How to Perfect Your Problematic Pores

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AHAs, antioxidants, blackheads, blemishes, botanical, clarity, cleansing, collagen, corn granules, cruelty free, cucumber extract, dead skin, debris, decongest, elastin, enlarged, essential oils, excess oil, folk medicine, geranium, green tea, kaolin clay, lavender oil, lightweight, Matricaria flower extract, minimising, natural, natural clay, oil production, petitgrain, Pore, pores, reduce shine, skin cells, soothing, spearmint, spirulina extract, tighten, Vegan, visible, Witchhazel

Photo by MART PRODUCTION

In this modern age of blurring primers and photo filters, it’s easy to believe that the people you see online have skin which is completely devoid of pores. Therefore it’s no surprise that research has shown that almost HALF of women wish they could change the size of their pores. As your pore size is mostly a result of your genetics, you can’t permanently shrink them. However, you can minimise their appearance by keeping them clear of oil and debris and boosting your skin’s collagen and elastin. With this in mind, here are five products which will help you to achieve the pores of your dreams:

REN Clean Skincare Clarimatte Invisible Pores Detox Mask

As the name so expertly suggests, this thick, clay-based mask helps to detox the skin and make your pores less visible. Using purifying clay, it helps to draw out impurities, leaving skin deeply clean and hydrated, with a smoother and more refined texture. The vegan, cruelty free formula contains kaolin clay to absorb excess oil, spirulina extract which nourishes the skin and lavender oil for a fragrant and refreshing finish. 

Aromatherapy Associates Mattifying Purifying Facial Scrub

Skin which is oily often seems to go hand in hand with more visible pores, which is why Aromatherapy Associates created this mattifying, purifying facial scrub. It is designed to draw out and eliminate dead skin-clogging cells, using corn granules to gently buff away unwanted cells while natural clay draws impurities from deeper within pores. It also contains rebalancing essential oils of geranium and petitgrain to tighten and reduce shine, making it ideal for over-oily or combination skin. 

Dermalogica Micro Pore Mist

When it comes to minimising the appearance of pores, niacinamide is a hero. By controlling and lowering sebum, niacinamide prevents pores from getting caught with excess oil and dirt, thereby preventing them from stretching, and invariably leading to smaller pores, and that’s what you’ll find in this mist from Dermalogica. In addition, you’ll find cucumber extract, which refreshes the senses for a cool pick-me-up, as well as witch hazel, green tea and matricaria flower extracts, which all provide antioxidant benefits. 

Elemis Clarifying Serum

If your skin is prone to blemishes and blackheads, visible pores are often right there alongside them. Elemis Clarifying Serum is a lightweight, soothing serum clinically proven to reduce the appearance of blemishes, visible pores and blackheads in just 2 weeks. The magic ingredient here is boldo leaf extract, which has been used worldwide in folk medicine to help purify the skin. This botanical ingredient has been shown to visibly improve the appearance of pores and helps improve skin clarity for more even looking skin.

Medik8 Pore Minimising Tonic

The final product on our list, but by NO means the least effective, does exactly what it says on the bottle! Medik8 Pore Minimising Tonic is a purifying post-cleanse solution that works to keep pores clear and minimised over time. It utilises AHAs to control oil production and decongest the skin, allowing pores to shrink back to their original size. With a natural spearmint fragrance, the twice-daily tonic is a long-lasting solution to enlarged pores, leaving your skin looking smoother and more refined.

Five Products to Help You Go Sulphate-Free

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Aloe Vera, ammonium lauryl sulphate, antiseptic, artificial colours, bergamot, blemish free, bubbles, bubbly, cedarwood, chemical, clean, cleansing, cleansing face, comfortable, complexion, damaged skin, damask rose oil, DEA, delicate, eye area, eye contour, fine hair, fine lines, Gallic rose flower extract, green tea, hands, hydrate, ingredients, lather, lavender, limp hair, mild, mineral oil, moisturiser, nourishes, parabens, products, protected, repair, revitalises, scented, Shea butter, soap, sodium laureth sulphate, sodium lauryl sulphate, soothing, spearmint, Sulphate, sulphate free, sulphates, take care, thin hair, vitamin B5, wheat protein, ylang ylang

Photo by Matthew Tkocz on Unsplash

In recent years, there has been an ever-increasing focus on “natural” beauty products and many people have overhauled their entire beauty routine to exclude certain ingredients. One of the most maligned of these is sulphate. 

Sulphates are the number one most common ingredient found in hair care products even today, and you know you’re encountering them when you see names like sodium laureth sulphate, sodium lauryl sulphate, and ammonium laureth sulphate on an ingredient label. 

To be fair to sulphates, they aren’t always worthy of the bad press they’ve received – the chemical itself is basically the thing in products that helps to give you a bubbly lather. However, if you’re trying to opt for sulphate-free products, here are some that you can try:

REN Clean Skincare Atlantic Kelp And Magnesium Anti-Fatigue Energising Hand Wash

While some people want a mega-lather when washing their hands so that they feel clean, the ingredients in standard bar soap can be very drying and irritating. This hand wash from REN Clean Skincare is a gentle sulphate-free daily hand wash to deeply cleanse, moisturise and revive tired hands. It helps to repair damaged skin and ensure that your hands are clean and protected. 

Elemis Absolute Eye Mask

Elemis Absolute Eye Mask helps to hydrate and support the eye contour, as well as reducing the appearance of fine lines. It hydrates, nourishes and revitalises the eye area as well as helping to reduce dark circles and puffiness. As well as being free from sulphates, it also contains no parabens, DEA, mineral oil or artificial colours, giving you the confidence that your delicate eye area will be protected. 

Nine Yards Go Loud Volume Shampoo

As we mentioned above, shampoo is one of the most common places to find sulphates and has therefore been the subject of the most scrutiny when it comes to beauty products. This volumising shampoo from Nine Yards has a a mild sulphate free cleansing base, making it ideal for fine, thin or limp hair in need of delicate cleansing without weighing the hair down. The formula is 100% vegan and contains natural extracts of shea butter, gallic rose flower extract, damask rose oil, green tea and aloe vera and wheat protein.    

Refinery Face Wash

Refinery Face Wash is a deep cleansing, sulphate free face wash that will help to balance and purify the skin. It’s packed with bergamot and spearmint to freshen and stimulate skin while the antiseptic properties of lavender and cedarwood help maintain a blemish free complexion. Impurities are washed away, leaving skin clear and revitalised.

This Works Stress Check Gentle Wash

This gentle wash from This Works is designed to be used all over your body and contains  ylang ylang and vitamin B5 for a worry-free wash that won’t damage the integrity of your skin. This all-over daily wash effectively cleanses the skin leaving it protected, comfortable and soothingly scented so that both your skin and your mood feel a little more balanced as you go about your day.

Five of the Best Supplements for Beautiful Skin

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back, bacteria, balanced diet, betacarotene, bilberry fruit, body, breakouts, chest, clarified, clear skin, CoEnzyme Q10, collagen, dehydrated, diet, dietary restriction, dry, drying, face, fatty acid, fine lines, French maritime pine bark extract, grapeseed, grapeseed extract, green tea, gut biome, hair, harsh chemicals, healthy, healthy skin, hydrate, hydration, I make a six, intensive, lutein, lycopene, melon concentrate, minerals, moisturiser, MSM, nails, omega-3, plumpness, problem skin, radiant, science lead, shinier, shoulders, skin issues, smooth, stronger, superoxide dismutase, supple, supplement, thicker, turmeric root, vitamin A, Vitamin C, vitamins, water, wrinkles, yeast, younger, zinc

Photo by Anna Shvets: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-white-and-yellow-medication-pills-3683077/

As well as following a targeted skincare regime which is made up of products for your specific skin type, one of the best ways to ensure your complexion is in the best condition possible is by following a healthy, balanced diet and making sure you drink enough water. However, making sure that you get the correct amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet isn’t always easy, especially if you have any type of dietary restriction. One of the brands that we carry, Advanced Nutrition Programme, creates supplements which contain patented combinations of the correct vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to tackle a number of different skin issues. Here are five of our favourites:

Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Accumax

This supplement is an all-around skin saver, combining vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and phytonutrients to work from the inside out to support healthy skin. It’s completely free from harsh chemicals and contains a combination of ingredients that works to feed every cell in the body to help support all areas including face, chest, back and shoulders without drying out the skin.

Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Clear Biome

Many of the signals which control the rest of our body come from the gut biome, and if this is off kilter, it can have a knock-on effect on your health. Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Clear Biome contains four specific strains of yeast and bacteria, as well as other ingredients like zinc, which work to rebalance your gut biome and deal with the underlying causes of problem skin. Skin will be clarified and free from breakouts. 

Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Collagen Support

As we age, our body stops making some of the vital elements, such as collagen, which keep us looking youthful. This means that the skin loses its plumpness, and fine lines and wrinkles become more apparent. These plant-based capsules are packed with a clever cocktail of vitamin C, zinc, MSM, grape seed extract and melon concentrate which is rich in superoxide dismutase to help activate your skins’ collagen for younger looking skin. 

Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Moisture IQ

If you suffer from very dry skin, sometimes simply applying moisturiser isn’t enough to restore your skin to a normal level of hydration. Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Moisture IQ is a science-led, 28-day smart supplement system uniquely formulated to hydrate dry and dehydrated skin. Carefully calibrated to support the appearance of hydrated, smooth, supple and radiant skin across the whole body, Skin Moisture IQ delivers an intensive moisture shot to skin, working from the inside out.

Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Ultimate

This 28-day modern vitamin supplement system doesn’t just work on the skin – it also helps to maintain optimal hair and nail health, too. It contains a combination of vitamins A and D, as well as omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, a wide range of antioxidants derived from extracts of green tea, grapeseed, turmeric root, bilberry fruit, betacarotene, lutein and lycopene, AND coenzyme Q10 and French maritime pine bark extract! The supplements are conveniently packaged for daily use and with just 4 weeks of use, you’ll enjoy thicker, shinier hair, stronger nails and clearer skin.

How to eat for a less stressed life

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a handful of nuts, a poor immune system, adrenal glands deal, almond butter, anxiety, bad stuff, balanced, banana, better balance, blood sugar levels, boost, brain, Broccoli, caffeine hit, Celery sticks with hummus, coffee, complex carbohydrates, cuts, desk, digestive problems, dinner, eggs, energy drinks, feel, fruit teas, goodness, green tea, healthy fats, heart, heart disease, hormones, kick start, lemon, lime, lunch, magnesium, magnesium deficiency, meal, meat, mind and body, nasties, nourishing foods, nutritious diet, nuts, off the scale, overwhelmed, porridge, protein, pumpkin seeds, racing, running low, salmon, satisfying, seeds, serious physical health issues, snacks, soothe, stimulants, stress levels, struggle, sugar free, sugary and starchy foods, sweet potato, tea, warmth, water, you are what you eat

They say you are what you eat, and this is so true when it comes to our stress levels.

Not only is stress linked to serious physical health issues like heart disease, a poor immune system and digestive problems, but it plays a significant factor when it comes to our mental wellbeing.

You might not know this, but eating a balanced, nutritious diet isn’t only good for your body but it’s key for your brain, too.

Food can also affect our hormones, so eating well will help you to keep your cool and you’ll find that the more of the right stuff you eat, the less of the bad stuff you will feel.

We have had a look at some ideas that could help you get a better balance in your life and help the world to look like a better place.

Keep your blood sugar levels steady
This step is so important and can be done if you start to swap sugary and starchy foods for complex carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats as these are more satisfying and keep things balanced. Sweet potato and broccoli (complex carbs) with salmon (healthy fats and protein) make a great meal for lunch or dinner and will not only fill you up but also keep things steady so your stress levels don’t though the roof. Celery sticks with hummus, a handful of nuts, and a banana with some almond butter are all great snacks that will keep stress away, and if you start your day with porridge, you are onto a winner.

Get your B vitamins
You might not know this, but B vitamins are brilliant because they help your adrenal glands deal with stress. Luckily for us, they are everywhere and in everything from wholegrains, eggs and meat to nuts and seeds. If you can try to eat more of these wholesome, nourishing foods, your stress levels will thank you.

Make time for magnesium
Magnesium is great for helping your body to deal with stress, it is thought that a magnesium deficiency can be linked to anxiety. If you want to boost your magnesium intake, it’s pretty easy – just pile your plate with broccoli, eggs, spinach and pumpkin seeds and if you are worried you aren’t getting enough, take a supplement and let the goodness calm you down.

Cut back on stimulants
We do take them on board so easily, that we forget just how much stimulants can make our stress levels worse. If you love tea and coffee because it powers you up, that’s ok, but try to have just one or two cups a day, rather than ten.

Those energy drinks, even the sugar free ones, are full of nasties that can make you feel as if your heart is racing and your stress levels are off the scale, so cut them out.
If you find yourself needing a caffeine hit, get it the natural way and go for green tea instead – it contains a compound called l-theanine which helps you feel calmer, and the warmth will soothe you but your stress levels won’t go through the roof.

Keep hydrated
One of the best things you can do for your mind and body, is to drink plenty of water. We know we say this a lot, but that’s because it’s true. Starting the day with a cup of warm water and lemon can really help to kick start your system and clear away the toxins from the night before. Carry a bottle of water with you on the go (a reusable one of course) and fill it up when you are running low, adding lemon, lime and ice for taste. As well as a glass on your desk or at your workstation, also try out herbal and fruit teas as an alternative to the skinny, double shot, extra hot flat white that will set your nerves on edge and add to your stress levels.

Managing your diet is key to helping with stress, but if you’re feeling overwhelmed and things are getting out of hand, it’s really important to speak to someone or seek professional support, you don’t have to struggle alone.

Team Pure Beauty

Why hydrated skin equals happy skin

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acne, ageing and environmental elements, an antioxidant shield, antioxidant rich day cream, balanced and supple, bodies, brains, Broccoli, Camellia, chia seeds, cool blend, daily intake, Decleor Essential Tonifying Lotion, deeper, dehydrated, delicate, Dermalogica Hydrating Lotion r, Dermalogica Phyto Replenish Oil, drink water, dryness, Elemis Hydra-Balance Day Cream, Elemis Superfood Facial Oil, Eyes, flax seed, game changer, good shape, green tea, grey and tired, happy, healthy, highly concentrated plant-based superfoods, hydrate, hydrated, impurities, issue, Jan Marini Transformation Eye Cream, lines, lower eyelids, macadamia, moisture, natural barrier, natural ingredients, natural moisturising factor, natural pH levels, neroli oil, NMF, normal skin, oleic, orchid flower, pores, radish, refreshed, restore, revitalised, Rice Bran, rosemary extracts, saggy, secret, simple, smooth, soften, solve, soothes discomfort, spots, sunflower, superfoods, tamanu, tender, thin, tight, twice a day, ultra-light, visible dehydration lines, Why hydrated skin equals happy skin, working, young skin

The secret to happy skin is a simple one; hydration.

Just like we need to drink water to keep our bodies and brains working properly, our skin needs a daily intake of moisture to keep it healthy and in good shape. As well as skin looking grey and tired, a lack of hydration can make it feel tight, lines look deeper and cell turnover can slow down.

At Pure Beauty we sell a range of fantastic products that keep your skin hydrated and happy, so let’s see what might work for you.

We know that ageing and environmental elements can lead to dryness and dehydration, but the Dermalogica Phyto Replenish Oil uses nature to help solve this issue. First of all, camellia and tamanu oils help restore the skin’s natural barrier, then orchid flower and chia seeds sweep in and smooth visible dehydration lines and lock in moisture. If this wasn’t enough, sunflower, rice bran and rosemary extracts create an antioxidant shield against the free radicals that can do so much damage. This all means you are left with happy, hydrated skin!

You might think that a toner will dehydrate your skin, but this isn’t true. Using the Decleor Essential Tonifying Lotion twice a day balances the skin’s natural pH and leaves it refreshed, revitalised and hydrated. Green tea gently removes impurities and tightens pores, while Neroli oil protects, repairs and fights dehydration.

Even normal skin can become dehydrated and that’s when the Elemis Hydra-Balance Day Cream comes into play. This ultra-light, antioxidant rich day cream gives normal and combination skin ongoing hydration, so it is balanced and supple. It works with the skin’s natural moisturising factor (NMF) to help maintain a balanced moisture level and used morning and night can help you get the skin you love and deserve.

Even young skin can become dehydrated, and even more so if acne and spots are on the scene. We love how the lightweight Dermalogica Hydrating Lotion really helps dehydrated, breakout-irritated skin that is tender and sad. The sheer, easy-to-apply formula soothes discomfort and hydrates thanks to a cool blend of natural ingredients that work with nature, not against it.

The skin around the eyes is super delicate and thin, so it can soon look sad and saggy when dehydration hits. If this sounds familiar to you, we joke not when we say that the Jan Marini Transformation Eye Cream is a game changer. The clever complex visibly improves skin texture and restores hydration around eyes, while helping prevent future damage. When used sparingly morning and evening on the lower eyelids and across the brow bones, this cream can make big changes.

We can’t go without mentioning the fabulous Elemis Superfood Facial Oil. A blend of highly concentrated plant-based superfoods are packed into this beautiful bottle, and means your skin is deeply nourished and hydrated after the very first application. Broccoli, flax seed and radish soften and smooth the skin while macadamia, oleic and poppy seed oils nourish and moisturise. The results are a healthy, radiant glow like no other.

If you would like more help on happy, hydrated skin, get in touch and we would love to see what could work for you.

Team Pure Beauty