How to shop in the sales so you really get a bargain

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a shift dress, bargain, birthday party, black dress, brogues, cash, charity shop, classics, coat, consumer rights, credit card, cute jumper, deal, dirt, discounts, doubt, dust, exchange, fits, fitted trousers, foundation, High Street, holes, killer heels, love, mix and match, online, pounds, purchases, receipt, refund, research, sales, save, savings, shop, shop floors, size, size 12, size 8, small, snags, spend, spontaneity, staff, staples, terms, trainers, trends, use, wardrobe, wear, wedding, wining, work do

Mention the word ‘sales’ and the temptation is to head to the shops and spend, spend, spend. The reality is that something in the sale is only a real bargain if it is something you need, something you are going to wear or use and something that fits.

With discounts out there on the High Street and online, we are going to have a look at how you can be a winning shopper when it comes to the sales.

Do your research
OK, this might take out a little bit of the spontaneity of sales shopping, but before you part with your credit card, just check you are getting the best deal possible. Those trainers with 20% off in one shop, might have a whopping 50% off somewhere else, so look around and you might be surprised at what you will find and where the real savings are to be made.

Buy for now
Yes, that black dress is amazing but if you are a size 12 and it is a size 8, don’t buy it ‘just incase’. Go for items that actually fit you now and you are going to wear, rather than something that will stare at you from the wardrobe and remind you of those extra pounds you keep meaning to lose, but don’t.

Go for classics
A wool coat, a black shift dress, fitted trousers and leather brogues are all classic staples that will stand the test of time. You really will make a saving if you go for items that you can mix and match as the trends change.

Check your diary
The sales are a great time to find something for a forthcoming wedding, birthday party or work do. See what’s in the diary and you never know, you might save stacks on a knock out dress and killer heels which would normally be way out of your budget.

Take a closer look
Let’s face it, shop floors in the sales can get busy and messy, so just check what you are buying. Look for dirt and dust, check for holes and snags, and look at the neck and ensure it isn’t plastered in foundation that might not even come off in a hot wash.

What are the terms?
Yes, you have consumer rights, but we would just suggest you check these before you buy. See whether you can get a refund or if it is exchange only and always put the receipt somewhere safe. Also ask when these changes have to be made, so you don’t end up taking that cute jumper to the charity shop because it’s just too small but can’t be returned.

Check your shoes
Now, you might see those perfect heels as the shop is closing and want to just take them then and there, but before you hand over the cash, make sure they fit and also check they are the same size. Nothing worse than getting ready to party and finding you have one size 5 shoe and one size 6!

Take a break
Shopping is fun, but while you are out make sure you stop and refuel and take stock of what you have already bought. If you are tired and hungry, you may well make purchases you regret which will mean a return visit so you won’t have saved any time, or money at all.

If doubt, don’t do it
What we would say is that if you are in doubt, then don’t buy it, move on and save your money for something you really love.

Happy shopping.

Team Pure Beauty

Autumn/Winter 2016 Trends – Glitter Lips

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autumn, AW16, catwalk, cleanse, decleor, Decleor Brightening Cleansing Oil, dermalogica, Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant, Dermalogica Lip Renewal Complex, dry lips, exfolaite, fashion, flaky, glitter, glitter lips, gloss, lip gloss, lip liner, lips, make-up, moisturise, trends, winter

Glitter lips are a trend which has been gaining momentum for some time now, but with autumn and winter on the way, they’re set to make an explosion! They might look like something which should be confined to the catwalks but according to anyone who knows anything about fashion, everyone will be adorned with glitter in the coming months.

It’s one of those trends which can be quite tricky to get right, so we thought we’d put together some tips for keeping your lips in tip-top condition so that you can be festive from now until next spring!

Exfoliate

Flaky lips will not only look unpleasant when covered in glitter, it would probably be quite tricky getting glitter to stick to them in for first place. Exfoliating beforehand with Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant will help to slough away dead skin, giving you a much better surface for bedazzling.

Moisturise

If your lips are overly dry or aging prematurely, you’ll want to start a regimen of moisturistation before you get glittery. Dermalogica Lip Renewal Complex is the perfect product to add moisture to your lips while minimising contour lines and helping to prevent the signs of aging.

Line

To get a really good, even coverage of colour you’ll want to use a lip liner in a similar colour to your glitter to create a really defined outline and then fill your lips with liner, too. This will give you the perfect base to work from.

Gloss

The final step before applying your glitter with a soft brush is covering your lips with gloss. The gloss gives something for the glitter to stick to and will add to the overall shimmery effect of your lips. Choose either a clear gloss or one which is a similar colour to your glitter and using the ‘gloopiest’ gloss you can find will help when it comes to getting as much glitter as possible to stick to your lips.

Cleanser

Obviously, wearing glitter on your face is going to leave you needing a pretty heavy-duty cleanser once you’re ready to de-glitter. We’d recommend Decleor Brightening Cleansing Oil to really help to remove all glitter, plus the layers of make-up beneath, and leave your skin looking radiant and luminous.

5 Ridiculous Beauty Trends

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armpits, beauty, bum, contouring, dye, extensions, hair, Kardashian, manicure, nails, plucking, pointy, rainbow, ridiculous, threading, trends, waxing

There’s no denying that beauty is BIG at the moment – when we were kids, hair straighteners weren’t a thing (unless you count literally ironing your hair with your Mum’s steam iron) and no-one had even heard of contouring, let alone tried it at home. Today, we’re taking a look at some of the more ridiculous (and stupidly high-maintenance) beauty trends which are doing the rounds and asking “Is it really worth it?”.

Contouring

Okay, so using a couple of colours of foundation on your face is one thing, and although it’s not for us (we prefer a more natural tint), we can see how it would be useful in a professional photo-shoot setting. However, thanks to Kim Kardashian, normal, regular women are now contouring their faces, their BUMS, even their feet and hands, in a effort to make their body parts look a different shape. If you’re the sort of person to have your bottom on display all day long then more power to you, but we think contouring is beauty gone mad!

Eyebrow Extensions

We can get on board with waxing, plucking, threading and even electrolysis to whip our eyebrows into shape, which is why the thought of using fake eyebrow extensions just seems contrary to everything we’ve been doing to our brows for all these years. Okay, so not everyone is blessed with gap less, perfect eyebrows but we sure as heck aren’t going to start sticking them on with glue!

Pointy Nails

Instagram and Pinterest seem to be awash with images of artfully shaped and painted nails which come to a rather dangerous looking point, which leaves us asking…what’s the, err, POINT?! It’s hard enough to type and do every day things with nail extensions without shaping them into something with which we could potentially poke our eyes out and for us, it does looks a little ‘out there’.

Rainbow Hair

Okay, so we’ve all admired the rainbow/pastel/mermaid locks which have been on display in every magazine and in every drama department of every college in the land, but is having brightly coloured hair really that practical? Sure, it looks cute but the maintenance level required to keep it looking that way is HUGE and we can’t help but think that it’s something which should be reserved purely for anyone under the age of 21. After that, it just looks wrong.

Dyed Armpits

Growing your armpit hair is not everyone’s cup of tea but plenty of people do it, especially over the winter when they aren’t going to be on show, to give your pits a break from the razor. However, some people are embracing their pit-hair in a nod to feminism and actually dying it all kinds of bright colours. The thought of sitting with your arms in the air while we wait for the dye to take effect is too much to bear and this is one beauty trend which will definitely be confined to the ‘NOT FOR US!’ pile!

This Season’s Hottest Hair Dye Trends

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colour, hair, trends

Natural and neutral are well and truly OUT this season when it comes to hair and there are a whole load of new and interestingly-named trends on the scene. If you don’t know your bronde from your balayage, then you definitely need our quick guide to this season’s hottest hair dye trends:

Ombre

Ombre hair is a gradual change of colour, often going from dark to light, providing a not-so-subtle two-tone effect but without the definite line of dip-dying. A favourite of everyone from Beyonce to Blake Lively, ombre is a great way to even-out hair if you’re growing out bleach or just for adding a bit of variety to your hair without going too out-there.

Balayage

Balayage is a technical method of adding highlights or colour to the hair which is done totally freehand without the use of foils or a cap. It’s often done my splaying the hair on a flat surface and gently sweeping colour through with a brush and is said to give a similar look to the sunkissed hair on a child who’s spend a lot of time playing in the sun!

Dip Dye

Dip-dying is brilliant if you want to add a striking touch of colour to your hair without committing to a full head of garishness! Often combined with super-light platinum blonde or a contasting darker colour, dip dying is a precise process and needs to be done by someone with a very steady hand to achieve a proper straight line.

Bronde

Not completely brown and not completely blonde, ‘Bronde’ is a portmanteau of the two and is pretty self-explanatory! Bronde hair is absolutely massive at the moment and is the perfect compromise if you want to be somewhere exactly between the two colours, allowing you to achieve a natural look whilst remaining glam and totally on-trend.

Opal

Last season was all about the super-bright rainbow colours but it’s been toned down for autumn with ‘opal’ colours, pastel shades which wouldn’t look out of place on an octogenarian with a rinse! You’ll need to be brave and bold to wear opal colours and they take an awful lot of maintenance, but if done right they can look absolutely stunning.

Care for all of these styles with Dermalogica Shine Therapy Shampoo and Dermalogica Silk Finish Conditioner