Easy ways to relax at lunchtime

Tags

ancient Indian hair removal technique, annoying colleague, bad boss, big believers, blood, breathing, calmer option, card writing, chapters, Christmas parties, coffee shop, Convenient, dancing, delicate oils, difficult client., drink, eat, endorphins, energy boost, energy levels, exhausted, eye-watering, Eyebrow Threading, face, fast, feel good chemicals, fresh, heart rate up, increasing muscle activation, invigorated, long hours, lunchtime, manicure, Me time, midday break, mini facelift, mood, Neck and Shoulder Massage, oxygen, pedicure, phone, present shopping, pump, quieter, Read a Book, relaxed, relieve stress, run, salon, season to be jolly, Secret Santa, Shake it Out, shaped, small things, socialise, splashing out, stress of the office, stretching, sushi, threading, tight deadlines, trainers, treat, twisting cotton, untie knots, win, workplace, zen

Let’s face it, by this time of the year, many of us are often feeling exhausted and in need of a recharge. Long hours, tight deadlines and Christmas parties mean we are running on empty and finding ‘me time’ needed to get to the end of the week can feel impossible.

We are big believers that small things can lift your mood and increase your energy levels, so in the run up to the big day, let the card writing and present shopping wait, and do something for you at lunchtime instead.

Try Eyebrow Threading
Having your eyebrows shaped can change the way your face looks and the process means you sit down for just a while, not even able to look at your phone. Threading is an ancient Indian hair removal technique that is fast and convenient, it leaves no marks, isn’t messy and is like having a mini facelift. We admit that twisting cotton through the eyebrows can be eye-watering, but because it’s only ten minutes which will give you time to stop for sushi on the way back to work.

Have a Neck and Shoulder Massage
A half hour neck and shoulder massage can relieve stress, untie knots and leave you so much more relaxed. It’s fast and convenient and the delicate oils used will leave you feeling invigorated and able to make it to the end of the day. Walk to the salon and back and you’ll get an energy boost too.

Go for a Run
A run will get your heart rate up, more oxygen and blood will flow around your body and the resulting endorphins will lift your mood which means Dave in HR will seem like less of a pain. This is the ideal way to get outside and leave the stress of the office or shop floor behind you, so get your trainers on and start running.

Do a Little Yoga
Yoga is all about stretching, breathing, increasing muscle activation and a session in the middle of the day, will leave you feeling zen fresh for the afternoon.

Shake it Out
Dancing is a great way to shake away the stresses of the day, be that a bad boss, annoying colleague or difficult client. See if there is a class near your workplace and you will find that dancing away your lunch break will make you feel fab, and the afternoon will pass by in a flash as those feel good chemicals pump through your body.

Read a Book
OK, let’s take things down a little and go for a calmer option. Taking a book to a coffee shop and letting your mind escape to somewhere quieter is a real treat. Go alone, order something nice to eat and drink and just read a few chapters and you’ll feel those orders and accounts drop away.

Enjoy a Manicure
Want a quick make over for the office party? Why not head to a nearby nail salon for a manicure. Not only will you return to your desk refreshed, but your freshly polished nails will set off your outfit a treat but won’t break the bank! And if you feel like splashing out, have a pedicure done at the same time.

Have a Catch Up
It is the season to be jolly, so why not book in a few lunches before the office closes? Your midday break is a good opportunity to catch up and socialise, in person, with people you might not see that often and if you throw in the idea of Secret Santa then it’s a win, win!!!

Have fun!

Team Pure Beauty

Balms, what are they good for?

Tags

100% natural ingredients, acai, adore, balm-to-oil cleanser, balms, body, chilled out, cleanse, Decleor Magnolia Youthful Night Balm, Decleor Nourishing Body Balm, delicate eye contour area, Dermalogica Precleanse Balm, Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Eye Balm, Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm, Elemis Quiet Mind Temple Balm, eucalyptus, excess oil, face, firmer skin, Frankincense Essential Oil, fresh, healthy, intensely cleansed, lemon, love, luminous glow, luxury formulas, macadamia, make-up, mind, moisturiser, noni, nourished, organic Indian menthol, palm, Patchouli, plumper, powerful vitamin complex, primer, protects, Purple Orchid, radiance booster, relaxation, renewed, rose, salon, samples, senses, Shea butter, skin, soft, stressed out, sunscreen, supple, tone and moisturise, tranquillity, treat, Warming

We know you already cleanse, tone and moisturise morning and night (you do, don’t you?), but you can also add a balm into the mix if you really want to keep your skin soft and supple.

Face and body balms give your skin extra love so why not treat yourself to one of these luxury formulas and see if it works for you.

The Decleor Magnolia Youthful Night Balm is great if you want plumper, firmer skin which has a fresh, luminous glow when you wake in the morning. This slumber specific balm is made from a blend of 100% natural ingredients including Shea Butter, Magnolia Essential Oil and Rose, all of which your skin will love.

At Pure Beauty we are massive fans of the Dermalogica Precleanse Balm. This is a really special deep-cleansing balm-to-oil cleanser that melts into the skin, and as it does, it gently removes excess oil, sunscreen and make-up. Apricot Oil, which is rich in fatty acids, has been mixed with essential oils which come together and not only ensure skin is salon smooth, but also refreshes the senses and clears the mind.

It’s the powerful vitamin complex in the Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm, that protects against moisture loss, something we all need from time to time. Purple Orchid, Noni and Acai have been added into the mix and whether you use this as a moisturiser, radiance booster, or primer, we think you will like what you see.

If your body is feeling dry and tight when you come out of the shower, we would suggest letting the Decleor Nourishing Body Balm loose on your limbs. Thanks to Frankincense Essential Oil, Shea Butter, Tamanu and Macadamia Oils, this gorgeous body balm helps soothe dry feeling skin and make it come alive again. Apply once or twice a day by warming the balm in the palm of your hands and your skin will feel nourished in no time.

Whatever skin type you have, we think it will adore the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm as much as we do. This gentle but powerful cleansing balm dissolves make-up, dirt and pollutants as your skin is being intensely cleansed, nourished and renewed. When you pat your face dry, all you are left with is a healthy skin and a big smile.

Harmony, tranquillity and relaxation don’t always come easily in modern-day life, but they can if you use the Elemis Quiet Mind Temple Balm. Packed with a powerful blend of essential oils, just a few drops, massaged into the temples can take you from stressed out, to chilled out, in minutes. Patchouli, Lemon, Eucalyptus and Organic Indian Menthol come together to enhance feelings of positivity, and we think you will be hooked from the word go.

You might not think a balm would work for your eyes, but we are here to tell you that it really can. The popular Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Eye Balm brightens and refreshes tired eyes. A cooling applicator means that skin soothing Chamomile and Arnica as well as Bird of Paradise Flower and omega-rich Apricot Kernel Oil nourishes the delicate eye contour area and optical blurring powders help reduce the dark circles that can take your confidence away.

For more information, or to try samples, why not get in touch and see how a balm could enhance your beauty routine.

Team Pure Beauty

Four Things You Should Know Before Getting a Gel Manicure

Tags

breathe, cuticles, Elemis Liquid Layer SPF30, Elemis Sweet Orchid Monoi Body Oil, Elemis Tea Tree S.O.S. Spray, gel, gel nails, mani, manicure, melanoma, nail, nails, oils, salon, strip, suffocate, tanning beds, UV lamp

Royalty-free image

In the past, if we wanted a manicure which lasted any length of time, you’d have to get acrylic overlays which require infills every few weeks and ended up costing a lot in maintenance. Now, if you want a manicure which lasts and looks good, but doesn’t ruin our own nails, you can opt for gel polish, which is cured (hardened) with a UV lamp and can last a matter of weeks. The application process is far simpler and you can have it applied straight to your own nails. Here are four things that we think you should know before opting for a gel mani:

Your Nails Don’t Need to Breathe

A common myth that gets touted around is that your nails won’t be able to ‘breathe’ if you have gel nails, but it’s actually codswallop. Your nails don’t need to be in direct contact with the air around them and having a gel manicure won’t somehow suffocate them! It can strip some of the oils from you nails leaving them a little dry, but that’s nothing that a little Elemis Sweet Orchid Monoi Body Oil won’t solve.

You Should Sunscreen Your Hands!

A lot of people don’t make the connection that the UV lamps which are used for gel manicures are basically the same type of bulbs which are used for tanning beds, which means that exposure leaves you vulnerable to melanoma. Before you have your mani (or do it yourself), use a sunscreen such as Elemis Liquid Layer SPF30 on your fingers to protect them from harmful rays.

You Can Do It Yourself

Not everyone has the spare cash to go to a nail salon once every couple of weeks to get their nails redone, but what you might not know is that gel manicures are more than achievable at home. You can pick up a kit which includes a curing lamp that gives you everything you need to get a salon-fresh look, and there are a lot of YouTube videos to help guide you through the process.

Be Careful With Your Cuticles

One of the things that a decent manicurist will do is take care of your cuticles before applying gel paint, so that it doesn’t stick to them and cause lifting around the edges. However, having your cuticles cut can leave you at really high risk of infection, and having them pushed back is a much better and more hygienic way to deal with them. If you’ve got some Elemis Tea Tree S.O.S. Spray in your bag, a quick spritz on your fingers one your mani has completely set would be great way to prevent germs from spreading.

Get Your Toes Sandal Ready

Tags

attention, back to basics, bare feet, beautician, bed, bubble bath, candles, chill, clean, coloured toes, cool coral, cooling, corners, cup of coffee, curve, cut straight across the nail, decent scissors, dry, exfoliation product, extra, feel, feet, flip flips, focus, foot cream, foot crystals, fun, get out of bed, good, goodness, hand, hard, heat, ingrowing nails, jagged sides, job, look, love, melt, paint, pamper night, peppermint, phone, playlist, pop of pink, problematic, protect, pumice stone, rich red, rinse, running for the bus, salon, sharp corners, skin, slick finish, smooth, smudges, soften muscles, stairs, stubborn areas, summer, Sunday, sweat, temperatures, tempted, ticklish, tissues, toe nails, tough, Vitamin E, walking to work, warm water, work

Let’s face it.

Your feet work really hard for you.

From the moment you get out of bed and make that first cup of coffee, to walking to work, running for the bus and then climbing the stairs back to bed, it’s all go for your toes.

The thing is, if you take care of your feet in-between salon pedicures, you can look sandal smart all summer long and we are going to show you how.

Soak Away
Why not set Sunday aside as a pamper night? Once you have switched off your phone and lit some candles and turned on your play list, fill a bowl with warm water and get ready to chill. Add a little of your favourite bubble bath or foot crystals (available in chemists and supermarkets) then let your feet soak for around 10 minutes and use this time to focus on you and your breathing. As your feet sit in the water, the skin will soften and your muscles will relax.

Exfoliate
With your skin nice and soft, rinse and dry them and then use an exfoliation product to get rid of the dead cells that can build up as a result of wearing flip-flops and padding around in bare feet when the temperatures rise.

Buff Up
For this step, we suggest you go back to basics and use a pumice stone as these can make a big difference to the way your feet look and feel. Very gently rub the stone over those stubborn areas where the skin is tough and problematic. If you do need an extra hand with this, then speak to your beautician the next time you are in the salon.

Tidy Up
There is no point in making sure your feet look good if your toenails leave a lot to be desired. As they will also be softer than usual after a warm water soak, this is the time to pay them some attention and we would suggest you buy some decent scissors just for the job. You need to cut straight across the nail, do not be tempted to go for a curve or to tidy up the corners, as you could cut too much away or end up with ingrowing nails – neither of which you want. Toes are ticklish, but needs must when it comes to beauty, so next take a clean file and make sure they are smooth and tidy with no sharp corners or jagged sides.

Moisturise
Just like other parts of the body, your feet need to be moisturised if you want them to be happy and healthy. Go for a foot cream which is rich in Vitamin E and contains peppermint, which is super cooling as this is a winning combination. Work the cream into the problem areas and let the goodness melt in.

Paint
Yes, this is the really fun bit. We love coloured toes but the key to a clean, slick finish is to either use separators or place a twisted tissue between each toe and this will protect against smudges. Whether you opt for rich red, a pop of pink or maybe a cool coral, add a clear finish and you will have happy feet and a smile.

Team Pure-Beauty

How to Get a Salon-Quality Manicure at Home

Tags

cuticle, Decleor Ongles Nail Strengthening Serum, DIY, Elemis British Botanical Hand and Nail Butter, fingernails, gel nails, hand, hands, home, mani, manicure, massage, nails, oil, polish, salon, sheen, shine

Royalty-free image

Having a manicure at a salon can feel like one of life’s little luxuries, a pick-me-up if you’re feeling low and an oasis of calm in an otherwise busy week. However, sometimes it’s not possible to get to a salon to have your nails done, owing to schedule or budget issues and you don’t want your hands to end up looking tatty so we’ve put together some tips to help you to achieve a salon-mani look at home, so that your hands don’t need to suffer.

Prepare

Half of the work in having a manicure is getting your nails back to zero, so that they can begin the real work. This means removing old polish and giving the fingers a good coating with cuticle oil. This will soften the area and make removing ragged cuticles far easier. We’d recommend Decleor Ongles Nail Strengthening Serum, to revitalise the nails and surrounding skin. Use a wooden cuticle stick to push overgrown cuticles back and use clean nail scissors if you need a trim.

File

It’s amazing how different your hands can look when you take the time to file each nail into a neat, tidy shape and well-filed nails will be the difference between a perfect mani and a nail disaster. Use a curved nail file (NOT a metal one as these can split the nails) and only file in one direction to limit stress fractures.

Paint

Choosing the right colour is really important, as well as the TYPE of polish you use. If you want to get a really salon-like finish opt for the gel-nail dupe polishes that you find on the market as they’ll give you a more professional finish. However, if you’re not a big fan of colour or your painting skills just aren’t up to scratch, opt for a high-shine clear polish. It will give your nails a healthy sheen and make your hands look a lot more ‘finished’ than if you leave them completely bare.

Massage

Giving yourself a hand massage might seem like a really weird, or nigh-on impossible suggestion, but it’s actually surprisingly easy to give yourself a hand massage. Give your hands a liberal coating of Elemis British Botanical Hand and Nail Butter, which will not only feel great, but smell great too. Then, get to work! You can either go down the manual route and use your other hand, working into the palms and heels of your hands with your thumbs, or use something to roll your hands over like a bottle which allows you to find the pressure which feels right for you.