How to Get the Smoothest Shave

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Whether it’s your legs, your armpits or any other part of your body, shaving is still the most popular hair removal method the world over. It’s cheap, convenient and you can do it wherever you want, whenever you want, without the need to visit a specialist. Having said that, shaving still has it’s pitfalls, so we thought we’d give you some tips to help you to get your smoothest shave yet.

Steam Your Skin

Skin which is warm is much easier to shave, yet people tend to do their hair removal before they get into the bath or shower, while their skin is still cool. Have your shower first and make sure you get it nice and steamy to open the pores and give you a closer shave.

Get Rid of Dead Skin

The next step should be exfoliation, for a number of reasons. Firstly, exfoliating will get rid of dead skin which will allow your razor to get closer to the roots of the hairs, giving you a smoother finish. Exfoliating will also help to lift any hairs and release any which may be starting to grow inward, reducing your chances of developing ingrown hairs when they start to grow back. This will also make your legs look less ashy in the long run!

Stay Fresh

You should be using a fresh razor (or razor head) every single time you shave. Every time you use a razor, the blades will dull as you move them over the skin, and by the time they’ve defuzzed all the areas you use them on, they’re really too blunt to be useful again. Not to mention the fact that razor blades will harbour bacteria which could cause nasty infections if you reuse them. If you aren’t keen on the idea of using single-use pastic razors, invest in a traditional safety razor which has a metal handle and casing but blades which you replace without the need for plastics.

Go WITH the Grain

Every razor advert on telly shows you images of women starting at their ankle and shaving up, but every barber worth their salt will tell you that shaving WITH the direction of hair growth is not only the best way to get a smooth finish, but it will also help you to avoid both nicks in your skin and ingrown hairs. It often feels like learning to shave is a right of passage for boys, but girls aren’t given the same guidance and we’ve all ended up doing it wrong!

Replenish Moisture

When you exfoliate your legs, then shave them, there’s a good chance that they’re left pretty dry afterwards, even if they don’t look like they are. Slathering your legs with a rich moisturiser like Decleor Nourishing Body Balm will ensure your skin feels nourished and hydrated.

Masks aren’t just for Halloween

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acne, acne prone skin, active fizzing formula, Aloe Vera, Antioxidant vitamins, apples, banish dull, beauty bag, beauty routine, blackheads, botanical extracts, brightens skin, Burdock, calming ingredients, calming stressed, Chia Seed Oil, Comfrey, dark circles, dark spots, Decleor Energy Concentrate Youth Mask, decongests, deep hydration, delicate eye area, Dermalogica Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask, Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque, dry skin, dull, Elemis Absolute Eye Mas, Elemis Superfood Vital Veggie Mask, excess oil, Eyes, firms, fresh, Gentle exfoliators, grey, Halloween, hydrate the skin, ingredients, irritation, Jan Marini Luminate Face Mask, kaolin clay, light mask, lightening agents, luminous glow, lush, lychee, magic, mask, moisturise, oleic acid, omega 9, Orexcellence range, peony, plumper and firmer, pores, prematurely ageing skin, pumpkins, radiant glow, re-energise, redness, reduce, rhodiola, rich blend, skin, soften, sparkle, super-concentrated, sweets, textured mask, tired eyes, tones, topped up, trick or treat, unisex, wake up, winner, youthful

As pumpkins are carved and scary costumes are being taken out of cupboards, Halloween is very much on the way. While the sweets handed out for kids who trick or treat won’t do much for your skin, or waistline, this is a timely reminder that adding a mask to your beauty routine could be a good move.

If you would like your skin to look plumper and firmer when you wake up in the morning, look no further than the Decleor Energy Concentrate Youth Mask. Part of the Orexcellence range, this textured mask is made from a rich blend of peony, lychee and Rhodiola that together re-energise the skin and leave you with a fresh, luminous glow.

The Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque comes topped up with super-concentrated, antioxidant vitamins that are perfect for calming stressed, prematurely-ageing skin. Things don’t stop there because as the ingredients get to work adding deep hydration, botanical extracts of comfrey and burdock soothe skin so it is left happy and youthful again.

If you want a mask that packs a punch, you need the Jan Marini Luminate Face Mask in your beauty bag. While this brightens skin from the very first use, this mask comes with lightening agents that progressively reduce the appearance of the dark spots and discolouration that can get you down. Gentle exfoliators remove the dull, dry skin that can make complexions look grey and thanks to added calming ingredients, irritation and redness are reduced.

You might think that acne-prone skin doesn’t need a mask, but this isn’t the case. If you to ease blackheads, then the Dermalogica Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask is for you. This unique mask comes with an active fizzing formula that cleans pores and target blackheads. Kaolin clay has been added into the mix and this works to absorb problematic excess oil and purifies the skin, while the magic of apples help to hydrate the skin so it feels lovely and fresh again.

If you want something your partner can use too, the Elemis Superfood Vital Veggie Mask has been created for unisex use and will please all skin types. Regular 10-minute sessions will banish dull, dry skin leaving you will a more radiant glow than ever. Aloe Vera helps to soothe, moisturise and soften skin while avocado adds a boost of lush, natural omega-9 and oleic acid. Bringing up the rear is chia seed oil that nourishes and means you are left with incredibly soft, smooth skin and smile!

If you only want to work on your eyes, fear not, we sell the Elemis Absolute Eye Mask at Pure Beauty and it’s a winner. Perfect for tired eyes that have lost their sparkle, this light mask kicks dullness into touch and as it rehydrates the delicate eye area, it decongests, firms and tones too. This mask also deals with pesky dark circles whilst nourishing and smoothing at the same time. We said it was a winner!

If you would like help finding a mask for you, get in touch and we would love to help.

Team Beauty

Answering Some Common Skincare Questions

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Photo by averie woodard on Unsplash

We’re always happy to answer questions when our clients and customers ask for our expertise, and we often have the same questions asked time and again by different people. That’s why, we thought it would be a good idea to put together a post containing some of the most common questions we get asked, to help all of our readers:

Where in my daily routine should I use a clay mask?

Well, this question is quite simple – you shouldn’t! Obviously, we love clay masks, but they don’t need to be used on a daily basis by anyone, even those of us with the oiliest skin. We recommend using a clay mask once a week as a treat for your skin to help balance oil and calm redness, but any more than this and you could dry your skin out too much.

Do I need to moisturise if I have oily skin?

YES! People with oily skin often make the mistake of thinking that they don’t need to moisturise, but actually, excess oil production is actually a rebound effect caused by dry skin. Dermalogica Matte Moisturiser SPF15 will balance the oiliness of your skin while adding a healthy dose of moisture, and will even protect your skin against the sun.

I like in the UK, the sun is a rare treat – do I really need SPF every day?

So many people in the UK fail to wear daily sun protection because they think the sun isn’t strong enough here to affect their skin, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. The UK sun is more than strong enough to damage your skin so using something like Decleor Anti-Pollution Hydrating Fluid SPF30 will give you sun the protection it needs.

What is my skin type?

The best person to determine your skin type is you and no-one knows your skin as well as you do. It’s a pretty simple process to work out if your skin is dry, oily, sensitive or a combination of several skin types. Our blog post will help you to decide what your skin type is, to allow you to buy the best products for your skin.

What can I do to brighten my skin?

Dull, lifeless skin is one of the most common complaints of our customers, and it’s something that often takes a combination of products to improve. One of the best pieces of advice that we can give is to invest in the Dermalogica PowerBright TRx Treatment Kit, which contains a selection of miniature products to brighten the skin and improve skin tone, so you can see if they work for you before buying the full-size products.

Give your body some TLC this January

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all skin types, beauty staple, body, cellulite, Clary Sage, cocktails, damp skin, dead skin cells, Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk, Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash, Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo, Dermalogica Daily Conditioning Rinse, Devils Apron Seaweed, drinking lots of water, dull, eating a healthy diet, elbows, Elemis Body Detox Skin Brush, Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil, Elemis Devils Mint Body Scrub, entle circular motions, eucalyptus, exfoliate, feet, glow, hair, healthy hair, healthy-looking, heart, indoors, January, juniper, knees, lavender, layers, lemon, light, light moisturiser, lymph flow, Magnolia Essential Oil, melting texture, mince pies, mind, natural, natural cactus bristles, natural moisturisers, orange, pale, paler, peppermint, Pigs in blankets, powerful blend, purify, Sandalwood, satin soft, Sea Buckthorn, Sea Fennel, sensory overload, shiny hair, shower, silicon-rich sea plant particles, silky, smooth, sparkle, sunglight, Tahiti, taking regular exercise, tan, Tea Tree, toxins, vanilla, vibrant

Mince pies, pigs in blankets, cocktails and cakes are all part of Christmas and taste great, but they can take a toll on your body as does the cold weather and central heating.

This January, as well as eating a healthy diet, drinking lots of water and taking regular exercise, you can help bring your body back to its best with the help of these products from Pure Beauty.

At this time of year, we can be on total sensory overload, so we suggest trying the Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash which conditions your skin, quietens your mind and generally soothes you as you shower. Suitable for all skin types, Tea Tree, Lemon, Eucalyptus and Rosemary essential oils gently purify without stripping your skin’s own natural moisturisers while Sandalwood, Lavender, Orange and Clary Sage moisturise your skin and leaves it smooth and silky.

If it is cellulite you are worried about, you aren’t alone, but the Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil could help. A powerful blend of Sea Buckthorn, Sea Fennel, Lemon and Juniper essential oils come together to nourish, detoxify and stimulate and is a great way to get your skin in good condition and rid your body of toxins. We suggest you use it before 7pm, and rub a little into problem areas and you will find that over time your skin will be smoothed and satin soft.

Reduced sunlight, lots of layers and time spent indoors means our skin is paler that pale at this time of year, but you can change that with the Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk. This light moisturiser not only nourishes your skin but also gradually tans your body so you have a beautifully natural golden glow. Extracts of Vanilla from Tahiti have been infused with Magnolia Essential Oil to offer a light, melting texture that smells great and sinks into your skin. Give it a go, we think you will like it, a lot.

Just as winter can dull your skin, it can also take the sparkle out of your hair, but fear not, the Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo is here to help. This sulphate-free, great smelling shampoo can be used every day and will leave you with healthy looking, shiny hair from the word go. For the best results, use with the Dermalogica Daily Conditioning Rinse and you will have your most vibrant, healthy hair, ever.

If you want your skin to look good, you need to exfoliate and what better way to do this than with the Elemis Devils Mint Body Scrub. Packed with silicon-rich sea plant particles, Devils Apron Seaweed and Peppermint Essential Oil this scrub washes away the dead skin cells that build up over time, and instead leave your clean, soft and more receptive to your moisturiser. Apply with gentle circular motions to damp skin when you are in the shower or bath, pay extra attention to feet, knees and elbows and watch as your skin comes alive once again.

Why not really get to work on those stubborn areas with the Elemis Body Detox Skin Brush? Made from natural cactus bristles, this effective beauty staple can help to reduce the appearance of cellulite because it works at improving your circulation as well as softening your skin and taking away dead cells. The brush can be used every day on dry skin and as you work upwards from your feet, towards your heart, lymph flow will be stimulated and your skin will be invigorated.

If we can help with any of these products, get in touch today and we will make sure we find something that will work for you and your body in 2019.

Team Pure Beauty

Up the beauty odds this autumn

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air conditioning, Aloe Vera, antioxidant serum, battering winds, beauty, beta hydroxy Salicylic Acid, bobble hats, brisk, central heating, chilly, chunky knits, coat, complexion, Coneflower, dead cells, Decleor Flash Radiance Mask, Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant, Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance, dull, eased, elderberry, Elemis Lip Revive, Elemis Pro-Collagen Rose Cleansing Balm, environmental attacks, evidence, exfoliate, express mask, feed, fine lines, freezing, gentle, Ginkgo, glow, grape seed, Hydrocotyl, imperfections, infused, intensely cleansed, Jan Marini C-ESTA Serum, Lactic Acid, lavender, layer up, Natural fruit enzymes, non-abrasive, nourished, October, Optimega oils, Padina Pavonica, rare rose extracts, renewed, roses, Saro essential oils, skin, snow, soft and supple, staple, starflower, stimulated, summer, thermal tees, Vitamin C, Wild Yam, winter

While we have been enjoying warm sunshine during early October, those brisk early mornings and chilly dark evenings, and battering winds, are all the evidence we need at Pure Beauty to know winter is on the way.

You can layer up in chunky knits, thermal tees and bobble hats to keep your body warm, but at this time of year you need to be thinking about your skin too. Harsh frosts, rain and lower temperatures mixed with the endless blasts of air conditioning and central heating, means our skin is constantly on high alter for all that you throw at it.

At Pure Beauty we stock some great products which will help your skin to glow all winter long.

One way you can be sure your skin is winter ready, is to exfoliate away the dead cells that are getting you down. We love the Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant which is a gentle, non-abrasive exfoliation treatment. Lactic Acid, Beta Hydroxy Salicylic Acid and natural fruit enzymes have been blended to ensure that not only is dull skin removed, but renewal is stimulated too. As you would expect from this brand, conditioning botanical extracts including Lavender, Aloe Vera and Coneflower, have been added and together they soothe the skin and make it as soft as snow.

While roses are usually identified with summer, the Elemis Pro-Collagen Rose Cleansing Balm is a perfect winter staple. This deep cleansing balm not only dissolves make-up but daily dirt and pollutant build up too. Skin that has suffered at the hands of the elements is immediately cleansed, nourished and renewed by this gorgeous product. Made from a blend of rare rose extracts from around the world and infused with Elderberry, Starflower, Optimega oils and Padina Pavonica, this is a beauty winner in our book.

If you are thinking of stepping up your mosituriser this winter, the Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance could be a good bet. This ultra-rich phytonutrient moisturiser is perfect for dry skin and thanks to added Vitamin C, fine lines are eased and skin is left feeling soft and supple. Vitamins A and E, and Ginkgo protect against environmental attacks while Hydrocotyl, Grape Seed and Wild Yam, reduce the signs of premature ageing, so you will look better than ever.

The harsh winter months can leave even they healthiest skin looking dehydrate and tired. To combat this, why not feed your complexion with the Jan Marini C-ESTA Serum. This powerful antioxidant serum is packed with Vitamin C goodness that helps to ease the appearance of the fine lines and wrinkles that can look more prominent during the colder months. Ongoing use will help skin look smoother and more evenly toned, while deep lines will seem less pronounced and you will look healthie,r even if you are freezing under your coat.

Unless you wear a balaclava, your lips are going to take the full force of winter. Don’t despair, if you carry the Elemis Lip Revive with you, they will stay soft and perfectly moisturised from dawn to dusk, and beyond. A nourishing White Bees Wax base has been enriched with added vitamins and peppermint to create a lip salve that is too cool for school.

For those nights out when you want your skin to glow, why not try the Decleor Flash Radiance Mask? This clever express mask has been created to specifically revive complexions and hide imperfections. Leaving the blend of Elemi and Saro Essential Oils on cleansed skin for just three minutes, will restore radiance and skin will be soft, smooth and even.

We would love to help you decided on which products could be best for you this winter, so why not get in touch and chat through some ideas?

Team Pure Beauty