How to be social media savvy

Tags

amazing homes, annoying requests, block, blushes, bombarding, Boss, brownie points, Christmas party, communication, complete stranger, diet plans, erfect feeds, face, Facebook, feelings, gossip, happiness, hilarious, hotbed, hype, Instagram, intimate details, job interview, Keep it real, keyboard warrior, love, making connections, medic, medical advice, news, nitty gritty, online, personal details, popular, potential problems, prevent, rashes, real life, requests, safe, scratches, sick, social media networks, spammed, stranger, stunning holidays, substitute, tag, trolled, twitter, unfriend, well-meaning words

Whether you love Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or one of the other popular social media networks, making connections and keeping in touch with family and friends has never been easier, or cheaper. However, this instant means of communication can also lead to a hotbed of potential problems, so we’ve had a look at how you can prevent mishaps and keep safe and happy online.

Watch the door
There is no way you would let a complete stranger into your home, and the social media world should be no different. Accepting requests to connect with someone you don’t know can be dangerous and you really want to avoid it. It can allow people to spy on you, fraudsters can find your personal details, you can be spammed and trolled, and those people can send annoying requests to your friends too. If you don’t know someone in real life, don’t let them be a part of your social media existence either.

Tag with care
Yes, the Christmas party was fun, but Bob from IT might not want ‘that picture’ plastered across Facebook for HR to see on Monday, so just stop and think before you post photos of other people and tag them. You might think something is hilarious, but if you don’t want to lose a friend or your job stop and consider the consequences before pressing send.

Keep it real
You know the people we are talking about – the ones with the perfect feeds, amazing homes, stunning holidays and a new outfit everyday – this isn’t real, so don’t believe the hype or let it get you down. Generally, people only post what they want you to know, so take things with a pinch of salt and just go your own way.

Don’t overshare
The intimate details of your personal life are yours, so don’t share them with Twitter, because it could lead to a lot of blushes. Yes, you might hate your boss and your new boyfriend might be amazing, but the whole world doesn’t need to know every single detail. Keep social media light and fun and when things don’t go to plan, don’t blast your feed with the gossip about that either.

Is it yours to share?
Posting about your flatmate’s job interview, revealing an upcoming project at work, or talking about your sister’s engagement before she does, won’t get you any brownie points. Think before you post and if it’s someone else’s news, they have the right to tell others on their feed, before you share it on yours.

Social media isn’t a medic
Social media is a great thing, but it’s not a substitute for real medical advice. If you have a health problem, speak to your GP before sharing the nitty gritty of a tummy bug online, and never think that the well-meaning words of a friend are a given when it comes to being sick. Speak to someone in the know and keep photos of scratches and rashes to yourself.

Don’t be pushy
We all need to make a living but bombarding family and friends with requests to buy your skin care products or diet plans isn’t going to make you very popular. Yes, set up a page and let them know what you are doing, but if you push it at them all the time, you might find they start to unfriend, or even block you and that’s not what you want.

Don’t be a keyboard warrior
At the end of the day, we all have feelings, so if you say something to someone online, make sure you would also say it to their face. Don’t make social media a breeding ground for hate, instead spread happiness and love and make the world a better place.

Team Pure Beauty

Easy ways to create a family friendly kitchen

Tags

appliances, art, baby gate, boiling water, carpets, chilblains, clean, clear area, clear surfaces, cold, colder, cook, cooker, cosy space, cry, cute, danger, diffuser, dinner, draft, draft excluder, easy to clean, eat dinner, family, focal, free of clutter, fridge, fry, gaps, heat, home, home hub, homework, hot, hot chocolate, hot food, insulating, kids, kitchen, laugh, locks on cupboards, love, magazines, make dinner, memories, mid-morning coffee, pets, pictures, playpen, precious paintings, rubbish, rugs, sandwiches, school run, sharp knives, slip proof, smell, smells, table, table manners, talk, teach, temperature, Tiled and wooden floors, toasty feeling, toddler, toes, underfloor heating, windows, worktops

If you have a family, it is highly likely that you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, and that it is very much a focal part of your home. The kitchen is where we laugh, cry and talk, it’s where we eat dinner together, where we teach kids table manners and how to cook, and where we gather at the end of the day to catch up and tell stories. It is place that’s all about love and memories.

Given just how important this room is to so many people, we have put together some ideas about how you can create a kitchen, and a home hub, you love.

Safety is key
It really goes without saying, but safety has to be a kitchen priority. Boiling water, sharp knives, hot food and rubbish are all possible danger points, so care needs to be taken. A baby gate, locks on cupboards and drawers, slip proof rugs and mats as well as putting medicines and cleaning products out of reach of children and pets, are all starting points. You want to enjoy your kitchen, but you can do this more easily if things are safe.

What space do you want to have?
We all want something different from a kitchen, and this changes over time, so think about what you need right now, not in five years. Maybe you need somewhere for a playpen for your toddler while you cook, you might want a table or island bar where the kids can do their homework, or if you have pets, thinking about where to keep their food and water bowls could be a consideration. Think about what would make your kitchen work, and then make the steps towards creating the space you want.

Clear the worktops
Of course, one thing you need is a clear area where you can prepare food that isn’t too crowded and where you have space to keep your appliances too. Even if you have a small kitchen, create an area that is free of clutter, that is easy to clean and that way you know you’ll have the room to make dinner and get sandwiches ready for the next day.

Think about the temperature
You might want your kitchen to be a cosy space, and in the evening when the cooker is on and people are moving around this is fine, but by day it could be a colder matter. To make sure you still get that toasty feeling on Sunday mornings when the children are having their cereal, or when you have your mid-morning coffee, you need to look at the space and how hot or cold it gets. Insulating your home is the best way of keeping the heat in, so check for gaps under doors and window frames, you will be amazed at what a draft excluder can do. Tiled and wooden floors might look great, but come November your toes won’t be happy, so look at underfloor heating, carpets or rugs and that way you can sip your hot chocolate before the school run without getting chilblains.

Make it your own
Yes, clean, clear surfaces and spotless walls are the images we see in magazines, but this doesn’t always create the kitchen you want. Art on the walls can add an extra feeling of love and family, pictures with magnets on the fridge are cute and of course, those precious paintings your little ones bring home from nursery will look lovely in your kitchen!

All about the smell
Kitchens are full of smells and let’s face it, some are better than others! Make sure you keep on top of your rubbish and recycling, if you fry food then keep the windows open and think about having a diffuser to help neutralise nasty odours, and these easy steps can help make your kitchen a pleasant place to hang out!

If you follow these tips, your kitchen should be the best room in your home.

Team Pure Beauty

Get your apple a day at Pure Beauty

Tags

alleviate irritating dryness, alpha hydroxy acids, Amazonian, an apple a day, antioxidant-rich, apple, Apple Amino Acids, Ayurvedic herbs, benefits, blackheads, chamomile, creamy lather, crunchy, delicate, Dermalogica Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask, Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer, Dermalogica Nightly Lip Treatment, dirt, doctor, dry, dry skins, Elemis Gentle Foaming Facial Wash, fig, fruits, gentle ingredients, Granny Smith, healthy complexion, Indian Soapnut, infused, irritation, love, lukewarm, luxurious, make-up, massage, native, oils, organic English Rose water, pat dry, pigmentation, pollution, Pure Beauty, Red Delicious, redness, refreshing, rinse off, samples, sehip seed oil, sensitive skin, Shea butter, skin, skin-quenching fluid, soften, spots, sugar cane, uneven skin tone, wash, weightless barrier

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but it can also make your skin look, and feel amazing.

Apples are packed with goodness that can have a positive impact on our complexions, something we don’t always think about as we take our first bite of a juicy Granny Smith or crunchy Red Delicious.

At Pure Beauty we sell a number of products that harness the benefits of apples and we’re going to share them with you today.

We love the Elemis Gentle Foaming Facial Wash because it combines fig and apple amino acids which help protects the skin’s moisture barrier. Oils from a native Amazonian tree soften skin as well as helping to maintain its delicate balance and natural oil levels. For great skin, massage a little of the wash into dry skin, adding lukewarm water to create a luxurious, creamy lather that envelopes the face with love, then rinse off, pat dry and follow with your toner and moisturiser.

If you are looking for a moisturiser that hydrates dry, sensitive skin, look no further than the Dermalogica UltraCalming Calm Water-Gel. This refreshing gel is total a skin-quenching fluid that creates a weightless barrier, so skin is hydrated and protected. Apple has been added into the mix of gentle ingredients to help soften skin and alleviate irritating dryness.

Keeping skin clean is vital for a healthy complexion, and the Elemis Smart Cleanse Micellar Water scores top marks for doing exactly that. Apple amino acid, rosehip seed oil and Indian soapnut come together to lift impurities from the skin and leave it free of dirt, make-up and pollution. Infused with organic English rose water and antioxidant rich chamomile, skin is gently cleansed, and the delicate natural moisture barrier is maintained.

The Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer is an exclusive three-in-one treatment that smoothes skin without causing irritation or redness. Signs of premature ageing are addressed thanks to a unique botanical complex that also comes to the rescue of uneven skin tone and pigmentation. The alpha hydroxy acids from apple and sugar cane extract help to stimulate cell renewal and turnover while taking away dulling dead cells.

A balanced diet full of fruit and veg can help keep our skin spot free, but if you need some extra help, there’s the Dermalogica Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask. This clever mask has an active fizzing formula that opens and cleans pores as well as targeting annoying blackheads. The anti-microbial benefits of sulphur help keep skin clear; kaolin clay absorbs excess oil whilst apple extract comes and saves the day by offering added hydration.

Our skin repairs at night, and that includes our lips. To give them some extra night time loving, the Dermalogica Nightly Lip Treatment is our go to recommendation. A unique blend of apple, shea butter, Ayurvedic herbs and sesame seeds help to restore skin volume, hydrate the lips and improve elasticity while reducing the appearance of feathering and ageing. After cleansing and toning, simply massage into the skin and you will wake up to soft, smooth lips.

Want to know how you can get some apple love into your beauty regime? Get in touch and we would love to help and can even send samples so you can try before you buy.

Team Pure Beauty

Look and feel cool this summer with the right clothes

Tags

animal prints, beach, bikini bottoms, black capri pants, black dress, blanket, Body con dresses, breathe, cami, capsule wardrobe, chic, classic, classy, comfort, cotton shirts, crisp, day time dress, denim, dresses, exfoliate, fantastic outfits, feel, fitted t-shirts, floaty, florals, foundation, gold accessories, good quality sunscreen, heat, hot pants, jeans, kaftans, leg-lengthening wedges, light jacket, lightweight, limbs, look, lose, love, midi dresses, monochrome mixes, navy city shorts, navy vest, office, oversize shirt, pale, party, party dresses, patchy, pins, relaxed, rule of thumb, sharp, shave, shorts, smart look, statement necklace, style, summer, super short denim cut-offs, tailored shorts, tee, tube, wardrobe staple, wax, weather, weekend, white, work

While we love the sunshine, as the temperatures rise, it can be tricky to know what to wear so you look, and feel, cool wherever you are.

Pretty dresses and crop tops are great for keeping the heat at bay, but while they work at the weekend, they might not do the job in the boardroom. The general rule of thumb is that if it works for the beach, it probably won’t be right for the office.

We have had a look at how you can look and feel cool this summer whatever you are doing, wherever you are doing it.

Cut down on denim
We know that denim is a wardrobe staple, but standard jeans, dresses and even skirts can make you feel as if you are wrapped in a blanket and your limbs will struggle to breathe. If you like the comfort of denim but not the heaviness, go for a lightweight, pale option that you can match with a navy vest and pretty pumps and you’ll have an effortlessly chic, cool look in moments.

Make shorts work for you
Let’s get this out of the way – hot pants, super short denim cut-offs and bikini bottoms are great for the beach and pool, but when it comes to going to work or the shops, we would suggest a slightly longer length. If you want a sharp, smart look, the answer is tailored shorts with a signature tee tucked in and leg-lengthening wedges.

Trash the tights
Yes, some people hate their legs so much that they will still wear tights in summer. You don’t need to! OK, they might be pale and patchy but if you exfoliate, shave or wax and apply a gentle tanning product, you will soon love your pins.

Create a capsule wardrobe
This sounds a little structured, but if you get the basics right you are on the way to winning when it comes to the cool stakes. We all have our own style but crisp, cotton shirts, fitted t-shirts, midi dresses, decent underwear, shorts and flat sandals are a good starting point. You can then add a light jacket, statement necklace and bold bag and dress things up and down to match the weather and occasion.

Keep it lose
Body con dresses look might be on trend, but if you are on the tube or in the bank queue, you are going to feel hot and sticky. Yes, wear those fantastic outfits when you party, but for the day time you might want to go for something that is more relaxed and floaty as this can keep you cool and save those embarrassing underarm marks.

Think about neutrals
You might think that when summer comes you need to ditch everything else and only wear white, but this isn’t the case. A classic black dress and gold accessories, navy city shorts and a fresh white tee, or black capri pants and a fitted short-sleeved shirt, all look fantastic, classic and classy and will show off your tan perfectly.

Grab a kaftan
Kaftans aren’t just for the beach; they can actually work well as a day time dress or oversized shirt. We would suggest you go for monochrome mixes, animal prints or florals but one word of warning – if they are see-through wear a cami to save blushes.

Add in sunscreen
Even if there are clouds in the sky, the sun’s rays can still get through and burn your skin. Whatever else you wear, please make sure you apply a good quality sunscreen before you go out in the sun. It’s it key to also use a facial sunscreen and if you don’t want to overdo the foundation, try a tinted moisturiser instead for the summer months.

Team Pure-Beauty

Moisturisers are in the Pure Beauty spotlight

Tags

abyssine, acne, acne prone skin, ageing, Aloe, Anti-ageing peptides, anti-oxidants, ‘Elemis Promise’, barrier lipids, beautiful smooth, BioReplenish Complex, botanical properties, Centella Asiatica, cleaners, clinically proven, complexion, decleor, Decleor Anti-Pollution Hydrating Fluid SPF30, Decleor Anti-Pollution Hydrating Gel-Cream, dermalogica, Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery, Dermalogica Hydrating Lotion, Dry and ageing skin, dry and uncomfortable, dry skin, dual hyaluronic acid a, Echinacea, Elemis, Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream for Men, Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream SPF30, Eyes, face, face and neck, fine lines, fresh, gel moisturiser, ginger, Ginkgo Biloba, Grapefruit, hyaluronic acid, improves firmness, Jan Marini Transformation Face Cream, love, luminous skin, Mediterranean algae, microdroplets of oils, moisturisers, morning and night, new formula, orange, Padina Pavonica, powerful antioxidants, Pure Beauty, recovery, reduces wrinkles, resilient, revolutionary, scent, silky softness, smooth, super light SPF protection., suppleness and elasticity, technology, texture, toners, transparent texture, velvet veil, visible signs of ageing, water-based texture, wrinkles

We have looked at cleaners and toners available on the Pure Beauty website over the past couple of weeks, and today the spotlight is on moisturisers.

The right moisturiser can turn your skin from OK to amazing, so it is a good idea to find something that works for you, and we hope one of those is listed below will be what you have been looking for.

Dry and ageing skin needs some extra love and this is what you will find in every tube of Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery. This moisturiser sinks into your skin so that it is not only hydrated but also defended against attack. The new formula came out in early 2019, and while it still has the texture and scent customers know and love, it is now powered by the latest technology which makes it better than ever. A new BioReplenish Complex contains barrier lipids which make the skin more resilient and supports recovery. Dual hyaluronic acid has been mixed with the original ingredients of echinacea, Centella Asiatica, and aloe which means happier, healthier skin with lines eased and hydration at a premium.

We love the Decleor Anti-Pollution Hydrating Gel-Cream and for good reason. This easy to use gel moisturiser helps hydrate your skin whilst protecting against damaging pollution. The unique formula includes microdroplets of oils have been placed in the water-based texture which means you get immediate hydration and beautiful smooth, luminous skin.

The fantastic Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream SPF30 is a clinically proven anti-ageing moisturiser that, wait for it, reduces wrinkles, improves firmness and hydrates. Yup, trials proved it! Padina pavonica and ginkgo biloba come with anti-oxidants that improve suppleness and elasticity and the clever kids at Elemis have added a revolutionary blend of sunscreen for protection. Let’s not forget the Elemis Promise, which means you can use this and no your skin will be free from damaging parabens, sodium laureth sulphate, mineral oils, and artificial colours.

The Jan Marini Transformation Face Cream scores top moisturiser marks when it comes to reducing the visible signs of ageing whilst providing superb hydration. Anti-ageing peptides, hyaluronic acid, powerful antioxidants, skin loving Aloe Vera and gentle plant extracts have been combined to create a moisturiser that you and your face will love. From the first application, your skin will appear smoother and have a silky softness you will adore.

We all need a little love when it comes to moisturising and this is why we wanted to mention the Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream for Men. This clinically proven, nourishing moisturiser helps to hydrate, firm and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and is just for men. Potent Mediterranean algae, Padina pavonica and ginkgo biloba have been blended with soothing Abyssine™ and together they improve moisturisation, skin suppleness, firmness and elasticity.

We are big fans of the Decleor Anti-Pollution Hydrating Fluid SPF30. This moisturiser hydrates and protects your skin thanks to a velvet veil of super light SPF protection. You might be surprised but it has a fresh, transparent texture that leaves your skin feeling hydrated and comfortable, rather than stick and white. The love doesn’t stop here, as it comes with hyaluronic acid, so fine lines are plumped away and you are left feeling, and looking, fantastic.

Acne prone skin still needs to be moisturised, and we would advise the Clear Start Dermalogica Hydrating Lotion. This lightweight, but effective moisturiser helps soothe and hydrate areas that feel dry and uncomfortable. We suggest applying the cream to the face and neck, morning and night after cleansing and toning, and letting the gentle botanical properties of ginger, orange and grapefruit get to work.

If you have any questions, or would like to try a sample or two, get in touch and let’s find the right moisturiser for you.

Team Pure Beauty