HYDRATION

I Used ‘Em All Up: Simple Kind To Skin Micellar Cleansing Wipes

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This is surprising, because I have long been suspicious of the micellar trend, and have never been all about the wipes. As regards the former, I found that most of them didn’t do the job they promised to do when it came to eye make up, and generally left an icky, sticky residue; in terms of the latter, I hadn’t come across one — and I’d come across many — that didn’t make me feel like I’d just rubbed a Dettol Floor Wipe all over my face. I tended to use all those unusable wipes to clean my horseriding boots, tbh.

But cometh the hour, cometh the wipe.

SIMPLE micellar

Loved these. They’re refreshing give, they give good cleanse, and they ~feel~ really clean. There was no way they were going to end up in my tack box!

I didn’t find them to be totally effective on the eye makeup (once again), but I used these to take off the first round of foundation, and to remove any lingering traces of whatever else was on my face that day, and they were perfect for that. The wipe itself is sturdy yet soft, and the micellar water was in no way sticky or stripping.

I also went for these in the morning for a nice pre-shower wake-me-up (Some days, it’s necessary).

They entirely lack alcohol, perfume and colouring, and come with vitamins B5 and E. Bonus!

It’s about time that the convenience of the wipe met good skincare practice. And in fairness to micellar water, I think the technology is advancing in this case, too…

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€4.99/25 wipes

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Haiku Review: Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream

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Nope, no way in hell.
Putting cream on my dry hair!?
No way will it — oh.

Gotta love my open mind. Oh, yeah. Show me a product and my immediate reaction is, ‘Hey, that is great! I can’t wait to experiment with this thing that you are telling me is going to work a treat!’

Not so much — at least not where my hair is concerned. We all know by now that the hair {or, better, The Hair} is of primary importance, and a bad hair day is enough for me to hide under the bed, or even crazier, jump back in the shower and start over.

Last Sunday week, I attended a Moroccanoil fashion show. Again, as this fashion-y business is new business to me, so I was wondering how they do a hair fashion show? They do it like this:

Models model clothes and hair, and then stylists make changes to the hair using the sponsor’s products.

Now, Moroccanoil are the original creators of argan oil-based products, and continue to innovate. Their signature treatment can be perceived to be ‘the’ oil, the one that opened up the whole ‘let’s use oil on our hair’ market.

I love the way it smells, and using the oil as a pre-blow dry styling product is like weaving silk into the very core of each individual hair on your head.

But when the talk turned to the Hydrating Styling Cream, I was like to close my ears entirely.

That is a cream. And you’re telling me to put it on my dried hair? My hair that I have just put oil in, and let me tell you, how much risk was involved in that!

I even saw it in action, on the lovely tresses of representatives of the brand, and still I did not believe.

But I wanted to. Why? Who knows, except that anything that I can discover that gives me silky, lovely hair is to be sought. So I pumped out a dab, such a wee dab that it should be in the Guinness Book of World Records for Smallest Amount of Hair Product Ever Dispensed, and I smoothed it onto the ends.

Ooh. It was nice. It didn’t feel greasy, it didn’t weigh the hair down, and it smelled gorgeous.

Okay. Since I was just sitting around, and I wasn’t going anywhere that evening, I pumped up some more, and like a wild woman, applied it about halfway down the hair shaft and combed it through.

Oh, wow. Now, my hair on that day was second-day, unstyled, no dry shampoo — nothing special, not going-out-into-public hair, and I have to say, the cream gave it such a lift. I would never show you pictures of my hair in that state, so forget it. The thing is though, I felt like it revitalised the locks that had been going limp, and if pushed, I might have made a run to the corner shop for some buns, if I had to. I don’t think I can say any better than that.

You can of course use this on damp hair as well, and I’ll do that next. And see the can the model is holding, in the picture? That’s Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray, and WAIT until I tell you about THAT.

€28.45/£22.85/$31; available in select salons.

Treat Yourself: Carter Beauty’s Hydrating & Boosting Facial

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Two things occurred to me as a result of the Dermalogica Hydrating & Boosting Facial in Carter Beauty, Blackrock I got last week:  one was a momentary flitter of a thought near the beginning of the treatment, and the other came about two hours later. The fact that anything could occur to me at all, either during and after such a relaxing experience is something of a miracle, but here we go.

First thought: there is no way I could be good at being a beauty therapist, as I was struck by the complete silence of my extremely able consultant, Katie. I talk to myself all the time — and I may have just made an exclamatory sound right this second, as in ‘Ha! That’s right!’  in response to my own thought. I mutter to myself all the time. And I’ve stopped caring that is sad and weird to occasionally mumble-sing when I’ve got my earbuds in. So there I’d be, trying to give you a nice spa experience, and I’d be going, *uh*, ‘Where did I put that effing cleanser — oh, yeah.’ And then I’d probably hum along with the music, even if it was pan pipes, and talk about a disaster. I would be fired probably before I even finished the facial.

Happily, I didn’t think of much after I acknowledged this personal discovery, and let my mind clear entirely {I’ve finally copped on to the common sense of asking for a list of products after the treatment, so I’m not trying to memorise as we go along.} I can tell you that my love for Dermalogica is never so strong as when it is being applied by a professional, and when the products used come from all across their range. No less than ten potions/lotions were swept, massaged, and let sink into my skin over the course of an hour {It felt like an hour? But one of those really short hours that should last longer?} Of particular note was Katie’s prowess with pressure points: much attention was paid to those that circle the eye, and wowee, it felt amazing.

Afterwards, I walked around a bit, showing off my shiny, hydrated and boosted skin; however, I had plans for the evening, and I wasn’t too keen on going out completely bare-faced. This leads to my second thought, which may in fact actually be a realisation. When you get your skin all hydrated and boosted, it creates the perfect canvas for your make up. I know: duh. It never struck me before, I suppose because I don’t generally do anything after a treatment except hope I can get home without curling up for a nap on the bus stop. Anyway, radiance doesn’t even begin to cover it, so if you have an event or something and want to look even more smashing than usual, I’d give this a go ahead of the big day.

Plus, you get a wee giftie of the Dermalogica Dry Skin Kit containing Dermalogica Essential Cleansing Solution, Multi Active Toner, Intensive Moisture Balance, Gentle Cream Exfoliant and Intensive Eye Repair Cream — a €30 value for nothin’. Since it’s been so cold and raw lately, this is a really good antidote, and thanks to the kit, you can keep up appearances on your own.

Carter Beauty Dermalogica Hydrating Facial is €65. Carter Beauty is based at 40 Main Street, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. wwwcarterbeauty.ie Tel: 01-2103624.