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February 2004 Online: www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk
15
beauty
SHEREEN LOW talks
to experts on hair,
skin, cosmetics and
nails to find out how
we can best improve
our beauty regimes
ADAM REED, INTERNATIONAL SESSION
AND ARTISTIC MANAGER FOR CHARLES
WORTHINGTON, NEW YORK
REED encourages people to
respect their hair by going
for regular head massages.
‘‘When you’re worried and
stressed, the first part of the
body to become tense is the shoulders,’’
he says. ‘‘This inhibits the scalp’s supply
of oxygen and blood. Inevitably, your
hair becomes stressed. Signs include a
flaky scalp, dull hair and eventually,
hair loss.
‘‘Massage the scalp and learn to relax.
It relieves tension and increases blood
flow to nourish the root and hair follicle.
Gently work your fingers around your
head, starting at the perimeter of the
head and working inwards, making sure
your fingers never leave the scalp.’’
Another useful hair resolution would
be to buy a good-quality hairbrush. Too
often, he says, people use the wrong
tools for the job despite the fact that the
choice of brush can affect how fast your
hair dries, how smooth the hair becomes
and how much volume you can create.
‘‘Good quality bristles protect hair
from splitting and stretching, making
styling and combing easier and painless,
while poor-quality brushes and combs
will scratch the scalp and damage the
hair shaft. When choosing a brush,
always check that the teeth and bristles
are smooth.’’
JOHN GUSTAFSON, MAKE-UP AND
SKINCARE EXPERT FOR HANDBAG.COM
GUSTAFSON recommends a few simple
changes to your routine, which are
easier to stick to than major overhauls.
‘‘Firstly, let’s try to wash our make-up
brushes at least once a month,’’ he says.
He suggests using a bit of shampoo, and
maybe even a dollop of conditioner if
they have been long neglected.
Gustafson also points out that the
benefits of sleep outweigh even the most
technologically-advanced cosmetics.
‘‘Try for eight hours of sleep a night.
Hard sometimes, but we can but try.
Sleep is one of the best beauty
treatments there is, and it’s free.’’
Lastly, he urges us to try new make-up
looks. ‘‘Try something different twice a
month,’’ he says. ‘‘A different lip shade,
or eyeshadow colour, or just changing
the texture from matte to sheen. You
don’t have to buy it, just try it out for a
day. You may end up finding you get
really experimental, or that you really
hate pink. But unless you try, you’ll
never know.’’
SALLY PENFORD, DERMATOLOGIST FROM
INTERNATIONAL DERMAL INSTITUTE
THE most important beauty essential,
according to Penford, is to wear a
sunscreen every day. ‘‘This needs to be
part of the daily skincare regime,’’ she
says. ‘‘The sun causes 90 per cent of the
skin’s ageing, and sunscreen will help
slow the process down.’’
While a sunscreen that is separate to
your moisturiser is more effective in
protecting your skin from UV rays, a
moisturiser containing sunscreen with a
Make-up: try a few simple changes to the old routine
More beauty,
less beast
minimum SPF of 15 is better than none
at all. Try Dermalogica’s Day Bright
SPF 15 (£31.20 – call 0800 591 818) or
Origins Have A Nice Day Super Charged
moisture lotion with SPF 15 (£22.50).
It is also vital, Penford says, to remove
make-up at night: ‘‘We’re all lazy at the
end of the day, but there are a lot of
nasties in make-up, which can lead to
clogged skin, blackheads and
breakouts.’’ If you are too tired to do the
whole cleansing routine, just use a
cleansing wipe like Johnson’s Softwash
cleansing cloths (£3.99) to remove makeup
and do a proper cleanse in the
morning.
Penford also says we should look after
the skin on our body, as well as our
faces. ‘‘Don’t just focus on your face and
neck – your chest and other neglected
areas need just as much attention,’’
Penford says. ‘‘Keep skin highly
hydrated by using a rich moisturiser,
and exfoliate with a buffing cloth and a
scrub. This simple process can make an
incredible difference to the overall
texture of the skin.’’
ANDREA FULERTON, NAIL TECHNICIAN
WHO HAS WORKED WITH HOLLY
VALANCE, KATE MOSS AND SOPHIE DAHL
FULERTON advises against trying to
get rid of all your bad habits at once, but
for those who’ve decided to stop
nibbling their nails, she says: ‘‘My
proven technique is to stop biting finger
by finger. Limit yourself to biting only
your ring finger and little fingers. As the
other nails grow, you’ll be inspired to
stop biting.’’
She also recommends going for
regular manicures, at least once a
month, and if this eats into your purse
too much, put together your own
manicure kit. ‘‘Book an appointment
with a professional manicurist, and find
out where she gets her tools from, and
how she uses them,’’ Fulerton explains.
‘‘Get into the habit of home
maintenance for your hands because
they often reveal your true age.’’
She suggests using a three-in-one
product like Crabtree & Evelyn’s Hand
Recovery (£12.50), which exfoliates,
moisturises and cleanses.
Diary of a hair and
make-up artist
ALLISON McKAY
Do we really
want to look
flawless?
AM very sceptical
when I see a celebrity
Ior model cover shot
looking totally flawless.
All the glossy magazine covers we see now
have had some form of re-touching or
airbrushing.
I can see why they do it, so the eye is not
distracted by so-called imperfections as we
all clamour: “I want to look like that”. Do we
really though – all that we are, our character
just simply airbrushed away? Trust me, I
have seen many a celeb and model before
make-up and airbrushing and they are real
people under the make-believe.
Three of the most beautiful women I have
worked with are Brenda Blethyn, Amanda
Burton and Francesca Annis. Grace and
beauty glow from head to toe and the fine
lines which we are led to believe are
imperfections, actually give verification to
their humour and passion. In other words,
they are stunningly real. Airbrushing would
take that away.
We aspire to so much that is quite often
beyond us. Airbrushing is only for film, but
surgery and luxurious products and
treatments are there – for those who can
afford it.
Here are my tips for concealing minor
blemishes:
● It is always a good idea to start by gently
exfoliating. This gets rid of dead skin cells
that concealer may clog around.
● Too much concealer can make a spot look
worse.
● Apply product from the back of the hand;
never straight from the tube, as you may
infect the product.
● Never rub. Dab lightly, then blend
outwards.
● Antibacterial concealers help in drying the
spot and combat against re-infection
● If a spot or blemish is red, add a touch of
green concealer.
● Do not use the same concealer for the
eyes as you would the blemish, especially if
the blemish concealer contains antibacterial
agents.
Male celebs and models are also being
treated with airbrushing and surgery, and
they increasingly use body care and
grooming products. I personally dislike seeing
men who obviously have make-up on and
cover shots with them having unreal,
perfectly even-toned skin.
Usually for a shoot I start with a
massaging exfoliator on the face, followed by
a light tinted moisturising lotion, a touch of
Vaseline to tame eyebrows, and a
moisturising lip balm.
TIPS FOR MEN
● Harsh soaps can lead to dry flaky skin, so
use a mild cleansing wash.
● Apply shaving cream after you have
showered as your pores will be open.
● Shaving foam needs to be allowed to
absorb into the skin for at least one minute.
Creams and lotions work faster.
● Do not shave against the hair growth as
this will result in irritation or a rash.
● Apply a toner to close the pores and
always finish with a soothing, daily
moisturising lotion.
● If you mainly dry shave, it is a good idea
to exfoliate a couple of times a week. This
can be in the form of an exfoliating face
wash.
● Use a moisturiser with a sunscreen to
stop a worn leather look in later years.