly-lit artistic muse, a new love in late summer.

A soul-kiss in a bottle.

Estée Lauder "Sensuous Nude"

 

http://www.esteelauder.com/cms/whatsnew/index.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT708

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19Sep / 2011

R’s Beauty: Coconut Oil: Multitasking Marvel

My mother made a keen observation recently: she noted that B. is low-maintenance but looks high-maintenance, whereas I am high-maintenance but look low-maintenance. Cheers, mum.

Well I’ve got a spanner (that’s British for “wrench”) to throw in those works. If I were stuck on a desert island (or, um, England), I’d make sure I had a hefty jar of coconut oil to see me through to my rescue, or at least through my thesis defense.

There’s not much this stuff can’t do. In addition to its professed internal health benefits, coconut oil is a beauty multitasker: I use it as a skin and nail moisturizer, a hair conditioner and gloss, and a lip balm. Its antimicrobial properties make it a great salve for minor cuts and scrapes, and it’s even purported to help control dandruff. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature but melts easily upon contact, and its scent is subtle as—you guessed it—a tropical breeze.

See, mom? Sounds pretty low-maintenance to me.

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