skin

While the beauty industry has spent a lot of time talking about shade-range extensions and vowing to listen and learn, as 2021 draws to a close, we’re left asking the all-important question: Just how much has really changed? “What’s massively disheartening is that promises were made and not adhered to. When Black History Month came around this year, I thought of course the beauty industry would do something [to mark the occasion], but there was nothing of note,” says Cartwright. It was at that moment she decided something should be done and set about launching the Black Beauty Council. “It’s a council and collective that comes together to drive change. I wanted to create an initiative that holds brands accountable. Not in a cancel-culture way, but in a way that can help guid...

After two weeks of using the tool every single day, I can categorically say yes it is. In fact, considering it only launched into retailers a couple of days ago, I’d go as far as to say this has the potential to be the one of the biggest skincare products of 2022. You see, while the results aren’t too dissimilar from other facial-massage tools out there in terms of lifting, sculpting and glow-boosting, the tool itself is much easier and more enjoyable to use.  “It targets wrinkles deep below the surface by transmitting vertical waves, as opposed to horizontal waves,” explains Darden. And because the device doesn’t use microcurrent technology, unlike so many others out there, you don’t need to faff with a conducting gel. “The product does come with a gel, but it’s there to give a ...

You see, besides being a beauty editor, I am also likely in the top 1% of Elemis fans. I’m a sucker for efficacious luxury skincare that has a spa-like, sensorial aspect that just makes you feel great whenever you use it. The best skincare product, after all, is the one that you actually use. So needless to say, I love Elemis, and I’m not alone. With every fan of Elemis singing its praises all over social media, it’s no wonder that so many people are intrigued. However, it’s worth noting here that I am also someone who fervently believes in honest and open conversations around skincare, and that is hard to come by when it comes to luxury products. When we part with a lot of cash for something, we become determined to make it work. And this is whe...

You see, retinol promotes cell turnover, which helps keep my skin looking fresh and alive so that new, fresh skin comes to the surface more quickly. Niacinamide, on the other hand, keeps my pores in check and soothes any irritation, while vitamin C boosts glow and helps my skin fend off damage caused by environmental aggressors such as pollution and UV rays. Top that off with my number-one skincare must-have, SPF, which protects my skin against ageing and sun damage, and I have the perfect recipe for healthy skin. The downside is that these powerful actives can be expensive. While single-ingredient serums might seem more affordable at first, quite often they aren’t formulated with all the hydrating ingredients that your skin also needs to maintain optimum health. Person...

There was a moment a few years ago when everyone started taking skincare super seriously. It was a common opinion that if you used face wipes, you were told to sit on a naughty step, and if you didn’t know the names of the actives in a serum, then you shouldn’t be using it. Let’s not even discuss the fact that if you weren’t following a 15-step skincare routine in a very precise order, you were simply missing out. Honestly, it all got a bit too much. At the same time, unless you were using The Ordinary, affordable skincare brands just weren’t the brands of choice. We wanted to discover the latest buys with the latest super ingredients, which usually had the price tags to match. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagi...

Since learning of SAD and the apparent role that light plays in its onset, I decided to invest in an SAD light. Before I get into my experiences with SAD lights, I would like to caveat that if you are struggling to cope with SAD, it is really important to book in with your GP. My own experience with SAD is mild and manageable, so I felt as though helping boost my daily exposure to light was worth a shot. The theory goes that investing in a lamp that simulates the sort of bright sunshine you might expect on a summer’s day can help trick your brain into reducing its melatonin production and boosting production of serotonin. Plus, there are also alarm clocks which mimic a natural sunrise (and sunset) to help get that circadian rhythm back on track. For the past two years, I have had an SAD la...

It’s no secret that the way we’ve shopped for beauty has changed in recent years. Cast your mind back to a pre-pandemic world and buying new beauty products online was reserved exclusively for solid repurchases or desperate emergencies. Fast forward to now, however, and you’d be hard pressed to get anyone out of the house for the sole purpose of buying a new moisturiser. As with just about every other area of our lives, we want shopping for beauty products to be a quick, seamless, and stress-free affair. Our days of trawling around shopping centres trying to locate all our beauty favourites are behind us. We want everything in one place with easily accessible information and reviews—and we want it delivered straight to our doors. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you ...

To access the products, the idea is that members pay a small monthly fee of £15, that allows them to shop at heavily discounted prices. If you don’t want to commit to a membership? You can still buy the products, just at a higher price. And I must admit, when it first launched, my thoughts were that it provided an interesting and niche business model but would likely only appeal to serious beauty buffs and have a relatively short lifespan. But boy was I wrong. Many years later, Beauty Pie is going stronger than ever. With each new product launch, my love for the brand grows a little more. Take, for example, the best-selling Triple Hyaluronic Acid Peptide Serum, which even my non-industry friends swear by; the Detox Shampoo, which uses activated charcoal and amino acids to de...

I’m going to save you the preamble of why we love French women and just cut to the chase: they do everything so effortlessly. And, as if their flair for style wasn’t enough, they also know how to look after their skin well. Mais bien sûr. I’ve read plenty of pieces over the years about how French women do everything they can to ensure their skin is as glowing as possible. They don’t wear too much makeup and they invest in anti-ageing skincare much earlier than us across the channel. But is that true? I decided to get in touch with four French women who I admire and ask them what’s really behind great skin. Keep scrolling for everything you need to know. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It beg...

And I want to be clear that I am not knocking beauty advent calendars here. I totally get their appeal and I can see how the good points outweigh the bad. But personally, for the first time this year, I haven’t got one. It wasn’t an intentional thing, mind you. I just didn’t sign up for waitlists, and by the time I went to purchase (Space NK’s was a total feat), my first choice was sold out.  I am now a beauty advent calendar-less beauty editor. But the truth is, I’m kind of OK with it. Not because I think they’re a waste of money, but because there are some other options out there that I, personally, would prefer. This year, beauty brands have seriously upped the ante when it comes to luxury gift sets. They costs about the same as an advent calendar and, granted contain fewer product...

There’s no denying that one of the biggest trends to emerge in 2021 has been the rise of ingestible beauty products. In fact, when we asked experts at the start of the year to predict the biggest trends in the skincare space, almost all of them called out skincare supplements and products that focused on the inside as trends to watch. This really comes as no surprise. As a lot of our traditional beauty routines have been stripped-down and pared-back over the last 18 months, it makes perfect sense that ingestible beauty supplements that promise plump, radiant skin and stronger hair are growing in popularity. So when we heard that Vida Glow—a market leader in ingestible beauty and the number one global marine collagen brand—was launching in the UK, we were understandably intr...