Let’s Do Thisssss, Part Two: Dr Lewinn’s Cosmetic Lift, Actually Doing It

Here we go! Giving ourselves a cosmetic lift, in the comfort of our own bath!

Here’s the before, for what it’s worth; iPhone, whilst always making my nose look bigger than it is, makes up for this unfortunate exaggeration by glossing over all fine lines and wrinkles. So:
DR L BEFORE

Here’s the line up, one more time.
DR L CONTENTS

First thing: cleanse thoroughly with the Gentle Facial Cleanser {the light green stuff.} I tell myself that this is a much different experience to my usual cleansing… but I think I only want that to be so. It does feel lovely and fresh, and I am using the cleanser the way an aesthetician would: gently, just like it says on the tin, rather than my usual rough-and-ready removal.

Second thing is to mix up the Cosmetic Lift Powder with a teaspoon of water. There is a mighty amount of powder in this jar! I reckon… I reckon there are at least 20 facial lifts in this jar? I was never any good at guessing the number of jelly beans, if ya get me. I think 20?
DR L THE POWDER

Look, there’s tonnes of powder, whatever.

Mixed with the water, you get this:
DR L THE MASK

Feh, thought I. That is nothing. Slightly annoyed, because this was taking time, and I had had to clean the sink, and everything, I started to paste it — I mean, stroke it, gently — onto my face, with the brush provided. I followed the diagramme and all, and started out a bit scabby because I was sure there wasn’t going to be enough.

This is why I am a bad baker! There was plenty!
DR L ALL GONE
In fact, I went over my face entirely at least thrice. I set my timer for 30 minutes — which was another rude awakening, because I hadn’t read that far along. I was only grateful that the delivery man had already come and gone.

Went back to the computer, typing with one hand and holding my specs up in front of my face. Not as super-efficient as you may think. I wondered what the heck was going to happen with this stuff on my face. So what, so it was going to dry? Dry into what?
DR L BWAHAHAHA
Bwahahahahahaha! Into this, a full-on, seriously squinchy mask. The kind where your lips are are beyond pursed — they are practically turned inside out. My very thoughts became pursed.

Now, I lovvvvve a good, squinchy mask. If you don’t, then you will dislike this in the extreme. But me: lovvvve it. I felt like all my pores were being individually shrunk. I never wanted it to end.

Then: two teaspoons of the cleanser mixed with water. This was eyeballed: I tried to use the teaspoon, but it was pointless in the extreme. You have to squueze the cleanser out, not scoop it out, so filling up the teaspoon was rendering fairly imposs. I mixed it, as directed with one teaspoon of water, and used the brush to stroke it all over my face. this served to loosen the mask — gently, gently — and then used a few cotton pads to get the last bits off.

The carnage. Not too terrible!
DR L SLIGHT CARNAGE

I pat my skin dry, applied a few pumps of the very green Tissue Firming Serum, which felt grand, and then cracked open the last jar, the Vitamin A Rejuvenation Cream.
DR L EEEP!

Wowee! Yellow! I really liked the texture of this, and you can definitely tell when it has all been absorbed.

After, in the wild, on my way to horses. Again, for what it’s worth.
AFTER in the WILD

I have to say, my pores have never felt smaller. And given the way that I’ve felt the weather has been beating up my skin, I felt uncommonly glowy.

I thought I would do this, you know, another time whenever. Nope! Gotta do this three times in ten days! So, five days from yesterday, I’ll be back in the bath — and black vest!

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Let’s Do Thisssss, Part One: Dr Lewinn’s Cosmetic Lift

The thing that I loved so much about We Love Laser is that you show up, lie down, get zapped, and you’re done.

On the other hand, there was The Fear. I got over it, in less than three visits, and the Photo Facial is totally non-invasive, but what if you have a laser phobia or whatever?

Dr Lewinn proposes that you can give yourself a lift, sans zappage, at home.

DR L BOXSee? Says it right there on the box: Cosmetic Lift, and also, Facelift Without Surgery.

These are all the things in the box:
DR L CONTENTS

And these are all the directions:
DR L DIRECTIONS

So many wordsssssss. God, I’m lazy. Half the time I don’t read the packaging, which has resulted in some interesting uses of products: putting stuff on my face, for example, that is actually meant for my hair, or using an exfoliant for the face all over my bod. Whoops!

Also: mixing stuff up + me = disaster, because again: directions, and I so rarely believe that the measurements look correct, so I add more, or less, or whatever, and, big whoops! Don’t ask me to make scones!

But I’m interested in this product because I am interested in Dr Lewinn and all his works, since he’s been doing such a great job on my manky nails.

Okay! Here we go!

First, I had to go clean the sink in the bath. I’ll spare you the before — here’s the after.
DR L THE SINK

Then, all the things you pray won’t happen, happened: the phone rang, a delivery man came to the door, I realised that I ought to take off the big bulky fleece and put on a vest* — which I did, before the delivery man showed up, and boy is he glad I did! Should have gotten his number — and then then I realised that I needed to memorise the poxy directions because I absolutely can’t read anything anymore without my specs —

And then I stopped procrastinating and got down to business…

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*That’s a tank top, to you Yanks.

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£115; see here to buy online from the UK

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Lip Balms That I Have {And Have Loved}

I’ve been upfront about my lip balm affection before, but the balms featured in that post? Gone, daddy, gone. There was also the one about the boots, which when I scrolled down to it, I was like Wha’? and then it made sense.

And then my pal Karen over at Lovely Girlie Bits posted about her sincere affection for the balm of lips, and gave us o’er here an auld mention. So, go have a look at alllll the balms that I had hanging about, under my desk, in a box.

I’m not ashamed! Because — because I actually need lip balms in my life!

When I was a child, my lips were so dry that I used to lick them all the time; this happened mostly in the winter, so I’d go out into the freezing cold {because I had to walk miles to school in the snow}{not really} and then they would get all chapped — so I would lick them some more, etc, etc. It was painful, and also not very lovely to look at. Poor wee Susan!

So, you see, my inner child is behind all this. I am healing my inner child. And by ‘all this’, I mean not only the thirteen lip treatments underneath my desk in the box, but also:

BALM on the desk

The three on the top of my desk…

BALM by the couch

The two that sit by my couch…

And most importantly…

BALM sue's bees

The one with my name on it!

I’ve enjoyed Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm in the past, and I find this particular potion, made from vitamin E and peppermint, to be especially ameliorative. Plus: tingly! In fact: I’ve got a wee tin of this by my bed, and it is my go-to good-night lip balm.

So I am happy to celebrate the 21st birthday of this balm, which sells one tube every two seconds, somewhere in the world.

Happily, at this festive time, there is even more good news: Burt’s Bees lip gloss wands are coming soon!

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Next: what balm suits which mood!

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Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm is available in all good health stores, and retails for €3.95

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B&B! Q&A: Marie Reynolds

IMG_0648‘Candles are a a symbol of peace and light in a dark situation. They are lit for remembrance and hope, and many believe lighting candles are an extension of prayer. They also act as a source of focus to clear the mind in meditation.’
— Marie Reynolds

And, in fairness, they are vital components of sexytimes. Reynolds is a celebrated facialist, noted for the breadth of her experience in the world of skincare. Her line of luxury massage  candles, MRL Aromawax, have so much going for them, that it behove us to go straight to the source to answer — ha, ha — some burning questions…

How long was the idea for the massage candles in the works?
I have used Soya wax for many years in treatment, but felt they lacked a certain joie de vive. I also wanted the benefits of soya and shea butter as a treatment to be brought to the masses.

What was the process from concept to execution?
I had been to a talk at the House of Lords on the importance of British brands, and wanted to focus on a brand that was ‘home grown’ and organic that could be used on the skin. I was originally going to start off with skin care, but the time scale to create, test and release such products was too long. So I used my knowledge with aromatherapy and skincare in the form of MRL Aromawax Candles.

Being a therapist I know how well soya can be used with other ingredients, like sea salt to be adapted in treatments for body scrubs, or mixed with therapeutic mud for body wraps. Soya has a complete amino acid complex so the candle bases are extremely hydrating and nourishing, as well as healing and softening. Added into the mix are specific blends for refreshing, stimulating or relaxing the senses.

What’s great about using the soya is that it turns the candle into massage oil! I love the idea that the candle is romantic on two levels! How does one best get the warmed wax out of the jar?
The wax itself can be used solid: just rub your finger around the top of the candle and apply as a solid perfume. I actually have a candle at my desk and scoop it out to massage in my hands. The most effective way is to remove the wax when the wick it lit with a wooden spatula.

Common sense says, blow out the candle first… but won’t that wreck the mood?
If you pour the wax it will cause smoking, which is not nice. We don’t want anyone choking in an intimate setting! Scoop the wax with a spatula!

Lush Locks

What gave you the idea for the Lush Locks Hair Treatment Candle, and what is the best way to use these?
Many therapists use warm oil for Indian Head massage, so Lush Locks was born! The wax, when melted, can be used as a massage medium, or used as a conditioning treatment overnight: simply massage into the hair from root to end and in the morning wash as normal. The oil can be used sparingly as a balm for dry ends. The aroma is Wild Neroli and Champa Flowers, so they smell divine!

I personally cannot imagine life without candles, and am always tempted to pack up a bunch of ’em when I go visiting… can you talk a bit about the Travel Aromawax collection? Did you find yourself abroad, experiencing a candle emergency???
Well, I am afraid I cannot take credit for the Travel Candles! They were initially developed as samples; my dear friend and PR, Shirley Dumhall, said they would be ideal for a travel candle, and they seem to be a great hit! Actually, many people like to try them as a set which is  a great idea, that way you get a taster of all the candles.

How does candlelight help our feelings of wellbeing?
It goes without saying that any setting — be it a spa, salon, hotel room, bedroom, bathroom – once lit with a candle or even better, ‘candles’, evokes a sense of relaxation this has an immediate impact on our stress levels, mentally, emotionally and physically. The fact that the Aromawax Candles tap into the sense of smell and touch are an added benefit.

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Marie Reynolds Aromawax Massage candles are priced as follows: 135g boxed candle is €40 (25 hours burning time); 50g Votive (10 hour burning time) is €11.50.

UPDATE! See here for a review of Lush Locks!

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See mrlcandles.com for more information.

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Eyelash Extensions, Week One: Wishes and Tweeeeeeezers

BEFORE N AFTERLest we forgot, here’s that photo again.

So, a couple of things:
> I have lost four lashes in a week. That leaves fifty-six. I think I have, happily, lost two one each eye! That’s four wishes I’ve got on the go, now I know how to do that properly. {Well, I thought I did, by I just checked and there’s all sorts of rules; I’m going to stick with the one that says to blow it off the tip of your finger as you make your wish.}

> The first one that fell out was an epic experience: I felt it come loose, and I didn’t catch it time, and it went into my WHERE IT GOT STUCKeye? You know the way? And this is worse, because it is plastic or whatever.

So I kept staring, to try to get enough water into my eye to wash it away {you know the what I mean.} All my nails were too short to tease it out, and then it shifted around and got stuck right in the curve of my eyeball, where it meets that part right at the corner? I have highlighted it at left. I couldn’t get it to move at all, so I — I had to use tweezers.

Tweeeezerrrrrs in my eyyyyyyyyyyyyyye!

> Obviously, now I am totally self-conscious about these things falling out. I worry about my hair catching on them. Will they get all smashed up in my sleep? I am concerned when I open the oven — will I met them off my face?

> I am finding them to be annoying in the shower. My face gets wet, I go to wipe it — mind the lashes!

> I am not entirely convinced I am getting all the eye makeup of, because: see above!

> My left eyelashes are way more tangly than my right! Is this a brain thing again?

In a nutshell: not too sure. So far, I am spending way too much time thinking/fretting/tending these yokes.

But/however/in fairness: they are soooo flicky. The ones at the outside alone are so long and so come-hither…

Let’s see how week two unfolds, shall we?

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I got my eyelashes extended at Venus Medical in Dundrum. See venusmedical.ie for more info.

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Face of the Day: *Not* Photographed on the 46A

FOTD 23 01 2013Hmmm: I always seem to do this on days that I am wearing Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Fluid Makeup SPF 15 in  Sand, along with the Mineral Veil Primer. Well, that tells you all you need to know, I reckon. I always feel like I need to show off my face when I am wearing that primer/foundation combo.

Like the blush? It’s IsaDora Glow Stick in Rose Bud, a tiny wee cream-blush-in-a-twist-up-tube that I am {is}adoring at the moment. It is very soft, and applied on the apple of the cheek, it makes you look like a Victorian Valentine. as

As if my cheeks weren’t entirely apples!

Brows are my usual HD Brows, for which Carter Beauty can take credit. I have defined them with my favvvvourite new brow thing, Smashbox Brow Tech To Go. Google it now, ladiez, it is so good: it comes with a brush-in-gel to set them up, and then an angled pencil to fill ’em in. Proper review to come — hey, haven’t done a Haiku Review in yonks. There’s a plan!

Eyelashes are via VenusLash by Venus Medical. Oh, there will be updates there.

A bit of Clinique eyeshadow, the fabbalis Black Honey, which never, ever goes wrong.

Lips = a combo of Lush Liquid Lipstick in Confidence, with some Clinique Chubby in Chunkiest Chilli on top. This solves two problems I have, one with each: the Lush is too dry, and the Clinique doesn’t have the staying power I’ll ned today. Together, they are perfect.

Okay! Ready to face the day with the #FOTD!

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It’s Just a Twist to the Left! NUXE Nuxellence Jeunesse

Rocky Horror Picture Show? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

I don’t know if I am excessively klutzy or not, but my heart sang at the sight of the design of Nuxe‘s imminent {February} launch of their new skincare product, Nuxellence Jeunesse. I may just be a packaging nerd. Probs a bit of both?

Look!

JEUNESSE LIDIt’s so clever and handy! There’s no cap to slip through your fingers and bounce onto the floor! It is great! Except there is some gap in the neural network in my brain that retains ‘which way to turn the top to open this’, or whatever, so now I will sing that song in my head all day, because it has become my mnemonic.

Speaking of Time Warps!

This is Youth and Radiance Revealing Fluid, and is designed to counteract the damage done by UV and pollution. It works by giving your mitochondria the will to live — or at least rejuvenate them for as long as mitochondria live. I mean, cells, they come and go, right? Can you tell I spend all my time drawing pretty pictures of the epidermis in biology, and no time a’tall actually listening?NUXELLENCE B&B

Anyway: all the natural ingredients that Nuxe have gathered together — passion flower, anchusa and poppy, hyaluronic acid, maca root and olive leaves — combine to repair 43% of damaged cells.

As always with Nuxe: the fragrance is spot on: fresh, clean, natural, healthy, and not overpowering.

I am using this like a serum, in that I top up with moisturiser after I let it sink in. It may just be my skin in this crap, crap weather, but my face felt really tight after application.  This is a good sign of youth, the tightness, but it wasn’t comfortable. But hey: any excuse to use lashings of the Crème Fraîche de Beauté collection, also from Nuxe.

How’s that earworm working for ya?

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Nuxellence Jeunesse retails for €49.

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But it’s the pelvic thru-u-u-st/That really drives you insay-ay-ay-ay-yayne…

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Update! Venus Lash Extensions

The prices are actually €120 for full extension; infill will run between €50-60.

Just so we’re all on the same page!

And just for the craic, because, seriously:

BEFORE N AFTER***

Venus Lash is available at Venus Medical, Dundrum. 

Ring 01-2962747 for more info, or see venusmedical.ie.

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B&B! Q&A: Candice Gardner of The International Dermal Institute

Candice Gardner picCandice Gardner is the Education Curriculum Manager of the International Dermal Institute. The IDI has 38 training centres worldwide, and have educated over 75,000 Professional Skin Therapists in its 25 year history. The Dermalogica brand was developed in tandem with IDI, and by the Institute’s founder, Jane Wurwand — and as always, is at the forefront of developing new ways to attend to our skin. I took some facetime with Gardner, specifically in relation to the brand’s Overnight Repair Serum, which is very, very popular in B&B HQ.

What’s so great about serums?
Serums are maximum impact products. Due to the increased level of actives used in serums — ingredients that improve the skin’s function —  change can often be seen within the first few uses, allowing you to target skin issues quickly. The formulations are designed to penetrate deeper into the skin, and so have a different texture to traditional moisturisers.

And what’s so great about using a serum at night?
The skin naturally regenerates at night, as it does not have to focus on the task of daily defence from the sun and the environment. With many serums focused towards boosting skin regeneration and repair, using your product at night may facilitate a better result.

Another key reason for using a serum at night is that, because your skin is not defending, your skin’s barrier is reduced. This means it is easier to deliver high concentrations of ingredients into the skin. But beware! This also means skin can become dehydrated through the night, so restoring lost lipids and providing protection is a key reason not to neglect your night time regimen.

I very much like the notion of working on my skin’s condition in my sleep! How soon can we see results with Overnight Repair Serum?
I love this product, because for me, the result is immediate. As soon as I wake in the morning I can feel the difference. The Argan Oil and plant oil blends are brilliant at replenishing the barrier. I have such dehydrated skin, I really notice the smooth softness that follows a night with this serum.

In general, you can expect to Overnight Repair Serumsee improvements in 2-4 weeks.

Overnight Repair Serum uses essential oils — how did we ever discover that they are great for our skin?
The use of essential oils dates back to the beginning of time. But the priests and apothecaries who used herbs, plants and oils relied largely on knowledge passed down and experience rather than substantiated science.

Modern aromatherapy is attributed to Rene-Maurice Gattefossé who switched from studying aromatics to medicinal use after he burned his hand in the laboratory and plunged it into a beaker of neat Lavender, to discover it not only soothed the burn but also healed the skin rapidly.

The Austrian biochemist, Madam Marguerite Maury, is probably the best known in the cosmetic field for her work in the early 20th century studying the benefits of essential oils on the condition of the skin.

I noticed that one can mix this with a lotion. Could you explain why this useful?
Some consumers are used to wearing cream or lotion style products that provide additional hydration to the skin. Some individuals might find that this relieves the characteristic tight feeling associated with dehydrated skin more quickly. So applying your serum and then layering up with your moisturiser is a personal preference rather than essential.

Others just love the smell, and the softening effect of the serum so much, that they add a few drops into their daytime moisturiser to boost skin improvements.

I personally am finding that my skin is reacting badly to the cold weather. Help!
Harsh weather and cold winds can leave skin chapped, irritated and vulnerable. Additional protective support for your skin’s barrier will help skin cope. Try barrier repairing products or opt for a richer moisturiser than you currently use.

I am a great fan of layering up. Add an additional layer of protection to your daily regimen by adding a serum or booster under your moisturiser or supplement your moisturiser with weather shielding layer. Top ingredients to look out for include skin smoothing silicones, emollient and comforting Shea Butter or protective non-occlusive microcrystalline waxes that act as a shield.

It might also be helpful to switch to more gentle formulas designed for when your skin feels more sensitive, reduce exfoliation (abrading or peeling vulnerable skin is a recipe for disaster), and look for products that use colloidal oatmeal which will heal and calm irritated skin.

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Overnight Repair Serum: €64.85/£56/$60

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Ha! Was googlin’ prices and found myself. {If only it was that easy!}{Maybe it is!} Anyway, here’s my review!