With These Top Beauty Tips For Summer You Will Want To Head For the Beach ... Now!

Whether you are holidaying at home this year and reducing your carbon footstep, or whether you plan to get away to a glorious and glamorous foreign beach destination, it's time to plan your time away and make sure you have all the essential items you need to make your holiday beauty routine run like clockwork.

With these sweet little beauty tips, you will have all the knowledge you need to turn yourself into a summertime princess that turns heads on the beach. In this article we are talking about holiday preparation - don't worry - its all fun. Next time, we have some fantastic tips for you when you are away in the sunshine.

Beauty Tips For The Week Before Your Holidays

• Get yourself to the hairdresser. The least you can do is have your hair trimmed, getting rid of any dry ends which will only split in the sunshine. If you are feeling more adventurous and want to get into the summer spirit, ask your hairdresser if they can add a few high-lights to your hair, giving it a "been on the beach all day" look before you get away. If you are light brown or fair haired, go for a few blond high-lights, and if you are darker ask for some caramel tones to be worked through your hair - either of these give your head an instant sunshine boost.
• It might be a nasty experience at the time, but get waxed rather than shaving. This will last much longer and means you won't have to deal with any nasty stubble on holiday. You should have the waxing done approximately five days before you head away to give your skin time to calm down afterwards.
• Buff your skin all over in the shower everyday with either a skin polisher or body scrub - this will get rid of dead skin cells and promote an all-over smooth glow to your skin. For the week before your go away, apply a moisturiser with added self-tan every other day, to build up a nice glow for the start of your holidays.
• If you want to go a step further, take yourself off to the beauty salon for a spray-tan, especially if you feel this will give you confidence when you first get out your bikini on your hols.
• Try to treat your nails (toes and fingers) nicely for a few weeks before going away, rubbing in some jojoba oil as your nails love this, and let them grow out if your can. The day before you go away, treat yourself to a session at a nail bar and have either a bright polish applied to show off your tan, or have the classic french polish in nude or light pink.
• Lastly, as you might be getting up in the middle of the night catch an early flight or set off on a long drive, try and get an early night. Yes, we know its difficult when you are excited about your holidays, but sleep really is beauty sleep, and you can look forward to a great first day of your holidays feeling refreshed and lovely.

We'll see you next time for some great tips on how to be the glamorous one by the pool!

Shea Butter - A Natural Beauty Product Out of Africa

The sights and sounds of South Africa have been all over the world's TV screens for the last few days and will continue to be for the next month whilst the Football World Cup takes place. So, I decided to look at what else Africa has to offer us - particularly thinking about fashion and beauty and I hit upon the amazing natural product that is shea butter.

Shea butter is an ivory coloured natural fat which is extracted from the seed of the African Shea tree, which can be used as a moisturiser and salve for the skin. The name shea is derived from the name of the tree which is "Sí" in the Bamana language of Mali. Another name it is known by is "Women's Gold" not only because of its amazing properties and colour, but because it is one of the few commodities which is controlled by women in rural Africa, which is just another reason to look for this product and use it.

The Uses and Benefits of Shea Butter

• Shea butter is full of vitamin A and vitamin E as well as complex fatty acids. Now we all know that vitamins are good, but it is the complex fatty acids in shea butter that are what separates the butter from other moisturisers, such as cocoa butter. Fatty acids are not produced by the body but are essential for great skin as they help restore natural elasticity and promote regeneration of skin cells - so you see, keeping your skin younger looking.
• It can be used all over the face and body as a moisturiser both morning and night - it is rapidly absorbed by the skin and does not leave a greasy feel.
• If you have skin discolourations or freckles, shea butter can help fade these marks away by neutralising free radicals that damage your skin so helping you maintain a brighter and clearer skin tone.
• It can be used as a lip salve as it works hard to repair chapped and cracked skin.
• If you suffer from eczema or dermatitis, or cracked and sore skin on your feet or elbows, treat these areas with shea butter at bedtime and your skin will be softer and smoother in the morning.
• Skin which is acne scarred will also benefit from shea butter as again it will help to fade away any scars and marks.

Always look for unrefined shea butter rather than refined, which will have been treated at high temperatures destroying the butter's natural properties and will also, more than likely, have nasty added chemicals.

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.