Tips On How To Protect And Nourish Your Skin Against The Winter Cold

The last few months have seen some of the coldest weather across the country for decades, and many of us have been suffering from chapped lips and dry skin on our faces and hands. As it looks like the cold snap is due to continue for a good few weeks yet, we thought it would be a good time for some hints on how to protect yourself if you are out and about in the cold and wind and how you can treat your skin kindly to help it recover if you have been bitten by Jack Frost. Even celebrities like SJP need to keep themselves protected from the snow and cold in New York.

Here are a few facts about the cold weather's effect on your skin:

• Cold temperatures slow down the blood circulation to your face, so it can look pale and dull, and have a rough texture.
• Your skin has a protective layer of oils known as the "acid mantle", which is reduced in the cold weather as your oil glands become less active. In addition, cold winds and dry, heated or air-conditioned atmospheres drain even more moisture from your skin, which can be extremely damaging, particularly  for those over age 30 when moisture levels in your skin begin to decrease naturally anyway.
• The drying effects of cold weather can be multiplied by up to fourteen times when the air itself is dry and up to ten times in high winds.
• Skiiing is a fantastic holiday and great exercise, but it will give your face a tough time as at high altitudes the lack of oxygen increases the skin's sensitivity to cold and the sun's ultraviolet rays, which are magnified by the snow, will also dehydrate and age your skin.

So what can we do to help our skin out when it's vulnerable to these conditions? Here are some remedies and treatments to soothe and re-hydrate your skin if it has been suffering from the cold.

• It's tempting to exfoliate your skin if it feels dry and rough, however, go carefully, as scrubbing with an abrasive facial scrub will irritate and make your skin sore and even cracked. Avoid foaming cleansers that contain SLS (sodium laureth sulfate) as these can destroy the skin’s natural barrier function, leading to increased sensitivity, dryness and inflammation. Look for a very gentle exfoliator or facial wash and ideally one with natural ingredients such as natural oils which will cleanse your face gently.
• Moisturising adds lustre to your skin, and you should use the richest moisturiser your skin can stand. Again look for natural moisturising ingredients such as shea butter, borage oil and glycerin which are kinder to your skin than some "anti-wrinkle" creams which can contain strong ingredients which will irritate and sting your skin if it is feeling sensitive.
• Even if you usually don't bother, this is the time to invest in a night-cream for your face, as this will allow your skin to soak up lots of lovely moisturising ingredients whilst your skin is most receptive, giving your skin a luscious glow in the morning.
• Don't forget your hands at this time, even if you wear gloves, it's surprising how the cold can dry out the skin on your hands and fingers. Look for a rich hand cream, it doesn't need to be a premier brand - we look for reliable brands such as Neutrogena or Jergens. At night-time, before falling asleep, you can even apply a cream to your hands such as E45 cream which can be too greasy for daytime, but which is a lovely treat for your skin overnight.
• As for the rest of your body, remember to keep gently exfoliating with a body puff or exfoliating wash and then treat your skin from neck down with an application of baby oil whilst your skin is still wet, locking in lots of lovely moisture.
• If you are going on a winter skiing holiday, remember to apply lots of high factor suncream (preferably factor 30+) to your face and hands to keep your skin protected from the UV rays and to prevent premature aging.

Tips On How To Keep Your Decollete Looking Gorgeous

It's that time of year again, when the first few sunny weekends of the year bring out the halter tops, sundresses and low-cut t-shirts. But some of us have been covered up for months wearing blouses and tops that come practically up to our chins. How do you make sure that your decollete (or chest area) is looking tip-top and how do you ensure it stays that way? Here are some great tips on how to look after one of the most important areas on a girl - your decollete frames your face and should be treated and looked after with just as much care.

Treat Your Chest As You Would Treat Your Face

• When your cleanse and moisturise your face make sure your follow the regime down to your chest area - the products you use on your face should be used on your chest - don't just rely on a lick of body lotion.
• If you prefer you can buy specialised creams for the chest which include nutrients specifically for this area. The skin is thinner here than on other parts of the body and is more inclined to line - look for products such as M Lab Lift Me Up cream which is specifically designed to treat this area.

Always(!) Protect Your Chest From The Sun

• Yes, we all love to have a golden glow around our chest area, especially for the summer, but don't be fooled, tan yourself too many times in this area and you will pay for it with discolouration and lines later on. There are fantastic fake tanning and bronzing products now - use them! Or - be braver and look to celebrities such as Scarlett or Angelina - how many times have you seen them with a tan?
• If you like to exercise ourdoors don't use it as an excuse to get a tan - make sure you cover up with a high neck exercise top specifically designed to wick sweat away from the body which will keep you cool, but which will also protect your chest area from the sun. Many of these sports tops now have sun-screens built in the fabric as well.  Avoid running and training tanks or sports bras.

Try Not Sleeping On Your Side

• Some people find this impossible, but especially if you are larger chested, sleeping on your side will cause vertical lines to appear on the chest area. You can wear a separating bra which will help this, but the best way to avoid this is to sleep on your back.
• If you want to avoid sleeping on your side try using pillows on each side of you when you go to sleep on your back. These should stop you from rolling over in the night.

Happy Summer Days :-)

Have You Started A New Year Fitness Plan For A New You ... But In your Old Clothes?

Hopefully those who started a New Year Fitness plan are still sticking to it ... and even better are now getting fit and healthy and not embarrassing themselves too much by puffing and panting around the running track or in the gym. Yep, I have been out pounding the streets after work and at the weekend, trying to revert to my former relatively fit state when I ran in the London Marathon. However, too much sitting on my comfy sofa or tapping away at my laptop keyboard in the evenings has left me with some catching up to do. I did go out this evening however, and as you do, caught site of myself in bus-stop window. Oh dear, I thought, who is that scruff in the old woolly hat and mis-matched tracky top and bottoms - it didn't help that it was also pee-ing down at that point as well.

Yes, even when coming to then end of a 5K run, I am still sad enough to worry about meeting friends or acquaintances from my village, who will no doubt look at me askance when they see me back in my "normal" attire after seeing a lunatic in soggy pink hat and baggy trackies plodding towards them along the pavement, yelling "Hi!". Thinking on this as I made my way back home, I decided to put together a list of essential and funky items that help you keep your street credibility from falling into the gutter.

Essential Cool Items For A Fashion Conscious (But Also Health Conscious) Girl:

• Whatever you wish to start with go for a colour scheme - if your favourite colour is pink then go for it - you don't have to be pink from head to foot. (For some reason I just thought of someone such as Paris Hilton in a pink glitzy jogging suit - eeeeugh - enough of that!) But pink mixed with black or grey, or grey and black will look stylish.
• It's better to choose more than one colour as you can build up layers which are important for working out whether indoors or out, as when you commence your workout you will need more layers which can be removed as you warm up and put back on as you cool down to keep muscles from getting stiff and injured.
• Look for jogging pants and tops in a fabric with wicking which means that the clothing will move sweat away from the skin to the outer surface of the fabric, where it evaporates. This is far more comfortable than an old cotton t-shirt which sticks clamily to you. Plus, running tops are in brilliant styles and colours and also cut to be flattering as well as comfortable.
• If you are addicted to wearing a hat to either keep your hair from your face, keep your head warm or to stop your iPod earphones falling out of your ears you might fancy a change to a fleece headband such as skiers wear. These are great, they look brilliant, come in designer brands at reasonable prices, and can be adjusted to fit different sizes.
• Running or gym shoes - it would be pretty stupid to choose these on looks alone - go to a specialist fitness shoe store and they will advise you on the best style for you, and even put you on a running machine and video you to assess your "gait"!. But it doesn't mean that you have to be running around in a pair of ridiculous dayglo shoes - there are plenty of styles to choose from.

Yes, the above may not seem important to some as they pound the treadmills and tracks, and running or exercise is definitely not all about looks ... but looking good and also feeling good will just help in a teeny-weeny way to motivate some of us who might be teetering on the brink of "I really can't be bothered/I'm too tired to go out tonight - I'll go tomorrow instead". Plus, if you keep it up there's plenty of opportunity to get a picture of yourself running over a finishing line in a race ... wouldn't you rather see youself looking smart!

What Will The Olympics Inspire You To Do?

As the sun sets over the amazing Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, our proud British athletes will be strutting their stuff at the Olympics Opening Ceremony wearing outfits which are superior in design to many of those with a famous designer label. The outfits were unveiled recently in London's Chinatown.

The British Olympic Formal and Travel Outfits

Men will have traditional navy blue pinstripe suits with pleated trousers, whilst the women will wear an adjustable skirt. Men and women will both wear a formal white shirt and silk tie in the colours of the Union Jack. No detail has been spared - even the buttons on the inside breast pocket of the jackets are replicas of miniature gold medals. The piping inside the suit details the words "Inspired, Proud, Determined, Passionate".

Adidas Is The Official Kit Supplier To the British Olympic Team

The Adidas GB Kit has been individually designed for each athlete with the hot and humid weather in Beijing in mind. Adidas will be supplying 120,000+ items of clothing and footwear which includes over 500 pairs of eyewear for Team GB and Paralympics GB. The Adidas kit has advanced technologies (Climacool) which will help ensure the athletes' bodies stay at the optimum temperature for competing.

Good luck Olympic and Paralympic Teams - we are right behind you!

• Adidas Sports and Leisure Wear For Women
• Adidas Sports and Leisure Wear For Men