Why You Should Be Paying Attention to Amino Acids

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Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

Amino acids are the building blocks of the cells that make up your body – however, did you know they can also be good for your skin? Amino acids, which contain moisturising, anti-aging, and exfoliating characteristics, can aid with skin elasticity issues that arise as we age. Amino acids come in 20 different varieties, and they are useful for people of all ages and skin types. A more moisturised, youthful, and generally healthy appearance of the skin is achieved by using amino acids in skin care products that also encourage cellular repair and collagen formation. Here are five of our favourite products which harness the power of amino acids:

CACI – Amino-Lift Peptide Complex

This effective anti-ageing skin care cream contains powerful peptides, essential oils and amino acids that target expression lines and help to firm sagging skin. It can be used twice a day after cleansing to give visible results and as well as being packed with amino acids also contains basil oil, jojoba oil, grapefruit peel oil and a number of other other botanical ingredients which nourish and revive your skin. 

L’Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Vitamino Colour 10-In-1 Multi-Benefit Leave-In Treatment Milk

Amino acids don’t just benefit your face – your hair can also benefit from using products which are infused with amino acids. This leave-in treatment milk from L’Oreal is a multi-benefit spray designed for coloured hair with 10 key benefits. It promises to help your hair to achieve shine, softness, smoothness of hair fibre and hydration, as well as offering protection against heat up to 230°c, detangling, anti-breakage, anti-split ends, anti-frizz and even facilitates blow-drying! 

Aromatherapy Associates Eye Zone Concentrate

The skin around the eyes is one of the thinnest areas of skin on your whole body, which means that it is more prone to premature ageing. This eye cream from Aromatherapy Associates combines powerful, bio-fermented actives, advanced amino acids and an effective pure essential oil blend to lift, tighten and contour the area around the eyes. It also contains rose, camomile and frankincense essential oils to soothe and protect for a radiant, youthful complexion. 

Dermalogica Active Moist

This moisture-rich product from Dermalogica combines the best of nature and science, containing a whole host of ingredients which are taken from natural sources. Silk amino acids help smooth and improve skin texture while natural botanical astringents lemon, ivy, watercress and burdock help to refine the skin. It also contains soothing extracts of lavender, mallow and cucumber to help provide deep-hydration.

Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Serum

This resurfacing serum from Elemis is so powerful that it’s advised that you avoid sunbeds and always use an SPF while using the treatment! It’s created using a powerful combination of alpha-hydroxy-acids, selastin and patented Tri-Enzyme technology, as well as selected amino acids. This serum smoothes the skins’s surface, revealing a stunning complexion and also helps to reduce the appearance of pores and wrinkles.

Five Products to Banish Blue Monday

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aromatherapy, awaken, basil, bed linens, Bergamont, blue, Blue Monday, clean, clothes, cruelty free, depressing, energy, essential oils, fMRI, fragrances, furnishings, geranium, Glycerin, Grapefruit, invigorate, January, lime, listlessness, low moods, mango, mind boosting, mood, morning, natural, Neroli, orange, pandemic, psychologists, pulse point, reinvigorating, reusable cotton pad, rollerball, rosemary, sanitise, scientific, senses, shower, skin, supercharge, target, thyme, uplifting, user studies, Vegan, vitality, weather, ylang ylang

Photo by Julia Avamotive from Pexels

If you have so much as looked at a newspaper, social media, or watch any television, you will probably be aware that today is referred to as ’Blue Monday’ Back in 2005, a holiday company decided that the third Monday in January was officially the most depressing day of the year and although this has since been dismissed as pseudoscience by psychologists, lots of people are still feeling the pinch.

Most of us still haven’t had a payday since Christmas, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic and the weather hasn’t exactly been fantastic, so we wouldn’t be surprised if many people were feeling rather blue at the moment. With this in mind we curated a list of products that we stock here are pure beauty, which are all designed to have a mood boosting effect.

Evolve Organic Beauty Keep Calm and Spray On

Essential oils and aromatherapy can be a powerful ally against low moods, especially if you choose the right combination of fragrances. This hand cleanser from Evolve Organic contains bergamot for its anti-viral properties as well as its uplifting scent, which means that even though you’re still having to sanitise your hands 100 times a day, you’ll get a little lift each time you use this product. It also contains glycerin to keep your hands hydrated and can even be used with a reusable cotton pad to clean any surfaces as well as your hands.

This Works Stress Check Mood Manager 

Although the ingredients in this product are 99% natural, the blend was created using highly scientific methods to prove its efficacy. The blend has been proven in fMRI and user studies and helps to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. The mist can be used on your skin, clothes, furnishings and even your bed linens to clear your mind and give you a positive lift and is even recommended for calming your nerves before using public transport.

Elemis Revitalise-Me Shower Gel

If you know you’re going to have a potentially stressful or busy day ahead then starting the day with an uplifting shower gel such as Revitalise Me from Elemis is a good way to bolster yourself. It contains thyme, basil and neroli essential oils, as well as orange and lime which awaken the senses and invigorate your skin. Finally, a mango derived cleansing agent cleans your skin deeply, to ensure that you are as clean as you are uplifted.

Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Roller Ball

Roller balls are a fantastic delivery method for essential oils as they allow you to target the pulse point on your body to get the maximum effect. This Revive Morning Rollerball from Aromatherapy Associates is 100% natural and contains neroli and grapefruit essential oils. It’s totally portable which means that you can reapply it throughout the day and the combination of fragrances is reviving and reinvigorating to the mind.

This Works Energy Bank Shower Gel

This shower gel from This Works is called ‘Energy Bank’ as it promises to supercharge your senses. It helps you to wake up and banishes morning listlessness, leaving your mind and body charged and ready to face the day. It’s 99% natural and cruelty free and boasts geranium, ylang ylang and rosemary, which combine to restore vitality and stimulate the body and mind.

The Benefits of Bamboo in Your Beauty Routine

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antioxidant, Bamboo, bamboo tears, body, breakdown, brighten, chamomile, coffeeberry, collagen, complexion, Decleor 2 in 1 Purifying and Oxygenating Mask, defence, Dermalogica Antioxidant HydraMist, Dermalogica Thermafoliant Body Scrub, Egyptian Loofah Fibres, elasticity, Elemis Daily Moisture Boost, enzymes, essential nutrients, face, formula, fresh, Grapefruit, hyaluronic acid, hydrated, Licorice, lightweight, non-oily, plumped, pollutants, purify, refresh, Shaving, skin, stems, stripped away, suppleness, Tea Tree, texture, tone, white tea, youthful

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You’d be forgiven for thinking that all bamboo is good for is feeding pandas and propping up your sunflowers, but extracts from bamboo can actually be extremely beneficial to your skin. It is packed with antioxidants, is an anti-irritant and even has anti-inflammatory properties. This means that it helps to provide the skin with essential nutrients, while helping to calm down any signs of damage.

Bamboo is also an excellent source of silica, which is essential for maintaining a youthful complexion. It’s brilliant to use for all skin types as it helps to maintain the elasticity in the skin, by bolstering collagen production and preventing the ‘plumpness’ of your skin from depleting.

Here are some of our favourite bamboo-containing products:

Decleor 2 in 1 Purifying and Oxygenating Mask

This mask from Decleor uses the beautifully named ‘bamboo tears’ to cleanse and deeply mattify without dehydrating the skin. The mask can be used to both cleanse and exfoliate the skin, and contains Egyptian loofah fibres to gently eliminate dead skin cells, while spheres of white jojoba restore hydration and leave your skin feeling soft.

Elemis Daily Moisture Boost

Skin is rarely more vulnerable than it is directly after shaving, as the blades of a razor strip away the oils and protective layers of the complexion. Elemis developed this daily moisture boost especially for male skin and uses bamboo to assist in restoring elasticity, suppleness and essential nutrients stripped away during shaving. It offers a lightweight, fresh, non-oily formula which feels great on your skin and even offers defence from harsh external pollutants.

Dermalogica Antioxidant HydraMist

Another benefit of bamboo is that it stimulates the skin’s own hyaluronic acid production, giving increased hydration and elasticity while tightening and firming skin, which is why Dermalogica has used it in this hydrating mist. The mist also contains ingredients which inhibit the enzymes that contribute to the breakdown of collagen, leaving your face feeling properly hydrated and nicely plumped for a more youthful appearance.

Dermalogica Thermafoliant Body Scrub

This body scrub from Dermalogica is a little different to the other products on the list, because it uses the actual stem of the bamboo, rather than extracts. The bamboo stem helps to physically exfoliate the skin to refine skin texture and brighten tone. It also contains extracts of licorice, white tea, coffeeberry and chamomile, which infuse skin with vital antioxidants, while oils of tea tree and grapefruit peel purify and refresh.

Back to school with Pure Beauty

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acne, apple, back, back to school, beauty routine, blackhead, botanicals, breakouts, bus passes, clean skin, cleanse, clear, complexion, dead cells, decongest, deep cleansing, dermalogica, Dermalogica Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask, Dermalogica Foaming Wash, Dermalogica Hydrating Lotion, discomfort, dry, dry patches, easy to use cream, energise, essential oils, excess sebum, Eyes, face, ginger, goodness, Grapefruit, happy skin, homework, hot bath, kaolin clay, kit bag, lavender oil, lightweight, look and feel better, Meadowsweet, moisturiser, neck, New bags, orange peel, pamper, PE, pimple, protect, refresh, refreshing, revive, Salicylic Acid, sample, shiny pencil cases, skin, skincare, smart blazers, smooth, soak, spots, spotty skin, spray, squalane, Tea Tree Oil, teenage skin, tone and moisturise, Toner, top marks, washes away, young people

New bags, shiny pencil cases, smart blazers and bus passes are often top of the list when it comes to back to school preparation, but what about skincare. Getting young people into a beauty routine is a good idea and what better time than now to introduce them to something new for their skin?

Cleanse, tone and moisturise is a good place to start, so we’ll give you the low down on that first and throw in some added extra so you’ve got all bases covered and top marks will be scored.

Clean skin is happy skin, so we would suggest using the Dermalogica Foaming Wash for deep cleansing and purifying morning and night. Perfect for teenage skin that is prone to acne and breakouts, this doesn’t strip away essential oils but instead washes away nasties that don’t help the skin. Meadowsweet has been added to protect against excess sebum, salicylic acid gently exfoliates away dead cells and reduces inflammation ,while tea tree oil kills bacteria.

Next to come into play is the Dermalogica All Over Toner. This refreshing, toner contains an impressive twelve gentle botanicals that refresh, energise and revive the skin in one go. We love that orange peel and lavender oil have been added to soothe skin and when you spray it onto the face, neck and back, after cleansing, the goodness gets straight to work.

Some people think that spotty skin doesn’t need to be moisturised, but this isn’t the case as the right products help skin look and feel better. What you might have been looking for is the Dermalogica Hydrating Lotion. This lightweight, easy to use cream helps soothe the discomfort caused by breakouts, while hydrating dry patches. Apply after toning and let the ginger, orange and grapefruit soothe and protect the skin, while plant based squalane softens and nourishes it.

OK, what next?

Well, we all love a pamper, so when the homework has been done, why not try a hot bath and pop on the Dermalogica Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask. As you soak your troubles away, the mask will decongest skin so it is clear and blackhead free. Things don’t stop there, as added kaolin clay absorbs excess oil and apple is on hand to hydrate.

Last but not least, if the pimple pops up after PE, a bottle of Dermalogica Breakout Clearing Booster in the kit bag will do the job. Salicylic acid has been added to get rid of bacteria and phytoplankton extract prevents the over drying that can happen with some harsher products. The best thing is that it works in 15 minutes, so by the end of lunch skin can be smoother and worries will be over.

Fancy trying a sample or two? Get in touch and we would love to help.

Team Pure Beauty

How to add citrus to your beauty routine

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100% natural, a natural source of vitamin C, accelerates cell renewal, anti-cellulite and body cleansing programme, appearance of ageing, bacteria, balance, Balm Mint, beauty routine, beeswax, bergamot, beta-carotene, blended, breakfast, breakout prone skin, bright, calm inflammation, Camphor, citrus fresh, citrus fruit, citrus fruits, citrus orange, clean, clear, cool, day cream, dazzle, Decleor Green Mandarin Glow Night Balm, Decleor Green Mandarin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream, Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash, Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, detoxify stimulate, drink, eat, educe inflammation, Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil, Elemis Exotic Cream Moisturising Mask, energise, energy boost, enrich, essentail oils, eucalyptus, excess oils, fine lines, fresh fragrance, fruit, Ginkgo, goodness, gorgeous blend, Grapefruit, green mandarin, green tea, honey, immune system, key ingredients, lemon, lemon peel extract, lush, massaging, menthol, mimosa, mix, moisturises, natural, natural hyaluronic acid, nourish, powerful, protect, reduce, rejuvenate, rice enzyme powder, sad, Sea Buckthorn, Sea Fennel, sea-rocket, senses, seven days a week, sink in, skin, sleep, smooths, sun-kissed glow, Sweet Orange, tangy taste, Tea Tree, treat, uneven skin pigmentation, universal, vibrant appearance, vitamin-packed food, wrinkles, zest, zing

Citrus fruits have a tangy taste, fresh fragrance and vibrant appearance and this winning combo makes them a universal favourite. As well as being great to eat and drink, the goodness of citrus fruits are often used in beauty products.

We have had a look at how adding a little citrus to your beauty routine could add zest and zing to your skin.

The Decleor Green Mandarin Glow Night Balm is 100% natural and can really help to energise your skin and reduce the appearance of ageing. This really is a citrus packed dream as green mandarin, grapefruit, lemon and sweet orange essential oils have been blended with beeswax to offer an energy boost to your skin as you sleep.

It’s the lemon peel extract, a natural source of vitamin C, that helps to protect skin and reduce inflammation in the popular Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash. This fabulous foaming cleanser clears the problem causing excess oils and bacteria on breakout-prone skin. Balm mint, eucalyptus and tea tree oils, plus menthol and camphor all come together with the lemon to clean and cool skin so it can settle and breathe.

Did you know that citrus can be part of an anti-cellulite and body cleansing programme? Well, it can with the gorgeous Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil. A powerful mix of sea buckthorn and sea fennel extracts have been added to lemon and juniper essential oils to create a beauty routine staple you won’t want to be without. Massaging just a little of the oil into the skin will nourish, detoxify and stimulate. Regular use can help smooth cellulite, boost a sluggish system, lift lethargy and even help ease constipation when rubbed into the tummy and lower back.

We know that eating vitamin-packed food is good for our immune system but using those same ingredients on our skin can be positive too. This is where the Decleor Green Mandarin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream comes into play. This lush day cream moisturises the skin, helps ease fine lines and wrinkles gives you an even sun-kissed glow. This is thanks to a gorgeous blend of citrus essential oils, natural hyaluronic acid and beta-carotene which together re-energise tired-looking skin. Not only does simply sink into your skin and leave it looking great but with green mandarin, grapefruit, lemon and orange oils being part of the mix, it makes you smell amazing too.

Grapefruit is often eaten for breakfast, but it is one of the key ingredients in the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. This unique rice enzyme powder smooths the skin, accelerates cell renewal and is gentle enough to be used seven days a week. Grapefruit is part of the skin brightening complex together with aspergillus, liquorice and bearberry which come together to balance uneven skin pigmentation. We love that green tea, ginkgo and oatmeal have been added to help to calm inflammation so that skin is clear, bright and citrus fresh.

If your skin is feeling sad, why not treat it to a session with the Elemis Exotic Cream Moisturising Mask? Mimosa and honey have been expertly blended with extracts of sea rocket, bergamot and citrus orange which together moisturise and enrich the skin. Using for ten minutes twice a week or leaving on overnight will rejuvenate your skin and dazzle your senses.

If you need a little citrus in your life, get in touch and let’s see what would work for you.

Team Pure-Beauty