Tips to help your skin breathe

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add hydration, apply, balm, bath, beauty, body, boost your circulation, breakouts, cap, cleanse, cleanse twice a day, congestion, dead skin cells, deep breaths, dirty and oily, enhance, essential, exercise, facial, feels, flawless complexion, gentle, heavy duty products, imperfections, layers, lips, looks, love, make-up bag, make-up free, massaging facial oil, natural complexion, natural exfoliation product, natural glow, natural look, oil, pores, powder, pretty, principle, process, rejuvenates, Relax, relaxing at home, repairs, residue, sculptured, silky-smooth, skin tone, sleep, smooth, soft, sunglasses, TLC, tone and moisturise, toxins, tutorials, wake up

While foundation is helpful when it comes to hiding blemishes and creating a flawless complexion, wearing layers of make-up and powder everyday doesn’t always help your skin breath and won’t leave it in the best condition.

We all know we need to take deep breaths when life seems out of control, and you can apply the same principle to your skin.

Here are our top tips on how to give your skin a break so it feels and looks great.

Cleanse every morning and night
We have said it before and will say it again but it is essential to cleanse twice a day with a face wash or cleanser designed for your skin type. This is especially important if you do wear make-up as the process will remove left over products and residue which has built up over time.

Remove make-up before you sleep
When we sleep, our skin rejuvenates and repairs itself, however if you have make-up on when you fall asleep, this won’t happen as well as it could. The dirt will sit on your face as you sleep so your pores may well get clogged up, leaving you with unhappy skin when you wake up.

Exfoliate
A gentle, natural exfoliation product is a must have for most of us as they gently remove dead skin cells and product-build leaving you with a silky-smooth, natural glow. Check the details of the product before you use it, and always follow instructions.

Take a make up detox
For many people this is scary, but how about going make-up free one day a week to give your skin a break? Maybe on a Sunday, cleanse, tone and moisturise, leave your make-up bag zipped up and if you have to go out, wear sunglasses and a cap to make it less painful. Go on, we dare you.

Love your lips
Go easy with lipstick as they can be drying. Simply apply a little balm to your lips and this will keep them soft and moisturised.

Go for lighter coverage
Swapping heavy-duty products for lighter alternatives will let your skin breath and they are less likely to block pores and cause congestion. There are some great tutorials and guides online that show you how to create a pretty, natural look that you might even prefer to the more sculptured approach you usually take to make-up. You may find that using the right moisture followed by a foundation that matches your skin tone will actually enhance your natural complexion and erase any imperfections without having to add layers of product that hides your beauty.

Don’t exercise with make-up on
It might leave you feeling exposed, but try not to exercise with your make-up on. The reason for this is because as you exercise you sweat and this gets rid of the toxins in your body. If you’re pores are clogged up with make-up, your skin can’t sweat productively so your face remains dirty and oily leaving it prone to breakouts, something you don’t want and can avoid.

TLC
We all need a little TLC and so does out skin. Once a month try to have a facial which will not only relax you but also boost your circulation, add hydration and leave your skin soft and smooth. If you don’t have the time, or budget, to go to a pro, apply a face mask or massaging facial oil into your skin as you relax in the bath can also give you the time out you need to let go off stress and give your skin some love too.

Team Pure Beauty

Make life easy with a capsule wardrobe

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35 key pieces, basics, best, black, boho look, capsule wardrobe, catwalks, closet, clothes, fashion freedom, favourite jeans, feels, foundation, friends, going out, good news, grey, home, ideas and inspiration, Imelda Marcos, lifestyle, list, looks, love, magazines, mind, money, mood board, navy, new you, next season, olive, personal style, pile, rail, research, school run, shopping, signature style, simple steps, smart blazer, social media, Sort it out, sparkly top, started, store, straight leg trousers, streamlining, Susie Faux, tidy and organised, websites, what to wear, working, works

If you are looking get more, out of less, when it comes to fashion, it could be that you need a capsule wardrobe in your life.

If you’ve got more shoes than Imelda Marcos and love nothing more than buying that new jumper in every colour, streamlining might seem daunting.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be.

The term “capsule wardrobe” was coined in the 1970s, by London boutique owner Susie Faux, and it describes a collection of wardrobe staples that will meet your fashion needs each season and they key to success is that it works for you.

Dressing this way means it is easier to decide what to wear, because you know everything in your closet looks and feels great on you. You will find your wardrobe is tidy and organised, and you spend less time working out what to wear and money buying new clothes because you know what you have works.

We have put together some simple steps to get you started, and we have a feeling you won’t look back.

Do your research
Be it from magazines, websites, friends or social media, look for ideas and inspiration and create a mood board for your new capsule wardrobe.

What’s your style?
As well as making life easier, the capsule wardrobe is also designed to help you find your own personal style. Maybe you have a love of the 1970s, like to keep up with the catwalks or possible hanker for a more boho look – whatever it is, keep your eyes open for the essentials that will help you create that look for you.

Consider your lifestyle
Do think about what you like to wear. Identify all the different activities you do in your daily life (i.e. work, playing with the kids, doing the school run, working, going out with friends) and be practical about what would work when it comes to clothes.

The basics
With your research done, it is time to raid your existing wardrobe. A smart blazer, well fitting jeans, a pair of straight leg trousers, a tailored coat, a shift dress and a silk shirt are great examples of basics. You can then add statement pieces like a well cut suit and a sparkly top so you don’t get bored and remember, nothing is just for best. You are looking ideally for around 35 key pieces which you can place on a rail and then access what is missing and what you need to pull it all together.

Colours
The capsule is the foundation of your wardrobe, so we suggest keeping to neutral colours for your key pieces. Navy, olive, grey and black are the obvious starting points and you will be amazed how a pop of colour will really bring each outfit together.

Sort it out
This is the time to look at what remains in your closet. Make a pile of anything that you don’t wear and the items that don’t fit. If you know you aren’t going to wear them again, give them away and store the rest of next season. If you find you don’t use them in the next six months, clear them away for good. This isn’t being ruthless, it will simply help clear your mind and your home.

Go shopping
If you find you are missing some items make a list and when you go shopping, stick to it. Remember, a capsule wardrobe isn’t about creating a whole new you but instead reigniting your love of the clothes and finding your signature style.

Shake it up
After 3 – 6 months, or as the seasons change, you can take some items away and add others in, but as much as possible keep to those initial staples and in time you will know what works for you.

Happy sorting and enjoy your new-found fashion freedom.

Team Pure Beauty

5 Hit and Miss Looks from The BRIT Awards

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beauty, BRIT awards, celebrity, fashion, looks, Shaving, skin

Awards season is always a great time to see what is on trend, which designers vying to have their creations seen on the biggest stars, and is often a barometer for what ‘normal’ clothes are going to be inspired by for the coming season. We thought we’d take a look at five celebrity outfits from The BRIT Awards and decide whether they were a stunning success or a bit of a fail!

Jess Glynne – MISS

Jess is incredibly striking, with her red hair and pale skin, and green is a great colour on her, but this emerald suit and platforms combination really does nothing for her. The suit looks stiff and poorly-cut while the shoes and back-combed hair make the whole thing look more fancy dress than high fashion!

Rihanna – HIT

In an unusually understated look, Rihanna combines this floor-length gown with minimalist accessories and a sleek short bob. Showing less flesh than usual, Rihanna looks relaxed and grown-up, showing that she can get it oh-so-right, even when stepping away from her signature looks.

Little Mix – MISS

Little Mix’s stylist is obviously still following the “almost matching but not quite” formula of dressing a girl band that was so popular in the early nineties. However, all of the girls (who are actually young and gorgeous!) look oddly middle-aged in this array of beige lace and satin and although they look co-ordinated, none of them really looks all that great on an individual basis.

Reggie Yates – HIT

Reggie Yates has been on our TV screens for over 20 years and has gone from strength to strength – and the same can be said for his fashion choices. Reggie always looks slick, keeping it classic in monochrome with a modern twist, and his clean-shaven, highly-groomed look made him a huge hit at the BRITS.

Lily Donaldson – MISS

There’s no denying that Lily Donaldson is a beautiful girl with a figure that would be the envy of most women, but this dress proves that putting everything you have on show isn’t always the best look. Reminiscent of THAT dress that Liz Hurley is so famed for wearing, the “scrap of material held together with barely a stitch” design does nothing to flatter and makes Lily look far older than her 29 years.