Tag: beauty

beauty

Barely there make-up in a flash

by s.a.bLeave a Comment on Barely there make-up in a flash

One of the good things about keeping a solid skincare routine and watching your sugar intake (I do, I do… most times… when not in lockdown…) is that your skin clears out and needs relatively minimal make-up. That being said, I also sleep very little, thank you anxiety and insomnia, and, whilst I’m all for a no make-up day or two on the week-end or on holiday, usually I believe in wearing a little bit of make-up just to make sure I look pert and fully awake, and I love the no make-up make-up look.

Seeing as I am an impatient in all things, I can’t see the point in long-winded make-up routines like the ones I see on my Insta feed. Contouring, baking, re-contouring, highlighting, drawing eyebrows, re-drawing the nose in a totally new shape… What a complete waste of time. On any given day I have at most 15 minutes to get my face on, and then I run down to my kitchen to pack my thermos of coffee and my smoothie for breakfast to drink on the way to work. I have this funny story from when I first moved to South Africa: I used to go to a gym for personal training; one day I was running late for a meeting so my trainer volunteered to order me a smoothie from the gym kitchen, and asked if he should have it ready in about one hour (based on what he was used to seeing from other clients), I said no, 25 minutes is plenty. He didn’t believe I would shower, get ready, hair, face and all in so little time… and in fact he stayed put to see if I would make it on time, and of course I did. So yes, at most, 15 minutes for make-up, that’s it.

Now, what do I do during those 15 minutes, you ask? For me it’s primarily about the skin: making it look as perfect as possible, in a way that’s difficult to notice where there is make-up vs where it’s only me.

Step One – Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize

I tend to avoid using a primer before make-up, especially the ones with silicone as silicone can make even the best foundations curdle… Instead I spend most of my morning skincare routine (which I’ve written about a few weeks ago) layering essence, serum, and treatment to ensure a well moisturized base. If my skin still feels a little parched or I have a long day ahead and I really need the make-up to last, then I reach out for a silicone-free primer for a smooth base, at the moment I’m liking the Perfecting Pure Canvas Primer by Laura Mercier (it uses water, algae and glycerin instead of silicone, and for some reason that doesn’t curdle), it has the light texture of a creamy gel and leaves my skin feeling just plumped and dewy enough for make-up, a bit like that of people who just “drink a lot of water” (sure, we all believe that).

Step Two – Bring on the concealer salad

On any given day, I use at least three different concealer products: over the years, I’ve decided that the areas of my face that need help don’t all need the same shade or texture. There’s the pigmentation spots from my pregnancies, the slightly blue-ish under-eye from lack of sleep and thinning skin (I’ll translate: I’m getting old) and even, if I’m really lucky, the odd little stress or hormone spot for fun… Under my eyes and to smooth out any lines that seem to be particularly visible, I opt for an illuminating formula; I always have a Touche Eclat in my handbag (who doesn’t) for travel and touch-ups but for everyday nothing gets close to It Cosmetics’ Bye Bye Under-Eye Illumination concealer in terms of result and stay power, and it doesn’t ever migrate into the fine lines (not that I have any, of course). For pigmentation and little imperfections I tend to mix a couple more creamy Ilia concealers for the perfect shade, and if I want a perfectly smooth eyelid I use the Eye Base by Laura Mercier. Application is by fingers first, then pushing into the little corners and creases with a small brush.

Step Three – Foundation with a twist

I don’t use foundation per se, most days that’s too much coverage for me. I only ever use foundation for special occasions (so basically I don’t). Most days, I’m happy with a CC cream, so long as it has a strong SPF (50+ is my norm) and my favourite for the past year has been the It Cosmetics CC+ Illumination Cream; it comes in 12 shades which helps find the perfect one, and I usually have two: one for tanned days one for very pale ones. I use the smallest amount: one pump is enough, and I mix it with a drop of face oil (the Farsali Rose Gold one works well for this), that’s the secret for super easy application. I do this with all liquid and cream foundations and it helps the product just glide into place. I pat it in with my fingers then use super soft feathery brushes with my foundation brush to blend it all in. Most days, that’s enough.

There are days when my skin feels like it will turn on the shine before I’ve even driven into the office parking… But I want glow, not shine… So to avoid any mishaps I use a very light powder to set my face in. I like the RMS Beauty “Un” Powder, and puff it on super lightly for a slightly matt but not too matt (it’s a thing, trust me, the perfect amount of matt vs glow) finish that isn’t really noticeable.

Step Four – Nobody likes to walk around with a flat face 

What makes faces interesting is cheeks, cheekbones, the arch of a brow, etc. In French we call it “le relief”. For that I bring in a tiny bit of contour by using a Match Stix by Fenty : it’s actually a matt foundation stick, matt is best for contour, and I buy a shade a good 4 to 5 tones up from my skin tone to create those shadows, by drawing a line by the jaw line, another just under the cheek bone (I go very lightly, the idea is shadow, not a Picasso sketch) and blending in with a soft brush. I use RMS‘ Lip2Cheek product for a little colour where I would normally blush and finish up with three dabs of Lumene‘s Instant Luminizer on my cheekbones, and again tap to blend… This step should really not be too scientific or take too long, it’s just about highlighting what is already there.

Step Five – Finishing touches

For everyday I go for very light definition. By that I mean if I use a liner it’s a smudged one in a shade of graphite, taupe, khaki or plum, never black. Most days I don’t and just give my lashes the star treatment with the best mascara ever created, Too Faced “Better Than Sex” (from personal experience I can confirm it is better than some sex), and finish off with a coat of a moisturizing lipstick or colour lip balm, seeing as I suffer from permanently dry lips. If I want an extra dewy look before I go I spray on a little E.L.F. setting mist and off I go.

By now you’ve realised that barely there make-up doesn’t translate into a one product does all approach. But I promise you if you use your fingers to warm the product into your skin and use the right brushes super lightly to blend everything in, it needn’t take hours. You’ll also notice that whilst some of the products I use claim to be all or mainly natural not all do, because whilst I value the natural approach to skincare and beauty I also do want results, and sometimes chemicals give you slightly better results than the natural ingredients that are meant to replace them… It’s ok, I also do not eat organic every day.

With love, S.

body

Cellulite and me

by s.a.b1 Comment on Cellulite and me

I’m in a committed relationship with cellulite. The bad news? There is no amount of products, treatments, eating, not eating that I can do to get rid of it once and for all (cellulite is not a condition, it’s an aspect: it’s created by fat cells pressing against the connective tissue, making your skin dimple, in fact the thinner your skin the more it is likely to appear, it would seem). The good news? I’m not alone: everyone has fat cells (although it’s true some have fuller ones than others…) so more than 90% of women have cellulite, which also means cellulite busting is a market with millions of opportunities, and if noone has found the miracle cure yet it might be because there simply isn’t one. The better news? Usually most of us have no time to address this in a systematic manner, but this little pesky thing called the CoVid19 lockdown is giving us all a chance to spend more time bonding with our energetic children, our anxious thoughts, and, you guessed it, our beautiful, if a bit jiggly, thighs. And I’m going to give it a try for the next thirty days, by tweaking things a bit in my routine, just to see if I can improve things before the holidays (which we’ll most likely spend at home, at this rate, but we never know).

If you’ve read point one in the first paragraph of this by now quite lengthy post (which of my posts isn’t), you understand that whilst you can’t get rid of it completely, you can work towards minimizing its appearance, camouflage it basically, by following a few tips. Disclaimer: usually I get a weekly treatment of Endermologie or VelaShape, and the key for either is to be super consistent as they help with the appearance of cellulite, but at the moment that’s not an option hence my home-based experiment…

Tip One – Eat healthy and drink plenty

Ok, talk about obvious. Also talk about very difficult to implement in the current set-up when there is always some kind of baking going on and having bubbly everyday seems to be the perfect solution at the end of my daily video call marathons. Still, I do notice my cellulite less when I focus on fiber and whole grain foods, and drink loads of water, as they flush the toxins out of the system and dehydrated, thinner, skin makes anything appear worse. Lockdown diet notwithstanding, I’m much better about drinking my requisite eight glasses of water each day, and I have a pot of Moroccan mint tea each afternoon, that has to count for something.

Tip Two – Sweat it out

Like I said, no exercise will remove cellulite, but any work-out will help with blood flow to your skin (yes, you also get that tomato face as a result) so most will be great to help with the dimples, especially anything cardio. Although there is also a couple of poses in Hot Yoga which are also amazing for circulation. Good that I’m already doing all of that. Next?

Tip Three – Body brushing

Very topically, my girlfriends and I had a debate about this recently (on WhatsApp, where else do you people manage to debate with anyone at the moment?). To body brush or not to body brush. I believe in dry brushing every morning before shower is almost like getting a lymphatic drainage, and since none of us is getting one of those anytime soon, this is as good as. I use that in addition to a strong scrub every couple of days, again to keep everything smooth but because I love the texture of a salt scrub: in fact mixing a good salt scrub with a bit of coffee spikes it up a little and makes skin a little plumper on the out.

Tip Four – Birch oil

We don’t all have access to a good herbalist these days but if you can get your hands on birch oil, use that after washing, ideally with one of those massage roller things. Day one, you won’t see a difference except your arms will be a little sore. Day seven, your arms will be firmer and your skin will be rosy. Day fourteen, I think you’ll agree the dimples are less visible…

Of course, if all else fails, there is a little trick for swimsuit pictures I thought I’d share right away: cellulite totally disappears if you tilt your hips backwards or sideways a little (stretching the skin basically) whereas it’s very much in your face if you squeeze your butt. Anyways I’ll let you all know how I get on in about a month, in fact if this goes well I might even post a cheeky picture on my Insta, how about that.

With love, S.

London, Spa Notes

A day at the spa: Harrods Hammam

by s.a.b1 Comment on A day at the spa: Harrods Hammam

Right now, I’m very far from Harrods, London, or indeed a Moroccan Hammam experience, although a day here would be exactly what my body and mind need right now: I woke up missing home, missing the sounds of Moroccan streets (the mint and egg hawkers can be heard from the top of the road, way before they reach our house), missing home flavours… The best I can do right now is drink some mint tea and dream about being able to fly to London and going back to the Moroccan Spa at Harrods, a.k.a the Hammam.

Compared to many so-called oriental spas in London, this is the only place where you can enjoy a truly authentic Moroccan hammam treatment. This feels like home, although it is undoubtedly a far more luxurious affair than the neighbourhood public baths I would visit as a child with the Dadas, although even back then I would go more for the experience than to get me cleaned: this may come as a surprise to some who don’t know Morocco, but we do have bathrooms in most of our houses, have had for quite a few decades now… but we still love like spending an afternoon at the public baths for the gossip, the amazing scrub, and the cakes and tea afterwards.

From the velvet-clad changing rooms to the marble-decked wet rooms, everything here screams luxe, but in a beautiful, almost understated way (don’t get me wrong: this isn’t an Asian spa where pure lines dominate, by any means… Moroccan luxe calls for embellishments, and there are copper taps and velvet sofas everywhere, but it is all done with taste and refinement, very far from the faux oriental places you find elsewhere). The marble lattice dividing the various open wet areas creates privacy spaces that you can get your treatment in whilst still chatting happily with your friends on the other side of the lattice: this is quite handy considering you spend most of the treatment in the smallest knickers I’ve ever seen…

The treatment is 100% traditional… As soon as you are robed in the fluffiest cotton gowns, you move into the warm resting room, where you get used to the temperature whilst chatting happily away. Then you are guided to the wet room, much hotter, where a kessala will bathe you from top to bottom; this is definitely not the place to be shy, you are stark naked sitting in a big empty marble room, the kessala and you are going to be close after this. First, you are slathered with black olive oil soap, which smells divine by the way, this isn’t the cheap low concentration version… The soap is left on your skin to steam through a little while, before it is brushed away with a kessa glove, exfoliating the dead skin away into what looks suspiciously like grey vermicelli, until your whole skin is left super soft and gleaming (and slightly pink from all that brushing, but that’s a temporary effect…!). The kessala also washes your hair with almond shampoo, stretches your limbs rather energetically, making you feel somewhat like a ragdoll, before rinsing you off with buckets of warm water.

All rinsed and back in your gown, you are ready for the relaxation room (home of the super plush velvet sofas), for tea, dried fruits, nuts and more chit chat, and if you feel like prolonging the experience a little, a facial or a massage. I had a massage here the last time I visited, it was absolutely blissful and I left feeling totally relaxed and ready for a quiet evening. Right now, this is exactly how I would dream of spending Saturday afternoon… hopefully soon.

With love, S.