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

Talkin' About My Regeneration

Talkin' About My Regeneration..

I'm a total sucker for anti-ageing creams (actually, if I'm honest, I'm a sucker for anti-ageing everything). I'm a firm believer in the old adage "prevention is better than the cure". Being resolutely anti cosmetic surgery (with the exception of instances such as surgical reconstruction for individuals who genuinely need it). Anyone who tuned in to Channel 4's hard-hitting documentary series "Beauty and The Beast: Ugly Face of Beauty" will know what I'm talking about. How can we justify so many plastic surgeons performing medically unnecessary procedures on the emotionally and psychologically vulnerable, when there are so many people in the world who are living with disfigurement, either through birth, or through tragic accidents. If it was a case of having to decide between changing the life of a car-crash survivor and inflating the lips of an insecure yummy mummy, I know which one I'd choose.

My mother instilled in me at a young age, the importance of a good skincare regimen, wisdom I in turn, extol the virtues of through my writing. For me to have any integrity in my craft, it's of paramount importance to practice what I preach. As such, I cleanse and moisturise religiously, cleansing twice at night, once to remove environmental pollution and make-up, and a second time to clean my pores. On the days when even good skincare isn't enough, I rely on the artful (and subtle) application of sheer illuminating foundation, concealer and bronzer (my cosmetic holy trinity), to fake the glowing skin I wish I had. I'd much rather fake it, than turn to botox and fillers (who wants a frozen chipmunk face). Eyelash curlers and clear mascara are another favourite, to cheat the wide awake doe-eyed look, when in reality I've been up all night writing features.

My fastidiousness is obviously working. I'm hitting the big "THREE ZERO" this year, and on the rare occasions I try to purchase wine for special occasions, I'm more often than not, asked for ID. Even yesterday morning, at a slap up pancake breakfast at Cecconi's in Mayfair, Sasha Wilkins (aka Liberty London Girl) was sat opposite me, while the author of Beauty And The Dirt was on my right. At the end of the meal, Beauty And The Dirt (a woman perhaps in her early 40's at most), turned to me and said; "it was a pleasure meeting you young man". Though in hindsight, the comment was a little patronising, I choose to take it as a compliment, and it only serves to reinforce the fact that it pays to look after your skin.

So naturally, when I was sent a sample of Bakel Oxyregen Regenerating Oxygenating Cream For Aged Skin (pictured above), the beauty geek in me was itching to give it a whirl. Oxygenating treatments have been on my beauty radar for years. When Marcia Kilgore's Bliss Spa launched in London back in 2001, their signature Triple Oxygen Facial soon had A-List stars such as Madonna clamouring for an appointment (the treatment itself was launched in 1996). Bakel Oxyregen promises to oxygenate skin at home (which, quite frankly, is far more convenient).

The cream has a pump dispenser, which I absolutely love, as it prevents waste and is also infinitely more hygienic than dipping your fingers in a pot. As a professional make-up artist, hygiene is of paramount importance. Celebrities such as Alexandra Burke have come to me to make them look like the most glorious versions of themselves, not to walk away with an eye infection! The cream itself is divine, the texture is rich without feeling sticky, heavy or greasy. I have oily skin, especially on the T-Zone, so normally I would opt for lighter lotions, gels or emulsions, but this didn't make my face feel oily at all, just beautifully hydrated, comforted and plump.

I also adore the fact that the product can be used on the delicate eye area, negating the need for an additional eye treatment. It is designed for "aged skin", but I found it to be equally efficacious on mine, and I'm 29. I do think that the late 20's is a good time to upgrade to a beefier moisturiser. I'd rather not wait for the deep wrinkles to set in, again, prevention is better than the cure. The original Creme de la Mer cream is something I'd only use on longhaul flights or at night, however, I found Bakel Oxyregen to be far lighter on the skin, without compromising on the hydration front. As with all cleansers, serums and moisturisers, I always advocate taking at least 3-5 minutes to massage the product into the neck, behind the neck and ears, then working up the face in firm circular motions, ending at the forehead and temples. Facial massage will always boost the efficacy of any skincare product, by increasing blood flow (and oxygen) to the skin. It will also provide an instant boost, relaxing the facial muscles and imparting a youthful glow.

Given the economically strained times, a lot of people not only have less disposable income, they are also working twice as hard, which is why we all need products like this, that work just as hard as we do (if not harder). Why bother with a zillion products for your "basic" skincare regimen, when you can have a serum, moisturiser and eye cream, all in one simple product (and one that actually does what it says on the tin). The packaging is lightweight to boot, meaning you could carry it around with you in your handbag / manbag / professional make-up case, without requiring the services of an osteopath.

Being the holistic whore that I am, I revel in the fact that this wonder product is devoid of synthetic fragrance, silicones, colourants, PPG, preservatives, PEG, alcohol, sulfates and petroleum derivatives. London is toxic enough, the last thing I'd want to do is to smother my skin with all of those nasties. It contains 10 active ingredients and "zero useless substances" (these are my kind of statistics).

Meet The Maker

Dr Raffaella Gregoris (pictured above) is the founder of Bakel. An Italian researcher, specialising in skincare chemistry at the University of Milan, she has a Master's degree in skincare chemistry and cosmetology from the prestigious University of Bologna. She could easily be the poster girl for her own brand, given the remarkably smooth appearance of her own skin (bellissima).

The Ingredients

Saccharomyces Lysate (an oxidising yeast) is the premium ingredient, stimulating cellular oxygenation and skin regeneration, leaving skin perky and plumped. Tocopherol (Vitamin E) nourishes and provides antioxidant protection from free radicals while Pentylene Glycol and Xanthan Gum boost water retention and condition the skin's texture, making it smoother.

Witch Hazel is most commonly used as an astringent, brilliant for soothing redness and irritation as well as for treating blemishes and minor nicks and grazes. An antioxidant, it prevents cellular damage from exposure to free radicals and environmental aggressors, whilst also helping moisture retention by reinforcing the natural barrier function of the skin.

Jojoba nut oil is rich in fatty acids, essential for maintaining smooth, plump and youthful looking skin.

Cetearyl Olivate and Sorbitan Olivate, derived from olive oil, are natural emulsifiers, boosting moisture and skin elasticity.

Avocado oil is a powerful antioxidant, rich in Vitamins A, B and D, protecting against the ageing effects of free radicals and solar radiation. With a higher penetration rate than olive or almond oil, it is more readily absorbed into the deeper layers of the skin.

Roman Camomile is known for its soothing properties, ideally suited for the nourishment of even the most sensitive of skins.

Bakel Oxyregen - £85

Available exclusively from Space NK

www.spacenk.com