How To Get Glowing Skin All Year Round

No matter who you are, nobody wants skin that looks dull. We all want healthy, glowing skin that looks fabulous all year round. But stress, the weather and lack of care can take it’s toll on our skin making it look dry, blemished and tired. This can be aging and take a long time to rectify. Many of us will use makeup and harsh skincare products that can often make your skin’s condition worse. So use this guide to learn how you can achieve radiant, clear skin that you can be proud to show off all year round. 

 Protect your skin from the sun

While being out in the sunshine can feel fantastic, the sun’s rays can cause wrinkles, burning and dryness. You can also experience peeling and blistering from being in direct sunlight. The best form of prevention is protecting your skin with sunscreen and staying in the shade. The sunscreen will form a barrier that can prevent burning and tightness of the skin, which can be extremely uncomfortable. Remember to apply every hour for maximum protection. Also, don’t forget to continue using your sunscreen throughout the winter too. It can also protect your delicate skin from chapping and drying out due to winter weather conditions.

Clean your brushes and smartphone

This might sound like an odd tip, but your makeup brushes and smartphone can harbour dirt, bacteria and germs. Putting these onto your face every day can encourage spots and pimples to develop and can cause irritation to your skin’s surface. To keep these at bay, you need to clean your makeup brushes at least once a week, with warm water and soap.  Make sure they are thoroughly dried out before using them again and wash your hands before blending in your concealer or foundation. You also need to clean your smartphone regularly with an antibacterial wipe that won’t damage the screen. These measures should prevent the spread of germs and bacteria and prevent your skin from becoming overly oily and dry.

Work out a suitable sequence

For your skin care products to be most effective, you need to establish an order. Lack of thought in your skincare could mean that some of your products are not working as well as they could. Heavy creams such as moisturizers can block lighter toners and cleansers from entering your skin. So if your skin’s condition is not improving this could be why. Always start with your lightest cleansing product first and end with your thicker moisturizer. This will ensure they are penetrating your skin and doing their job.

If you find that your products are too harsh and cause your skin to dry out or become irritated, you may need to use more natural based products. Click here for some homemade remedies and skincare ideas that will be more beneficial to your sensitive skin.

Good skin health requires patience and a little know-how to achieve, but it is not impossible. Try out all or just some of these suggestions until you find a combination that works for you and feel happier in your own skin.

Mastering Lipstick When You Are A Beauty Beginner

Lipstick is one of the most valuable items in a woman’s makeup bag. It can showcase your personality, add color to an outfit and fill you with confidence. Yet many women convince themselves that they can’t wear it and that it doesn’t suit them. But the reality is that all woman can look good when they wear lipstick. You just need to apply it correctly, choose the right shade and feel amazing when wearing it. If you’re a beauty beginner, who is desperate to master lipstick but unsure how this quick guide is for you.

Do lipstick research

Lipsticks come in an array of shades and styles which can make choosing the perfect one feel overwhelming. The best way to know what kind of lipsticks you should be looking for is by doing some research before you hit the shops. Look into different lipstick brands such as nyx cosmetics and MAC to see what they have to offer. You may find that some have a wider selection of colours than others and that their prices vary considerably. It can also be worthwhile to read reviews on how well certain lipsticks performed. This will ensure you avoid brands that are producing lower quality products. Also, make sure you determine the differences between the finishes lipsticks can have. Matte, gloss and satin are just a few examples which all create their own unique look.

Find the perfect shade

Before you start buying lipsticks in a rainbow of colours, you need to find out shades suit your skin tone. To do this, look at images of celebrities who have a similar skin tone to you to see what shades they look good in. This can also make it easier to see what shades you should avoid too. Another option is to have a consultation with a makeup artist at a local beauty counter. The artist can advise you on what shades will best suit you while also allowing you to try different options before you buy. Don’t feel pressured into trying shades that are too dark or bold straight away. Instead, opt for more subtle lipsticks and glosses that you can wear anytime.

Buy the right tools

If you want to apply lipstick correctly, you need to ensure you have the right tools to help you. A toothbrush, lip brush and lip pencil are both crucial if you want your lipstick to look flawless and last all day. Use the toothbrush to gently exfoliate your lips to ensure they are smooth. Then use your lip liner, which should be in a similar shade to draw around the shape of your lips. The liner can also be applied onto your lips to create a base coat. To finish, brush your lip brush over your lipstick and apply directly onto your lips. Stay within the lines to create a sharp and professional looking finish.

Now you know how there should be nothing stopping you from wearing lipstick on date night or to the office. Don’t be afraid to get experimental and have fun with the colours you choose. You may be surprised at just how good they look on you.

Some things you can’t live without….

I came to the realisation on the weekend that there are some things in life that you just cannot live without….my fridge being one of them. Its amazing how you take that thing that sits in your kitchen all year for granted, until it breaks down, which is what happened to us on the weekend.

Our fridge had been working fine and had shown no signs of sickness or going down with a slight cold or fever, until that is we invited some friends over for dinner on Saturday night. Just like a naughty child it said enough is enough and threw a tantrum. “I’m not taking any more yummy food and bottles of wine being stuck into Gods knows where”.

So it just gave up the ghost late on Saturday morning – leaving us to scramble around with eskys etc to put our shopping in.

And the chances of getting a fridge repair man out on a Saturday are non-existent. My other half suggested renting a fridge from Rentacentre as he had done back in his back-packer days when he first came to Oz – but as our fridge is less than two years old there is no point in throwing it out.

Luckily or unfortunately whichever way you want to look at it our dishwasher had broken down in the office and so I had to call to have that repaired last week, phoned a local mob which I can highly recommend Oxford Service Appliance Repairs, came out when they said they would and carried out our dishwasher repairs in no time at all.

So had them on speed dial to repair my fridge – which they did. Same guy called out to our apartment and even remembered my name from last week…

As for our dinner party all ended well in the end – wine was a little warmer than usual and the beer was definitely room temperature but sure my other half is Irish and should be well used to that!!

Till next time

Becky

How To Keep Your Skin Hydrated In The Summer

The summer is a time where I am the most dehydrated.  As a resident of the desert, my skin suffers from the lack of moisture in the environment.  I have learned a few ways to keep dehydration from occurring and I’d love to share them with you here.

Tip #1: Drink H2O

Your body loses fluids when you sweat in high heat.  If you’re losing fluids, you need to increase your fluid intake so that you can restore your body’s natural hydration levels.  Dehydration can cause your skin to look more dry and wrinkled which can be improved with proper hydration.  The best way to make sure you are hydrated throughout the day is invest in a bottle that helps you track how much water you drink.
Aim to drink eight 8oz glasses per day and increase your intake if you are exercising.

Tip #2: Use  Hydrating Skincare Products

Choosing the right product for skincare can be overwhelming.  To keep from dehydrating your skin, you need skincare that protects, restores and fortifies with moisture you can feel.  My favourite products to use by Aquation.  Their skincare is powered by Hydro Balance™ which is an advanced dual phase technology that delivers hydration and creates an invisible barrier to help prevent moisture loss while encapsulated actives penetrate deeply for long-lasting hydration.

After using the following three products (Aquation Gentle Moisturizing Cleanser, Aquation Daily Moisturizing Lotion, and Aquation Moisturizing Cream) for a couple of weeks, I noticed an extraordinary difference in my skin.  It felt smooth hydrated and replenished.  If you are looking for a product that has a strong perfume or spa smell, Aquation is not for you.  It honestly smells like what they would give you at the hospital.  Great for people who are allergic to those types of ingredients.

Tip #3: Exfoliate

I’ve talked about exfoliation extensively before. To refresh your memory, exfoliating the skin removes dead cells and improves hydration from toners and moisturizers.  Personally, I exfoliate my face and body once a week.  After I exfoliate, my skin is super soft and feels refreshed.  Please consult your dermatologist for what type of scrub to use for your skin type.

As the summer ends and weather starts to change,  you may have to tweak your skincare regimen.  Let us know if you enjoyed this article and we can help you with more tips for the winter weather!  

Charles & Camilla - Welcome to Sydney

Welcome to Sydney Charles & Camilla. 

Charles and Camilla stopped off in Sydney Harbour today for their first official engagement at Garden Island in Sydney Harbour. Unfortunately the weather was not as good as it has been all week and the sky was a bit greyer than normal. The royal couple touched down at Sydney Airport last night and the rain stopped just in time for them to have a quick chat with Governor Marie Bashir and Premier Barry O'Farrell before dashing off to their awaiting car. Prince Charles was dressed in a smart grey pin-striped suit with a poppy in his lapel. Camilla, wearing a camel trench coat, looked a little tired after the couple's busy day in Tasmania. After watching sheep run about in Hobart yesterday morning, the royal couple will spend today taking in the beauty of the Harbour and beaches.

Couldn't help joining the crowds on my way to work this morning and taking a photo of this cheeky cruise company that had a big Royal Suite Available on the bow of their luxury cruises ship.

They must have put this up in case Charles and Camilla wanted a last minute cruise....

Get Gorgeous Tips

Well now that the weather has finally warmed up in Sydney and summer is just around the corner I thought I would share some tips on how to get gorgeous for summer.

Also as the social season hits high gear starting with Melbourne Cup in a couple of weeks, there's barely enough time to swipe on mascara in between after-work parties and weekends away!!

While we all love going to the beach in and enjoying the summer sunshine we should be careful as the strong Aussie sun takes away the skin moisture making it dehydrated. It is then the right time to take care of your skin from getting wrinkled in summer.

Get Gorgeous Skin

Here are some ideas to get gorgeous skin this summer:

Sunscreen

Applying the right sunscreen on your skin in summer is essential. Application of a sun block/sunscreen in summer doesn’t make a gorgeous skin but at least it protects your skin from any further damage.

Shades

Wearing sun glasses on Sydney’s glarey days is one of the best beauty tips. This stops you squinting and prevents crows feet around your eyes.

Cleansing

Skin in summer gets oily too due to heat, use a fine cleanser everyday in order to get a gorgeous skin result.

Protecting the Pout

Don’t make your lips oily in summer. Along with a gorgeous skin you need to maintain your lips too by applying a SPF infused lip balm on the lips.

Look Around for Shade

As we keep getting told stay out of the mid day sun between 12-3pm – hard to do some days though when you just want to get out of the office for a while. If it is still unavoidable to be outdoors, then try to stay in shade as much as possible. This will help you to get gorgeous skin.

 

 

The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice - or at least he did this week...
Hands up who doesn't love getting free stuff? Thats the best thing about arriving home from work and checking my mailbox to see more free samples have arrived this week....

Just before everything thinks that I get free samples from companies because I write a blog, well you are wrong that is not the case these are freely available to anyone - but having said that if any companies do want to send me free samples I might write about them and review them if they are up to spec...

No the free samples that I receive are available to anyone, I signed up to get free Olay skincare samples at VIP Offers – the discount coupon site. But I think you can also sign up at Rouge Mag to get Olay skincare samples too.

It sort of puzzles me though when you do explore the web looking for free samples how many websites are actually out there....and in some warehouse somewhere there are thousands of miniature bottles of shampoo, skincare, coffee, laundry detergent you name it and they are probably getting stuffed into an envelope right now!!

You just have to know how to find the ones you are interested in finding..

And these days, who isn’t interested in getting some free stuff.  Plus a shampoo sample is handy to stick in my gym bag... and I just refill it as and when required, shh don’t tell anyone that though or my name might go on a free sample black list that is held somewhere...


Even when I login into Facebook I am now being offered free samples for this and free samples for that.... ahhhh.

I will need a bigger mailbox at this rate or maybe I get get postie just to drop around once a week in his ute with my samples!!

Till next time

Becky
 ps check back soon - I let you know what I think of my Olay samples!!

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