Five Products to Banish Blue Monday

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Photo by Julia Avamotive from Pexels

If you have so much as looked at a newspaper, social media, or watch any television, you will probably be aware that today is referred to as ’Blue Monday’ Back in 2005, a holiday company decided that the third Monday in January was officially the most depressing day of the year and although this has since been dismissed as pseudoscience by psychologists, lots of people are still feeling the pinch.

Most of us still haven’t had a payday since Christmas, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic and the weather hasn’t exactly been fantastic, so we wouldn’t be surprised if many people were feeling rather blue at the moment. With this in mind we curated a list of products that we stock here are pure beauty, which are all designed to have a mood boosting effect.

Evolve Organic Beauty Keep Calm and Spray On

Essential oils and aromatherapy can be a powerful ally against low moods, especially if you choose the right combination of fragrances. This hand cleanser from Evolve Organic contains bergamot for its anti-viral properties as well as its uplifting scent, which means that even though you’re still having to sanitise your hands 100 times a day, you’ll get a little lift each time you use this product. It also contains glycerin to keep your hands hydrated and can even be used with a reusable cotton pad to clean any surfaces as well as your hands.

This Works Stress Check Mood Manager 

Although the ingredients in this product are 99% natural, the blend was created using highly scientific methods to prove its efficacy. The blend has been proven in fMRI and user studies and helps to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. The mist can be used on your skin, clothes, furnishings and even your bed linens to clear your mind and give you a positive lift and is even recommended for calming your nerves before using public transport.

Elemis Revitalise-Me Shower Gel

If you know you’re going to have a potentially stressful or busy day ahead then starting the day with an uplifting shower gel such as Revitalise Me from Elemis is a good way to bolster yourself. It contains thyme, basil and neroli essential oils, as well as orange and lime which awaken the senses and invigorate your skin. Finally, a mango derived cleansing agent cleans your skin deeply, to ensure that you are as clean as you are uplifted.

Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Roller Ball

Roller balls are a fantastic delivery method for essential oils as they allow you to target the pulse point on your body to get the maximum effect. This Revive Morning Rollerball from Aromatherapy Associates is 100% natural and contains neroli and grapefruit essential oils. It’s totally portable which means that you can reapply it throughout the day and the combination of fragrances is reviving and reinvigorating to the mind.

This Works Energy Bank Shower Gel

This shower gel from This Works is called ‘Energy Bank’ as it promises to supercharge your senses. It helps you to wake up and banishes morning listlessness, leaving your mind and body charged and ready to face the day. It’s 99% natural and cruelty free and boasts geranium, ylang ylang and rosemary, which combine to restore vitality and stimulate the body and mind.

How to Get the Smoothest Shave

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Whether it’s your legs, your armpits or any other part of your body, shaving is still the most popular hair removal method the world over. It’s cheap, convenient and you can do it wherever you want, whenever you want, without the need to visit a specialist. Having said that, shaving still has it’s pitfalls, so we thought we’d give you some tips to help you to get your smoothest shave yet.

Steam Your Skin

Skin which is warm is much easier to shave, yet people tend to do their hair removal before they get into the bath or shower, while their skin is still cool. Have your shower first and make sure you get it nice and steamy to open the pores and give you a closer shave.

Get Rid of Dead Skin

The next step should be exfoliation, for a number of reasons. Firstly, exfoliating will get rid of dead skin which will allow your razor to get closer to the roots of the hairs, giving you a smoother finish. Exfoliating will also help to lift any hairs and release any which may be starting to grow inward, reducing your chances of developing ingrown hairs when they start to grow back. This will also make your legs look less ashy in the long run!

Stay Fresh

You should be using a fresh razor (or razor head) every single time you shave. Every time you use a razor, the blades will dull as you move them over the skin, and by the time they’ve defuzzed all the areas you use them on, they’re really too blunt to be useful again. Not to mention the fact that razor blades will harbour bacteria which could cause nasty infections if you reuse them. If you aren’t keen on the idea of using single-use pastic razors, invest in a traditional safety razor which has a metal handle and casing but blades which you replace without the need for plastics.

Go WITH the Grain

Every razor advert on telly shows you images of women starting at their ankle and shaving up, but every barber worth their salt will tell you that shaving WITH the direction of hair growth is not only the best way to get a smooth finish, but it will also help you to avoid both nicks in your skin and ingrown hairs. It often feels like learning to shave is a right of passage for boys, but girls aren’t given the same guidance and we’ve all ended up doing it wrong!

Replenish Moisture

When you exfoliate your legs, then shave them, there’s a good chance that they’re left pretty dry afterwards, even if they don’t look like they are. Slathering your legs with a rich moisturiser like Decleor Nourishing Body Balm will ensure your skin feels nourished and hydrated.

Game, Set and Match at Pure Beauty

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With Wimbledon just around the corner, it’s time for strawberries and cream, gin and tonic and let’s not forget the tennis.

At Pure Beauty, we sell some first-class products that help ensure your skin is as super smooth as the winning action on centre court.

If you want to volley into sensational skin, the Elemis Fruit Active Rejuvenating Mask is for you. This isn’t just a cleansing mask but a refining one too that is rich in strawberries and kiwi fruit. Left on for 10 minutes, once or twice a week, this deep cleansing therapy revitalises, brightens and nourishes even the dullest of complexions

The Decleor Energising Smoothing Cream is as light as the best tennis shoes and comes with an SPF 15 so that skin is protected from the sun if it does come out to play. Galangal extract reduces the signs of fine lines while potent ginseng tones and visibly brightens the skin, eliminating signs of fatigue, which is great if your game isn’t quite up to speed.

If you are going for game, set and match, there is no doubt in our minds that you need the Elemis Superfood Berry Boost Mask on your side. This purifying mask comes complete with Brazilian purple clay and an omega-rich super berry complex that not only balances the skin but mattifies tricky t-zones too. In less time than it takes to run up Henman Hill, this mask will draw out impurities so that skin is smooth, healthy and hydrated.

Given that Wimbledon is in the city, after a day outside, you will love the Elemis Pro-Collagen Rose Cleansing Balm. This powerful, deep cleansing balm removes make-up, grime, and pollution thanks to a blend of English rose, elderberry, starflower, and padina pavonica. Skin is left feeling nourished and soothed, with a radiant glow. For best results, warm a little balm in your hands, smooth over your face, neck and décolleté and after gently massaging into your skin, rinse away and love the skin you are now in.

If running around in the sun isn’t your thing, but you’d like a tennis players’ glow, how about trying the Decleor Green Mandarin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream? This fantastic day cream helps prevent fine lines and wrinkles and gives you a sun-kissed glow at the same time. Citrus essential oils have been blended with hyaluronic acid and beta-carotene for a winning combo that re-energises tired looking skin.

All players get hot and bothered so after a great game and a cool shower, the Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Body Cream is a limb loving ‘go to’ product. This luxurious body cream has been enriched with macadamia oil and fragranced with frangipani flowers which together, leave skin silky smooth and smelling lush.

For more details on how you can get your skin match ready, get in touch today and we would love to help.

Team Pure Beauty.

Five Self-Tanning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

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armpits, bath, bathe, bikini line, body, Decleor Soothing Aftershave Fluid, dry skin, elbows, exfoliate, exfoliation, feet, glow, gradual, hair removal, hands, heels, hydrate, hydrating, hydration, knees, legs, moisture, moisturise, self tan, shave, Shaving, shower, skin, summer, tan, tanner, tanning, waing, wash, wax, white circles

Photo by Garett Mizunaka on Unsplash

Applying self tan can be a veritable minefield of potential mistakes, and anyone who has had a self tan disaster will know that they can be tricky to rectify. To help you to avoid self-tanning mistakes before they even happen, we’ve put together a crib sheet of no-nos in self tanning, so you’ll get the perfect, even glow you deserve.

Time Your Hair Removal

All too often, people wax or shave and then apply fake tan almost immediately, but this is one of the easiest ways to end up with patches. Your skin needs time to settle down after hair removal so make sure you leave at least 24 hours after shaving and a minimum of 48 hours if you’re waxing. Applying Decleor Soothing Aftershave Fluid will also help your skin to recover.

Uneven Application

Seasoned self tanners will know that you have to get into every nook and cranny to make your tan look even, and the most common places to miss are your inner elbow and the backs of your knees. A lot of people apply fake tan while sitting down and you end up with white circles in these areas, so make sure you stand up and get all of the areas evenly!

There’s No Such Thing As Too Much Hydration

Almost everyone on the planet has drier skin on their knees, elbows, hands and feet and there’s no shame in admitting that, but it can play havoc with self tan. Exfoliation is really important, but layering PLENTY of moisturiser in these areas will help you to avoid the orange patches that often appear on these areas when the tanner clings to dead skin cells. Moisturise and then when you think you’ve done enough, moisturise some more!

Out With the Old

If you still have traces of old self tan on your body which are less then even, you need to get rid of this before layering over the top. Gradual tanner is designed to be layered to build a level of coverage that you’re aiming for, but make sure it’s even otherwise you’ll end up way too patchy.

Don’t Soak Yourself

If you want your self tan to look its best for as long as possible, bathing is another big no-no. Obviously we aren’t telling you not to wash, but baths will make your tan disappear much quicker than showers. Try to use a moisturising body wash to give your skin plenty of moisture as dry skin will slough off much easier, taking your tan with it.

How to make the world a better place, your way

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Walk along the road, go to the park or visit the local woods, and we are pretty sure you will see litter on the street, mess in the gutter and writing on the walls.

A sign of the times – maybe?

Something you can change – definitely.

We have some ideas on how small actions taken by each of us, can make a big impact for all of us in the world we call home.

Plogging
Don’t know what plogging is, where have you been? Well, the Scandinavian’s have come into their own again, as they conied this phrase by combined picking up litter as you run. Doing this means that as well as getting fit and active, this helps you clean up where you live and as you only need your trainers, a bag for life and some gloves to get started, what’s stopping you?

Catch the rain
Water butts are great because the rain water you collect keeps your garden healthy during the dry summer months without draining other resources. If you don’t have the space for a water butt, reuse bath water or collect the water when you’re in the shower and not only will you have green grass but lower bills.

How about a town makeover
Whether it’s a collapsed fence, stagnant pond or graffiti-covered wall, if you offer some time and TLC you can make your corner of the world look better. If you want to give something a new lease of life, get permission from your local council first, then get family, friends and neighbours involved and bring people together, for the better.

Cut down your emissions
Reducing the amount you use your car can really help to cut your carbon footprint, and it isn’t that hard to do. Instead of drving the car to go to the local shops, walk instead, share your commute to work with people who live close by and why not holiday in the UK, rather than taking a plane somewhere else in the world?

Give back
Life is busy, but giving your time to someone in need can be rewarding for you and very much appreciated by them. Helping an elderly friend with their library books, tackling the weeds in your neighbour’s garden, or helping out at the food bank might only be an hour to you, but it could offer a life line to someone else. By doing a quick online search you will find something that will work for you, and no matter where you volunteer, you will make a difference to others.

Buy less
If you want to produce less rubbish, why not simply buy less stuff? When you do shop, go for packaging that can be recycled, freeze what you aren’t going to have time to eat and before you splash the cash, make sure you really need what you are about to purchase, there are only so many jumpers and pairs of jeans you can wear.

Donate
Old and unwanted clothes, furniture and food might not seem much to you, but you will find that homeless shelters and charity shops will be more than happy to take them from you and there will be someone out there will give them a much loved home.

Grow your own
Flowers, plants and trees look pretty but they also remove CO2 from the air and replace it with oxygen, which is what we need. Why not think about taking up gardening, be that at home or in a local space, community garden, old people’s home or school and before you know it, you’ll be creating a welcoming environment and giving back to the world at the same time.

Grow your own
If you’re fed up of having to buy your fruit and veg in plastic bags, why not grow your own? By doing this, you will cut your plastic use, your food will be fresh and organic and if you freeze what you grow, you will have fertiliser free produce on tap.

Team Pure Beauty