How to Enjoy a Christmas Tipple Without Ruining Your Skin

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ageing, alcohol, anti ageing, antioxidants, beer, celebrate, Christmas, cola, decleor, dehydrate, dermalogica, drink, Elemis, exposure, fruit, gin, isotonic, protect, Red wine, repair, skin, skin cancer, spirits, sugar, sun, sun damage, sunburn, tequila, tipple, vodka, wine, wrinkles

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Unless you have a medical or personal issue, Christmas is a time when most of us enjoy an alcoholic drink. The problem is, excessive alcohol consumption can not only play havoc on your liver, it can also be damaging for your skin. There are, however, certain drinks which do less damage than others, so we thought we’d give you the lowdown on which drinks you can enjoy at Christmas without having to worry too much about your complexion.

Beer

Even if you’re not a pint-drinker, enjoying half a lager can be better than other drinks for a number of reasons; firstly, beer generally has a lower alcohol content, so it’s not as dehydrating. Many beers also contain antioxidants and are isotonic, which means they can actually be good for you, replacing certain things which are lost when we become dehydrated! Be aware though – beer can often cause bloating, so be mindful if you’ve poured yourself into a clingy outfit!

Gin

Sugar can play havoc with the skin’s ageing process, which is why something like white wine is a no-no if you’re trying to stay on top of the signs of ageing. Gin, however, is pretty low in sugar and also in salt, so do far less damage to the skin than other, more sugary spirits. In fact, the general rule of thumb is that clear spirits are far less suagry than darker ones like brandy or dark rum.

Tequila

Don’t get us wrong, we’re definitely not suggesting that a night on the tequila slammers won’t be bad for your skin because that’s not the case AT ALL. However, tequila contains more or less the lowest sugar content of all spirits, which means that you can enjoy a few without having to worry too much about the effects on your skin.

Vodka

This is where we have to get specific – vodka in general is not too bad for your skin providing you drink it in moderation (see the sugar rule above) HOWEVER, this obviously depends on what you mix it with as most mixers, such as fruit juices or cola, are full of sugar. Also, according to experts, opting for a potato vodka rather than one made from grains will also be a lot better for your skin in the long run.

Red Wine

While the sweeter white wines are usually frowned upon by skin experts, most generally agree that red wine is pretty good for you. It contains antioxidants which help protect against oxidative reactions, which come from sun exposure, and can cause sunburns, wrinkles and even skin cancer.

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Could your garage be your home office?

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air conditioning unit, bin, blinds, book shelves, bright space, bumper to bumper traffic, central heating, chair, chargers, chic workspace, clean, coffee cups, computers, creative, curtains, desk, desk lamp, door, eBay, electrician t, essential oils of mint, extension cables, fans, files, filing cabinets, floors, garage, good working order, Gumtree, home office, investment, lavender, lemongrass, mugs, natural burst, paddling pools, papers, pens, phone, photos, potential, power, printers, pulled together, repair, rubbish, safety conscious, second hand, sockets, Sunday night blues, temperature, TLC, tools, transform, walls, welcoming environment, working environment

With train ticket prices on the rise and meetings eating into the day, for many the idea of working from home is very appealing. While spare rooms and lofts are often the first spaces to be converted for this purpose, garages can be full of potential and can work really well.

You might not see it right now, but with a little creative consideration and TLC, we think you will be able to transform a sad shell into a chic workspace that will put an end to Sunday night blues and bumper to bumper traffic on Monday morning.

Clean it up
The first step towards creating a usable working environment is making the space clean and clear. Sort out what is rubbish, find a home for tools, paddling pools and hoses and then get to work cleaning the floors and walls, tackle the cobwebs and repair any cracks.

Make it light
Garages tends to be dark by nature, but you can transform it with a lick of fresh white paint. If you have windows in your garage this will give you a natural burst of light so give them a clean and add curtains or blinds to create a welcoming environment. If there is no natural light, invest in a decent desk lamp, look at LED lights and create a bright space that you want to work in.

Get the temperature right
It is unlikely you will have central heating in your garage so fans or air conditioning units will be needed in the summer and radiator-style oil heaters work in the winter. Always be safety conscious and ensure they are working correctly and turn them off when you aren’t in the working space.

Power
If you are going to work from your garage you need to ensure it has the correct power needs. You are making an investment in your home, so get an electrician to check things are safe and in good working order.

If you are going to be running computers, printers, phone and tablet chargers as well as heating solutions, it is vital to ensure you have enough sockets. Do not overload extension cables as this could end in disaster.

The basics
Source a proper desk, a decent chair, filing cabinets and book shelves but be sure to measure up before buying to prevent layout issues. If you don’t want to spend a fortune, eBay and Gumtree are great sources for second hand items and you can also try your local recycle centre.

Get the look
As well as being warm and safe, you want your office to be comfortable and inviting. Coordinate your files with your coffee cups and pens for that pulled together looking. Adding photos to the walls and having canvas paintings can really bring your office alive and add a contemporary edge. Plants make the space green and a diffuser means you can keep your mind alert thanks to essential oils of mint, lemongrass or lavender when you want to relax.

Clean up
It might be tempting to leave mugs on the desk and papers in the bin, but if you want to keep things professional and not slip into bad habits, tidy up at the end of each day and lock the door behind you.

Good luck and if you have already made the change, drop us a line and let us see the results.

Team Pure-Beauty

Our Best Organic Products

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acerola cherry, acid, ageing, balanced, breakdown, camomile, cells, control, damage, deas skin, dermalogica, Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier, Dermalogica Miltivitamin Power Firm, dirt, dry, efficacy, elasticity, Elemis, Elemis British Botanical Shower Cream, Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Gel Mask, Elemis Smart Cleanse Micellar Water, english rose water, exfoliates, external damage, fine lines, food, fruit acids, geranium, lavender, make-up, mask, micellar, moisture, oils, organic, palmarosa, prematurely, produce, regeneration, repair, retexture, shine, shine-free, skin, strengthen, surface, water

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Many of us have made the transition to using organic produce in our cooking, in order to avoid eating things which contain potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides which large-scale food producers so often turn to, so it makes sense to also switch to using beauty products which contain the same conscientiously sourced ingredients, too. Both Elemis and Dermalogica offer products which contain organic ingredients, and here are five of our favourites:

Elemis British Botanical Shower Cream

Shower and bath products are probably the thing which we use the most and usually over our whole body, so it makes sense that we’d want this product to contain the best ingredients possible. This nourishing shower cream from Elemis contains a mix of organic oats and essential oils such as lavender, camomile, geranium and palmarosa to cleanse and enrich the skin whilst adding a layer of moisture to dry skin.

Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier

Spot-prone, oily skin can be really hard to control and finding powerful products which contain organic ingredients can sometimes be tricky. However, this Clearing Mattifier from Dermalogica contains organic silicones which melt gently into the skin to help minimise fine lines, retexture the skins surface leaving it smooth, all while controlling shine and leaving your face shine-free.

Elemis Smart Cleanse Micellar Water

One of the things we love about this Micellar Water from Elemis is how effectively is manages to remove make-up while being incredibly gentle on the skin, and this is thanks in no small part to the organic English rose water is contains. It removes dirt, make-up and impurities but still maintains the natural protective barrier of the skin, giving you a clean but perfectly balanced complexion.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Firm

This formulation from Dermalogica is designed for extremely dry or prematurely ageing skin and offers a level of moisture which is much needed when the skin starts to lose elasticity. The organic silicones provide a layer of protection from external damage, helping to protect, repair, strengthen and improve smoothness of your skin.

Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Gel Mask

When your skin is starting to show signs of ageing, you need powerful ingredients to reverse those signs, which is why Elemis created this mask which combines targeted enzymes which encourage the breakdown of dead skin cells and promotes cell regeneration. It uses various fruit acids, including organic Acerola cherry acid which effectively exfoliates the skins surface adding to the resurfacing efficacy of the mask.

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.

Combatting the Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

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aching, ageing, bath, dark circles, decleor, dermalogica, Dermalogica Power Rich, Dermalogica UltraCalming Redness Relief Primer SPF20, Dermalogica UltraSmoothing Eye Serum, dry skin, Elemis, Elemis Absolute Eye Mask, Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak, Eyes, fatigue, gentle, harmful, hydration, hypothyroid, hypothyroidism, joints, limbs, medication, muscles, pharmaceutical-grade, protection, puffiness, puffy eyes, rays, redness, repair, sensitive, serum, soak, sun, thyroid, thyroxine, tiredness, underactive thyroid, UVA, UVB

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Hypothyroidism, also known as an ‘underactive thyroid’ is a condition that occurs when the thyroid gland, located in the front of your neck, doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone and causes your metabolism to work too slowly. Hypothyroidism is mostly seen in women between the ages of 40 – 50 and is seen in women ten times more often than men. It often occurs during the menopausal years and symptoms are often ignored during the early stages by both patients and doctors if the patient is at this age. There are many symptoms associated with hypothyroidism, and while taking medication and maintaining proper levels will help, some of the symptoms will persist. Here, we take a look at a few of them and how Pure Beauty can help:

Dry Skin

One of the single most common symptoms of an underactive thyroid is dry skin. As well as maintaining good levels of hydrating by drinking plenty of water, you should try to use a rich moisturiser like Dermalogica Power Rich, which is a pharmaceutical-grade formula, designed to give maximum levels of repair and hydration to depleted skin.

Facial Redness

As well as dryness, hypothyroidism can cause redness and tight-feeling skin, similar to the symptoms of rosacea. As well as feeling unpleasant, it can be tricky to hide without layers of heavy make up, which is why Dermalogica UltraCalming Redness Relief Primer SPF20 is a great product to help with this. As well as providing a sheer green tint to counter redness it also contains ingredients to calm and soothe the skin as well as protecting against skin-irritating UVA and UVB rays.

Fatigue

When your metabolism grinds to a halt, it can feel a lot like you’re wading through custard constantly, with fatigue dragging you down. We don’t have a magic trick to make you feel less tired other than getting a good night’s sleep and eating well) but we can recommend something to help with a tired complexion. Elemis Absolute Eye Mask will help to decongest, firm, tone and minimise dark circles, making you LOOK less tired, even if you don’t feel it.

Muscle and Joint Pain

Muscle and joint pain is hugely common with an underactive thyroid and when you combine this with tiredness, it can make you feel about 100 years old. Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak

Is designed to be added to a hot bath to help you to soothe aching limbs, harnessing the powers of birch, juniper, clove, alpine lavender, wild thyme and blue chamomile, combined with sea salt to recharge mind and body.

Eye Puffiness

As well as dark circles around the eyes, hypothyroidism sufferers also suffer with puffiness around the eyes. This can be easily combatted by adding Dermalogica UltraSmoothing Eye Serum into your daily routine; it’s a highly active eye treatment which is designed to be used on even the most sensitive eyes, giving excellent results whilst being completely gentle. It’s perfect for getting rid of puffiness and will have you feeling yourself in no time.