Survival kit for insomniacs

The best beauty advise in the world is to make sure that you get enough sleep since not only do you rest and heal your body and mind when you sleep, but the skin regenerates and it's during the night that your skin is most recipient to treatments. Some people don't need a lot of sleep to still function properly, but I'm not one of those people and if I don't get my required 16 hrs of sleep (no wait... that's koalas...) I'm cranky, can't focus, feel almost hung over even though I haven't touched a drop of alcohol (honestly!) and I'm so peckish I could eat a cardboard box, if I don't have any yummy goodies at home. Getting back into a healthy sleeping pattern can be difficult and it takes time, but today I'll show you some products that have helped me through those horrible times of sleeplessness.

Some common advise when you find it difficult to fall asleep is to avoid tv, laptops, alcohol and food a few hrs before bedtime and to take a hot relaxing bath. For me it works best having a nice long soak with aromatic scents, and traditionally scents like lavender and camomile are supposed to work really well to relax you. Lately I've been using St. Grape Exotic Pink Bath Salts which are made from Himalayan salt. The bath salts have a lovely sweet, and light lavender scent with a menthol punch to it and the salts are wonderful for softening up your muscles and detoxing your body at the same time as they make the skin feel very soft and nourished, which is great since the last thing I want to do after a relaxing bath is to start moisturising.

Just in case I don't manage to get a lovely night's sleep I'll also apply the Gatineau Age Benefit Ultra-Regenerating Nigh Elixir (£90) that at least makes my skin look like it's rested. The formula is a very intense anti-ageing treatment for night use only that revitalises the skin by targeting fine lines and wrinkles. The texture is lovely and silky with a slight glowing tint to it and it has a lovely clean and fresh smell. You only need a small pump of the serum to cover your face, and when you wake up in the morning the skin looks smooth, radiant and energised as if you had had a really good night's sleep. When it's eventually time to go to bed to try and fall asleep I'll spray Avon's Planet Spa Sleep Serenity Pillow Mist (£1.30) which is an aromatic and light scent with camomile and lavender over the bed clothes and in the room to make the bedroom a nice, peaceful and relaxing space. I also use the Avon's Planet Spa Sleep Serenity Balm (£0.90) on my pulse points - so on my wrists, on my neck and on my temples, although the balm smells a lot less of lavender than the pillow mist and I mainly pick up on the very subtle and harmonious scent of camomile that should help to send me to the land of nod.

Hopefully the bath and the relaxing lavender and camomile scent is enough to help me relax and get a good few hrs sleep, however if in the morning I haven't managed to get what I need and I'm feeling and looking tired I'll use The Body Shop Elderflower Unperfumed Eye Gel (£7) on the eye area. It's a fabulous eye gel that cools and soothes the eye area, and the elderflower helps to get rid of the build up of fluids under the eyes that cause dark rings. I keep mine in the fridge to enhance that refreshing sensation when you apply it and within a few minutes you should see how the eyes look less puffy and those pesky dark circles starting to fade. The last must have product for insomniacs is Dermalogica's Total Eye Care (£37) which I've mentioned a few times before, but it's such a great product that it deserves to be mentioned often. It has a light consistency that hydrates and smoothes out the eye area and since it has a slight tint to it and light reflecting particles, it works like an under eye concealer, making you look much more bright, fresh and rested. What do you use to help you fall asleep and do you have any tips on how to at least fake 8 hrs sleep?

5 Skin care travel essentials

For someone who hates flying I seem to spend an awful lot of time on airplanes and now it's time to hit the road, or shall I say airwaves again as I'm off to visit my family for a few days. When it comes to traveling, I like to keep it simple so that I have as few things as possible to log around and of course I also like to keep some free space in the suitcase for any things I might possibly - read very probably, pick up while I'm away. When I visit my family I quite cheekily use whatever hair care and body care products are around since it's only for a few days, but one thing I won't compromise on is my skincare and by now I've got my travel skin care routine down to a t. The magic word behind the routine is multi purpose, one product with several uses which means that I, the self confessed beauty junky only need a measly 5 skin care items when I'm away on a short trip.    

When I'm away for a few days I won't take an exfoliator with me, so it's even more important for me to have a great cleanser with me, and my preferred choice is the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution (£4.50). Normally I would only use a micellar solution as part of my morning routine, but when I travel it's so practical to get an eye makeup remover, cleanser and toner in one - what a space and time saver! It's a very mild but effective alcohol free cleanser that removes every single trace of makeup from your eyes and face, even stubborn water proof makeup. To get rid of all my makeup I'll use perhaps 2 cotton pads, and that's enough to make the skin feeling clinically clean and soft without any dehydration at all. Although this original micellar solution is no longer the hottest thing in Blogiverse, I still think it's the best one and I always make sure that I have one in this handy travel size.

I may not bring an exfoliator with me, but I always make sure that I have a generous amount of Origins Drink Up Intensive (£22) Overnight Mask with me. It contains seaweed which is well known for nourishing the skin and to help it retain moisture and it makes the skin feel brand new - overnight it makes your skin hydrated, soft and smooth. This is a life saver when you're traveling since you can use it not only as a mask or an intense night cream, but you can use it to target specific areas that have caught a bit too much sun, and even as a fabulously rich and creamy pre-moisturising treatment. It's an incredible product, worth every penny and I can't get enough of the gorgeous scent of whipped cream and orange.

Another fabulous travel product is the Clarins Face Treatment Oil Santal (£32) for dry/extra dry skin. Like all the Clarins treatment oils it's a very luxurious and rich oil based on 100% pure plant extracts and this is perfect to hydrate, calm and decongest the skin and you'll quickly see a noticeable difference with your skin appearing plump, smooth and soft as a peach. I like to use this before applying moisturiser since it doesn't cause any shininess, or as a rich nightcream. I also keep a tiny bottle of this in my hand luggage and when I feel uncomfortable with turbulence etc, which I inevitably do - the curse of being a nervous flyer, I warm up a tiny drop of the oil between the palms of my hands and breathe it in. It may sound a little bit crazy, but the gorgeous warm spicy and slightly sweet cardamom scent that reminds me of newly baked buns, helps me relax - whatever works right?

Flying, too much sun, insufficient sleep, air conditioning - it can all dehydrate the skin so my favorite travel moisturiser is the Estée Lauder Hydrationist Maximum Moisture Creme (£35). The formula is like a wonderful velvety soft gel that boosts the skin with intense moisture and then helps to retain that level of hydration throughout the day. It's lovely and light and absorbs straight away into the skin making your skin feel invigorated and refreshed. What I like most about Hydrationist is that my skin still feels lovely and smooth in the evening after using it, and it's just that kind of moisture that you need when you're stuck on an airplane for a good few hrs.

The last out of my 5 skin care travel essentials is the lovely and refreshing Dermalogica Total Eye Care (£37) which is great for hydrating, strengthening and smoothing the under eye area. The consistency is light and fluffy without any oiliness at all and it feels lovely and light weight on the skin. I never manage to get any sleep when I fly, so I usually land tired and with big dark circles under my eyes, and this is when this eye cream comes so handy. Total Eye Care has a subtle nude color and it contains light reflecting particles so when you apply it, it'll reduce the appearance of dark circles and make the eye area look so bright and fresh with a subtle radiance, to the extent that you won't even need an under eye concealer.

There you have it - 5 multi purpose skin saviors for traveling, and I'm even so conscious of space that I put the bigger products in travel sized bottles and pots... I must be getting old... What are your must have products for traveling?

Salon Skin Care: Dermalogica

If like me you are big into skin care, you are really spoilt for choice when it comes to great skin care brands. There are so many that I enjoy to use, but I do have a soft spot for so called salon skin care. I love the concept of getting a professional consultation and treatment and then to be able to continue maintain my skin using the same products at home. Another benefit of salon skin care is that you're less likely to be bedazzled by fantastic looking packaging and glamorous marketing. Instead it's all about the quality of the products and proven results, and a few great examples of brands like these is Gatineau, Décleor, Elemis and Dermalogica.

This is the first post in a series on salon skin care and I thought I would start with a brand that I actually haven't tried much from - Dermalogica. Since I had only tried the Daily Microfoliant previously, I was very interested to try some other items from their range. 

First up is the Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel* which is a nice and light soap free gel cleanser, with a lovely invigorating scent of subtle lavender. Apply the gel to slightly moist skin and you'll find that despite being soap free it works up a really good lather and gives a great deep cleanse without dehydrating the skin or leaving any tightness. The formula contains mint balm, which helps to balance the production of oil in your skin and as such it's perfect for oily to combination skin, but it also works really well on my skin which is normal to combination, controlling the oil and shininess of the T-zone. You can use this as part of your morning and evening routine, but since my skin isn't particularly oily I especially like to use it in the evening. First I use a separate eye make up remover, and then the cleansing gel for a relaxing and thorough cleanse, getting rid of any grittiness and build up of impurities after a long day of wearing makeup, leaving the skin feeling very refreshed.

The most famous Dermalogica product is probably the Daily Microfoliant* and it almost has sort of a cult status with a loyal following amongst celebrities and models alike. It's a dry exfoliating powder based on rice extracts which are great for a gentle but deep cleanse, and you mix the powder with a little bit of water to create a frothy paste. It's tender enough to be used on daily basis, after an initial cleanse to polish and decongest the skin to reveal a glowing complexion.It's very effective and leaves your skin supple and velvety smooth.

As I mentioned earlier I had tried this product before, but after an initial honeymoon period when I loved the soft and bright skin that it gave me I stopped using it since it caused tiny little breakouts to appear on my skin - and it was exactly the same for me this time around. It is a nice and gentle exfoliant that definitely gives results, but unfortunately it also gives me skin irritations so it's not for me and it won't be getting a permanent place on my bathroom shelf.

After using the exfoliator my skin was a little uneven, and with tiny red marks I desperately needed something calming and comforting (for my skin, not just my nerves), so I was interested to see what the Dermalogica Ultra Calming Relief Masque* intended specifically for sensitive skin, could do to improve the situation. The formula has a lovely silky, pearlescent consistency and it instantly soothes and calms angry skin. I used about half of the sachet for each application, so I managed to get two luxurious pampering sessions out of it. I know my skin has a tendency to be dehydrated and it almost drank up all of the masque leaving very little to be wiped away with a hot towel after 10 mins. My skin felt completely calmed down afterwards and I would definitely recommend it to anyone with sensitive skin and I can imagine it would also be lovely to minimise redness from harsh windy weather or sunburn, or even for Him Indoors to care for any razor burns. A real treat!

 

Since I spend most of my day staring at a computer screen, it's very important to me to care for the delicate area around the eyes and having tested quite a lot of eye creams and I now know exactly what I'm looking for. It needs to be rich, hydrating, nourishing and protecting anti-ageing qualities. As you can tell I'm demanding to say the least, when it comes to eye creams and the Dermalogica Total Eye Care* was up against a very tough critic. The consistency is amazingly light and whipped, almost mousse like and it has a lovely buff colored tint to it as well for an instant subtle under eye coverage. It also has light reflecting particles that help to add brightness and to reduce the appearance of puffiness and dark circles. The long list of ingredients all intend to hydrate, strengthen and smooth the eye area, which is exactly what I'm after. You only need a tiny grain sized amount and it's so creamy that it blends into the skin immediately, leaving it feeling buttery smooth and protected, without any tackiness or oilyness.

 

Of course you can use the eye cream both in the day or during the night, but because of the subtle coverage and the light reflecting ingredients this eye cream really work at its best during the day time. I would even say that you may not need to use an under eye concealer since the cream does that for you. I was a harsh critic, but this eye cream easily won me over and I am absolutely blown away by how lovely this is. It's so pleasant and refreshing to wear, it give a lovely radiant glow to the under eye area and most importantly, it keeps the hydration throughout the day and in the evening my skin stills feel soft and smooth - I will definitely be repurchasing it.

If you're tempted to add some Dermalogica products to your routine, Beauty900 has a vast selection to choose from and they also offer free delivery and samples with every order - and we all like free samples now don't we!