Kylie Rates Cold Cream For Her Glorious Skin So What Can It Do For Yours?

This week websites and blogs around the globe have been bursting with the news that Kylie says she keeps her complexion gorgeous by cleansing with Pond's Cold Cream - you have surely seen this news? Well, some of us believe this is possible, whilst others would point out that she has already admitted to the use of Botox ... hmmm. She says that she picked up the habit of using the cream from her own mum, who also does appear to look pretty tip-top for lady of her years. However, it is more than likely to be a combination of good genes, a good skincare routine and a little bit of luck (and maybe other factors that we don't know about) that Kylie's complexion is one to be admired for a lady who is soon to be 42.

If you were wondering what exactly is cold cream and how you would use it yourself here are a few pointers.

What Is Cold Cream

• Cold cream is an emulsion of oils dispersed in water which is used to cleanse and soften skin. The invention of cold cream happened as long ago as the second century when a Greek physician called Galen needed to invent a cleanser to remove the harsh makeup used at that time. He invented a mixture of beeswax, oil, rose petals and water. In some places cold cream is still called Galen's cream, however, the ingredients in modern cold cream have been brought bang up to date, but the principle is still the same.

What Can Cold Cream Be Used For?

• The main use for cold cream is to apply a thin layer of the cream over your makeup at night, leave it on for 30 seconds to a minute, and then remove it gently using facial tissues or a warm flannel for a deeper cleanse. The cream will remove all of your makeup including eye makeup without drying out your skin.
• If you have oily skin you can still benefit from cold cream by rinsing your face with warm water after removing your makeup to remove any excess oil. Your skin will still feel moisturised.
• Other uses for cold cream are for dry hands and feet. Apply the cream to your hands or feet just before going to bed, wear a pair of cotton socks or gloves if you have them handy and your skin will be soft and smooth in the morning.

Is Cold Cream A Miracle Cream?

Like we said above, Kylie has probably inherited good genes and has had the sense to stay out of the strong Australian sun, which probably has a lot to do with her trouble free complexion. Modern cold cream usually contains the following ingredients - pretty boring and chemical sounding stuff to be honest:

• Paraffinum liquidum aqua, ozokerite, cera alba, sodium borate, paraffin, synthetic wax and behenic acid.

With all respect to the Greeks and also to Ponds, this is a pretty average cleansing cream, which will probably make your skin softer and smoother, but it's not going to make wrinkles disappear overnight unfortunately. Ponds themselves say that the cream will give you "Deeply cleansed, smooth and radiant skin", which is more than likely true if you follow a good skincare routine, but even they don't promote it as a miracle cream.

Which Sunglasses Style And Shape Will Suit Your Face Shape

I have recently been choosing some new sunglasses for myself - I have a fantastic summer break planned soon and although I have a couple of pairs of sunglasses that I love (they are the oversize, visor sort, one with wide arms and one with narrow), they are both suffering from too much love, i.e. a few scratches and wear and tear here and there, so I felt it was time to launch a search for a new pair of "sunnies", and also to break away from the habit of always choosing the same style. I did ok, I managed to find a pair of square framed black glasses which did look really stylish, so I opted for these. I love the darker style of glasses as well, I have tried lenses in the past in bronze and pink shades, but they just don't do it for me at all. However, some of the latest styles have sheer frames in a rainbow of different colours - maybe I will go for some pink frames next time. I also love Ray-Ban Aviators, as do lots of celebs, including Jennifer Aniston, Megan Fox and Vanessa Hudgen. If you are looking for some super sunnies, here are some ideas on which style and shape will suit you best, happy shopping.

• If you have a round face, ideally your sunglasses should make your face look slimmer. Frames which are as wide as your face or a little wider at the broadest part of your face will help with this, as they will give the illusion of a slimmer face. Add definition to your face with angular frames or rectangular shapes. A great celebrity example of this face shape is Kirsten Dunst. Kenzo do a great pair of glasses this season in tortoiseshell with bronze arms which are wide with angular frames.
• If you have a long face, then you should look for sunglasses with a frame which is not wider than the widest part of your face, as this will make it look longer. Look for round or square frames. A celebrity with a longer face shape would be Sarah Jessica Parker.
• A diamond shaped face is one such as Victoria Beckham, where the cheekbones are wider than the forehead and chin is quite angular. This face shape looks great with round, rounded-off square or oval sunglasses which will soften the face. Also the glasses should not be any wider than the cheekbones are they will drown this face shape. Marc Jacobs do a great pair of beige plastic framed aviator style glasses which would suit this face shape.
• The square shaped face is accentuated by a strong jawline, or square shaped jaw, such as Carmen Electra. If your face is square, look for glasses which are soft and curved, but strong in style, such as the Jackie Ohh II sunglasses by Ray-Ban.
• If you are lucky enough to have an oval face, such as Jennifer Aniston, then you are also lucky enough to be able to wear any style of sunglasses that you like - as with haircuts, oval faces will suit mostly every style. Remember that if you do have the perfect oval face, don't hide it behind sunglasses too often!

Have You Seen Scarlett And Her Gorgeous Dark Eyebrows?

Sigh ... what a relief, maybe it's time to relax a little on the waxing and plucking of our stressed brows and let them have a little more freedom like Scarlett's here. No, I'm not suggesting that wild, bushy eyebrows are the next big thing, but if you look back over the last few seasons on the catwalk, many of the models have been sporting darker, more natural looking eyebrows. Have a look at some of the other celebrities who have taken on the "Brooke Shields" look, such as Megan Fox, Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry.

If you have been waxing or plucking your eyebrows for some time, then you may have to go through a period of regrowth if you want to attempt this look. Eyebrows can take up to six to eight weeks to regrow after they have been plucked out from the root, however, there are some treatments which can help speed up this process.  

Massage Your Brows

• Massaging boosts the circulation of your face, which in turn carries nutrients to your hair follicles. Using a clean eyebrow brush massage your brows gently in the direction of the growth, in the morning when you cleanse, and in the evening when you remove your makeup.

Ensure You Have The Right Vitamins And Minerals

• Both zinc and silica are good for hair growth, as are vitamins A, C and E.  You could take a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement, but natural is always the best so boost your intake of:

• Cheese, eggs, oily fish and liver for Vitamin A
• Blackcurrants, peppers, strawberries and broccoli for Vitamin C
• Avocados, tomatoes and sweet potatoes for Vitamin E
• Wheat germ, pecans and pine nuts for zinc
• Rice, oats, lettuce and asparagus for silica

Apply Olive Oil To Your Eyebrows To Encourage Them To Grow

• Use cold pressed, good quality olive oil and apply this with a cotton bud to your brows when you go to bed at night. You must use cold pressed oil, as cold-pressing does not destroy the natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes from the olives and these are the same natural nutrients that your hair needs to grow back into a lush brow. The oil will soak into the follicle, encouraging the hair to become stronger. Castor oil can also be used, but it's much easier to get hold of good olive oil from the supermarket.

What To Do With Your Eyebrows In The Regrowth Period

Your eyebrows may feel a little untidy in the regrowth period when you have lots of baby hairs growing back in.  During this time you can fill in your brows into your desired, fuller shape using an eyebrow pencil, following the tips below

• Use an eyebrow pencil that is a shade lighter than your natural brow colour.
• Using light and feathery strokes and a sharp pencil, apply colour to the thinner areas, filling out your eyebrow shape.
• Add fullness, by applying a mat eye shadow in the same shade as the eyebrow pencil, using a small eye shadow brush, colouring in the natural shape of the brow.
• Using a clean eyebrow or mascara brush, gently groom the finished brow, giving it a natural look. The finished effect may not be perfect, but it will definitely help get through the rather spiky, untidy regrowth period and give your face a neater and more defined look.

Your hard work will all be worth it when you have lush, defined brows which add definition and structure to your face. Once you have full regrowth you might want to have your brows professionally shaped by a beautician to get the total groomed appearance.