ABC

ABC..

BB Creams, CC Creams - you'd be forgiven for thinking that the beauty industry has gone alphabet crazy and that your favourite cosmetics counter has turned into a scene from Sesame Street. So what exactly are these products? Are they functional? Do they work? Do we need them, or is this simply need creation marketing on a grand scale, another strategy to get the humble consumer to flex the plastic and boost those profit margins?

Hugely popular in the Asian market, BB Creams (Beauty Balms) are essentially a souped-up tinted moisturiser. Like that hot guy/girl you always seem to "accidentally" text when tipsy, they are your cosmetic friend with benefits, combining skin care with an SPF and skin-perfecting pigments. Providing a medium level of coverage, my only problem with these is that at present, they are only really available in fair to medium shades at best, meaning that anyone with a deeper skin tone is left in the shade. No-one wants to be the person refused entry to the club. So not cool. 

Off the back of these we now have CC Creams (Colour Correcting Creams), as seen above on Hollywood actress (and cult of Tom Cruise escapee) Katie Holmes in the Bobbi Brown campaign.

Bobbi says,"We created CC Cream for any woman who wants more even-toned, healthy-looking skin. Our formula colour corrects, illuminates and protects in one easy step. It's lightweight and blends seamlessly into skin so you instantly look fresher and healthier. Wear it under foundation every day or just when you need it. It's CC perfection."

One of the new breed of high tech cosmeceuticals, she adds "This colour corrector plus treatment hybrid takes a three step approach to evening out skin tone over time and works to prevent future signs of dark spots."

Available in three shades:

Pale Nude, a lavender pink tone ideal for pale skin tones.

Warm Nude, a natural peach tone ideal for medium skin tones.

Golden Nude, a warm golden tone ideal for deep skin tones.

I received a sample of the Warm Nude and have been testing it for the last week. To be honest, I was sceptical as to whether this would be a help or hindrance in my daily makeup regime. I always prep my skin with serum, an oil and moisturiser and follow with a primer before applying my base and concealer.

I used the CC Cream instead of primer and though not exactly earth-moving, I did notice a pleasingly subtle difference. The product has a gorgeous creme-mousse like texture and creates the same slip on my skin that a primer would, extending the wear of my base and ensuring product doesn't settle into any fine lines. Subtly pigmented with peach tones, it perked up my sallow complexion and was especially brilliant when smoothed over eye lids and under the eyes, counteracting discolouration in these areas, meaning I could get away with applying less concealer. I definitely looked perkier which is always a bonus in my book. If Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and Urban Decay Primer Potion had a love child (via a brief dalliance with sunscreen), it would be Bobbi Brown CC Cream, with the stellar qualities of both cult items fused in one product. You can even layer the product over make-up for a subtle highlight on the brow bone, cheek bones and cupid's bow. Win. I recently wore the product when I hooked up with a friend before a meeting in Soho. As we were walking along he said "Do you realise how many guys have checked you out?" To be honest, I was too engrossed in the conversation to notice but I'll say this much - CC is staying.

It is too early to tell whether there have been any tangible changes in the clarity of my skin but I do love the cooling feel of this product on application and the fact that it has an SPF of 35 is a welcome bonus. Forget "pram face", I've attended enough beauty seminars, lunches and launches over the years to know that UVA and UVB damage is the quickest route to a "prune face". It doesn't matter whether the sun is shining, these harmful rays are present even on cloudy days and will break down the collagen and elastin in your skin, resulting in lines, wrinkles, sagging, age spots and pigmentation, not to mention the risk of skin cancer. You know how photographs fade over time when exposed to direct sunlight? Your skin is no different. If you aren't already incorporating an SPF into your daily routine, then this is a supremely easy way to start.

If like me, you like the concept of fusing science and nature, this product (probably) has more natural extracts than your favourite green smoothie.

Not only does it contain the skin-plumping Sodium Hyaluronate, Trehalose and Glycerin, it also packs a punch with these goodies:

Brightening Cucumber

Brightening Apple

Brightening Scutellaria

Balancing Laminaria Saccharina

Plumping Barley

Plumping Wheat Germ

It's worth noting that I spent a fair bit of time analysing the listed ingredients on the product packaging. As a rule of thumb, the closer to the top of the list the ingredients are, the higher their concentration in the formula. If they are listed towards the bottom, then their contribution to the formula is negligible. These ingredients all featured in the top-to-middle sections, meaning that they haven't scrimped on this front. 

Product:

Bobbi Brown CC Cream SPF 35 - £29.00

Stockists:

Exclusively available at John Lewis and Nationwide from all Bobbi Brown Studios from 17th March

www.bobbibrown.co.uk

www.johnlewis.com

When Life Gives You Lemons

When Life Gives You Lemons..

Ever the optimist, I'm a firm believer that when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade (or pancakes given that Shrove Tuesday is upon us). If the prospect of carbs fills you with calorific dread, fear not, you can still be "mellow yellow" thanks to the ever-so-zesty folk at Lush, purveyors of ethical, cruelty-free, fresh handmade cosmetics (that also happen to smell rather heavenly if I don't mind saying so myself).

Here's a trio of products that are guaranteed to make you heart "zing":

London has been a wee bit nippy of late and I find myself turning to the creme de la creme of creams to keep peeling cuticles at bay. As a make-up artist, it's of supreme importance that my hands and fingernails look immaculate (after all, what client wants grubby mitts touching their beautiful visage?)

By the same token, months of cold weather and central heating blazing indoors wreaks havoc on feet and elbows too. If fluctuations in temperature have left you with extremities drier than the Sahara, it's time to slather on Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter, a veritable oasis of hydration. This multi-purpose moisturiser is so rich it could give Bill Gates a run for his money. With a fresh and invigorating citrus aroma, lemon oil is renowned for its skin-softening properties, traditionally used in the treatment of corns and callouses. A luxurious blend of Flaxseed, Castor Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Soya Oil and Organic Avocado combine to envelop skin in a silky cocoon of moisture. 

For a super-luxurious overnight treatment, thoroughly exfoliate hands and feet, rinse, towel dry then massage hands and feet with a generous layer before applying cotton gloves and socks. By morning you'll have skin as velvety-smooth as a Georgia Peach.

If you consider yourself a bit of a Modern Dandy or aspire to embody the hippy chic of Kate Hudson's character Penny Lane in Almost Famous, why not try Bohemian Soap? A deceptively simple yet potent blend of uplifting lemon oil combined with the humectant properties of glycerin. This palm-free soap offers gentle cleansing and is guaranteed to lift your spirits quicker than a session of Bikram Yoga in Primrose Hill. A must have for Bright Young Things everywhere, you just know the Bloomsbury Set would have approved.

Valentine's Day may be all but a distant memory but that doesn't excuse neglecting your pout. Maintain tantalisingly soft lips by gently exfoliating with Mint Julips Lip Scrub. The peppermint oil will get your lips tingling faster than a quick snog behind the bike shed while the sugar crystals gently exfoliate flaky skin. Jojoba and Tagetes Oil condition without leaving a greasy residue with the sweet scent of Limonene and Vanilla ensuring you'll be ready to pucker up should Cupid's arrow strike. Who needs Mistletoe?

Products

Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter - £6.50 for 50g

Bohemian Soap - £3.10 for 100g

Mint Julips Lip Scrub - £5.50 for 25g

Stockists

01202 668 545 / www.lush.co.uk

A Life Less Ordinary

A Life Less Ordinary..

While we're all familiar with amnesties on everything from firearms to weapons and used syringes, amnesties on make-up are as far as I'm aware, previously uncharted territory within the world of contemporary beauty. Granted, it's unlikely that the use of every-day cosmetics could lead to fatalities in the same way as the aforementioned weapons or drugs paraphernalia (with extreme allergies being a notable exception). On the contrary - we've come a long way since the ancient Egyptians applied mercury-derived powder to their faces. Furthermore, the fashion for arsenic face powder (thankfully) died with the Elizabethans. So with all this in mind, who would want to call for an amnesty on make-up and for what purpose? Illamasqua, the cutting-edge contemporary make-up brand "for your alter ego" is about to send seismic waves through the beauty world with their inspired "Make-Up Amnesty". Running from the 17th-31st July 2010, the brand are calling on all beauty consumers to "ditch the make-up drudgery and embrace the extraordinary". Take your old make-up products to any of the participating Illamasqua counters and invest in some of their signature densely pigmented products, available in shades and textures as vivid as the wildest of imaginations. It doesn't matter whether your old mascara has dried up, or if your blusher compact is crumbling beyond recognition - take your make-up "mistakes" to the participating Illamasqua counters and their artists will not only assist you in replacing them with superior (and infinitely more exciting) products, but you'll also receive a complimentary 25% discount on your new purchases. So whether you want to trade in your lackluster "beauty don'ts" for dramatic false lashes, a photo-perfect foundation, a cult liquid metal, vibrant nail colour or hyper-pigmented product for the eyes, lips or face, now is your chance to clear out those make-up bags of all things dull and invest in the products that will help to unleash the "real you". So whether your alter ego is a goth, vamp, rock star, punk, cyborg or fairy, start trading in the dull and invest in something daring. After all, who dares wins.

The Illamasqua Make-Up Amnesty runs from 17th-31st July 2010 and is available at:

Selfridges Oxford Street, Trafford Centre, Birmingham Bullring, Fenwick Newcastle, BT2 Grafton Street Dublin, Debenhams Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff.

(This amnesty does not apply to the Illamasqua online shop)

www.illamasqua.com