The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Skincare

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base, clean, cleanse, combination, comedogenic, complexion, daily, dry, grime, hydration, make-up, normal, oily, perfect, pollution, primer, sensitive, skin type, skincare, SPF, spots, sun protection, sunscreen, unbalanced, water

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Whether you’re a young person who’s just started to take care of their skin, or an older person who’s steadfastly refused to deal with skincare before, being an absolute beginner can be a little intimidating, especially when you consider the vast amount of products available. We decided to put together some tips that we thing every skincare virgin should know, so that it doesn’t feel so daunting.

Take your make up off every day, no matter how tired you are

When you leave your make up on, not only are you leaving potentially comedogenic (that’s blackhead-forming, to you and me) products on your face, you’re also leaving the days dirt and grime. This can cause your skin to become dry, red, sensitised and generally unbalanced. Elemis Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser is a great cleanser for most skin types as it melts make-up and removes the daily pollutants that can dull the skin.

SUNSCREEN!

Baz Luhrmann said it years ago, and it’s still as true as ever – “ALWAYS wear sunscreen”! The fastest way to age your skin is with prolonged, unprotected sun exposure, and this can be highly damaging even beyond the signs of ageing. Decleor Anti-Pollution Hydrating Fluid SPF30 is the perfect daily SPF for normal to dry skin and leaves skin feeling hydrated and comfortable.

Barely anyone has ‘perfect’ skin

We know that the slew of airbrushed images that we’re bombarded with makes it easy to believe that loads of people have perfect skin, but it’s actually very rare and we guarantee that almost every single person you asked would say they have at least one bugbear with their own complexion. Using a primer is a good place to start to get a flawless base before you apply your make up, allowing you to fake it all the way!

Know your skin type

When it comes to skincare, using the right type for your skin type is hugely important. If you have dry skin and are using products for normal skin, they won’t be powerful enough to keep you hydrated. If you’ve got normal skin, products for oily skin could dry you out and if you’ve got sensitive skin, anything perfumed or too rich will have you red and itchy. Use our guide to work out your skin type before you buy anything.

Drink plenty of water

You can use all of the moisturisers and skin-fixing products you like, but if your body is severely dehydrated then the source of your dryness isn’t going to be fixed. The old ‘eight glasses a day’ thing isn’t necessarily the right amount for everyone, but if your urine is almost clear and the skin doesn’t feel papery, you’re probably hydrated to a decent level.

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An Elemis Cleanser For Every Skin Type

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acid mantle, algae, anti ageing, balance, calms, cleanser, dead cells, delicate, dirt, dry, dull, elderberry, Elemis, Elemis Balancing Lime Blossom Cleanser, Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, Elemis Rehydrating Rosepetal Cleanser, Elemis Sensitive Cleansing Wash, Elemis Superfood Facial Wash, excess surface oils, fatty acids, grime, lecithin, lime blossom, make-up, melt away, normal, oily, omega-3, Omega-6, Optimega oils, pre-biotic, problematic skin, purifies, radiance, radiant, rebalanced, sensitive, soap, soothe, soothes, starflower, Vegan, Vitamin E, wash

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Elemis is a brand which has something for just about every skin type imaginable, and knows the value of a proper skincare routine. The best place to start is with a cleanser, but if you’ve got anything other than “normal” skin, you’ll know that finding the right one can be tricky. Never fear, because Elemis has you covered, and we stock a cleanser for every skin type. Here’s 5 of the best:

Dry skin

Dry skin is often one of the trickier skin types to cleanse, because many cleansers contain ingredients which dry the skin out even more. Opting for an hydrating cleanser such as Elemis Rehydrating Rosepetal Cleanser will allow you to remove all traces of daily dirt and grime from your complexion without stripping away the natural oils and giving your skin a wash of moisture in the process.

Oily Skin

Oily skin can often lead to blocked pores and congestion, which in turn can affect the skin’s own ability to balance itself. Elemis Balancing Lime Blossom Cleanser is specifically designed to rebalanced problematic skin and uses lime blossom, lecithin and vitamin E help to balance excess surface oils and soothe the skin.

Normal skin

If you’ve got normal skin, this means that you don’t generally suffer with dryness, oiliness or sensitivity and can usually use any products. Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm is actually suitable for all skin types, and contains elderberry, starflower and optimega oils as well as anti-ageing algae to melt away the day’s make-up and grime.

Sensitive skin

Having sensitive skin is a bit like dealing with an angry toddler – give it too much or too little attention and it’s going to throw a tantrum either way! Sensitive skin requires products which are gentle enough to clean away dirt without affecting the skin’s delicate balance, and also needs to be able to soothe skin which is already over-sensitised. Elemis Sensitive Cleansing Wash is a rich cleansing foam to condition and moisturise the face during cleansing, and also purifies, soothes and calms the skin, cleansing without soap to protect the skin’s natural acid mantle.

Dull skin

If your skin is looking dull and lacklustre, you’ll need a cleanser which can buff away the top layer of dead cells, give you a fix of nutrients and use a pre-biotic to leave your skin looking radiant. Elemis Superfood Facial Wash is rich in vitamins and omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids, and cleanses, nourishes and revitalises dull skin to reveal a more glowing complexion. It’s also vegan friendly.

Five Skincare MUSTS For Your Thirties

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30’s, ageing, anti ageing, brighter, broad spectrum, cells, cream, dead cells, Decleor 24 Hour Hydrating Light Cream, delicate, Dermalogica Antioxidant HydraMist, Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant, Dermalogica Stress Positive Eye Lift, Elemis Liquid Layer SPF30, exfoliate, exfoliating, Eyes, firming, flash-firming, hyaluronic acid, hydration, imbalance, moisture, moisturise, moisturiser, night, oily, protection, repair, repair-mode, sensitive, skincare, SPF, stress, sun, thirties, tiredness

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Your thirties can be a real in-between time for skincare; you’re probably not dealing with acne or sports anymore, and your party days are petering out, but you’re also not at that hardcore wrinkle-fighting stage yet, either. In fact, we often find from our customers that skin is neglected MOST when women hit their thirties for a number of reasons. There are, however, several things you should be doing if you want to reach your forties with skin which is still in good shape. Here’s a few of them:

NEVER MISS SUNSCREEN

If you’re in your thirties, there’s a good chance that ‘time spent in the sun’ revolves around watching the kids while they practice their divebombs in the pool, but distraction is no excuse and you should be taking extra time to ensure that your skin is adequately protected from the sun’s harmful rays. We say protect against the signs of ageing now so you won’t need to reverse them later. Elemis Liquid Layer SPF30 is a broad spectrum, water-resistant physical barrier sunscreen protects against sun’s harmful rays.

ADD MORE MOISTURE

A mistake that many women make is thinking that they only need to moisturise their skin if it’s dry in the first place, but this simply isn’t true. All skin needs added moisture, and in fact oily skin is often that way because of an imbalance and lack of moisture making the skin over-produce Decleor 24 Hour Hydrating Light Cream is a light moisturiser which offers 24hr hydration and protection to all skin types.

THINK ABOUT ANTI AGEING

Something we see really often here at Pure Beauty is women who only start to use anti-ageing products once the signs of ageing have already started, but in fact using them preemptively is so much more advantageous as they can stop ageing in it’s tracks. Opting for products containing hyaluronic acid like Dermalogica Antioxidant HydraMist with its intense hydration and flash-firming properties will help you to look younger for longer.

DON’T FORGET YOUR EYES

Many women use an all-over facial moisturiser (probably because they’re short on time) and totally forget about their eyes, but this is a mistake. The skin around the eyes is delicate and prone to collagen loss, which means it’s usually the first place to age. Treat yourself to a tube of Dermalogica Stress Positive Eye Lift which will help to remove all signs of stress and tiredness, keeping the skin around your eyes in top condition.

EXFOLIATE AT NIGHT

Changing hormones and the ageing process can mean that your skin starts to change in your thirties, maybe feeling a little more delicate than before. Exfoliation is an important step in your skincare routine but once you hit your thirties you should try to only do it at night. Skin goes into repair-mode as we sleep, so exfoliating away all the dead skin cells before your skin repairs itself at night will give you the best chance of waking up with a brighter complexion. Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant is a gentle exfoliator, suitable for most skin types.

Ageing Beauty Issues – Thinning Hair

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ageing, blow dry, breakage, conditioner, cool, curling, dermalogica, Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo, Dermalogica Daily Conditioning Rinse, greasy, hair, hair care, heat, heat styling, oily, scalp, shaft, shampoo, straigheners, straightening, styling, thin, thinning, tongs, volume, volumising, washing

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One issue that many of our clients report to us is the feeling that their hair is thinning as they get older. It’s a common issue among women over the age of 40 and had a couple of underlying reasons – hormone changes can cause hair loss, whilst the actual shaft of the hair also thins naturally with age, so even if you don’t get a huge amount of actual loss, the bulk of your hair will feel depleted as you get older. There’s not a lot that can be done to reverse the biological processes which cause these problems, but there are a few things that you can do to improve the appearance of thinning hair, and we’ve got a few of them for you:

Use Lightweight Products

Keeping thinning hair clean is an absolute must because thinning hair will look exponentially worse if it’s greasy, however using heavy, oil-based products will do nothing but weigh your hair down even further, making already thinning hair look heavy and lank. Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo is a product designed for daily use and contains zero sulphates, whilst Dermalogica Daily Conditioning Rinse adds moisture to the hair without weighing it down, restoring softness and shine for vibrantly-healthy hair.

Use a Soft Brush

When the hair shaft starts to thin out, this will make it more prone to breakage, which could be a disaster for thinning hair. Opt for a brush with soft bristles which will glide through the hair rather than tugging at it and causing breakage.

Think About Your Style

Wearing thinning hair scraped back into a ponytail is only going to accentuate the thinning even more, especially if you can see your scalp through the hair. Wearing the hair loose and bouncy by blow drying it on a cool setting with a volumising product will help to create the illusion of volume and make your hair look thicker with little effort.

Get Your Vitamins

Hair loss and thinning can be a knock-on effect of vitamin deficiencies, usually vitamin D or vitamin B12. Many reports now suggest that “multivitamins” are of little use as our body simply excretes them before they have a chance to be absorbed, but taking individual vitamins, or getting them through your food, can still be beneficial. Liver is a good source of BOTH vitamin B12 and D, as are eggs and cheese.

Avoid Heat Styling

One of the biggest causes of damage to hair is heat styling, either with straighteners or curling irons, so avoiding using these when your hair is thinning is a good idea. Opt for straightening with a soft brush and cool blow dryer and curl with rags or soft curlers, depending on the diameter of the curl you want.

Say ‘NO!’ to Shine

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acne, acne prone, acneic, Balm Mint, blackheads, Camphor, cause, central heating, Cornflower, decleor, Decleor Velvet Mattifying Fluid, dermalogica, Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier, Dermalogica Matte Moisturiser SPF15, Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion, Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF30, grease, greasy, hormones, irritation, make-up, matte, mattifying, microsponges, moisture, moisturiser, oil, oil free, oiliness, oily, over-production, over-stimulation, pores, Pro-Vitamin B5, root cause, Salicylic Acid, sebum, shine, shiny, skin, SPF, SPF15, SPF30, spots, target, teen skin, teenage skin, winter

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You may think that Summer is the prime-time to be worrying about shiny faces, what with the heat making you sweat, but if you suffer with over-production of sebum then winter can provide it’s own challenges. Constant changes of temperature, drying central heating and lack of sunlight can all conspire to make your skin create it’s very own oil slick, so we thought we’d showcase five of our best products to help you fight the shine

Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion

When we, here at Pure Beauty, read the description of this featherweight lotion, we weren’t quite sure we’d read it right, but yes, it actually contains microsponges! The particles are super absorbent and mop up excess sebum from your skin, and the lotion is suitable for people with oily, breakout-prone and acneic skin. Salycilic acid clears blocked pores while camphor, balm mint and cornflower reduce inflammation, attacking the root cause of sebum overproduction.

Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier

This incredibly potent lotion contains a multitude of hard-working ingredients which combine to perform a number of different functions. It’s a medicated, topical treatment which can be applied directly to an area of excess shine or breakouts and uses green tea, vitamin A, yeast extract, grape seed extract and pro-vitamin B5 (amongst other things!) to keep your skin totally clear and mattified.

Decleor Velvet Mattifying Fluid

Decleor have developed this fluid which attacks the problem of oiliness by increasing the amount of oxygen that the skin can absorb. This improves performance on a cellular level, rejuvenating your skin and discouraging the production of sebum as an overcompensation. It’s a really lightweight fluid which literally mattifies your skin upon touch and continues working all day to keep it look fresh.

Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF30

Keeping oily skin protected from the sun can be really tricky because so many sun lotions are oil-based and add to an already shiny face, making wearing make-up almost impossible. This lotion from Dermalogica is not only completely oil-free, but it also contains a broad-spectrum, high SPF to fend off the sun’s harmful rays whilst helping to prevent shine, regulate oil production and soothe inflammation.

Dermalogica Matte Moisturiser SPF15

This matte moisturiser from the Clear Start range is designed specifically for teenage skin, moisturising the skin from deep with, clearing excess sebum and targeting the cause, as well as helping to reduce inflammation and breakouts. It contains a light SPF for added protection and can be used in conjunction with the rest of the Clear Start range to keep teenage skin well under control.