TrendLife Beauty

Whilst the fashion pack bicker about which is the IT bag for S/S 2012, there’s one bag that, year upon year, rears its ugly head for the beauty throng to contend with.  Perhaps Soft Goth of A/W 2008/2009 and Grunge Glamour of A/W 2010/11 would have been accepting of a dark make-up look to compliment the chiffon, lace, dirty denim and Nirvana-esque style that made these trends a fashion frenzy. Yet, each season the return of the dark purple hue of the under-eye bag has offered only anguish and woe to women; seemingly battle of the bag is battle of the bulge’s better half.

With Paris being one of the world’s most prominent fashion destinations, it’s perhaps apt that a native has a solution to the extra baggage and viscious circles that womanhood worldwide are forced to reckon with.

Pardon me for letting the cat out the bag, but Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer is a blessing to all women who find that their handbag is not the only carrier laden upon their body each day. In fact, even if the cat was still inside the under-eye bag, it could be easily concealed. A moisture-rich concealer for under and around the eye discolourations and dark circles, it creates a brighter, more youthful look to the face. Available in six colours, Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer should be applied after foundation has been applied. Mercier is an advocate of using finger application to create a flawless face; just a small amount on the pinky finger will provide ample coverage. Setting the concealer with Translucent Setting Powder will keep dark circles at bay, until another day when Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer comes out to play.

www.spacenk.co.uk

£18.50

A one-time burly, boozing bloke of Oz, Shane Warne has trailblazed his way to looking primped, preened, polished and pretty. In becoming the most infamous metrosexual on the planet, Warney has left sports fans worldwide agog. Male grooming no longer carries the shame tantamount to a golden duck and thanks to Shane’s keen participation in looking like the fictional boyfriend of Barbie, Ken, Liz Hurley is now famed not only for wearing a dress attached with safety pins but for transforming her man from beer-swigger to serious swagger. It seems the male population are keen as ever to be well-groomed; and one man who doesn’t like to miss the boys’ bandwagon is our ever familiar, Adrian.

Having put the King of Shaves Azor 5 Razor to the test, and wooed a woman in the process, our Adrian wished to follow in the footsteps of his Aussie icon. Unfortunately my mother was unwilling to donate to his plastic surgery fund, or splash out on the Estee Lauder Resilience Lift products that are both rumoured to be behind Shane’s transformation. Instead, mummy, I and Adrian all agreed that Shane is seemingly dapper thanks to hair removal. Ironically, just four years ago, Shane fronted an ‘Advanced Hair Studio’ campaign for their hair loss treatments which promote re-growth. Yet fast forward to 2k11 and the hairs that Shane so coveted on his head are no doubt being trimmed on the ear and nasal areas.

Unsightly hairs that sprout in these places can be controlled with The King of Shaves nose and ear hair clipper. Adrian is a man on the go, and as a man about town it’s important that his grooming regime can be played out in or out the shower. This lifesaving little number is shower-proof, and can therefore be used wet or dry to remove nose and ear hairs as well as tame unruly eyebrows. Comprising of two advanced ceramic interchangeable totary and vertical trimmers and two heads; whether Adrian’s heading out on business or heading out with his honey, he knows that there’ll be no unpleasant hairs joining him on his jaunts.

"Ya want a regular or super size coke darlin?" I was in Baz Vegas, Essex's own Sin City, and cinema attendant 'Charlee' was serving me at the drinks counter of the Basildon Empire Cinemas branch. Las Vegas has earned its title through its toleration of various forms adult entertainment; Baz Vegas appeared to have gained its epithet as a result of its high beauty crime rates. As I glanced up and answered 'Charlee' that it was a regular coke I was after, I felt honoured to converse with a girl who I could only assume was in training for the London 2012 Olympics, and who next summer, could be adding another gold necklace to her seemingly substantial collection. Such hefty false eyelashes was 'Charlee' wearing, that I surmised Chaz from Baz was a weightlifter and regularly exercises the Snatch, Clean and Jerk lifts 'pon her eyelids. 

I take my hat off to 'Charlee' for mastering the heavyweights in the false eyelashes market. Preferring polished, prim and playful, the falsies I opt for are part of the Mister Mascara Glam Lash Kit. Mascara can often do wonders to highlight pretty peepers and enhance the eyes, but sometimes us girls need a helping hand to achieve luscious lashes. Mister Mascara offers subtle and sumptuous to cater for daytime dainty and nighttime vamp. The LBD of eye make-up, MM falsies exude lashings of glamour and with the inclusive tweezers and adhesive are straightforward to apply to ensure that we flutter with fabulousness day and night. 

Mister Mascara Full Lashes Kit- £9.86

www.mistermascara.com

When I was six years old, I reached a milestone event in my life, which guaranteed me entry into the IT crowd on the playground. Acceptance into the elite of infant school cool was all thanks to the loss of my first baby tooth. The velour pouch I had been given for this landmark occasion could finally be put to use under my pillow, and as I drifted off to sleep to the sound of my father's mellow voice storytelling the adventures of Topsy and Tim Go To The Hairdressers, my thoughts were elsewhere. I was promised that the Tooth Fairy would visit me that evening, and that when I awoke, I would find a gift from this enchanting woman. Presuming that she was the female version of Father Christmas, I was somewhat disheartened that I woke to find a 50 pence piece, and not a sackful of presents at the end of my bed. Nineteen more baby teeth were placed under my pillow, of which the Tooth Fairy paid me a measly £10 for the set. For this reason, I never really looked forward to her late night visits. Haircut Barbie RRP’d at £24.99; £14.99 more than she paid me, and thirty more teeth than I had to give.

Fifteen years on, the Tooth Fairy has paid me another visit. I stopped believing in Mr Claus many moons ago, but I never gave up on my girl, I knew she’d come up trumps one day. Indeed, in granting me with Dawood & Tanner Tooth Cleanser, the Tooth Fairy has truly worked her magic. In my 21 years of life, rarely have my taste buds been tantalized by a toothpaste, yet with their delicious tasting flavours, specialist dentist practise, Dawood and Tanner’s Tooth Cleansers offer an innovate and delectable range to the market. Made with essential oils from freshly picked mint leaves, with notes of grass and apples, my morning paste, Garden Mint offers a twist on tradition. My choice of evening cleanser is a tropical tease for my teeth; exotic and exciting, Brazilian Lime offers a tangy experience reminiscent to that of mojito cocktail. With its very best ingredients and fabulous natural tastes, teething troubles are a thing of the past with Dawood & Tanner.

Dawood & Tanner Tooth Cleanser - £4.99

www.boots.com

The bleak outlook of the current economic climate forces cutbacks on life’s little luxuries. With beauty being touted as one of the most vulnerable industries in these credit crunching times; should us gals stop the super spending?

Being a (wannabe) die-hard advocate of save-over-splurge, I think it’s time to test the waters of the cheaper beauty brands on the market. ‘To the glam streets of Selsdon!’ I instructed my driver (aka my mother, DBL), last weekend.

Indeed, Croydon is the birthplace of one of the most famed and most beautiful people on the planet; Dane Bowers of Another Level fame. Kate Moss is another notable ex-resident. Croydon even has its own beauty trademark, the Croydon facelift, where a pony tail is so tightly scraped back off the face that it gives a facelift like appearance.

Discount supermarket chain, Aldi was our destination.  Their strap line is ‘Like the best. Only better.’ Could it be, that Aldi’s in-house beauty brand Lacura, is rubbing shoulders with the big boys in the beauty industry? I exited the store laden with some absolute steals - the Lacura Concealer Pen, Eye Roll-On, Lip Gloss, and Facial Cleasing Wipes. Lacura deserves to be rolling with the beauty’s finest. The Lacura Concealer Pen, having been voted ‘Star Buy’ in the Daily Mail, April 2010, is worthy of its winning status. Hiding wrinkles around the eyes, covering pigment disorders and balancing out surface irregularities, its soft brush applicator also enables precise application. Its natural moisturising factor reduces dark shadows and keeps skin feeling soft and supple. When I’m lacking in shut-eye, the concealer is a god-send. It does however, have an accomplice in combating dark circles and puffy eyes; the Lacura Eye Roll-On.  My many caffeine fixes of the day (Diet Coke, coffee, tea) got nothin’ on the eye roll-on; containing caffeine, pro-vitamin B5 and hylauronic acid, with this little number I feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

So, after the weekend, I came in to the office feeling like a new woman.  I am of course both taken and an employee of an all female office, but that didn’t stop me from releasing my inner seductress on Monday morning. The Lacura Lip Gloss promised me a ‘seductive sheen for irresistible lips’ and as I slicked on the gloss, my colleague Roxanne, complimented me on my pretty pout. ‘Get down that Aldi’ I told her, and needless to say, she did.

In the life of CBL, taking off my make-up is one of life’s pleasures, and now, with the Lacura 2-in-1 Facial Cleansing Wipes by my side, my skin feels soft, soothed, cleansed, toned and moisturised, and with thirty in a pack, we will see each other day in day out in September.

Aldi is quite simply, an Aladdin’s Cave of girly goodies. So, before the masses head to their nearest store, if I were you, I’d hotfoot it down there and get your array of beauty supplies.

Lacura Concealer Pen - £3.59

Lacura Eye Roll-On - £3.49

Lacura Lip Gloss - £1.99

Lacura Facial Cleansing Wipes - 89p

Log on to www.aldi.co.uk to find your nearest store

“What gorgeous eyelashes you have! So long, and, so, very thick!” The words that have been uttered to my 19 year old brother for years, have unfortunately, never been uttered to me.  Whilst Lil Ads (all 6” 2 of him) is graced with the feminine features I so long for, I have inherited my pa’s lashes, and thus I’ve felt like the ‘stubby Sally’ of the eyelash brigade versus the ‘lengthy Lucy’s’ and the ‘thick Thelma’s' that flutter by.  

However, in a mascara I have found the missing piece for my gene jigsaw puzzle. The latest offering from Lancôme is their Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Eyes Mascara; which grants us girlies with beautiful, doll-like lashes. Its new brush defines and separates each lash, whilst its glossy formula brightens the eyes for a wide-awake look. Adding volume and length, once I’ve applied my Doll Eyes, I’m finally at one with Lucy and Thelma. Hallelujah!

£20.50

www.lancome.co.uk

There are plenty of beauty gadgets and gimmicks on the market but some of them are actually pretty impressive with their results.

The Bliss Porefector Gadget uses sonic vibrations to give your skin a detoxifying facial to eliminate impurities, while its dual use is for massage treatments and moisturisers onto the skins surface, which they claim is considered to be much more effective than using your fingers.

Kit includes ‘pore’-fector gadget tool, daily detoxifying facial toner (6.7 oz), two samples of steep clean fifteen-minute facial mask, recharge base unit and power adapter.

£127.70

www.hqhair.com

I’m always on the lookout for the magic cure to end my breakouts but until then I’ll be using new beauty gadget LMS Spotlights.

LMS Spotlights is a revolutionary new beauty range that uses red light therapy to treat and clear spots. Red light therapy has been well documented as an effective way to treat spots as it speeds up skin cell repair, but this is the first time where it doesn’t require a visit to a salon or clinic.

The LMS Spotlights are sleek, stylish and discreet and designed to look like our favourite cosmetics so are perfect for use on the go.  They are available in three sizes for different skin coverage needs and only need to be used for as little as one minute three times a day.

I tried out the LMS Spotlight 8 which is designed for use on a few spots and I can honestly say that my spots cleared up more quickly than normal. So until there is a cure for spots, I’ll be keeping my LMS Spotlight close to hand for the next time a pesky spot rears its ugly head.

LMS Spotlight 3 - £29.99

LMS Spotlight 8 - £49.99

LMS Spotlight 24 - £69.99

Available online at www.lmsspotlights.com and in-store at Harrods

Beauty has gone high-tech with the launch of SQOOM at Harrods last week. No longer is it enough to simply massage your moisturisers and serums in by hand, now you have a gadget that does the job for you.

SQOOM is a hand-held sonic device that delivers a combination of ultrasound and ionisation along with some very clever gels to target the deeper layers of the skin to heal any damaged cells. The result is that your skin is left feeling refined, refreshed and rejuvenated even after just one use, while after six weeks fine lines and wrinkles begin to diminish.

Now available from Harrods, the SQOOM comes in silver or black and costs £529 for the set, which includes one xcential hyaGel and one cleanserGel. This is sure to gain cult status and while the price tag is a bit daunting, consider this an investment purchase for your skin and watch as you turn back the years.

Available in store at Harrods http://www.harrods.com/beauty/beauty-gadgets

For more information on SQOOM see here: www.sqoom.de/english/