We are delighted to announce that Aromatherapy Associates’

Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil has been awarded Best Bath Oil in InStyle’s 100 Best Beauty Buys 2009, as voted for by 165 industry experts.

A panel of beauty gurus praised the oil for its soothing and skin conditioning properties, making it perfect for when you need to unwind and relax after a busy day.

Let the aromatic oils of nature’s most calming plants and flowers send you off on a good night’s sleep. Perfect if you’re feeling overtired and exhausted or longing for a night of unbroken sleep, this natural sleep inducer includes the rich, earthy oils of vetivert, camomile and sandalwood. Comforting, grounding and strengthening, it will give you a deep sense of peace and tranquillity.

One person’s skin may look up to thirty years older than the skin of another person of identical age who has taken careful preventative action.

It’s a cosmetic jungle out there and they know we all want our skin to look as young as possible. I have been looking at the new kid on the block at John and Ginger, SkinCeuticals. Their mission is to improve skin health and their one promise is to provide quality products backed by science.

Some products from this range can be quite pricey so I have been decided to put them to the test myself….well you have to have some perks don’t you! Anyway, I have just started with two products this week, targeting my eyes, so I will keep you posted with the results. In the meantime I have briefly explained below what is  happening to our skin in the different decades of life, recommending various SkinCeutical products.

TWENTIES
Our skin is ageing internally although it may look great on the surface. Enzymes produced in our skin are breaking down collagen and elastine fibres, which give it the fullness, support and elasticity, and this process is speeded up by exposure to sun, cigarettes smoking and excessive alcohol.

What To Do
Prevention is the key, begin using a potent anti-oxidant preparation daily from as young as possible. This will protect the skin against DNA damage and from the chemical changes that age the skin from within.

The most potent anti-oxidant product currently on the market is SkinCeuticals CEFerulic Acid. It also has the advantage of directly stimulating collagen production. A sunscreen must also be applied,  SkinCeuticals sunscreens are particularly recommended as they contain Zinc Oxide.

THIRTIES
The process that began in or 20s continues.  Skin becomes thinner and less elastic, permanent lines and wrinkles begin to appear at stress points in the skin where muscles are constantly creasing. The outer layer of the skin often begins to show signs of damage too.

Pigmentation cells begin to malfunction and produce patches of irregular pigmentation. At first we may think these are just freckles but they will progress, enlarge and become age spots. They represent areas of DNA damage and have the potential to turn into skin cancer.

What To Do
Consider adding a product to reawaken the fibroblasts cells and increase the activity in producing collagen and repairing the skin. Retinoids (Vitamin A derivatives) have the most scientific evidence to support their ability to increase the activity of the fibroblast cells. However, the concentration of any product containing Retinol must be high enough for it to have any effect. SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 per cent cream is by far the most concentrated Retinol product available.

FORTIES & FIFTIES
The ageing process of the skin is well under way. However, it also becomes very apparent which people have been taking preventative action in earlier decades. One person’s skin may look up to thirty years older than the skin of another person of identical age who has taken careful preventative action.

The skin is like a rubbery sheet stretched over the face and once it is weakened and losses support, strength and elasticity, it will allow the entire face to start to sag.

What To Do
The fibroblast need intensive stimulation to remain as active as possible, and so glycolic acid can be added to the regime. There are many products available containing glycolic acid such as SkinCeuticals Intense Line Defense and Renew Overnight.

In 50s the skin has an increasing tendency to become dehydrated and in addition to daily moisturiser and protective regime described here, one should add a more intensive hydrating agent such as SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel

new id Cosmetics was developed at the studios of newid where their expert make-up artists have applied cosmetics to hundreds of thousands of women. The knowledge they have accumulated led to the development of new id Cosmetics.

You can watch their make-up tutorial videos, where the Creative Director and make-up artist to the stars, Rupert Kingston, reveals industry secrets and techniques in make-up application.

Get the Glow Girl Look

Buy the look for £76.50 at John and Ginger

Cheryl can’t get enough of Essie’s Pomegranate & Mango Smoothie whilst Jodie Kidd was recently spotted sporting Essie’s Neon Collection! Rhianna also loves Essie’s Coral’s!

Angelina Jolie – Mademoiselle

Gisele Bundchen – Baby Cakes – Imported Champagne – Millionails – Kirby Creme

Gwyneth Paltrow – Baby Cakes – Imported Champagne – Millionails – Kirby Creme

Heidi Klum – Ballet Slippers – Allure

Jada Pinkett Smith – Naked Truth – Wicked

Jennifer Aniston – Fed Up – Billionails

Jennifer Lopez – Naked Truth – Allure – Ballet Slippers – Pink Diamond – Nude Beach – Marshmallow – Trillionails – Kirby Crème – Café Forgot

Jodie Kidd – Neon 08 Collection

Kate Winslet – Mademoiselle

Joan Collins – Scarlett O’Hara – After Sex

Katie Holmes – Sugar Daddy – Ballet Slippers – Mademoiselle – Fed Up -  Millionails – Quick-e – To Dry For

Kim Cattrall - Nude Beach – Vinyl Bikini

Madonna – Imported Champagne – Baby Cakes – Millionails – Kirby Creme

CHERYL COLE

Start by lining the inside of your eye with the eye liner end, and blink hard and repeat a couple of times. Now with the eye shadow end, start at the lash line and blend upwards and over the eyelid blending away at the socket line. Finish your eyes with plenty of   i – flutter Mascara.

Now apply a small amount of i – perfect foundation to your cheeks, tip of your nose, tip of your chin and forehead, and blend well. Cheryl has really started to be more adventurous with her lip colours and it works really well with her new darker hair colour. Start by applying a little i – perfect foundation to the lips then very carefully line with a nude lip liner, such as i – define. Then apply i – pout in Berry Bronze.

If you are wearing stronger eyes and lips, always apply your blusher last, to make sure your look is balanced. i – blush in Ipanema is great for this look.  Simply run the angled blusher brush up and down the three colours, suck in your cheeks and sculpt under the cheek bones. Your look is now complete.

Buy these products for just £97.50

i-smoulder i-flutter    i-perfect      i-define        i-pout          i-blush

New id Cosmetics at John and Ginger!

I have attached a video of Dr Diana Howard giving tips on skin ageing. Dr Howard is in charge of technical development at the International Dermal Institute, formulating all the products that we love from Dermalogica.

I have a few personal favourites myself  from Dermalogica’s Age Smart range.

The Antioxidant hydramist is great for it’s flash firming effect. This conditioning spray is full of antioxidants and is intensely hydrating. I love to mist throughout the day to refresh my skin. It can also be applied over make-up and is great for travel.

I also love the MAP-15 Regenerator. It’s amazing how you can dispense this little powder and then break the powder with your finger in application into an emulsion. It’s 10% magnesium ascorbyl phosphate plus 5% of other wonderful nourishing conditioning agents. I apply it to anywhere I might be concerned with signs of ageing, like around my eyes.

Now well in to my thirties, targeting ageing has become my skin care priority. By the time we reach our 30th birthday we will start to lose 1% of collagen with each subsequent birthday. Collagen production slows as we age, which impacts the skin’s ability to repair itself, triggering a loss of elasticity. Which explains why I can see myself ageing before my very eyes with every year that passes.

Alex x