Five Summer Beauty Hacks

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Photo by Tamara Bellis on Unsplash

Now that we’ve has a stretch of half decent weather which has lasted for more than a week, we’re finally confident that we can say “summer is on it’s way!”. With the changes in weather and longer days, most of us like to change our beauty routines at this time of year, so we thought we’d give you five hacks that you can use in summer to make your life easier and more comfortable.

Cling Film

If you live alone but need to apply fake tan or sun lotion to your back, there’s a simple solution that you won’t believe until you try it…head to the kitchen and grab some cling film! Cut a piece around one metre long and apply a blob of your sun cream or fake tan to the centre of the film. Then take both ends of the film and use it to rub the lotion over your back as if you were drying off with a towel to evenly spread the lotion.

Get Chilly in the Fridge

A lot of beauty products work better in the summer when you keep them in the fridge – thinks like foundation, nail polish, after sun and lip balms all stay in better condition and work more optimally when they’re refrigerated during the hot weather, and keeping them safe will protect your investment, too.

Multi-Functional Products

If you’re anything like us, you won’t feel like layering a dozen products on your skin on a hot day, so finding products which do more than one things is a good idea. Decleor Green Mandarin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream is a day cream to moisturise, help to prevent fine lines and wrinkles while giving an immediate even sun-kissed glow to all skin types.

Overnight Magic

Night creams are great for rehydrating your skin while you sleep, but if you want your hair looking its best all summer, using some dry oil before bed is a good way to do it. Decleor Satin Softening Dry Oil is scented with a subtle, delicate and beautifully feminine fragrance, and leaves your hair nourished and looking shiny.

Lighten Up

A lot of facial products feel too heavy when the sun is shining, so changing your foundation for a BB cream will help you to achieve a flawless finish without foundation. It contains an SPF and offers 24 hour hydration, as well as a natural looking tint which illuminates and evens out the complexion.

The Best of British Beaches

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beach beauty, beautiful coastline, beer, Bigbury-on-Sea, bird spotting, blanket, blue sea, Bridlington, British soil, bucket and spade, Burgh Island, Cliff top walks, Compton Bay, Cornwall, crabbing, dolphin, Dorset, enjoying, Extreme Academy, family friendly, festival goers, flask, golden sand, Gower Peninsula, Gozo, gulls, Ibiza, ice cream, Isle of Wight, Kos, locations, lucky, Newquay, ocean reflection., passport, picnic, Pilchard Inn, powerful Atlantic swells, quiet afternoon, Rhossili, Robin Hood’s Bay, rock pools, sandwiches, Scarborough, sea and sand, shallow waters, south coast, Special, steep steps, sun, Sun cream, sunset, surf dudes, surfing, swimming, Tennyson Trail, unwrapping, visitor facilities, Wales, wall to wall sunshine, Watergate Bay, waves, West Wittering, Weymouth, white sand, windy, Yorkshire

While some people love nothing more than packing up and jetting off on a plane to Ibiza, Kos or Gozo, for others there is something special about enjoying the beautiful coastline of home.

OK, you can’t guarantee wall to wall sunshine for a fortnight, you can be pretty sure you will some pretty spectacular sun, sea and sand on British soil.

We have had a look at some of the best locations around, and hope you might rethink the need to pack your passport when you next travel.

Cornwall
If you are looking for miles of golden sand, Watergate Bay near Newquay is the place to be. Cliff top walks, crabbing, bird spotting are all on the cards and with the Extreme Academy on the beach you might learn a thing or two about surfing while you are there.

Yorkshire
North Yorkshire has many beaches with Robin Hood’s Bay, Scarborough and Bridlington being some of the most well-known and loved. If you are looking to get off the beaten track then we would suggest trying Hunmanby for a gorgeous, flat, sandy beach that soaks up the sun and doesn’t get too crowded so is perfect for a quiet afternoon of ocean reflection.

Isle of Wight
With the festival goers gone, why not join the surf dudes on stunning Compton Bay this summer? This is a brilliant spot for unpacking the deck chairs and unwrapping sandwiches and watching the waves roll in and the gulls fly by. If you fancy a walk, try the Tennyson Trail which laces along the coastline and then stop off for an ice cream and beer to top off your very British day.

Wales
There are many, many incredible beaches in Wales but one of the very best, has to be the stunning Rhossili. Sitting on the Gower Peninsula, this is home to some BIG waves and powerful Atlantic swells, so it is more about surfing than swimming but if you can make it down the steep steps, we promise you that you are in for a treat and you might even spot a dolphin if you are really lucky.

Dorset
Yes, there is the traditional seaside paraphernalia, but Weymouth is also home to an outstanding three-mile beach that is well-known and well-loved and worth a visit to. Grab a picnic, blanket, fill a flask (or water bottle) and enjoy all the south coast has to offer, but remember the sun cream because even on windy days, those rays can be strong.

Sussex
For total beach beauty, you really have to go to West Wittering. While there are some visitor facilities, the white sand and blue sea are the main attraction of this beach. Pack up the car, take the inflatables and if you stay all day, you will get to enjoy a totally mesmerising sunset.

Devon
Our list wouldn’t be complete without a pick from Devon and we are going for the family friendly Bigbury-on-Sea. The shallow waters, rock pools and glorious sand, make it the perfect place for a bucket and spade kind of day. Pack your swimmers and if you are feeling brave, when the tide goes out you can paddle towards Burgh Island and stop at the Pilchard Inn for a much-needed snack stop.

Got a beach you love? Let us know where it is as we love to explore.

Team Pure-Beauty

Get your summer wardrobe sorted

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bare some flesh, BBQ, beach, bikini, block colour, boots, bright and bold, cami style, capris, cashmere wrap, charity shop, denim jacket, department stores, designer brands, dresses, essentials, fabric, flamingo, flip flops, flowers, glitter, High Street, holiday vibe, iPad, jacket, jeans, landfill, maxi dress, mix and match, October, pineapple, pleated skirt, poolside, quality, shines, shorts, shy, silver sandals, smile, social media, sophisticated, spaghetti straps, splurge, stretch, summer staple, sun, Sun cream, sunglasses, super model, support, take away coffee, tee, tote bag, towel, urban feel, urge, wardrobe, white shirt, yoga pants

Whether you are at home, or away this summer, getting it right when it comes to summer wardrobe essentials can be a minefield.

With so much choice on the High Street and great savings to be made on designer brands, the urge to splurge can be tempting.

While you can buy everything in sight, it is more than likely come October, half the items you bought will still have tags on them and that pineapple T-shirt, with matching flamingo shorts will be ‘out of trend’ and in the charity bag.

We have put together the key pieces we think will take you from morning to night in style, but without breaking the bank or adding to the landfill.

Sunglasses
Starting at the top, sunglasses are a must when the sun shines, and even when it doesn’t. Department stores have some pretty good brands on sales at the moment, Boots is one stop sunglasses shop and of course if you want to spend top dollar, then the designer brands are very cool and should stand the test of time.

Vests
Whether you go for bright and bold, spaghetti straps or cami style, a stack of fresh vests will see you through the entire summer. They can be worn under dresses, with shorts, team them with yoga pants or a pleated skirt and you have the recipe for success. Yes, you can get them for less than the cost of a take away coffee in some shops, but just check the quality of the fabric and ensure they fit well and give the right amount of stretch and support.

Flip Flops
OK, you can’t wear these 24/7 but because they come in a range of colours, at various price points, flip flips are a total summer staple. Great for the beach and poolside, add a little glitter or flowers and you can match with jeans and a tee for the perfect BBQ outfit.

Denim Jacket
You really can’t go wrong with a denim jacket for the summer. Perfect over dresses, it gives an urban feel that a cardigan doesn’t quite capture but also great with a white shirt and capris when the sun goes down and you are out for drinks.

Tote Bag
This is a must have for the summer. Go big and you can still take it on a plane and you will fit everything in it from your iPad and jacket to a towel, ballet pumps and sun cream. There are some brilliant buys out there are the moment in a range of fab colours that will see you through to the winter.

Bikini
Ok, don’t be shy now. You really don’t have to be a super model to wear a bikini and if you search social media, women are coming out to support one another as they bare some flesh and overcome body hang ups for once and all. Many shops offer mix and match options so you can choose your size and style and create a look that is as individual for you.

Maxi Dress
A block colour maxi dress is perfect for the summer as it will go with pretty much anything and work for every situation. Wear solo on the beach, team with silver sandals for a sophisticated evening look and add a cashmere wrap in September to keep the holiday vibe going just a little bit longer.

Whatever you wear this summer, add sun cream and a smile and have a fabulous time.

Team Pure Beauty

The good news about chocolate

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antioxidants, bad news, beauty routine, blood flow, blood sugar, brain, British Medical Journal, calories, chocolate, chocolate cake, circulation, cocoa, control your weight, Dr. Will Clower, Easter bunny, eatend, eggs, expectant mothers, Facebook, fat, Finland, good stuff, goodness, green tea, guilty, happy pills, Harvard Medical School, heart, hormones, insulin sensitivity, iron, KitKat, levels, lower blood-glucose levels, Mars bar, meal, memory decline, mini eggs, mugs, non-chocolate-eating parents, potassium, protect, RDA, researchers, scientists, selenium, sugar, Sun cream, sun damage, treat, trigger, two, win, zinc

The Easter bunny might be long gone, but it could be that you still have some chocolate eggs hanging around waiting to be eaten. Or not!

If you have and you are feeling guilty about finishing it off, we are here to tell you not to.

We have it from the powers that be, that chocolate is good for you.

Now, we aren’t talking about cramming down a family bag of mini eggs followed by a KitKat chaser, but as with most things, eating it in moderation doesn’t hurt.

It would seem that good quality, dark chocolate with a cocoa percentage of around 70% or more, can be good for the heart, circulation and brain, and could be beneficial for managing conditions such as obesity and diabetes.

Dark chocolate is full of health boosting minerals including potassium, zinc and selenium, and a 100g bar of the really good stuff provides 67 per cent of the RDA of iron – great for anyone looking to boost their iron intake!

Blood sugar levels are tricky to control but eating a square or two of dark chocolate can help maintain healthy levels of insulin sensitivity and turn this helps to lower blood-glucose levels. Win, win.

Research published in the British Medical Journal has suggested that eating a little dark chocolate could help lower the risk of developing heart disease by one-third, and that’s got to be worth considering?

Eating an entire chocolate cake with a side of Mars Bar isn’t going to help your waistline but, a little can help control your weight. The scientist, Dr. Will Clower, believes a small square of good chocolate melted on the tongue 20 minutes before eating a main meal triggers the hormones in the brain that says you are full. so you eat less. Think about it and finishing a meal with the treat and trigger could reduce subsequent snacking.

Apparently one mug of cocoa (using pure cocoa powder) has double the antioxidants of green tea and we think it tastes way better too. It is also worth noting that two mugs of cocoa may help keep the brain healthy and prevent memory decline, thanks to better blood flow. That’s according to scientists at Harvard Medical School, so it must be true.

Dark chocolate is jam-packed with the helpful flavonols that help to protect your skin against sun damage. You still need to layer on the sun cream but good to know that evening snack is helping your beauty routine.

Forget happy pills, if you want to feel good a little chocolate will boost your levels of dopamine, a natural painkiller, and serotonin, which produces feelings of pleasure. Eat up and feel the love.

We believe researchers in Finland found that chocolate reduced stress in expectant mothers, and that the babies of those mothers smiled more often than the offspring of non-chocolate-eating parents. Watch out for those new baby photos on Facebook to see who is snacking on chocolate.

The bad news! Yes, you know you couldn’t have it all. Sorry. However much goodness is packed onto a bar of chocolate, it is still pretty high in calories, fat and sugar – so make sure you eat in moderation if you want the good to outweigh the bad.

Team Pure Beauty

Get Ready for Your Holidays with Pure Beauty

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ageing, burn, burning, crows feet, decleor, Decleor Face Tan Activator Serum, dermalogica, Dermalogica Exfoliating Body Scrub, Elemis, Elemis Liquid Layer SPF30, Elemis Tan Accelerator, Elemis Total Glow Bronzing Body Lotion, fine lines, holiday, melanin, protection, SPF, sun, sun burn, Sun cream, sun damage, sun lotion, sunbathe, sunbathing, tan, tanning, UVA, UVB, vacation, wrinkles

Photo Credit: http://bit.ly/1PDFFr4

Here at Pure Beauty, we love this time of year. The UK weather is starting to get better, the clocks have gone forward so days are longer and we’re all thinking about getting away to a sunny beach in the coming months. If you want to maximise your tanning power while you’re away, we’ve got some great products which can help you to do this:

Dermalogica Exfoliating Body Scrub

One of the best ways to ensure a deep, even tan is to regularly exfoliate before you go on holiday. This way, all of the dead, dulling upper skin cells will be buffed away, revealing the newer skin beneath, which will pick up a tan a lot more easily. This scrub from Dermalogica is suitable for all skin types and will leave your skin feeling smooth and polished.

Elemis Tan Accelerator

Giving your skin a helping hand with this tan accelerator from Elemis is a great way to ensure maximum tanning. It stimulates the natural melanin production within the skin, which optimises your natural tanning ability. You’ll need to wear a higher SPF for the first few days because your skin will be more sensitive to the skin, but you can expect to be suitably golden by the time you leave.

Decleor Face Tan Activator Serum

Many tanning products for the body are unsuitable for use on the face, which is why Decleor offers a dedicated serum to help to increase the tan on your face. The serum itself is 100% natural and will prepare the delicate facial skin for exposure to the sun, giving protection and a boost to the tanning ability.

Elemis Total Glow Bronzing Body Lotion

If you want a bit of a base colour before you hit the beach or poolside, using a gradual tanner in the days running up to your holiday will really help. It’s not like a regular fake tan so the colour will build gradually and won’t leave you streaky or orange! The formula contains green tea and red algae extracts to ensure deep hydration for your skin, and has a special ingredient called Aromaguard™ which banishes that annoying, distinctive ‘fake tan’ smell with a delicate floral aroma.

Elemis Liquid Layer SPF30

People often make the mistake of thinking that using an SPF will limit your ability to tan and neglect to protect their skin. However, using a sun cream will still allow you to tan, but will protect you against the harmful rays which cause ageing and burning. This facial SPF from Elemis is water-resistant and moisturises the skin whilst protecting you from sun damage.