Showing all posts in January 2021

 Mascara can be documented in ancient Egypt. Records from around 4000 BC refer to a substance called Kohl that was used to darken eyelashes, eyelids, and eyebrows. Kohl was used to mask the eyes, believed to ward off evil spirits and protect the soul, by both men and women. Often composed of galena; malachite; and charcoal or soot. They added honey and so the kohl would not run. Through Egypt’s influence, kohl usage persisted in the subsequent Babylonian, Greek and Roman empires. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, kohl fell into disuse on the European continent, where it had been considered solely a cosmetic; conversely, it continued to be widely used in the Middle East for religious purposes.

During the Victorian era, social opinion shifted radically towards the promotion of cosmetics, and women were known to spend most of their day occupied with beauty regimens. Great efforts were made to create the illusion of long, dark eyelashes. Attempting this, Victorian women made a type of mascara in their own homes. They would heat a mixture of ash and elderberry juice on a plate and apply the heated mixture to their eyelashes.

The Mascara that we know today, did not develop until the 19th century. A chemist named Eugene Rimmel developed a cosmetic using the newly invented petroleum jelly. The name Rimmel became synonymous with the substance and still translates to “mascara” in the Portuguese, Spanish, Greek, Turkish, Romanian, and Persian languages today.

Across the Atlantic Ocean and at roughly the same time, in 1915, Thomas Lyle Williams created a similar substance for his sister Mabel. In 1917 he started a mail-order business from the product that grew to become the company Maybelline.

The mascara consisted of petroleum jelly and coal in a set ratio. It does not sound like something I would like to use it sound as if it would have been messy, I am glad the modern formula has changed.

Mascara is a true wonder if you have the right formula. It adds volume and length to the individual lashes, whist darkening the colour of the lashes, which draws attention to the eyes and creates definition.

There is different type of mascara-

• Tubing mascaras are the smudge-free formula, while most products cover a lash in pigment, these wrap a load of micro-fibres (or polymers) around them, forming a ‘tube’ of mascara around your lashes, this is good for short, thin sparse lashes. My favourite tubing mascara is Better than sex by Too faced this so amazing, the formula thickens, lengthens, and curls after just one coat for the most luscious, dramatic, and volumized lashes possible.
• Curling mascara is great for stick-straight lashes. Clinique High Impacted mascara can hold the curl for at least 8 hours, it lifts and gives great volume with its curved wand.
• Waterproof mascara is best for People with watery eyes or going to the gym or a wedding. Again, I like Too faced better than sex waterproof mascara, it does everything the original does, and is waterproof.
• Volumizing is amazing for sparse, thin lashes. Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils, makes your lashes look full but not clumpy, it does not flake or crumble and its non-drying, give false lash effect.

Mascara can change your look with a coat! You just pull the wand through your lashes and they are transformed into full vibrant lashes to take on the day!

It is good to prep your lashes as it conditions and boost the benefits of any mascara, I am trying Maybelline lash sensational, also if you are using your eye lash curlers, do it before you apply the mascara, or it can get messy. Do not use anyone else’s mascara because you can transfer bacteria and cause problems for your eyes and try to change it every 3 months. A big mistake that people often make is to pump their mascara-Nooooo, !!!! please do not as it pushes air into the tube causing it to clump and flake faster, so try to gently twist the wand back and forth to pick up the amount you want. Mascara is a wonder product that you do not want to live without. And like lipstick has its on Holiday, its 19^th of February 2021!

Happy Lashing

Helena

Links to Products- Asterisks are affiliated links, these help with the running costs of the Blog

Too Faced | Better Than Sex Mascara | Cult Beauty

Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara 8g – LOOKFANTASTIC

https://amzn.to/36Hxi00 *

https://amzn.to/2YR8ONm *

There is so much chat about skin these days, but do you know your skin type?

Skin has a natural protective barrier, which keeps bacteria and harmful substances from entering the body, while limiting water loss and preventing dehydration.

This process keeps skin healthy and moisturised, maintaining its elasticity and firmness.

Your skin type can vary greatly during the course your life.

There are many internal and external factors that determine its condition include climate and pollution, medication, stress, lack of sleep, hereditary factors that influence the levels of sebum, sweat and natural moisturising factors that your skin produces as well as the products that you use and the skincare choices that you make.

Skincare products should be selected to match skin type and address skin condition. So, it is good to be able to understand your skin.

Normal Skin

 Well-balanced skin. The T-zone (forehead, chin and nose) may be bit oily, but overall sebum and moisture is balanced, and the skin is neither too oily nor too dry. fine pores with good blood circulation and has soft, smooth texture with no blemishes and is not prone to sensitivity. Taking care of normal skin is just as important to maintain skins health.

Dry Skin

Produces less sebum than normal skin. As a result of the lack of sebum, the skin lacks the lipids that it needs to retain moisture and build a protective shield against external influences. flakiness in patches a rough and blotchy appearance (sometimes it appears to be prematurely aged) a feeling of tightness possible itchiness.

With a direct connection between the gut and skin health, increasing your daily intake of fats may help with dry skin. Try eating a diet rich in fatty fish, olive oil, and avocados along with a good skin care routine. Do not overdo it with alcohol, caffeine, and coffee as they are diuretics that will cause dehydration. Remember to drink lots of water.”

Oily Skin

 Is used to describe a skin type with heightened sebum production. An over production is known as seborrhoea. Genetics hormonal changes and imbalances medication stress comedogenic cosmetics (make-up products that cause irritation). It may seem like a good idea to use products that dry out your skin, but in the long term that is not a good idea as they stimulate the production of more oil Products which cause your skin to tingle or that contain alcohol should also be avoided. Tingling means irritation and that is never good. It is important to be gentle, a Ph balanced foam cleanser morning, night and after exercise with an oil free moisturiser will help keep the skin healthy. Cutting down on alcohol will help, too much can damage the blood vessels and cause blood vessels and oil glands to enlarge, which will cause pores to also enlarge. Regular exercise and stay hydrated.

Combination skin

Combination skin is, as the name suggests, skin that consists of a mix of skin types. Genetics hormonal changes and imbalances, medication, stress, comedogenic cosmetics (make-up products that cause irritation)

Sensitive skin

 Can exhibit the characteristics of dry skin, oily skin, or combination skin, but they also deal with a great amount of redness and irritation. Normal skin types may also have sensitive skin, but these generally do not overlap. Sensitive skin types can be caused by skin conditions like rosacea or allergies, so it is best to avoid harsh chemical-based skincare treatments. This skin type is also easily inflamed, so it is important to choose the right natural skin care for sensitive skin to avoid any adverse reactions.

This is my third lock down! And this one has changed my mindset, instead of watching Netflix, feeling bored and fed up!

It took the time to think about my health and fitness, maybe it was the fact I was turning 50 in four months! So, a change was needed, I decide to stop drinking through January and do a 5-day detox called the white box by WOO Nutrition. I have never used anything like this before so did not know what to expect!

The white box (Vegan-lactose free) arrived, inside the box contained the 5-day nutritional program for metabolism-efficient weight loss with the daily requirements of vitamins, protein, fats and carbohydrates that our body need, there was also a Nutritional plan included plus a few vegan recipe suggestions.

It also has a few tips-30 minutes of exercise but not to overdo it, drink between 2/3 litres of water per day and no more then 3 cups of coffee! ARRH, I normally drink around 5 per day.

The first two days you start with Liquid Energy 75mls, it has a lovely blackcurrant flavour containing a complex carbohydrate, fruit extracts, astaxanthin and micronutrients to kick start your day!

Then mix your Walnut-Maple syrup flavour protein powder with water. The powder contains pea protein, rice protein, pumpkin seed protein and flavouring. I was not looking forward to this one, but It was quite nice and filling; I took me a while to finish it. (I did have a black coffee too)

Around mid-morning I had the next step-Woo metabolic, I must say, my favourite of the day, as it has a lovely berry flavour, it has 13 natural vitamins, fruit powders and plant extracts, it really gives you a boost of energy. I need this energy my life every day!

So, for lunch, we had roast vegetable with chicken, it is advised not to have potatoes or corn. In the afternoon you have a reset-Wild berry flavoured food supplement with amino acids, vitamins and minerals, I mixed it in some water about 250mls.You must have another reset before bedtime too.

For dinner we had a vegetable stir fry with prawns, two spoons of olive oil. We went for a 30-minute walk and I must say our energy was good, and we were not “hangry” at all, which was pleasant surprise.

Day 3 was a fast day so that was a little bit tougher, Fasting is not something we had ever done before! So, for breakfast we had 1 liquid energy /protein powder, the morning went well, we went for a walk, so far so good, mid-morning we had a metabolic to boost our energy, so we were not feeling too much strain, which was amazing and surprising as we did expect to be very hungry and irritated.

 For lunch, it was a repeat of breakfast, then in afternoon and bedtime was 1x Woo reset, for dinner we had a cup of blue berries with a protein powder. It was strange not having any meals. Waking up on day 4 we felt great, cleansed and energetic. Ready to take on the day 4/5which is a repeat of the first two days, just increasing our water intake.

Day 5/6 we ate normally but healthily with no sugar or alcohol and drinking plenty of water. Good news is I lost 2 kilos (4.4pounds) which I am delighted by, but we felt great which is the main thing, I will be doing it again, I think I would be great to do at the change of season or a couple of times a year to detox and reset my metabolism.

Here’s to continuing my journey!

Want to find out more- https://linktr.ee/Helenam22

It’s never too late to look after yourself and its never too late to eat healthily, and get plenty of rest, to exercise regularly and look after your skin.

you will be amazed at how quickly your skin and body can rejuvenate.