Stay Cool Even When The Humidity Rises

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base, BB Cream, blemish, correction, decleor, Decleor BB Cream, dermalogica, Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner, Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF30, Elemis, Elemis Daily Redness Solution, flawless, frizz, full-coverage, hair, humid, humidity, inflammation, make-up, oil production, redness, sebum, skin, soothing, spots, spritzing, sweat, Toner

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Is it just us, or does the current weather SUCK?! It’s not quite hot, not quite cold and if it’s not hacking down with rain, it’s super humid and sticky. Dealing with humidity can be so much more difficult to deal with that other extremes of weather, but there are things you can do to help keep you looking your best, even when it seems like Mother Nature is conspiring against you! Read on for our suggestions of how to cope in humid weather.

Keep Your Hair Low-Maintenance

Unless you’re REALLY lucky, you’re probably like us and closely resemble Monica Geller in Barbados when the humid air hits your hair. All the blow-drying and straightening in the world isn’t going to be enough to tame your hair in high humidity, so the best thing you can do is just not do it! Using a daily conditioning rinse will help to weigh your hair down, taming flyaway locks, but leaving it to do it’s own thing after using the rinse will give you the best chance of a smooth barnet.

Use Lighter Products

Using thick, oily or rich products will feel fairly horrible on your skin in times of high humidity, and could even end up causing spots because they don’t allow your skin to sweat and breathe enough. Opt for cooling, spritzing products like Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner to keep your skin feeling fresh and avoid breaking out into spots or areas of redness.

Make-Up is Overrated

We know it’s tempting to wear your usual full-coverage make-up all year round, but when the humidity hits, there’s a good chance that a thicker foundation won’t even stay on your face properly. Opting for a lighter version of your usual base, like Decleor BB Cream, which will give you a decent level of coverage whilst providing moisture and blemish correction, and won’t be as susceptible to the heat and humidity as thicker products.

Rid Yourself of Redness

On humid days, we basically feel hot and bothered any time we have to move around, and this can massively exacerbate any redness that you may already experience. Elemis Daily Redness Solution will ensure that your skin doesn’t flare up in the heat and humidity and will de-sensitise and comfort irritated, red and blotchy complexions. It makes a great base for make-up and when used with the Decleor BB Cream above will give you a flawless finish.

Limit Oil Production

Humidity and heat can be a nightmare if you have naturally oily skin, so preparing for humid days with an oil-reducing product is essential for keeping your skin looking great. Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF30 will do a two-fold job of protecting you, firstly by offering defenses against the sun’s harmful rays, but also by regulating oil production and soothing inflammation. The ultra-sheer formula absorbs surface oils to prevent shine without any powdery residue, delivering an all-day matte finish.

It’s The End of the School Year – Treat Your Tired Body!

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ageing, Alpine Lavender, arms, bath, Birch, Blue Chamomile, clove, cool, dark circles, decleor, dermalogica, Elemis, energise, Eyes, facial contours, fatigue, fine lines, inflammation, juniper, legs, migraine, muscles, redefine, rejuvenate, rejuvenating, rest, school, school holidays, sea salt, shoulders, smooth, smoothing, soak, temples, tired, tiredness, tone, Wild Thyme, wrinkles

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Whether you’re a teacher, support staff, a student or a school-run parent, you’re probably feeling incredibly glad to see six weeks of summer stretching out ahead of you, where you can turn off your daily alarm, stay up as late as you want and even drink wine on a random Tuesday without having to worry about the next morning! It’s highly likely that your body is feeling more than a little tired, so we thought we’d take a look at some of our products which are designed to remedy all that tiredness and help you to put a little more ZING into your skin!

Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque

Masks are a really great way to replenish and revitalise the skin as they can be left on for a period of time and really allowed to go to work. This masque from Dermalogica is designed to brighten dull, tired skin and will detoxify and invigorate your skin. It’s easy to remove and can be used on all skin types, making it an essential product for your bathroom cabinet.

Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak

Nothing tells you that you’re tired more than aching muscles, and by the same token, nothing is better for aching muscles than a soak in a tub full of warm water and some Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak! The blend of botanicals such as birch, juniper, clove, alpine lavender, wild thyme and blue chamomile combine with sea salt to gently warm and soothe the muscles, helping your body to unwind and allowing your mind to follow suit – just don’t fall asleep in the bath!

Elemis Instant Refreshing Gel

If you don’t have time for a bath (or have a bathtub at home!) you’ll need a product which can be applied directly to the skin if you want to revitalise aching limbs and muscles. This gel from Elemis is designed to be rubbed into tired muscles, especially the neck and shoulders, to help to untie knotted areas, cool and soothe inflammation, and instantly leave you feeling lighter and less achy. It’s great for travel and can also be applied to the temples during a migraine.

Decleor Iris Rejuvenating Night Balm

Night-time is the right time…to rejuvenate your skin. Night creams and balms are brilliant products for giving your skin a big burst of help, and this Iris Rejuvenating Night Balm is no exception. It’s made from 100% natural ingredients and is especially great for ageing skin. It will energise, tone and redefine facial contours, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and stimulate and invigorate even the most tired skin, particularly those showing signs of ageing.

Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Eye Balm

No anti-tiredness beauty regime would be complete without a product which can work miracles on your eyes. Tired eyes will look puffy and have dark circles around them, but this balm from Elemis works to combat that. It contains omega-rich apricot kernel oil nourishes the delicate eye contour area, as well as benefiting from an applicator which cools and smooths the skin as you use it.

Don’t let hay fever get you down

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allergic reactions, Antihistamines, apples, beer, blocked nose, Broccoli, brown rice, cabbage, carpets, cinema, clear sinuses, control, corticosteroids, curries, dehydrates, difficult, ease congestion, enjoy, Eyes, flowers, garlic, ginger, GP, grass, histamine, Home comforts, honey, Housekeeping, impractical, inflammation, itchy, itchy eyes, leeks, Low-allergen foods, mushrooms, nutshell, organic, over-the-counter medicines, pears, peas, pillow, plants, pollen, quinoa, red, red onions, Reishi mushrooms, runny, salads, shopping centre, sleep, sneezing, spirits, stir fries, summer, sunglasses, sweep, sweet potatoes, swelling, symptoms, tips and tricks, vacuum, Vaseline, Wash your hair, wet, windows, wine

The sun is shining, the sky is blue, off the shoulder dresses are on trend and everyone is happy.

Well, nearly everyone.

With an estimated one in five people suffering with this common allergic condition during their life, summer can be unbearable for many.

In a nutshell, pollen from grass, flowers, plants and trees can cause sneezing, runny or blocked nose and itchy eyes and it can be both painful and frustrating as there is no known cure.

Of course, the most effective way to keep hay fever under control is to avoid pollen exposure. This, however, it’s difficult and impractical, so we have some tips and tricks to help keep it at bay so you can enjoy your summer as much as everyone else.

Medicines
Hay fever can be controlled with conventional, over-the-counter medicines on sale at your chemist. Antihistamines help prevent allergic reactions and corticosteroids ease inflammation and swelling. If you try these and they aren’t helping it is worth speaking to your GP to see if prescription medication is needed.

Diet
Eat organic food where possible as this helps avoid pesticides and additives. Low-allergen foods such as brown rice, quinoa, broccoli, cabbage, sweet potatoes, leeks, peas, pears, apples and papaya are all good options and of course will aid general peak health.

Mushrooms
Mushrooms aren’t just for breakfast and can really help regulate the immune response. A good quality organic extract from Reishi mushrooms is a good option and worth investing in if you are serious about dealing with hay fever for once and all.

Drinking
Keep your water drinking up and reduce your alcohol intake. Beer, wine and spirits all contain histamine, which is the chemical that sets off allergy symptoms in your body so as well as making you more sensitive to pollen, alcohol also dehydrates you, making your symptoms seem worse.

Wash your hair
Did you know pollen can stick to your hair? Well it can and when you go to bed it transfers to your pillow and will affect you as you try to sleep. If you have been out for the day, it is a good idea to have a shower and change your clothes before going into your bedroom and sprinkling pollen around and making life harder.

Go for sunglasses
As well as shades protecting your precious peepers, they are also a great way of stopping pollen from getting into your eyes. Go for a decent wrap around pair to create a barrier and to ensure your eyes are less red and itchy.

Housekeeping
We aren’t saying you don’t clean but given that pollen can easily get into your carpets it is a good idea to vacuum regularly and sweep it away. Try not to have the windows open too much and dust with a wet cloth so pollen doesn’t unknowingly spread around your house

Barrier
It is said that applying a little Vaseline (petroleum gel) around your nose can stop pollen getting into your system.

Home comforts
This isn’t going to happen every day but if the pollen count is high (over 50 grains per cubic metre of air) you might want to stay at home or visit a shopping centre, cinema or museum rather than being outdoors and at risk of symptoms getting worse.

Spice up your life
Garlic, ginger, red onions and other spices are all brilliant ways to help clear sinuses and ease congestion. Add them to curries, salads, stir fries and BBQs to keep your pain away.

Honey
Pop some honey on your toast or in your green tea and let the bee pollen in it desensitise your body to the plant pollens that cause the hay fever grief.

We hope you find a way to keep your hay fever under control this summer, and if you have a top tip, would love to know what it is.

Team Pure Beauty

How To Deal With Sunburn

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after sun, burn, cancer, damage, holiday, inflammation, skin, SPF, summer, sun, sun burn, sun damage

Okay, so we’re aware that there’s scarcely been any sunburn-worthy weather here in the UK, despite it being well into June, but nevertheless it’s always good to know how to deal with sunburn if and when it happens. Avoiding sunburn altogether with a high-SPF is obviously the best thing to do, as just 5 cases of sunburn in a lifetime increases the risk of skin cancer by up to 80%, but if it does occur, we’ve got some tips on how to soothe and repair your skin.

Get out of the sun

It may seem like a no-brainer that getting out of the sun when you have sunburn is the first thing to do, but it’s amazing how many people will continue on their slavish quest for a tan by remaining in the sun, even when they’re burnt. In fact, remaining in the sun is not going to improve your chances of getting a tan and will just continue to do damage, both on a surface and a cellular level and your skin can only start to repair itself when you get into the shade.

Take an anti-inflammatory

Providing you aren’t asthmatic or allergic to ibuprofen, taking an anti-inflammatory can really help to reduce the discomfort of sunburn, and reducing the inflammation with obviously also help your skin to transition to the healing period.

Drink plenty of water

When your skin is burnt, it immediately starts to draw moisture to the site of the burn to try to cool and soothe the skin, so that the healing process can begin. This means that your body will need additional moisture to keep up with the demand, so staying hydrated with plenty of water is a must. It’s also wise to try to avoid alcohol at this time as it will dehydrate you and stunt the healing process greatly.

Moisturise

Using a dedicated after sun product, such as Decleor High Repair After Sun Balm for the Face and Decleor Soothing After Sun Milk for the Body will help greatly with the healing process as they contain several ingredients which will help to replenish the skins natural protection. Both products will also help your skin to develop a deep, even and lasting tan once your sunburn has healed.

Refrigerate Your Products!

This may seem like an odd suggestion but keeping your after sun and moisturiser in the fridge will not only feel great but it will help the healing in the long run. Part of healing a burn is helping the skin to return to its normal temperature as burns can continue to be hot for sometime after the initial exposure, so applying a cold balm to the skin will be hugely beneficial.

Fitness hacks that work

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Hate the gym?

Lost your fitness mojo?

Don’t want to go out in the cold?

Wish you felt and looked better?

We can understand all of this and are here to help.

We’ve put together some easy fitness hacks that will keep you on track come rain or shine?

By starting your day with a workout you’ve got nothing to skip later in the day. This perfect for anyone who procrastinates and gets everything done other than their Pilates class.

Keep it short and opt for a quick, intense workout over a longer one where you don’t push yourself quite as much.

Make it a social event and exercise with friends. If you know someone else is depending on you for their run, you will be less likely to hit the snooze button and go back to sleep.

Make exercise part of your daily routine. Riding your bike to work, getting off the bus one stop early or parking further away from the school will all make a difference and add up over the weeks and months.

Keeping hydrated is key to success. You need at least eight glasses of water on an average day to be healthy. It is good to know that more water helps your body burn more fat, and being properly hydrated improves your workout performance. Sip on water during the day and add lemon or ginger for a natural zing.

Go at your own pace. No one says that you have to work out every day, and many professionals don’t advocate that anyway. The key is to give 100% when you do exercise so that you get as much out of it as possible.

If you feel as if you are just too tired to hit the gym, enjoy a caffeine hit. Caffeine has been linked to better workout performance so sip coffee or green tea and you’ll get your energy back on track. Just don’t over do it!

If you really cannot get motivated, think about getting some pro help. Sign up for boot camp classes or hire a PT for a handful of sessions at the gym. They’ll give you the encouragement and motivation to step out of your comfort zone and reach those goals you have wanted to hit for months.

If you have a desk job, make sure you get up and move every thirty minutes. Even if you simply walk around the office and stretch it will help you refresh. When you are sitting at your desk have your feet on the floor and check your ears, shoulders and hips are all in line.

Sore muscles? Apply ice to the affected area straight away to reduce inflammation then use heat later on to encourage an increased flow of blood to the area. If you do have an injury rest and seek medical help if needed.

If you work best with rewards, do it. There are no rights or wrongs when it comes to getting exercise done. Whether you buy yourself a magazine, save for a spa day or treat yourself to a new pair of trainers, if incentives work, go for it.

Whatever you do, pick something you enjoy and you are more likely to stick to it and even look forward to it.