BC Skin Journal
BC Blog
11 top-rated beauty buys for 11 common skin concerns
by Jo Boyden
on Apr 29 2022
Suffering from sensitive skin? Adult acne even? Struggling to battle those blemishes or simply over your dull, devitalized complexion? Whatever your skin concern BC have a multitude of products to help! From stand-out serums to miracle masks, we have you covered, but don’t just take our word for it, read on as we reveal 11 beauty buys for 11 common skin concerns as recommended by us, but praised by our customers too. For sensitive skinPhytomer Douceur Marine Soothing Moisturising CreamAn absolute dream for sensitive skin, this luxurious, melt-away cream is rich in marine ingredients which act to reduce redness and calm uncomfortable skin while strengthening the skin’s natural defences against stress, weather and pollution!“After much trial and error I’ve finally found a moisturizer that protects, softens, and reduces the look of redness on my very sensitive skin. I’ve been using it for a year and still can’t believe how cool, calm, and smooth its made my skin feel. This moisturizer is everything and I would recommend it to anyone who suffers from redness and sensitivities” – Samantha A For dry skinPevonia Rejuvenating Dry Skin CreamDry skin often lacks vitality but not if you use this little gem! Silky smooth, it literally melts into your skin on application, leaving no residue yet keeps skin moisturised pretty much all day long! Nourishing, energising, and oxygenating, it’s formulated with pear seed extract proven to effectively aid in counteracting dryness while diminishing lines and wrinkles! The result? Rejuvenated, hydrated and glowing skin every day! Oh, and it smells pretty wonderful too!“I love this product, finally something that works for me. Usually my skin is either still dry & flaking or I get little red spots from too much oil. This cream however hydrates & plumps my skin without any side effects”. – Katie B For dull skinPevonia Gentle Exfoliating CleanserIf your skin is looking dull and lacklustre, chances are you need to up the ante and exfoliate properly. No matter what your skin type, exfoliation is paramount when it comes to removing those skin dulling dead cells! Pevonia’s Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser is not only ideal for all skin types, it’s a creamy, granular, exfoliating cream formulated with jojoba beads, Saponaria and Chamomile that very gently polishes away dul, dead skin cells, impurities and toxins to reveal instant radiance and softer, smoother skin too! You’ll love the immediate gratification you’ll get from this formidable favourite of ours. Use 1-2 times weekly.“I love this exfoliator, my skin always feels so smooth and hydrated after using it. It also makes my skin look a lot brighter.” – Orielly R For dehydrated skinAge Correction Marine Collagen CreamMy personal absolute can’t live without product and the no. 1 favourite of many of the BC crew too, the Marine Collagen Cream isn’t Pevonia’s global bestseller for nothing! It’s a gorgeously rich, yet fine cream that feels amazing on application and really does leave skin super soft, supple and like it’s had that much-needed boost of moisture, a feeling that lasts all day!“This collagen cream is not for the faint of heart. It packs a serious punch of moisturizing power and is on the heavier side. With that said, I find that my make up goes on extra flawlessly and stays put throughout the day when I use this cream. It's also done wonders for improving the skin on my neck and decollete area. This is so much more affordable than comparable marine collagen creams and has the same effects. I'd highly recommend it for anyone looking for a seriously moisturizing, topical collagen cream.” – Ayla For acne prone skinPevonia Soothing Propolis ConcentrateIf you’re a sufferer of reactive, sensitive or acne prone skin this could be your new go-to if it’s not already! It’s a beautiful rich gel-like serum with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant properties! And combines calming lavender, vetiver oil and a high concentration of healing propolis from the Jura Mountains of France to desensitize, decongest, heal, strengthen, and really enrich skin! Outstanding stuff!“I have problems with adult acne as well as having sensitive skin. This product helped calm my skin down as well as reduce my acne and made my skin feel really soft again.” – Laura L For Rosacea prone skinPevonia RS2 Care CreamFormulated with calming, skin-caring ingredients including Green Tea, Licorice, and Chamomile, this beautifully textured, nourishing cream is soothing like ice on seriously sensitive skin. It provides skin with vaso constricting, repairing, and hydrating benefits to effectively reduce redness and inflammation, even the chronic inflammation associated with Rosacea. We love the great results for rosacea prone skin but also love its natural signature scent of French Rose. It’s one heavenly product so not hard to see why it’s loved by so many!“I have paid out a lot of money on products for my rosacea- this time I have hit the jackpot! After years of frustration and not wanting to go down the laser path I have found this cream and I can truely say it has helped my skin. It is calmer with less redness and flare ups. I intend to purchase the concentrate with my next RS2 cream order and see if that adds to the improvement.” – Sharon E For oily, hormonal skinPevonia Pure Skin Charcoal MaskProne to oily skin and pesky pimples? You could well be suffering from a hormonal complexion. A detoxifying charcoal mask will be your best bet! Pevonia’s Pure Skin Charcoal Mask is the perfect antidote for congested, oily or dull skin. It neutralises pollutants, draws out impurities and leaves skin glowing with pure freshness!“Being in my 50's I wasn't sure if this would dry my skin out, but I bought it coz I had a few breakouts - hormonal I guess. I've used it daily for about 3 days and it's totally cleared my skin up - it feels de-congested, clear and smooth. I love this mask “ – Melinda H For combination skinPevonia Balancing Combination Skin CreamWith a subtle lemongrass scent to die for and a soothing, silky texture which perfectly dissolves into skin on application, this moisturiser is a BC best-seller for very good reason! Perfect for those with combination skin, prone to oily t-zones, it effectively refines pores and controls oil and shine with skin nourishing ingredients including vitamin e, arnica and aloe. Get ready for smooth, soft and supple skin minus the excessive oil and congestion that it brings! Yes!“What’s not to love about this product? It provides just enough moisture for my combination skin, absorbs quickly, doesn't pill under makeup, doesn't cause me to breakout and the cherry on top....it smells AMAZING! The ingredient list is very clean so I know I'm providing some great nutrients to my skin.” – Dyan G For ageing skinMedicalia Retinol & C Care CreamRetinol – Hailed as the Holy Grail of the skincare world and for very good reason, retinol counteracts ageing like no other! A derivative of Vitamin A, this ‘superhero’ ingredient offers a multitude of benefits including boosting collagen production and erasing dark spots. It can also increase your cell turnover rate making cells function like that of a child! Amazing right?For those with advanced signs of ageing – wrinkles, loose and sagging skin, and uneven skin tone or dark spots, Medicalia’s Retinol & C Care Cream should be your go-to! This powerhouse product (and range!) is the perfect all-rounder! Formulated with Retinol, Hyaluronic, Squalane, and Marine Collagen, it deeply hydrates, smooths, brightens and firms!“This is the best product for aging skin I have found.” – Heather For skin slackeningPhytomer Structuriste Firming Contour SerumNo one likes seeing their skin start to sag as we age thanks to the breakdown in collagen and elastin, but with this miracle serum all is not lost! It’s beautifully lightweight and milky and effectively moisturises and improves skin tissue density by smoothing, firming and plumping the skin as well as enhancing the look of facial contours! Seriously!“I was recommended this serum by a friend and am so glad I was! I’m in my 60’s and have been concerned about my skin getting looser as I age. This serum smells divine and feels light and silky on application and in the month I’ve been using it, it has definitely made a difference to my skin. It is now more supple and visibly firmer too!” wonderful!” – Kylie DFor pigmentation and dark spotsPhytomer Emergence Even Skin Tone Refining SerumThis serum does it all! It actually diminishes the appearance of uneven pigmentation, acne, enlarged pores and dark spots with a formulation infused with alpha hydroxyl acids and glycolic acid. Skin really does immerge younger and healthier.“On my third bottle now and loved how it made a few of my dark spots disappear. It does take a while to see the results but it’s definitely worth the price!” Vickie K
Caffeine in skincare? The benefits and the products you’ll want to try
by Jo Boyden
on Jan 28 2022
If you are a lover of a morning coffee or are from a tea drinking family like me, you’ll be very familiar with your caffeine and how it helps get you through the day! But are you also familiar with how this hero ingredient (we’re talking green tea, black tea, coffee, green coffee and more) is present in many skin and body products too and for very good reason!Yup that’s right caffeine-infused skin and body care is a thing and has been for a number of years now. But why has caffeine in products become increasingly popular? We are here to unveil the 5 benefits and also the products formulated with caffeine that we are digging right now. It reduces redness Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it constricts small blood vessels and improves circulation which in turn helps reduce redness. Therefore, it’s an important ingredient in skincare for those suffering from rosacea or facial redness. It brightens the skin Just like its ability to ‘brighten your spirits!” Caffeine has the ability to brighten your skin too! Much like Vitamin C, it is packed with antioxidant properties, known to aid skin cells, neutralise free radicals and brighten your complexion. Decreases puffiness Caffeine is a great topical ingredient to improve puffiness and improve circulation in skin. Just as caffeine constricts blood vessels, reducing redness and facial flushing, it can also help decrease inflammation and puffiness. It can help reduce the appearance of cellulite Caffeine is the prime ingredient in many slimming and cellulite creams. This is because it has the ability to draw water out of fatty cells, and increase blood flow, stimulating the removal of fatty acid from the fatty layer of skin and in turn diminishing the appearance of cellulite. It has powerful anti-ageing benefits Caffeine is loaded with powerful antioxidants and when applied topically to your skin, the antioxidants attack free radicals generated from pollution and UV rays, providing temporary protection from premature aging. Free radicals are one of the main causes for fine lines and wrinkles as well as loss of elasticity in your skin. Our caffeine packed product favourites;One of BC’s biggest sellers year on year is the Pevonia RS2 Care Cream. Formulated with Green Tea, Licorice, and Chamomile, it’s a uniquely textured cream which provides your skin vaso-constricting, repairing, and hydrating benefits! Skin is visibly calmed, soothed, and completely decongested.Another firm favourite it Pevonia’s Lumafirm Repair Cream - lift and glow. This powerhouse cream works deeply and quickly, infusing your face, neck and décolleté with the best anti-free radicles, the latest generation of repairing peptides, and outstanding lightening actives for visible radiance.Believe it or not some makeup products are also formulated with caffeine! We love ELES Dual Action Concealer. Formulated with a multitude of skin loving ingredients including vitamin C, vitamin e and caffeine, this anti-aging concealer helps to gradually improve skin's texture while neutralizing dark circles and under eye puffiness. Eyes look beautifully refreshed and radiant. Its medium coverage formula provides continuous hydration and a natural longwearing finish.For the ultimate body product this summer, we are loving Pevonia’s Crepe-No-More Body Cream! It does it all! Softens, smooths, firms, tightens, slims and brightens skin! And not only is it rich in caffeine, it is also formulated with anti-ageing powerhouses hyaluronic acid and marine collagen, combined with longan-fruit extract, shea butter and squalane for intense moisturising to dry, ageing and crepey skin. It’s outstanding!As mentioned, caffeine is one of the prime ingredients in slimming and cellulite products and Pevonia’s Smooth & Tone Body Svelt Gel is no exception. Rich in Green Coffee and Seaweed this smoothing gel detoxifies and tones skin by boosting circulation while stimulating your body to perform a natural fat-splitting function: lipolysis. This proven-effective, microemulsified cream works to dramatically improve your skin’s overall texture.
How to get airbrushed-looking skin naturally
by Jo Boyden
on Nov 05 2021
Let’s face it… we all want it! Perfect skin, All. Of. The. Time, and with little evidence of makeup too! And sure, what with the likes of #facetuning every one of us can achieve a beautifully airbrushed complexion in our photos, but what about looking airbrushed the natural way, without the likes of apps?Armed with a few miracle makeup items you indeed can! Here’s how; STEP ONE: THE SKIN PREPPevonia Gentle Exfoliating CleanserThe key to nailing your makeup actually lies in the prep you do beforehand. For flawless airbrushed-looking skin you must start with a smooth, clean, flake-free canvas. Use a gentle exfoliating cleanser that will thoroughly cleanse skin as well as remove any build-up of excess oil and dead skin cells. Formulated with jojoba beads, Saponaria and chamomile, Pevonia’s Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser gently polishes skin with its unique creamy, granular texture, revealing a softer, smoother and brighter complexion after every single use!STEP TWO: THE MULTI-TASKERELES Age Defying BB Cream 30Loaded with Goji Berries, Minerals, Vitamins and Sun Protection this wonder base and ELES Cosmetics best-seller, is your skin care, primer, base and sunscreen in one! Skin caring and skin perfecting in one simple step!! Simply apply to cleansed skin for the silkiest and most undetectable coverage ever! STEP THREE: THE PERFECTORELES Dual Action ConcealerNothing takes the years off your face more than a great under-eye concealer and this is no exception! It not only covers dark circles, it smooths, brightens, depuffs and treats them too! Plus, its medium coverage formula provides continuous hydration and a natural longwearing finish. Select a shade lighter than your foundation and apply it beneath the eyes or wherever you see darkness. Pat into your skin with your finger to look as though you’ve just had 10 hours of blissful slumber.Make sure you always apply your concealer after foundation because then you really get a much-desired brightening effect.STEP FOUR: THE AIRBRUSHERELES Baked Finishing Powder - Diffused LightA compact full of miracles! Sweep over the skin for a soft airbrushed finish to any base. The glow-giving powder contains light-reflecting pigments to make skin look impossibly fresh and flawless while the gorgeous warm tones act like a photo filter on your skin. Sublime skin every time! STEP FIVE: THE YOUTH ENHANCERELES Baked BlushFor a pop of colour that makes skin look fresh, dewy and youthful try this! Six gorgeous shades multi-task as blush, eye shadow and when applied with a damp brush can even work as a matte lip colour!N.B if you tend to have a fair complexion, go for a lighter, more muted version of the blush shade you’d like to use! If you have darker skin, try a stronger, deeper version.
5 ways to look fresh faced everyday
by Jo Boyden
on Oct 15 2021
Wouldn’t we all love to wake to a fresh face every day? You know that perky looking, glowy skin we once donned many a year ago. Unfortunately, due to daily stresses, lack of sleep, environmental factors and more, our skin can look far from fresh and youthful! And instead, tired, dull and lacklustre. Urgh.The good news is however, that armed with a few key products and some insider tips, you can fake that fresh faced look daily! Firm and tighten your face with a supercharged serum It’ll leave your skin feeling super soft with a dewy, plumped appearance!Ok I have to admit I’m obsessed with my serums. And will not go a day without applying one before my moisturiser. They are the perfect skin booster, and in my eyes a complete necessity to your daily skincare routine, why? Because they help lock in moisture, working deep into your dermis thanks to their ability to penetrate the layers of the skin and work their magic. But also, because they tend to perform above and beyond many regular skincare products, due to their higher concentration of targeted active ingredients. To find out more about why you need a serum in your life click here.I have tried many a serum in my time, and while there are very few I don’t love, the two that stand out personally for me are Pevonia’s Age Correction Intensifier Collagen & MyOxy Caviar and Pevonia’s Vitamin C Complex.Pevonia’s Age Correction Intensifier Collagen & MyOxy Caviar is packed with anti-ageing and rehydrating goodness including collagen and hyaluronic acid that effectively nourish and oxygenate skin, repair cells, and diminish fine lines and wrinkles! Outstanding stuff.And when my skin needs a boost of radiance Pevonia’s C Complex becomes my other trusty go-to. Superhero glow-getter Vitamin C comes together with hydrating and anti-ageing powerhouse hyaluronic acid to quite literally drench skin with repairing antioxidants, deeply nourish and correct photo-damage! The citrus scent is simply heavenly, and it feels amazingly refreshing on application! But more importantly, the results speak for themselves! Radiant looking skin instantly. It’s the perfect morning pick-me-up! Seriously. Choose a multi-tasking moisturiser When skin is looking far from fresh, you really need to up the ante with your moisturiser. Look for moisturisers formulated with ingredients that will both refresh and brighten your complexion. Some ingredients to look out for include;Hyaluronic Acid (plumpness and firmness)Vitamin C (skin tone and brightness)Alpha Hydroxy Acids (fine lines, wrinkles, smoothness)Retinol (fine lines, wrinkles, skin texture)Marine Collagen (hydration, strength, elasticity)Peptides (skin texture and fine lines)As many of you will already know I have personally been in love with Pevonia’s Age Correction Marine Collagen Cream for years now! As have millions of others (since it is Pevonia’s global best-seller and for good reason!) Formulated with anti-ageing wonder ingredients marine collagen and hyaluronic, it’s a deeply nourishing, yet fine cream that feels amazing on application and really does leave skin radiant, super soft and supple, like it’s had that much-needed boost of moisture! I apply it every morning without fail!If I feel my skin is looking a little dull and needs that extra bit of pizzazz, I will up my night-time routine and turn to Pevonia’s Renewing Glycocides Cream before bed. It’s rich in AHA Glycolic, the super acid which dissolves the ‘glue’ that holds dead skins cells together. As the dead skin cells shed, the new smoother, brighter and younger looking skin underneath is revealed, so yes I do wake up to radiant, glowing skin as a result! Apply a de-puffing eye gel or serum An eye gel or serum will really help you refresh your tired eyes as well as improve with fine lines and wrinkles! Just look for products with key ingredients such as Green coffee, Vitamin C and Ginko Biloba, as they will help shrink capillaries and stimulate lymphatic drainage.Pevonia’s C Evolutive Eye Gel is a personal favourite of mine when it comes to tired, puffy eyes. Formulated with anti-ageing dynamo Vitamin C and skin saviours hyaluronic acid and Ginko Biloba it’ll have your peepers decongested and depuffed in one swift application! Lift and open your eyes by curling your eye lashes This can be really effective and makes sleepy eyes look all the more awake. Then apply two coats of mascara to lock in curls.For more tips on how to master bright, wide-awake eyes, click here. Buff highlighter into cheekbones for that lit from within glow If your skin is dull you need a little dose of liquid glow in the shape of an illuminator or highlighter! Apply to the tops of your cheekbones, brow bones and Cupid’s bow for a natural glow that will leave you looking rejuvenated and refreshed. Try ELES’s Stick Illuminator. I personally can’t get enough of it!You can also freshen the look of your skin instantly with more makeup you just need to follow a few key tips.
7 steps to bright, wide-awake eyes
by Jo Boyden
on Oct 08 2021
If you've had a late night recently, or many like me! your eyes are likely to give it away. The constant late nights I’ve been pulling to play catch up on the work I’ve missed in the day because #homeschooling have my eyes looking forever tired in the mornings. I’m talking the whole shebang. Puffy and red with dark under eye circles. Eek. However, just because I’m not getting enough shut-eye of a night doesn’t mean I’m stuck with this look by day! Luckily with the right products and a few makeup tricks, it’s possible to transform tired peepers to bright, wide awake eyes no matter how exhausted you feel! All you need to do is follow a few simple steps; Use a good depuffing eye gel or creamNever underestimate the power of a good eye gel! It can feel like heaven on your tired, puffy peepers, but more importantly, it has the ability to transform eyes in a matter of minutes. Tired eyes tend to look smaller, especially if the area beneath them is puffy. You can look more awake by applying a good eye gel or cream designed to de-puff your undereye area.Look for products that contain vitamin c for brightening and caffeine which helps reduce swelling by constricting the blood vessels. Also use a tapping motion with your finger which you apply it. This can help get rid of any fluid that’s accumulated under the delicate eye area. Pevonia’s C Evolutive Eye Gel is a personal favourite of mine. It’s a wonderful, cooling gel, formulated with anti-ageing dynamo Vitamin C, skin saviours hyaluronic acid and Ginkgo biloba, as well as green coffee and it’ll have your peepers decongested and depuffed in one swift application! If you are also battling dark, undereye circles we LOVE Vie Collection’s Chrono Eyes Puffiness-Dark Circles Wrinkles Cream. Yes, a mouthful to say, but a product that does exactly what it says. It’s a beautifully fine cream enriched with moisturising ingredients to nourish the eye area while reversing puffiness, dark circles, and wrinkles! Seriously! it gives immediate gratification thanks to a pearlescent finish that instantly brightens the eye area, and it has definitely calmed my puffiness, lightened my dark circles, and even smoothed my wrinkles! Invest in a gemstone rollerFrom rejuvenating jade to calm and soothing rose quartz, detoxifying Obsidian to purifying amethyst, we highly recommend introducing a gemstone roller into your morning ritual. As well as their many medicinal benefits, they can dramatically reduce puffiness by removing excess fluid around the eyes towards your lymph nodes where it filters out toxins! So clever! To find out more about gemstone rollers and their multitude of benefits click here. Use a colour-correcting concealerWhen it comes to camouflaging dark circle under eye circles, a concealer is by far your best bet. A good undereye concealer can give you complete coverage as well as make you look bright-eyed in seconds! Choose a shade that’s lighter than your natural skin tone as this will help brighten the area so you look like you’ve had plenty of sleep.For the most brightening effect, apply your concealer in a “V” or upside-down triangle shape beneath your eye. Swipe it directly under the eye, but bring it down to a point on your cheek beside your nostril and fill in the entire area. Blend well with a small makeup brush and then finish with a powder to set the concealer so it doesn’t crease.ELES’s Mineral Phototouch Concealer is my secret weapon for concealing my dark under eye circles, and helping me look like I’ve had 8 hours of blissful slumber as opposed to only 5! It’s formulated with Hyaluronic, Squalane, Vitamins A, C & E as well as light-reflective minerals and line filing micro-spheres to camouflage flaws, dark circles, blemishes and fine lines!And for the month of October when you purchase the ELES Mineral Phototouch concealer you get a small concealer brush for free - the ultimate duo for camouflaging dark under eye circles. Highlight corner of eyesAdd a little bit of white eye shadow to the inner corner of your eye. This quick trick can make eyes look wide awake and bright with one little dot of the finger. Equally apply with a small makeup brush.Use a white eyeliner or waterliner pencilTo make your eyes appear instantly wider, invest in a nude waterliner pencil, I promise you you’ll never look back. Simply apply your normal eyeliner (although don’t make the mistake I used to by applying black liner all around your eyes - top and bottom as well as your waterline - as this will only make your eyes appear so much smaller than they are!) then apply your waterliner to the inner rim of your lower lash line. (I use ELES’s Waterline liner). By doing so it’ll immediately open up your eyes as well as make the whites of your eyes look whiter. It works a treat! Curl Those LashesWhile applying lashings of mascara to lashes will enhance your eyes, remember to curl your lashes first. This will open up your eyes for a wide, doe-eyed look. While it might be a small step, it’s a subtle one that can make a big difference so don’t skip on it.Just be sure to apply two coats of mascara after curling. This will help lock the curl in place as well as add volume to your lashes. Pay attention to your browsAdding definition and shape to your eyebrows can completely transform your face and give the appearance of an instant eye lift….really! Start by brushing your eyebrows so the hairs are sitting naturally, then use a soft, waxy brow pencil like the ELES Precision Brow Pencil to shape and fill in your brows using short, hair-like strokes. Next define and ‘lift’ brows by using a white eyeliner as a brow highlighter. Line below and above your eyebrows and smudge it out with a sponge or fingertip. You can also opt to use a highlighter if you don’t have a white liner on hand. Read more on how to create the perfect brows.
7 of the most common skin concerns – solved!
by Jo Boyden
on Sep 01 2021
We are all on the quest for healthy, flawless skin, but sadly many of us fall victim to a number of common skin conditions, from acne to hyperpigmentation, rosacea flare ups to enlarged pores and more. And now more than ever, many of us are seeing these exacerbated thanks to the stress that lockdown can bring!But there is no need to suffer in silence, the experts at Beauty Collective have your back and we are here to help solve your concerns. Read on to discover 7 of the most common skin conditions and how to combat them! AcneJust when you thought your years of pesky pimples were behind you, you’re hit with a new phase of blemishes – adult acne. Probably the most common of all skincare concerns, acne is triggered by a variety of causes – from oil production to hormone imbalance, bad diet and genetics - and comes in many forms! So, if you’ve been trying to resolve your acne with no success it may well be because you’ve misdiagnosed which type of acne you are suffering from, and sadly mistreating it can have an adverse effect on your skin’s health! Before you can truly begin to work out how to combat those blemishes you need to understand more about acne and how to correctly treat your type. Check out our blog Acne explained: Which type do you suffer from and how to best treat it, for everything you need to know. Skin sensitivity and rosaceaIf your skin tends to react to everything and anything, you are prone to facial flair-ups and you suffer from inflammation you are one of many suffering from serious skin sensitivity and possibly rosacea.Unfortunately, any number of factors can contribute to skin sensitivity some of which are out of our control – genetics, the environment, the weather, our hormones, the water – but by following some simple lifestyle tips you can banish the blush, hugely improve your complexion, as well as your confidence too! Read more here. HyperpigmentationHyperpigmentation, otherwise known as dark spots, is another very common skin concern. The condition most commonly occurs due to overproduction of melanin, the natural pigment in the skin, which is why it’s often exacerbated during the sunny summer months (thank you sunshine!) However, it can also occur due to inflammation caused by conditions like acne (just want you don’t need) and while hyperpigmentation can be hard to avoid for some, you can definitely help reduce its severity.There are 4 key ingredients to look out for in your skincare when targeting hyperpigmentation, these include; vitamin C, retinol, AHA’s and BHA’s. Sunscreen is also a MUST. We all know wearing SPF daily is a game changer, after all it can prevent sunburn, skin cancer and premature aging! But did you know wearing SPF can also dramatically decrease your chances of getting hyperpigmentation as well as reducing it too!For the fight against hyperpigmentation, I highly recommend Vie Collection’s Mela White Protective Sunscreen SPF30, this amazing daily cream is formulated with two high-tech ingredients that act against dark spots, free radicals and UV rays. After daily use dark spots become less visible and skin more unified.For your daily moisturiser Medicalia’s L Retinol Smoothing Cream should be your go-to when it comes to battling hyperpigmentation! Formulated with retinol, Glycolic and Lactic Acid, it’s an excellent resurfacing and lightening cream for photodamaged skin. Just be sure to introduce it slowly and apply before bed. To learn more about retinol click here.For that important dose of vitamin C, we love Pevonia’s C Complexe. Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid work together to hydrate, correct photo damage and drench your skin with repairing antioxidants for a revitalized, youthful glow. It’s really good stuff and I’m a testament to that! Dry skinIf you’re like me and a sufferer of dry, devitalised skin, I feel you! Whether your skin is in need of a burst of hydration all year round, or it’s currently an issue due to winter and lockdown, the most important way to address your dry skin is to keep skin nourished and moisturised, religiously. Click here to learn about the 5 best products to bring your dry skin back to life. Dull skinThe most common cause of dull lacklustre skin is a build-up of dead skin cells. Urgh. This happens when we neglect to slough them away! Weekly skin exfoliation is therefore a necessity for all of us! Even those with sensitive skin. Look for an exfoliator that will help brighten your complexion as well as smooth your skin. Pevonia’s Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser is my go-to. This rather lovely, gentle exfoliator will not only remove unwanted dead nasties but will promise to have your skin impeccably clean, soft and radiant in a matter of moments too!I also love Pevonia’s Enzymo Spherides Peeling Cream! Yes, that product I love to rave about! It combines natural fruit pineapple and papaya enzymes to gently and effectively eliminate impurities, blackheads, dead cells, and toxins and it’s so easy to use! Simply apply a thin layer to cleansed skin, wet your fingertips with warm water (this will help to ‘wake up’ the enzymes) and work the peeling cream with gentle massage movements into skin, leave on for 5 minutes and then thoroughly rinse away.Using this once a week will help you gain a brighter, smoother, clearer complexion. Trust me. Just don’t let the word ‘peel’ put you off!Another tip for reviving dull skin? Adding a vitamin C serum, like Pevonia’s “C” Complexe to your skin care regimen. This serum will help boost radiance while reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Win, win! Enlarged poresLarge pores for many can be a real nuisance! After all, it's so common for people to stress over their size. This is because the smaller the pores, the clearer your skin appears, and in many cases, size does matter! Enlarged pores can indicate clogging and or oil and bacteria build up! Check out our blog 5 ways to effectively reduce your pores for the intel on the products you need in your life. Dark circles & puffy eyesStaring at a screen more than ever since #lockdown? Pulling late nights to play catch up and as a result, eyes looking tired? And dark circles more apparent? Tick, tick, tick!Too much screen time and a lack of sleep can result in puffy eyes and dark circles! So when it comes to addressing these issues it’s all about using the right eye products to help counteract their appearance. Fed up of your tired, puffy eyes? Here’s what you need.
10 of the best makeup tips for tired, devitalised skin
by Jo Boyden
on Aug 04 2021
Six weeks of lockdown hasn’t been kind to my skin. Most likely due to the never-ending late nights trying to play catch up on the work I’ve missed during the day because #homeschooling. And while I do love to preach about the importance of sleep, I’m sadly now a testament to how lack of sleep can affect your skin! Eek!You see I’m religious about my daily skincare ritual, nothing is getting in the way of that! But there is only so much my beloved products can do for this dull, devitalised complexion I’m currently donning. And while there is no painting the town red at present, I am doing daily video calls with my team and hitting the local parks with my kids and their pup so putting my best face forward is still a must! Cue the miracle of makeup and the 10 game-changing tips I follow daily to wage the war on this dull, dreary skin of mine! So if like me, you’ve not managed to catch enough shut eye but still need to look fresh faced on camera, keep reading! If you can’t make it, then fake it right? 1. Don’t forget to properly prep!As I said I’m a stickler for my morning skincare ritual and you should be too! Trying to conceal tired, lack-lustre skin won’t come easy unless you have properly prepped.Firstly, dry, dull skin lacks youthful luminosity, so exfoliating is a necessity! We’re not talking daily though, just once or twice a week depending on your skin type will suffice, as too much exfoliation can be counterproductive.If your skin is a little on the sensitive side, exfoliation is still important just be sure to opt for a super gentle formula – I LOVE Pevonia’s Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, it gently polishes your skin with its unique creamy, granular texture. But if granules scare you, I also highly recommend Phytomer’s Vegetal Exfoliant with Natural Enzymes. It’s a soft exfoliant for even the most sensitive or rosacea prone skin and uses natural enzymes to encourage cell turnover without scrubbing or irritating your skin. Washing your face in the morning is a must but make sure the water isn’t too warm! I love cleansing and then splashing my face with cold water! Not only does it wake me up but the cold-water boosts circulation and helps constrict blood vessels to temporarily tighten pores and reduce redness and puffiness too! Remember washing your face with warm to hot water will only dry out your skin as it strips away its natural oils. Boo.Finally make sure you moisturise. I love to slather my skin with my favourite serum first (my latest love is Pevonia’s Age Correction Intensifier Collagen & MyOxy Caviar, this is because it’s packed with anti-ageing and rehydrating goodness including collagen and hyaluronic acid), then next apply my moisturiser. Dehydrated skin plays a big part in making your face look dull, plus any dry patches will make foundation uneven. 2. Choose a foundation that will enhance your skin not just mask itIf your skin is dull and lacking life you want to choose a foundation with hydrating and skin brightening benefits. After all your foundation should enhance your complexion, not mask it. Change up your foundation for one formulated with hyaluronic and Vitamin A, these key ingredients will help skin appear more hydrated, plumped and healthy.ELES Cosmetics range of foundations are all formulated with these skin boosting ingredients. And for dreary, devitalized skin a sheer or satin-finish foundation will be your best bet, especially as skin tends to be drier in the cooler, winter months too.I am a huge lover of the ELES Age Defying BB Cream 20. It is a multi-tasking miracle! It literally primes, tints, nourishes, protects, blurs and evens out your skin tone for a truly, natural, flawless finish. And thanks to its skin-loving ingredients over time it helps to promote cell health, strengthen elasticity, reduce the appearance of fine lines and restore that natural glow you once donned! What’s more, you’ll feel as though you aren’t even wearing makeup!3. Use a good under-eye concealer for an instant eye liftTo hide those dark circles and puffy tired eyes, ensure you are armed with a fabulous concealer! I’m obsessed with Pevonia’s Eye Renew Conceal & De-Age Treatment at present. It honestly gives me an instant eye lift every morning! It’s an eye cream and clever concealer in one! It’s packed with amazing anti-ageing and eye nurturing ingredients, and on application dark circles and puffiness literally diminish within seconds.If you don’t need another eye cream and you are just looking for a simple concealer, try ELES’s Liquid Concealer. You won’t be disappointed!4. Brighten eyes with a waterline eyelinerInvesting in a waterline eyeliner will be a game changer for tired eyes. All you need to do is line your bottom waterline for an instantly wide-eyed effect. We promise you it’s worth the money as one swipe will truly create brighter, more awake eyes. And remember to always finish by applying lashings of mascara to your top lashes.5. Apply a little bronzerWe are all on a quest for that healthy youthful glow, especially in the winter months when it’s almost non-existent, but dusting copious amounts of bronzer all over our nose, chin, cheeks and forehead can play up fine lines and large pores as the powder sinks into them. The best way (and the most flattering!) is to apply your bronzer with a bronzer brush to the perimeter of your face in the shape of a number three. Start on your forehead near your temples and loop down to the tops of your cheekbones, then curve out and around again along your jaw.6. Illuminate your face with a highlighterIf your skin is dull you need a little dose of liquid glow in the shape of an illuminator or highlighter! Apply to the tops of your cheekbones, brow bones and Cupid’s bow for a natural glow that will leave you looking rejuvenated and refreshed. Try ELES Stick Illuminator. I personally can’t get enough of it!7. Make sure you use a blushJust a few swipes of blush will not only add colour and depth to your cheeks but can make your entire complexion look healthier, and your skin more youthful. It adds an extra glow that bronzer and highlighter just can't mimic. Just be sure to apply it correctly - use a blush brush and lift colour upwards towards your temple from the apple of your cheek. I’ve been using the ELES Baked Blush for years now and just love its pigmented colour, easy application and the healthy-looking finish it gives me.8. Distract from tired eyes by accentuating your poutIf no amount of concealer seems to be hiding those dark circles then it’s time to distract from tired eyes! To take attention away use a pop of colour on your pout! Every day I use the ELES Gel Lipliner to line and add definition to my lips and follow with a swipe of my favourite shade of ELES Colour Balm. It combines the payoff of a sheer lipstick with the superior shine of a gloss and I love how hydrating it is for my lips.9. Fake full browsCreating the perfect brows can completely transform your face and make you look 10 years younger, you just need to know how. You want to create instantly fake fullness and to do this you need to fill brows in with the perfect brow pencil! Just be sure you don’t overfill the front part of your brow though! This area should have soft hair that graduates into more density. If you overfill this area you can make your eye brows look way too harsh. Read more on how to create perfect brows.10. Finally get a little more shut-eye IF you canWhile this is an impossibility for me at the moment, I’m hoping it won’t be for the majority of you! As I’ve said many a time before not enough shut-eye can have serious ramifications on our skin! We need to think of sleep as an essential step in our daily skincare routine. Not only will plenty of shut-eye let skin cells regenerate overnight, it will also help prevent dark under-eye circles which make us ALL look tired and older than our years. And we know, no one is choosing to be sleep deprived, the stresses of everyday life can seriously prevent us from getting the amount of sleep we crave, but if it’s possible to try and get our heads down at a reasonable time and try to stick to it nightly, it’ll improve quality of sleep and in turn have a positive impact on our complexion too!
Skin suffering from stress and fatigue? 11 products to battle the blues
by Jo Boyden
on Jun 29 2021
If you weren’t already feeling the stress that daily life can bring, I bet your bottom dollar, many of us are now! With the ever-growing covid numbers (here we go again) and two weeks of lockdown for Sydneysiders in full swing, it’s a wee bit hard to maintain a zen-like attitude to life (Oh and I do but try!) Then throw in a few kids under your feet 24-7 while working a full-time job from home, and it’s enough to send anyone a little bit batty (pardon the covid pun!)Unfortunately, stress, anxiety and fatigue, can impact not only your mind and body but your skin too!The good news is, a little beauty TLC can make all the difference, you just need to make sure you’re armed with the right products! So if your skin is suffering the consequences of stress, your anxiety has reared it’s head, or you're simply feeling fatigued, here’s what your skin needs; Stressed skinWhen you are tense, your body releases stress hormones including cortisol, which can increase the skin's oil production, leading to clogged pores and making you more prone to pimples (great!) Thankfully, there’s skincare. And spot-specific skincare at that! So if you’re waging war on spots, opt for blemish-busting ingredients like glycolic and salicylic acid.Try; Pevonia Spot Treatment. It’s a fab anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, soothing spot cream formulated with Glycolic and Salicylic Acid, Betaglucan and Aloe, which combine to provide a beautifully clean, clear, and bacteria-free complexion.Try; Medicalia Clarifying Cleanser. Perfect for those with breakout-prone skin, this foamy cleanser formulated with a balanced blend of Lactic and Salicylic Acid, provides antiseptic and keratolytic benefits while effectively cleansing skin eliminating toxins, impurities and surface bacteria (as well as makeup of course!). Extra bonus – it combats any skin inflammation which can go hand in hand with those pesky pimples!Try; Medicalia Clarifying Cream. This is a wonderfully light-textured, oil free cream which really does control acne while magically preventing futures blemishes too! Containing a powerhouse blend of Glycolic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Sorbitol and other soothing and protecting ingredients, it promotes a healthier and beautifully hydrated complexion.And let’s not forget the body! Try; Pevonia’s Anti-Stress Bath and Shower Gel morning and/or night! Relaxing and soothing, it will enhance your bath and shower with its aromatic foaming gel. Hazel Nut Oil, Chamomile, and Lavender combine to cleanse and hydrate. Soothing and de-stressing, your entire being is transported to an aromatherapy oasis.Suffering from anxietyMore than ever due to these times of increased uncertainty and adjustment, our skin will be experiencing the results of anxiety – think skin sensitivities, facial redness, rosacea. It’s important to try and relax and hopefully dial down those unwanted feelings of unease. Much-loved calming scents include the likes of lavender, ylang ylang and chamomile. And if you are suddenly suffering from facial flare ups ensure you use (or introduce) nurturing and relieving ingredients into your daily skincare program.Ingredients such as Green Tea, Licorice and French Rose Essential Oil will effectively reduce flushing, skin irritation and rosacea while hydrating, calming and soothing the skin.Try; Pevonia RS2 Care Cream. One of our most loved skincare ranges (and a global favourite) is the Pevonia RS2 line. It has been specifically formulated for those with ultra-sensitive skin to desensitize and decongest, while effectively relieving Rosacea discomfort.Try; Pevonia Soothing Propolis Concentrate. Bathe your skin in this soothing, magical serum combining calming lavender with a high concentration of healing propolis from the Jura Mountains of France, and really enrich your skin! Antibacterial and decongesting, it alleviates microcirculation problems and strengthens fragile skin.Try; Phytomer Oligomer Well-Being Sensation Essential Mineral Relaxing Bath. Little instantly reduces anxiety quite like switching off our on button and relaxing in a remineralizing bath. Throw in some soothing sounds and calming candles and see how your entire being relaxes. Phytomer’s Oligomer Well-Being Sensation Essential Mineral Relaxing Bath will create the unparalleled soothing spa experience you need! It’s an amazing lightly foaming bath ‘sensation’ enriched with Oligomer – a partially sodium-reduced seawater concentrate that contains all of the remineralizing properties of seawater –to strengthen and restore the skin and release all pent-up tension. Yassss.Feeling fatiguedIf you’re feeling fatigued your skin will visibly reflect it. You know that pale, dull and devitalized complexion, dark, puffy peepers and exacerbated fine lines we all love to hate. This is because when we are tired the blood in our body is not flowing efficiently which normally results in a lack of oxygen in the blood.Like with most skin conditions, there are ways to tackle this. Nourishing face oils, miracle masks and brightening serums will be your best friend! Packed full of skin loving ingredients, they’ll give your skin the glow it so desperately seeks.Try; Phytomer Souffle Marin Energizing Oxygenating Serum. This light serum literally coats the skin in pure oxygen, providing the cells with the vivid rejuvenation they need. Formulated with marine extracts, the invigorating, moisturising blend, ensures fresher, more youthful skin with an overall increase in visible radiance.Try; Phytomer Citadine Citylife Face and Eye Contour Sorbet Cream. Formulated in a refreshing sorbet texture and suitable for face and eye contour, this cream is just what you need to reoxygenate your tired skin. A combination of three marine sugars create the active ingredient, CITYSAFE®, to depollute, cleanse and oxygenate the skin. CITYSAFE®, along with blue and red algaes and Phytomer’s patented seawater concentrate - Oligomer®, reset skin repairing damage caused by signs of fatigue, dark spots and a dull complexion. CITYLIFE not only sweeps away toxic micro particles but provides an ultra moisturising facial experience too!Try; Phytomer Citylife Radiance Reviving Mask. Combining 100% natural red and white clay with the best of marine ingredients, this mask instantly unclogs pores and counters the signs of fatigue, dark spots and dullness! After every application, the appearance of tired skin is diminished and replaced with a radiant and renewed complexion. LOVE.Try; Pevonia Vitaminic Concentrate. The radical treatment oil for skin lacking lustre, combats dullness and dehydration with a burst of vitamins A and E and Mandarin Essential Oil, so your complexion will look beautifully brighter and rejuvenated by morning. What’s more it has the most amazing aroma which alone helps calm the senses, and even though it’s an oil, it’s fast absorbing so you know it’s doing great stuff to your skin!
You’ve not experienced glowing skin until you’ve tried this
by Jo Boyden
on Mar 23 2021
Just as we are told to keep up our daily intake of fresh fruit and veggies, thanks to the multitude of vitamins they contain, it’s equally as important to apply vitamins topically to our skin for optimum skin health. While vitamin E helps increase nutrient levels and inflammation and vitamin A is a real wrinkle fighter, it is wonder ingredient - vitamin C that receives all the beauty buzz and for very good reason.Recommended by every beauty expert as a go-to ingredient in your beauty arsenal, this notorious glow-getter not only radially brightens skin, lessening hyperpigmentation, it also increases collagen production (which diminishes with age) and protects skin against pollution and sun damage by effectively neutralising free radicals (which can wreak havoc by harming healthy skin cells as well as promoting premature ageing – we are talking fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots and more…eek!)So if you suffer from hyperpigmentation or your skin is literally lacking life and needs some serious brightening, vitamin c should be your go-to. We promise you when we say you haven’t experienced glowing skin until you have a vitamin c rich routine, and these 5 BC favourites will help you achieve just that. For those who need the perfect pick-me upPevonia Vitamin C ComplexeFor the ultimate skin brightening boost, this product is a must! Vitamin C and hydration hero hyaluronic acid, work together to quite literally drench skin with repairing antioxidants, deeply nourishing skin while correcting photo-damage. Not only does it have the most beautiful citrus aroma, when applied skin looks instantly brighter and dewier too! For those with maturing skin concernsVie Collection Vita C SolutionWe can’t recommend this skin-smoothing serum enough! It provides rapid revitalising for maturing skin, brightening and enhancing skin tone like never before with boosted (10%) vitamin C to truly promote a healthy, beautiful glow. For those with blemish-prone skinPhytomer White Lumination Brightening Serum This ultra-light serum which visibly lights up the complexion helps reduce the appearance of blemishes to achieve an even tone and skin that literally glows from within! For a flawless baseELES Cosmetics Luminous CC Cream 20The ultimate skin correcting cream, ELES’s Luminous CC not only adapts to skin tones for a flawless foundation, its skin nourishing and brightening ingredients help even tone and diminish imperfections too. It’s not one of ELES Cosmetic’s best-sellers for nothing! One for the eyes….Pevonia “C” Evolutive Eye GelIf you love the feeling of a cooling eye gel to soothe and depuff your peepers, this product is the one for you. Anti-ageing dynamo Vitamin C is the star ingredient in this eye gel. The skin saviour coupled with hyaluronic acid and Ginkgo Biloba is a sure thing for cooling tired eyes and effectively decongesting and de-puffing them in one swift application.
10 beauty hacks from the BC Pros that you’ll absolutely love
by Jo Boyden
on Feb 18 2021
Who doesn’t love a beauty hack? A quick tip or trick to help you look your best in next to no time (especially great for all us mums on the go or those who always find themselves a little time poor.) Well the team at BC have compiled their forever favourites, the hacks they use daily and we thought we’d share them with you! Happy reading…Keep lip colour in place all dayWe all love a long wearing lippie but using them doesn’t mean it won’t smudge and seep out of the lines of your lips a little. If you aren’t armed with a lip primer to keep it in place all day, simply apply your lipstick then try putting some blotting paper (a tissue will do) over your lips and dabbing on some translucent powder. This should keep it in place through coffee, cake, and kisses!This might be an oldie and one you’ve heard many a time before but are you doing it daily?Perfectly lined lips every timeIsn’t it annoying when you’ve worn down a new lipliner and no matter how much your sharpen it you can never quite get that perfect sharp tip as you had the first time you used it. Well, all is not lost! Instead of using it right out of your makeup bag simply pop it in the fridge overnight or even for a matter of minutes can help. When it comes time to apply, your lip liner should be hard enough to create perfectly lined lips.Conceal correctly for an instant face liftThe most natural and most effective way to conceal under-eye bags and dark circles is to draw a triangle in concealer under the eyes with the baseline of the triangle directly under your eye and the point toward your cheek. This shape not only conceals dark circles but also gives you an instant facelift! Go on give it a try!Plump up your lashes with translucent powderNot keen on the fake eyelash look but want your lashes to appear fuller, and flirtier? Sure! Simply take a translucent foundation powder and using a makeup brush dust it over your eyelashes between the first and second coats of mascara. The powder has grip so will stick to your coated lashes helping plump them up for that thicker, fuller, voluminous look.N.B. When applying your mascara be sure to press bristles against your upper and lower lash lines and then wiggle the wand as you go from root to tip. This will make sure you’ve fully coated each and every lash as well as adding length!Forgo the black eye lineDespite its popularity lining eyes with black liner can make eyes appear so much smaller than they are! Don’t apply black liner to your lower lash line and waterline, instead line the top part of your eye with black eye liner, the bottom with brown and be sure to line your waterline with a white or nude waterline liner to really open up your eyes. Make your eyeshadow really popFor really stand-out eyes, instead of just applying a white or nude liner to your waterline, try applying a layer to your eyelids too. Haven’t got a white liner? That’s on try a dab of concealer instead. This will hold eye shadow in place as well as creating a neutral base for shadow making your eyeshadow shades look beautifully bright.Nail a simply smokey eyeWho doesn’t love a smokey eye look for a special occasion? But the time required, the several different shades of eyeshadow and a whole lot of blending equals big effort, and not everyone has time for that! But all is not lost, there is a fast and easy alternative and it can be just as effective – promise. Simply use an eye pencil to draw a slanted hashtag above the outer corners of your eyes and blend with the smudger end of your pencil.Say goodbye to smudged eyesNo one likes to look in the mirror and see a line of black smeared under their eyes. Thank you mascara (eye roll) to clean up both eyeshadow fall out and smudged mascara use a sponge (I recommend the good old beautyblender) and makeup primer as opposed to makeup remover, this picks up the shadow and leaves the concealer so no need to reapply!Get an instant eye liftLine below and above your eyebrows with highlighter or white eye liner and smudge It to really define brows. You’ll look like you’ve had an instant eye lift!Quick drying nailsIn a rush but applied nail polish and now need nails to dry faster? No problem! Simply immerse your fingers in a bowl of iced or cold water for one to three minutes to cut their drying time in half!
Looking tired? 8 beauty tricks to fake a good night’s sleep
by Jo Boyden
on Feb 10 2021
Holidays are over, schools are back and the daily juggle of work, kids, well life, in general has you once again looking like you haven’t slept for days. Fear not, while 9 hours of blissful slumber might be something of yesteryear you can fake a seriously good night's sleep if you are armed with a few key products! So read on to learn about our top beauty tips that’ll have you looking fabulously fresh in next to no time and with minimal effort….we promise! Breath life back into tired eyes First things first, after cleansing your skin, applying a soothing and cooling eye gel immediately to your undereye area is a must. Just look for products with key ingredients such as Green coffee, Vitamin C and Ginko Biloba, as they will help shrink capillaries and stimulate lymphatic drainage.Pevonia’s C Evolutive Eye Gel is a personal favourite of mine when it comes to tired, puffy eyes. Formulated with anti-ageing dynamo Vitamin C and skin saviours hyaluronic acid and Ginko biloba it’ll have your peepers decongested and depuffed in one swift application! Invest in a gemstone roller From rejuvenating jade to calm and soothing rose quartz, detoxifying Obsidian to purifying amethyst, we highly recommend introducing one of these rollers into your morning ritual. As well as their many medicinal benefits, they have the ability to dramatically reduce puffiness by removing excess fluid around the eyes towards your lymph nodes where it filters out toxins! So clever! To find out more click here. Use a collagen-boosting serum Lack of sleep has the ability to cause your body to produce the stress hormone cortisol which in turn breaks down collagen and leads to premature ageing (great!) so make sure you start your morning skincare routine armed with a collagen-boosting serum AND moisturiser to nourish and restore stressed and dehydrated skin.Pevonia’s best-selling Age Correction Intensifier Collagen and MyOxy Caviar and Marine Collagen Cream are both a must. Not only are they loved by so many around the world, but they have also been a staple of mine for years and I’d highly recommend the duo to everyone. Used in unison they effectively nourish and oxygenate skin, repair cells, and diminish fine lines and wrinkles. You can thank me later. Be armed with a good concealer With exhaustion comes black undereye circles and red bloodshot eyes so you need to reduce the darkness and brighten the area at the same time. The best way to do this is arm yourself with a really good concealer specifically for the delicate eye area. Simply dot the concealer using your pinky finger (the warmth of your fingers will help the concealer to melt into your skin creating a smooth, natural application). My go-to concealer is the ELES Dual Action Concealer. Its an anti-ageing wonder rich in Vitamins E & C, caffeine, collagen, hyaluronic acid and Tetrapeptide 5 which works to depuff, smooth, brighten and conceal the eyes, neutralizing dark circles. Its moisturising formula also provides continuous hydration as well as a natural longwearing finish meaning it lasts for hours without seeping into fine lines and wrinkles! Bonus! Line the eyes with nude You do not want to exacerbate the look of blood shot eyes, so steer clear of lining eyes with dark eyeliners especially on the bottom lash line. Instead transform tired eyes by applying a white or nude liner to the bottom lash line AKA your waterline. Here at BC, we love the ELES Waterline liner. Using a white or nude eyeliner extends the whites of your eyes making them look bigger and in turn more awake. Don’t forget your eyeshadow You’ve lined your eyes with a good waterliner pencil but another true hero to creating wide-awake eyes is eyeshadow! A nude shadow palette with just a few shades will be your new best friend. Check out the new ELES Naturals Collection Eyeshadow Trios, with a choice of four palettes in gorgeous neutral shades there is an option to suit everyone.Start by applying the lightest shade (the white or nude) from your chosen palette over your entire lid all the way to the inner corner using a base shadow brush. You really need this light shadow as it’ll help open up your eyes and really make them ‘pop’. Next, use a tapered blending brush to apply the medium shade into your crease (the curve above your eyelid) blending from the outer corners inwards. Using the same brush, now apply the darkest shade to the outer corner of your eyelid. Applying this darker shadow slightly beyond your crease is the key to adding real dimension to your eyes. Bronze and blush for a healthy glow. We all know lack of sleep can have us looking a little on the pasty side even if we are donning a bit of a tan! To instantly enhance said pasty skin apply a good bronzer for that much-needed healthy look, as well as a little rouge blush on the apples of your cheeks. We love the ELES Baked Bronzer and Blushes. These super-fine powders are baked to a lightweight, silky and subtle pearl finish that imparts a brilliantly radiant glow. Add a little colour to your lips We might not all be a fan of the red lip all year round, but a little rouge lip colour to perk up pale lips will go a long way in transforming a tired, sallow complexion. If lipstick isn’t your thing, opt for a little gloss instead. I apply my ELES Colour Balm in Siren every single day. It combines the payoff of a sheer lipstick with the superior shine of a gloss. You won’t be disappointed! So go forth and try these top tips and enjoy never being told you look tired again!
What’s the deal with gemstone facial rollers? Understanding the benefits
by Jo Boyden
on Dec 17 2020
In 2018 “jade rollers” became all the rage in the world of beauty, beloved by beauty bloggers and skincare experts alike. Fast forward a few years and a few developments and the latest trend to take centre stage is “gemstone rollers”, an array of facial rollers made of semi-precious stones including; amethyst, obsidian, rose quartz, jade and more.
But what exactly is the benefit of these rollers? And will they really make a difference to your skin? The answer is yes and we are here to tell you how and why.Often touted as an “anti-aging tool, gemstone rollers offer a multitude of benefits which ultimately results in better skin when used regularly and correctly. Not only do they feel amazing on your face, but by rolling them across your cheeks, chin and forehead, you’ll slowly open up pathways, improving lymphatic flow, clearing toxins, decreasing puffiness, stimulating collagen production, reducing fine lines and more! They even have the ability to release tension which many people carry in their jaws!Adding a gemstone roller to your daily skincare routine will become your most soothing self-care ritual (you’ll be amazed at how calming it can make you feel) but sadly there is no one size fits all. Just as with crystals, each roller has its own specific advantages, so you need to look at the individual properties of the gemstone and go for the one(s) which calls to you the most!
Jade Facial Roller
Best for toning and defining skin
Ideal for those concerned with wrinkles and loose skin, jade helps raise the immunity of the skin. It’s known for its ability to help tone and firm skin cells, stimulate collagen production, increase elasticity, calm puffiness and promote cell turn over!
Physically, this crystal has more resistance on skin than rose quartz and amethyst, so while it’s not as silky and glass-like in texture, it is better for achieving firming and lifting results including smoothing wrinkles, sculpting muscle, and tightening loose skin.
It’s best to use this roller in the morning since jade has a revitalising energy that helps skin to feel fresh and invigorated.
Jade Facial Smooth and Textured Roller
Best for toning, defining and rejuvenating skin
Just as with its counterpart this roller is best for those wishing to tone and firm their skin.
The two different roller ends pose their own benefits. The smooth end helps to aid in lymphatic drainage and reduce puffiness, while the textured end stimulates the blood circulation and helps increase oxygen in the skin cells and collagen in the dermis.
Again, this roller is best used in the morning, since it has a revitalising energy that helps skin to feel fresh and invigorated.
Rose Quartz Facial Roller
Best for soothing and calming skin
The ultimate beauty stone, known as the “crystal of Venus” (the goddess of love and beauty), Rose Quartz delivers inner healing and clears complexity. This ‘emotional healer’ is great for reducing and releasing impurities and stress in the skin. It’s best for detoxifying while soothing and calming sensitive skin. But also has great properties that increase circulation to the skin, promoting collagen production.
Rose quartz also happens to have inherent minerals- silicium, magnesium, iron, sodium and oxygen - that skin can topically borrow and benefit from when rolling and thanks to the stone staying very cool it is ideal for those suffering from a sensitive or inflamed complexion.Obsidian Facial Roller
Best for detoxifying and balancing skin
Unlike the other stones, Black Obsidian naturally retains warmth and is great to use on congested, blemish prone skin. With consistent use it brings imbalances to the surface so that they can be released, this is because the warmth of the obsidian encourages stimulation of the lymphatic system and circulation.
The Obsidian Facial Roller also helps to tighten pore and balance your skin tone and leaves skin feeling purified and refreshed.
To warm our Black Obsidian Roller, we recommend placing it in a glass of warm water for a minute or two before use.
Amethyst Facial Roller
Best for purifying blemish-prone skin
Amethysts are powerful and protective stones that have the ability to soothe away day-to-day stresses. They emit infrared rays which slightly raises skin temperature increasing circulation. This enables the body to produce cortisol which calms inflammation and redness and nourishes skin cells with oxygen and nutrients to keep them healthy and encourage regeneration.
Thanks to its negative-charge, amethyst also draws out positively charged toxins and free radicals to cleanse and detoxify skin. These detoxifying powers mean that amethyst helps to prevent bacteria growth and tighten pores, so is recommended for blemish-prone skin.
Now you’ve selected the gemstone roller or rollers that sound right for your skin's needs but how exactly do you use it now and how often?
We recommend cleansing your skin first, then applying a small amount of a light oil or serum with the roller. Starting at the chin, use broad, long strokes horizontally to the hairline - you should apply slight pressure but not so that it is "pulling" your skin. Then, from the nose, gently roll towards the ear - smoothing the skin under the eyes.
Moving up, use the small end of the roller around the corner of the eye, rolling to the temples.
Last up, place the roller above the eyebrow and push up towards the hairline. You can also finish by rolling horizontally from the middle of the forehead out towards the temples.
For optimum results, you can use a roller everyday, but we would recommend using it after cleansing your face and neck. You can actually use it up to twice a day, but one should be plenty. If there is however a day where you feel like your skin is especially puffy, then morning and evening should work wonders!
Finally, you need to remember to regularly clean your roller since it’s a facial tool and can easily spread bacteria. Ideally, it’s best to clean them with warm water and soap as you would any other beauty tool, pat try and then store in a clean, dry place. But for a more spiritual clean, you can wash the roller in salt water. Salt is considered cleansing and will help draw negative energies out of the roller so they don’t transfer back to your skin.
Fed up of tired, puffy eyes? Here’s what you need
by Jo Boyden
on Dec 04 2020
Did you hit the snooze button one too many times this morning? Because yup we’ve hit that crazy busy, exhausting time of year again, or have allergies left you looking like you just pulled an all-nighter? Well, you can get rid of those tired eyes in a flash with the help of some of our favourite eye products. What’s more, they are firm favourites of you, our BC customers too! Vie Collection Chrono Eyes Puffiness-Dark Circles Wrinkle Cream When I’m tired, which let's face it is ALL. OF. THE. TIME. Right now, unbeknownst to me (thank you, kids, for the heads up!) I’m a shocker for rubbing my eyes! The thing is I’m already in the know that doing so can cause tiny blood vessels to break resulting in dark circles under my eyes, and yup I suffer most mornings from said dark circles and under eye bags. Ergh.My solution? Vie Collection’s Chrono Eyes Puffiness-Dark Circles Wrinkles Cream. Yes a mouthful to say, but a product that does exactly what it says. It’s a beautifully fine cream enriched with moisturising ingredients to nourish the eye area while reversing puffiness, dark circles, and wrinkles! Seriously!“This is a wonderful eye cream, it gives immediate gratification thanks to a pearlescent finish that instantly brightens the eye area and it has definitely calmed my puffiness, lightened my dark circles, and even smoothed my wrinkles! It’s truly a fabulous eye cream that is well worth the price tag.” Lisa M (BC customer) Pevonia MyOxy Caviar® Timeless Eye Contour Ok, so this is another great love of mine. We are talking luxury in a bottle. Optimum results but yes you’d want to expect that from the price tag. No jokes when I say this product, packed with anti-ageing eyecare goodies including; Marine Collagen Polypeptides; Caviar Extract; and Escutox® - the natural alternative to Botox - quite literally takes 10 years off your eyes. I’ve been using it for around 6 months now and have seen a noticeable decrease in wrinkles, plus it has smoothed the skin around my eye zone and reduces my puffiness daily too! “This product is really awesome! It erased the wrinkles around my eyes and gave them a brighter look.” Kylie O, BC Customer Pevonia C Evolutive Eye Gel If you prefer the feeling of a cooling eye gel to soothe and depuff your peepers, this product is the one for you. Anti-ageing dynamo Vitamin C is the star ingredient in this eye gel. The skin saviour coupled with hyaluronic acid and Ginkgo Biloba is a sure thing for cooling tired eyes and effectively decongesting and de-puffing them in one swift application. “I had a problem with puffy old looking eyes and was hoping that this gel would do the job as I was hating the way my eyes looked and I'll tell you, this gel worked INSTANTLY on me! It's a very good de-puffer for sure!” Suzette, BC Customer Phytomer Expertise Age Contour Youth Eye Cream Phytomer definitely nails the names of their products! This eye cream is and does what it says! It quite literally takes years off your eyes by lessening those pesky crow’s feet and firming your eye contours so they actually look smoother and more open! And who doesn’t want brighter, younger-looking eyes? Oh and if that wasn’t enough it does help with lightening dark circles too!“This eye cream seems to do it all; takes care of dryness, puffiness and lines. My eyes seem to "pop" more than they were before using it. At 52 my eyes want to withdraw, but this cream brings them back out and you have to love that.” Vicky D, BC Customer ELES Dual Action Concealer This anti-aging concealer actually helps to gradually improve skin's texture while concealing those obvious under eye dark circles. Its moisturising formula provides continuous hydration as well as a natural longwearing finish meaning it lasts for hours without seeping into fine lines and wrinkles! “This concealer is perfection. It goes on smooth, doesn't crease, and covers dark circles completely. The concealer lasts forever because you don't need to use a lot to get full coverage.” Marwa Yates, BC Customer Gemstone Facial Rollers Jade rollers are all the trend right now thanks to the multitude of medicinal benefits they bring. But we’ve gone one step further! We’ve created 5 facial rollers all made from gemstones! From rejuvenating jade to calm and soothing rose quartz, detoxifying Obsidian to purifying amethyst. Introduce one of these into your daily soothing self-care ritual and reap the results. The roller will, not only help reduce the appearance of fine wrinkles around the eyes, if used correctly it can dramatically reduce puffiness by moving excess fluid around your eyes towards your lymph nodes where it filters out the toxins. Cool right? To find out more about the rollers and how to use them click here.
Skin out of sorts? Ten pick-me-ups to boost your skin and mood
by Jo Boyden
on Nov 04 2020
Has the current cold snap and grey skies got you down? Experiencing a mild case of the blues? If you’re feeling tired and sluggish, chances are your skin is looking it too. From brightening serums that’ll help maintain your spring glow, to soothing salt baths to relax your mind and body, we’ve put together our current top ten beauty pick-me-ups, so scroll on to discover what they are and why you need them in your life right now. Phytomer Oligomer Well-Being Sensation Moisturising Shower Gel Start your day off right with this mineral-enriched delicately scented body wash which combines Oligomer, a seawater concentrate to cleanse, moisturise and lift up your spirits in one single step. This clever shower gel delivers an optimum dose of trace elements and minerals from the sea to strengthen the epidermis and effectively eliminate (and prevent!) fatigue – all the benefits of a dip in the ocean in the comfort of my own home! “C” Evolutive Eye Gel If I’m feeling (and looking!) exhausted with a distinct lack of energy, I dab this cooling and rejuvenating gel around my eyes first thing. It works against dark circles, puffiness, and fatigue to immediately deliver visibly refreshed and rejuvenated peepers. And hey it’s a lot easier to feel energised if you look it too! Pevonia Dry Oil Body Moisturiser For a little extra energy and a spring in your step, indulge your body in the numerous benefits of this botanically infused body oil. The formula pairs soothing and calming lavender and chamomile oils with squalane oil, safflower oil, aloe oil, and macadamia nut oil, for a superstar combination that synergise to deliver a replenishing veil rendering your body silky soft, calm and ready for whatever the day throws at you. Vitamin C Complexe For the ultimate skin brightening boost, this is a must! Vitamin c and hyaluronic acid work together to quite literally drench skin with repairing antioxidants, hydrating, and correcting photo-damage. And not only does its amazing aroma put a smile on my face, on application my skin looks instantly brighter and more dewy too! Hyalouronic Acid Hydra Serum When your dry, devitalized skin is in need of a quick perk up, a hyaluronic acid-rich product will be your best friend. We are in love with Pevonia’s Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Serum. It delivers the ultimate hydrating and skin-smoothing results thanks to its key ingredients; hyaluronic acid (it features one of the highest concentrations on the market), marine collagen, and hibiscus esculentus extract. Pevonia Clarigel Exfoliating Cleanser When your complexion is looking a little meh and a number of pesky pimples are forming on your face, kick start your skin (and your day!) with this energy-boosting blend of grapefruit and citric acid. The fresh foaming wash will put the pizazz back into your skin rendering it radiantly refreshed and bacteria-free. Pevonia Phyto Aromatic Mist A great pick-,me-up after a tiring day, this facial mist is a bouquet in a bottle. With beautiful scents of French rose, Chamomile, and Calendula, not only will it invigorate your senses, but it will also hydrate, calm, and re-balance a troubled complexion too. Phytomer Oligomer Well Being Sensation Essential Minerals Relaxing Bath Nothing helps me relax and calm my mind quite like an indulgent evening seawater bath. For a truly unparalleled stress-relief experience pour in this oligomer rich sea salt product and enjoy sinking into serenity as the day's tension drifts away. This soothing body experience will also nurture and nourish your skin. For optimal results, follow with Phytomer’s Oligomer Well-being Strengthening Moisturising Body Cream. Pevonia De-Ageing Saltmouse Papaya-Pineapple When my energy levels are low, you can bet my skin is feeling it too. This aromatic exfoliant transports you to a tropical paradise as you inhale in the scrumptious scents of pineapple and papaya, and as the salt dissolves, negative ions are quickly absorbed for a truly energizing and skin smoothing experience. Pevonia Bright Skin Green Apple Mask This glow-giving mask not only tightens and brightens skin, but it's formulated with….yes, green apple and green tea to help boost energy too! Expect to wake up with plumped, firmed, glowing skin.
13 skincare habits that are ageing you
by Jo Boyden
on Sep 16 2020
Let's face it, we are all on the quest to radiant, youthful skin and many of us will invest both time and money perfecting our daily beauty routine, but there are still a number of mistakes or bad habits should I say, that we are likely doing daily that can and will make us look older than our years! Eek.So read on to find out what they are, and if you are currently committing any of them, you know to stop now! Not updating your skincare as your skin changes You might have been loyal to the same moisturiser for many years but sadly the skincare you've used in your 20's really won't cut it in your 30's, 40's and beyond. This is because as we age our skin's needs dramatically change. Skin becomes thinner, drier, more sensitive, and loses elasticity as collagen and elastin start to deplete, while fine lines and wrinkles start to form. Therefore anti-ageing skincare rich in ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, collagen, and vitamin C become essential. For more info on this read about the top 5 skincare ingredients as recommended by the experts and adjust your products accordingly. Going to bed with makeup on Well here's one you've heard many a time before! Right? From a few too many wines to being just plain old exhausted, sometimes it hard to peel yourself off your bed to go and remove your makeup but remove your makeup you must!Cleansing your face especially at night to remove not only your makeup but any remnants of the days sweat, dirt and grime is imperative for healthy skin. Not removing your makeup means your skin is unable to regenerate effectively while you sleep, pores clog, and fatigue (ageing!) signs start to appear. For a fantastic makeup remover which effectively melts away makeup and grime with minimum effort try Phytomer's Doux Contour Eye and Lip Waterproof Makeup Remover. Combining the effectiveness of an oil (a trio of oils in fact) and the gentleness of a lotion, this ultra-hydrating makeup remover, eradicates even the most stubborn of lips and eye makeup fast!To read more about sleeping in makeup and what it really does to our skin click here. Skipping on your moisturiser It's that time of the month and a few pesky pimples have reared their ugly head, or you are often prone to adult acne or simply suffer from oily skin, so think it best to lay off the moisturiser which must be exacerbating the issue right? Wrong.While you are likely not alone in thinking lathering up on moisturiser seems counterproductive, everyone, no matter what your skin type or concern, needs to apply a moisturiser daily! This is because moisturiser maintains skin hydration throughout the day and therefore assists in fighting premature fine lines and wrinkles too. In fact, applying moisturiser will greatly reduce your chance of developing extreme dryness, skin sensitivity, or oiliness! Why? Dehydrated skin can lead to issues like inflammation, premature skin ageing, and even breakouts. When your skin becomes dry, your body responds by making more oil! And we all know excess oil can clog pores leading to more of those darn pesky pimples.When searching for the right moisturiser for your skin type they do tend to be categorised by skin concern so you just need to research and find the right one for your skin's needs. Just be sure to opt for lighter moisturisers by day, especially in the warmer months, and richer creams at night.For oily skin types, we highly recommend Phytomer's Oligopur Hydra Matifying Control Cream. It's an ultra-light cream that controls oil and breakthrough shine throughout the day. No shine, no greasy feeling, no heaving feeling!If your skin is prone to pimples try Phytomer Acnipure Blemish Solution Fluid, it's a lightweight gel-cream that fights acne without clogging pores or irritating skin. It also helps eliminate shine, diminishes the appearance of blemishes, and prevents future breakouts!! Wearing SPF only during the summer Hands down the no. 1 contributor to skin ageing is skipping your SPF.Yes, it's easy to remember to apply it when you're headed to the beach, or out and about on holiday, but so many of us skip this vital step in our everyday lives and not because we are necessarily lazy but because we don't understand the long term affect not wearing it will have on our skin! Being exposed to UV rays will make your skin age quicker, creating fine lines, wrinkles, sunspots, and more...Applying sunscreen daily all through the year will assist in keeping skin looking younger. Just remember the higher the factor the better especially in the warmer months. Thinking that the SPF in your makeup is enough to protect your skin Unless your makeup has an SPF factor of 30 or above it's unlikely to ward off premature ageing if worn alone. This is because the majority of makeup will protect against UVB rays but won't block UVA rays which is what causes skin damage. Layering your skin with a high factor SPF moisturiser and then foundation will give you the best chance of maintaining skin's youthful appearance, but if you are in love with your daily moisturiser which doesn't contain sun protection, still use it and then apply a lightweight SPF like the ELES Luminous Defence Brightening Day Protection SPF 50. Not only does it protect skin against the sun’s harmful rays, it also helps prevent discolouration while diminishing existing dark spots and calming and brightening your complexion at the same time!Still be sure you use a foundation with SPF for that extra protection and coverage though, as chances are when you apply sunscreen, you'll skip vital spots that you won't do with your foundation. The ELES best-selling Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation SPF15 is an institution. It's a silky, mineral-enriched liquid formula with broad spectrum sun protection that literally glides on to skin and sets to a soft powder finish. Loved by everyone who tries it you won't be disappointed! Focusing only on Wrinkles While we are all concerned about fine lines and wrinkles as we age, dark spots and pigmentation can actually give our complexion a dull, devitalised and in turn much older appearance too! In fact, dark spots and uneven skin tone can make us look 10 years older! So if you suffer from hyperpigmentation ensure you introduce products specifically to help with this like concern. We promise it'll positively impact your complexion and protect your skin too. Try Vie Collection's Mela White Radiance Brightening Essense, a triple-action daily cream that effectively acts against dark spots, free radicals, and UV. The results will speak for themselves. Rubbing Your Eyes The area around your eyes is the most delicate on your face, fact. When we are tired it's easy to fall into the trap of rubbing our eyes, or when applying eye makeup with precision. We've all been guilty of pulling at our eyes I'm sure, but tugging, rubbing or pulling at your eye area can cause tiny blood vessles to break resulting in dark circles that make you look tired All. Of. The. Time. Instead, start applying an anti-ageing eye cream morning and night pronto! I am currently loving Vie Collection's Chrono Eyes Puffiness-Dark Circles Wrinkles Cream. It's a beautifully fine cream enriched with moisturising ingredients to nourish the eye area while reversing puffiness, dark circles and wrinkles! Seriously! Ignoring Your Neck and decolletage Oh, the forgotten area! And the area of your skin which can actually age you the most! Exposed to sunlight just as much as your face, if your neck and decolletage aren't cared for daily or protected with SPF, they can end up crepey and wrinkly so much earlier than they should! Whatever you do for your face you should do for your neck and decolletage too.There are neck and chest specific products you can use, I personally use Pevonia's Age Correction Rapid Restore Neck and Chest religiously, it's a 2 in 1 serum and cream which hydrates, nourishes refines and brightens skin for a more youthful appearance while smoothing wrinkles too! But there is also nothing wrong with using your daily moisturiser or a hydrating body cream instead! Just start doing it now! Avoiding exfoliators It's not just fine lines and wrinkles that make you look older, having a dull uneven skin tone can easily add years to your face as well!As we age our skin's natural ability to shed dead cells declines, so without weekly exfoliation skin can become uneven, dull and lacklustre. This is why exfoliation is so imperative, and not a step that should be ignored. Many people are scared of exfoliation because they think their skin is too sensitive, and it will just aggravate an existing issue, but that's where natural enzyme exfoliators can be the answer.Both Phytomer's Vegetal Exfoliant with Natural Enzymes and Pevonia's Enzymo Spherides Peeling Cream are formulated with natural enzymes which basically melt away dead cells so no scrubbing is needed. Just remember removing dead skin cells helps your skin properly absorb moisturiser which in turn keeps fine lines and dehydration at bay, as well as brightening skins radiance. Now, who wouldn't want that!! Or simply going overboard with exfoliating If you tend to sway the other way and love to exfoliate your skin a little too much i'm here to tell you stop it now! Over exfoliating can actually slow cell turnover, cause chronic skin irritation and inflammation which can lead to accelerated ageing. Stick to exfoliation once a week for the best results. If you ilke to use an exfoliator with grains or microbeads but skin tends to be a little on the sensitive side give Pevonia's Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser a go. it’s great for those who love physical exfoliators with granules but want to steer clear of facial scrubs which could be a little harsh on the skin. It gently polishes your complexion with its unique creamy yet granular texture, formulated with jojoba beads, saponaria and chamomile, revealing a softer, smoother and brighter complexion every time! And in the month of September if you purchase Pevonia Vitamin C Complexe (the perfect skin-brightening summer serum) you'll receive a full size Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser for FREE Not drinking enough water As I'm sitting here writing this, I can hold my hands up and say today so far I've only drunk 2 glasses of water when I should have in fact consumed at least a litre by now! Yes, it's fact, water, or lack of should I say is a real skin ager!! And I know I must practice what a preach! The thing is I do, but some days I will admit it's easy to forget! And when I do, I get cross with myself as I can see it in my skin! It's drier, duller and devitalised. This is because drinking 'enough' water helps the body to flush out toxins while increasing blood flow to the skin which gives it an even tone and dewy appearance! And dewy skin equals youthful skin after all!Not a huge fan of water? Try a good herbal tea instead. Extreme water temperatures How many of us are guilty of indulging in a hot shower or simply washing our faces with water set to a high temp. But really for best and healthy results we should be washing with lukewarm water. This is because extreme water temperatures will strip healthy natural oils from your skin quickly, making it dry and therefore age much faster. Water that's too hot can also dilate your capillaries leading to spider veins. Not getting enough sleep....when you could get more If I had a dollar for every time I said to my husband I must get to bed early tonight because I need more sleep and am fed up of looking old and tired, I'd be a rich woman. While they say practice what you preach, I am a testament that not getting enough sleep (when I could indeed fit in another 1-2 hours a night (darn netflix!) literally does age you.Poor sleep is quite literally to blame for premature ageing, dermatitis, eczema, acne, loss of collagen and more! Scary right? So let's make a pact and try for that 8 hours + we really do need nightly.Now be sure to follow our advice to be sure you slow down the signs of ageing naturally!
Spending more time on multiple devices? The Best Eye creams for screen-tired eyes
by Jo Boyden
on May 15 2020
Staring at a screen more than ever since #lockdown? Eyes looking tired? And dark circles more apparent? Increased time in front of your laptop and on your phone can reap havoc with your precious peepers, but why exactly is this and what can you do to help prevent it?
Why does screen time impact our eyes?
More time in front of multiple screens means an increase in our exposure to harmful high-energy blue light waves. Blue light, if you aren’t aware, is a colour in the “visible light” spectrum” that can be seen by, and therefore have an adverse effect on, our eyes.
Spending just two consecutive hours on a digital device can cause eyestrain or fatigue while overexposure to this blue light also suppresses the release of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep, therefore disrupting our normal sleep pattern. And we all know poor sleep can lead to premature ageing, especially around the delicate eye area!
What can you do to prevent it?
There are multiple ways you can aid your eyes including, avoiding screen time an hour before bed, eating a well-rounded diet rich in anti-oxidant and fatty-acid foods and purchasing blue light filters, but if you really want to show them the love, introduce an eye cream into your beauty routine both morning and night.
Eye creams are different to your daily moisturisers and serums as they are formulated with specific active ingredients to nurture and repair the fragile area around the eyes – the thinnest layer of skin on our entire bodies and up to 1/10 thinner than the rest of the skin on our face! Their main objective is to target specific eye concerns – crow’s feet, under eye bags and dark circles, delivering brightening and anti-ageing ingredients in a mild, gentle and safe dose.
Here are 4 favourite eye creams to tackle your eye fatigue that are definitely worthy of your investment;
Vie Collection Chrono Eyes Puffiness – Dark Circles Wrinkle Cream
Enriched with the best nourishing ingredients including; encapsulated high molecular weight hyaluronic acid, Botox-like peptides, fatty acids, vitamin c and vitamin B3, this silky cream is inspired by eye-rejuvenating Botox and hyaluronic acid injections to effectively fight signs of ageing and fatigue. Suitable for everyone even those with sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.
“This is a wonderful eye cream, it gives immediate gratification thanks to a pearlescent finish that instantly brightens the eye area and it has definitely calmed my puffiness, lightened by dark circles and even smoothed my wrinkles! It’s truly a fabulous eye cream that is well worth the price tag”. Lisa M
Phytomer Pionniere XMF Reset Eye Fluid
Formulated with 2 specific biotechnological breakthrough ingredients, marine sugar Oligofurcellaran and blue micro alga, this light and fine eye fluid promises to restore youthful eye radiance in just seven days! From the first week dark circles and puffiness are less visible, eyelids are lifted and wrinkles start to fade.
“Since using this product I have definitely seen results! It's been about a month now and I can honestly say I've noticed that the fine lines around my eyes have faded and my dark circles are so much less obvious. Amazing stuff!” Joanne W
Phytomer Expertise Age Contour Youth Eye Cream
This high performance cream formula corrects crow’s feet while firming up the eye’s contours. Anti-ageing ingredients including fatty acids and moisturising shea butter effectively smooth out wrinkles and brighten eyes while dark circles are lightened and puffiness reduced. Skin appears rejuvenated and younger with every use.
“This eye cream seems to do it all; takes care of dryness, puffiness, and lines. My eyes seem to "pop" more than they were before using it. At 52 my eyes want to withdraw, but this cream brings them back out and you have to love that.” Vicky D
Pevonia Evolutive Eye Cream
This anti-ageing eye cream deeply nourishes and renews the delicate under eye area in multiple ways. Formulated with a powerful blend of anti-agers including hyaluronic acid, vitamin A and glycolic acid, it firms, smooths and hydrates dry, crepey skin.
“This is the best eye cream I ever used. I absolutely love the texture, not too light but not heavy either. Keeps my eye contour hydrated all day and I actually stopped using a concealer around my eyes as I simply don't need it anymore! I started to have really deep wrinkles around my eyes-tried so many different creams-but the wrinkles just kept getting deeper and I always had a dry looking eye contour at the end of the day. Well after using this cream for let’s say a week I saw a huge improvement in my eye contour! Highly recommend this cream!” Demi
by Jo Boyden
on Jun 03 2019
Just a few miles from the gorgeous Manly Beach in Sydney, our Beauty Collective Head Office is full of high-tech dermaceutical solutions, from powerful medical-based skin care to advanced cellulite products. And something you may not realise is that we are not just a retail supplier, we are one of Australia’s leading salon and spa suppliers and educators in the beauty industry. So what do our team use on their skin and why are some products the universal favourites with us and our clients? We share our “big guns” in the battle against skin ageing…Medicalia L-Retinol Smoothing CreamFormulated with Micro-Retinol® which works so much better than regular retinol, this fast-acting cream gives you astonishing visible results. It makes pores almost invisible, softens lines and wrinkles and fades hyperpigmentation. It uses Biomimetic technology, which is a fancy way of saying that it goes through a process that makes the formula almost identical to the oils and moisture produced by your skin, so it literally melts into the skin. Not a product to use year round as it has an exfoliating action and over-use can cause irritation, but perfect as a Winter treatment. Just use a small quantity each night (or alternate nights if you find it too stimulating) and enjoy smoother skin for months after.Phytomer Pioneer XMF CreamThere truly is no other cream on the market like this! It has won numerous International awards and is Phytomer’s No 1 seller. Often hailed as the professional version of Crème De La Mer. On the surface of the skin, it creates a biofilm for an instant smoothing effect and within the skin, it binds to the fibres in the dermis to densify them. Imagine your face is a cushion and this cream is the extra stuffing! We also are in love with the light silky texture of the cream, neither too rich or too light and the heavenly, soft aroma.Phytomer Celluli AttackHead and shoulders above the rest, this IS the best cellulite product on the market today. Most cellulite products use Green Coffee Extract to stimulate lipolysis (breakdown of fats), this formula uses Pepper Slimactiv which is 8 times stronger. And how is this for technology? Pepper Slimactiv is incorporated in a vectorized capsule that propels at high speed to the fat cells, avoiding any loss of ingredient on the way and is also combined with a signal peptide that enables it to exclusively target adipocytes and attack them with more power. Take that Cellulite! All you need to do is smooth it over cellulite areas, no need for massaging and within a month you begin to see results. We should probably point out that Phytomer has been the undisputable leader of cellulite treatment products in Europe since 1994!Vie Collection Chrono EyesNot sure about you but at Beauty Collective, we believe products should be multi-functional. So when we use an eye cream not only should it help prevent skin ageing it should also smooth fine lines, reduce dark circles and deal with unwanted eye puffiness. When this product came onto the market we switched over to it with no loyalty at all to our previously adored eye products. With a botox-like peptide to inhibit muscle action, low and high molecule hyaluronic which acts like a filler and vitamin C, B3 and Phytosterols to stimulate the circulation to deal with puffiness and dark circles can you really blame us? Now the top seller in the Vie Collection line here in Oz we feel sure we are not biased.Medicalia - Sunscreen SPF 30Last but certainly not least the biggest seller in our skin care arsenal is the Medicala Sunscreen. The MOST important anti-ageing product we should all be using is a broad spectrum (protects against both UVA and UVB rays) sunblock. We have discovered the only reason some don’t use sunblock despite knowing how important it is, is because they can’t stand the texture or smell. No more excuses, this feels like a lightweight moisturiser and smells divine. It won’t make your eyes water or cause itchiness and it’s loaded with anti-ageing goodies. Finally, it comes in a generous 150ml bottle! Very slightly tinted (though most of the tint disappears once it’s absorbed) it leaves your skin looking smoother and calmer. What’s not to love?
Q&A – Can I use my moisturiser as an eye cream?
by Jo Boyden
on May 14 2019
You’ve been told to invest in an eye cream but you aren’t sure why you should fork out the extra dollars, after all do you really need to use a separate cream for your eyes? Will your moisturiser not suffice?You could indeed use your moisturiser as an eye cream but it’s definitely not advised and we are here to explain why.In short, eye treatments whether it be creams, gels or serums are specifically formulated to target and care for the delicate area around the eyes, the thinnest layer of skin on our entire bodies! In fact, the skin under our eyes is up to 1/10 thinner than other facial skin so it’s crucial to care delicately for this area to avoid any damage.Like a moisturiser, an eye cream’s main objective is to deliver brightening and anti-ageing ingredients, however in a milder, gentler, safer dose. Moisturisers tend to have a much richer consistency in comparison to their counterpart which if applied under the eyes can prove too much, resulting in irritation, allergic reactions and milia.Eye treatments also tend to be targeted to specific eye concerns – crow’s feet, under eye bags, dark circles instead of the huge array of facials concerns a moisturiser is targeted too, so it actually saves time and money in the long run! Also some ingredients that often appear in eye treatments, not so much face moisturisers (for example Ginkgo Biloba, caffeine…) can offer quick and temporary fixes to problems specific to just the eye area.The bottom line is that eye creams are essentially facial moisturisers that are modified for use on the more delicate skin around the eyes and let’s not forget this skin ages faster than the rest of your face so there is no time like the present to start looking after it correctly!
Makeup tips that’ll erase years off your face in minutes
by Jo Boyden
on Apr 30 2019
Let’s face it, we are all on the quest for eternal youth and thankfully there are many things we can adopt to slow down the aging process; wearing sunscreen, eating a diet rich in fruits and veggies, drinking boatloads of water, exercising, using quality skin care, opting for facelifts, botox and fillers even, but did you know you can also cleverly erase years off your face in literally minutes with….makeup!Yes, something as simple as the way you apply your makeup can have a significant effect on how old you look (oh my!) so read on and discover makeup tips that can turn back the clock and make you look younger naturally. PRIME YOUR SKIN Creating a flawless, almost airbrushed complexion really is dependent upon small, refined pores. Reduce pore size with a pore minimizing product. We swear by ELES Pore Perfecting Face Primer. GO EASY ON FACE POWDER No matter your skin type, too much face powder to hide those blemishes or control oil flow can actually highlight fine lines and wrinkles instead of concealing. It’s best to use it sparingly (and dust off excess powder from brush before application), opt for a light weight pressed powder (we LOVE ELES Mineral Foundation Powder) or simply use a liquid based foundation for a fresher more dewy complexion. We can sing the praises of the ELES HD Luminous Foundation all day long. FAKE YOUR GLOW Lost your glow? Then fake it! A few drops of Liquid Illuminator in your foundation will leave your skin positively luminous. Try ELES Liquid Illuminator. USE A BLUSH And do this daily. A blush applied correctly (with an angled blush brush to lift colour upwards towards your temple) helps elongate your face, gives you high cheekbones (which is synonymous with youth!) and will make it appear slimmer. We recommend ELES Baked Blush for pigmented colour, easy application and a healthy looking finish. INSTANT EYE LIFT Tired eyes? Dark circles? Ensure you are armed with a fabulous concealer! We are obsessed with ELES Liquid Concealer - dark circles literally disappear beneath with one swipe. BRIGTHEN EYES Invest in a nude waterline liner and line your bottom waterline for an instantly wide-eyed effect. We promise you it’s worth the money as one swipe will truly create wider, brighter, and more awake eyes. (The perfect tool when you have a toddler who just lurves waking me up multiple times a night!!) Finish by applying lashings of mascara to your top lashes. SHAPE YOUR BROWS Eyebrows can totally change how your face looks. Crazy right? But true. Fuller, well-shaped brows can and will make you look younger and more awake! This is because it adds structure and lifts above the eye that you lose with age. You can master the ‘perfect brow’ with the right tools – we highly recommend the ELES Precision Brow Pencil, with built-in grooming brush it offers controlled brow filling and lining to quickly and effortlessly impart fuller, natural looking brows.Or if pencils aren’t your thing try ELES Brow Sculpt to fill in, shape, correct and emphasize the natural arch of the brow. Just sweep the light shade through the brows and mimic hair with the dark side for youthful, natural looking brows. DON'T FORGET YOUR LIP GLOSS Lips naturally lose plumpness and volume with age. Steer clear of deep matte lippie shades that’ll make lips appear thinner while weighing down your complexion. Instead be armed with a sheer volumising gloss with built-in lip moisturiser that’ll give volume and plumpness and of course that much desired youthful pout, naturally! We can’t get enough of the ELES Pucker-up Lip Gloss, balmy and ultra-hydrating it’ll re-volumize lips in one swipe.
How screen time is affecting our skin and how to counteract it
by Jo Boyden
on Apr 10 2019
We all know about ‘light rays’ such as UVA and UVB and how damaging they can be, but very few are aware of another harmful ‘light’ taking centre stage! A light that is not only emitted from sunlight but scarily also from all our devices - now labelled the silent anti-agers of our generation! This light is known as ‘blue light’.Research has shown that blue light can damage our skin, accelerate the visible signs of ageing and even cause dark under eye circles. Eek! And with the amount of time we spend on our phones, computers, tablets…we really should be doing something about it and we are here to tell you what! How exactly does blue light affect our skin?We are all guilty of staring, bleary-eyed at our screens (hell I’m doing it now as I type!), having that last minute flick through facebook or late night scroll on instagram, in fact with the amount of time we spend on our devices, we are now getting significantly more blue light exposure than we get from the sun alone! Blue light also has the ability to penetrate deeper into the skin compared with both UVA and UVB light - it can penetrate all the way to our dermis where our collagen and elastin live! Terrifying!Not only does that extra 10 minutes watching our favourite Netflix show eat into our precious zen time, it can also disrupt our natural circadian rhythm (our handy internal body clock which tells us when it’s time to be sleepy as well as time to wake up!) Our circadian rhythm is actually very important when it comes to many aspects of our well-being, ranging from metabolism to immune system function to most importantly good quality sleep!Sleeping is our body’s time to recharge as well as repair skin cells, however this blue light is known to be impacting the natural repair process overnight leading to an accumulation of skin damage – premature ageing, discolouration, inflammation, weakening of the skin’s surface, as well as dark under eye circles. How can we prevent blue light from damaging our skin?While we aren’t likely to give up our evening Netflix binge, switch off our mobile phones or give Facebook the heave-ho, we can do many a thing to reduce our exposure and in turn the effect of blue light on our skin; Switch your mobile to ‘night shift’ mode every evening Avoid devices as much as possible an hour before bedtime (read a good old fashioned book instead!) Instead of holding your mobile to your ear opt for hands-free every time. Purchase blue light filters for your devices Make sure you have a well-rounded diet with plenty of anti-oxidant and fatty-acid rich food to reduce or protect against inflammation. Try using makeup containing iron oxide, this can help neutralize and repair blue light damage Use targeted skincare products religiously. Antioxidant-rich creams and serums are really important to battle off cell-disrupting free radicals and inflammation generated by light pollution. We are obsessed with Phytomer’s Souffle Marine Energizing Oxygenating Serum – specifically formulated to protect against environmental pollution and free radical damage Scared? You should be! No, on a serious note, first port of call, if you're not using targeted products to protect yourself you need to start, ASAP.
What is your complexion telling you? Learn to read your skin
by Jo Boyden
on Apr 03 2019
Dealing with a sudden breakout? You’ve awoken to a chin full of pesky pimples? Or your skin of yesteryear is suddenly looking dull, dry and lacking in life?Whatever your “skin” nemesis, it’s your bodies way of trying to tell you something is wrong and we are here to tell you what!Like reflexology, areas of the face can help give us information about what's going on in our body, making our skin one of the greatest mirrors to inner imbalances! We call this Face Mapping.It’s not new, we know, in fact it’s been around for centuries, but it’s the best method of understanding which areas of your face connect to an organ or body part and what you can treat internally for the best external results! Clever stuff.Here’s an easy-to-follow face map we at Beauty Collective use, which will help you determine why your skin might be “acting up”.FOREHEAD – DIGESTIONRemedy; Avoid processed foods and opt for fresher natural alternatives including raw veggies Try to cut down on sugar Increase fibre intake Chew food well to improve digestion Eliminate alcohol or drink less Drink plenty of water Take probiotics Practice some form of exercise every day, fresh air is particularly beneficial and Yin Yoga is GREAT BETWEEN THE BROWS – LIVERRemedy; Eliminate alcohol or drink less Avoid greasy food and reduce dairy intake which all put a strain on the liver. Drink plenty of water to cleanse the system Get plenty of fresh air Avoid eating late at night and keep food lean and clean Rest up, like you, your liver needs plenty of time to rest and recuperate TEMPLES – KIDNEYSRemedy; Anything around the eyes (including dark circles) point to dehydration. Flush the system and rehydrate with plenty of fluids (think water and hydrolytes!) Cut down on soft drinks, coffee and alcohol as these will cause dehydration! Cooling food like cucumbers and melon are ideal for your diet Cut down on salt intake UNDER THE EYES/CHEEKS – RESPIRATORY Do you smoke? Have allergies? Or are you suffering from a bronchial cold or asthma? This area is affected by the lungs.Remedy; Keep your body cool and don’t let it overheat Eat more cooling food and get more fresh air. Keep the body more alkaline by avoiding foods that make the body acidic (think meat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, sugar – all the good things for you-not!) Add a lot more alkaline foods to your diet like green leafy veggies. JAW LINE – HORMONESRemedy; This is the zone for stress and hormonal changes. And while both are sometimes unavoidable, you can decrease their effect by getting adequate sleep, drinking enough water, eating leafy veggies and keeping skin scrupulously clean. Breakouts in this area also indicate when you are ovulating (and on which side). NOSE – HEARTRemedy; This area can indicate high blood pressure so get your blood pressure checked You also might have a Vitamin B deficiency so consider a vitamin supplement. Try to avoid too much spicy food and cut down on meat intake. Look into ways to lower cholesterol, like replacing “bad fats” with “good fats” such as Omegas 3 and 6 found in nuts, avocados, fish and flax seed Indulge in green tea! Massage the area around your nose to improve circulation Make sure you get plenty of fresh air where possible. CHIN - STOMACHRemedy; Step up the fibre intake Reduce the toxin overload and drink herbal teas to help with digestion. Don’t eat before bed, try to eat dinner earlier. Avoid hydrogenated fats and processed sugar Reduce stress as much as possible – we recommend practising yoga or meditation While this is a very useful guide and will definitely provide you with some answers to your complexion woes, do remember not to take it as gospel. Just because you break out between the brows doesn’t necessarily mean you have a bad liver!
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