Category Archives: Tools

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If you’ve only got 5 minutes…Clean your make-up brushes

Ok. It’s time for a little honesty. When was the last time you cleaned your make-up brushes? Do you remember??

Most of us will use them every day but rarely wash them properly. Imagine wearing your clothes daily for a month without washing them. Or using cutlery for a week and just chucking it straight back in the drawer.

It’s such a shame to have a careful skin regime and then layer up your make-up with a generous helping of bacteria.

About once every 2-4 weeks, depending on how often you use your brushes and where you store them (i.e. they might need cleaning more regularly if they rattle around in the bottom of your make-up bag), rinse your brushes in warm water, massage in a little brush cleanser (or gentle shampoo) and rinse clean. Don’t stand them up to dry – this can damage the handles over time. Simply reshape, lay flat on a folded towel and leave to dry overnight before using again.

Takes five minutes. Unless you have a LOT of brushes.

Makes you feel virtuous.

Is good for your skin.

Ecotools - my make-up brushes of choice

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Skin prep for summer, part 1 – body brushing

It’s not long now till holiday season is officially upon us and like many people, I’m less than brilliant at maintaining my limbs when they’re encased in winter layers. I’m not really a tanner – fake or otherwise – and I have no real problem with blinding the odd passerby with the flashing brilliance of my pasty white legs. But I do feel much better if that glow is the result of well-tended, healthy skin.

Today’s post is the first of a three-part series on skin prep for summer exposure – the natural way – and I’m kicking off with dry body brushing. Part 2 will cover natural body scrubs and part 3, body moisturisers.

I needed a bit of convincing on the body brushing thing to begin with. It just sounds weird and I couldn’t quite get the image of horse grooming out of my mind. It’s really doesn’t look that dissimilar. However, with a bit of will power and 2-3 weeks of religious ‘grooming’ behind me, I can really see the benefit.

The benefits of skin brushing are down to two distinct effects. Firstly, gentle skin brushing has a mild exfoliating effect, lifting away dead skin cells and smoothing the surface, helping to prepare the skin for any products you will apply later. Secondly, it helps to eliminate toxins by increasing blood flow to the skin’s surface and stimulating the lymphatic system – the body’s waste disposal mechanism. The two things combined really do lead to clearer, brighter skin over time.

There are two really important things to remember about skin brushing. Number 1 – be gentle! Repeat after me….’I am not a horse. I am NOT a horse.’ Even if you don’t suffer from sensitive skin or an inflammatory condition like eczema, there’s no need to be heavy handed as dead skin cells slough off surprisingly easily. Number 2 – always brush towards the heart. This action allows you to work with your circulatory system, rather than against it, and also ensures you’ll be brushing in the direction of lymph glands where toxins can be filtered out.

Start brushing on the tops of the feet and gently work up the legs and over the buttocks and hips. Brush your arms in the same way, starting at the fingertips and moving up to the shoulders. I tend to avoid brushing my chest area because the skin there is really delicate and I also avoid any bits that are particularly prone to or suffering from eczema (for me that’s usually the top of my back).

Choosing a brush is a very personal thing. Some bristles are quite stiff and spiky, others are softer and more pliable. I’m a softer brush person but try out a couple on the back of your hand or forearm and see what you think. Natural bristles are best, either way. You can also choose between a palm-held brush or one with a longer handle. I prefer the control of a palm-held brush but many brushes have a longer detachable handle so you can get the control while still being able to get at the small of your back without dislocating a shoulder.

My favourite brush is Liz Earle’s, for feel and adaptability. (£7.40 from Liz Earle’s website.)

Some other good options out there include:

Green People spa body brush £10.75, available at Lovelula.

Neal’s Yard body brush, £8.75, available from the Neal’s Yard website.

Temple Spa’s ‘Giving It The Brush Off’, £16, available from Victoria Health.

The Body Shop’s body brush round, £7, from The Body Shop stores and website.

Come back on the 16th for body scrubs…

Update: for Part 2 of ‘skin prep for summer’ (body scrubs), see here. And see part 3 (body moisturisers) here.

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The Konjac Sponge

 

While not exactly ‘breaking news’, the konjac sponge is still new enough to be making waves (or ripples?) amongst those who, like me, are a little bit obsessed with cleansing.

I bought my Konjac sponge a while back from Victoria Health, partly because I’ve been wanting to try it and partly because I was desperate to get my hands on that June NUDE Skincare giveaway.

The Konjac is made of 100% natural vegetable fibre (the vegetable is called ‘Konjac’ hence the name…see?….aaaaah.). It boasts cleansing, gentle exfoliating and moisturising properties, which is pretty ambitious for a sponge. The fibre has a weak alkalising effect, which works like a gentle cleanser, so if you really want to, you can use it on its own. I was dubious but when Gill of Victoria Health says something is amazing, I usually listen.

It is a non-descript looking thing. And alarmingly, when I removed it from its packaging it was rock hard. The sort of hardness that could knock a nail into the wall. The instructions make very clear that it should be completely soft before use each time. The first time I wet it, it took ages to soften. Fortunately, it dries slowly and never had time to dry out completely between uses. I think you’d have to leave it a good few days before it went rock hard again.

When squishy, the sponge is a little bit disconcerting. Have you ever picked up a handful of seaweed, mashed it into a small (sponge-shaped) ball and squeezed it in the palm of your hand? It feels like that. Sort of oozy and squelchy and somehow rubbery, like it’s somehow tougher than it looks.

Now that I’ve made it sound really horrible, I’m going to tell you that it feels amazing on the skin; really silky and surprisingly soft – I can see why it’s recommended for sensitive skin. I tried it all kinds of ways: to remove cream cleanser, to apply and remove foaming cleanser, and on its own. You need to have a bit of patience because the Konjac sponge is not as quick as a muslin cloth or face flannel. It does eventually remove cleanser (and creates a lovely soft lather when using a foaming wash) but it’s a little time consuming and you need to keep rinsing it. The ‘can’t-stop-touching-my-face’ softness that resulted was well worth it though.

However, on balance, I think I prefer the Konjac ‘neat’. I.e. on its own. You can work it around for as long as you like, there’s no need for foaming washes, which I do find drying, and I can save a bit of my precious Liz Earle cleanser for when I want a longer, more indulgent cleanse. Used alone, Konjac is the perfect A.M cleanse. When my skin is dry and sensitive, there’s no advantage in using copious products or doing a really intensive cleanse first thing. It just strips the skin and winds it up. So a gentle massage with a damp Konjac sponge is perfect: it refreshes and wakes up my skin, leaving it soft and clear. I’m not going to give up my richer cream cleansers and oils because I love the smell and the ritual of using them too much. But I will hang onto the Konjac for my morning routine.

Significantly, the Konjac is really exceptionally good value. While mine is only 2 weeks into its lifespan, my instructions indicate it could live up to two months before bits start dropping off it and it needs to be ‘retired’. Retailing at only £12, that’s not bad ‘cost per use’ particularly since I don’t always need to use a cleanser every time and am making a saving there too. Assuming I take good care of it – no rough handling, wringing, excessive squeezing, drop-kicking, over-arm throwing or other such rough-housing – it has every chance of making it to it’s 2 month anniversary. And I’m going to stop there because it’s starting to read a bit like I’m talking about a cherished pet. And I’m not THAT attached to it. Yet.

The Konjac Sponge, £12, available from Victoria Health 

Face konjac

 

Face konjac with charcoal

If you’ve got oily or blemish-prone skin, try the Charcoal Konjac. It’s written up in slightly more confrontational language and it’s claimed it eliminates blackheads, removes dirt and oil and kills spot-causing bacteria. Ninja Konjac!

Body konjac

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Chartmyself.com

Think you might be allergic to something? Feel run down but can’t decide why? Started a new fitness regime and keen to progress?

Sometimes it’s just hard to keep track of life’s interconnectedness, particularly when it comes to health and wellbeing. I recently discovered https://www.chartmyself.com/ and it’s fast becoming a bit of an addiction. It’s a free online tool that allows you to keep a life/health/fitness/diet/wellbeing (delete as you like) journal and will track the results for you in graphs to make comparisons more straightforward and meaningful.

You might discover some surprising things. After reading that dehydration could contribute to anxiety or lower your mood, I’ve discovered that the days when I drink less water do actually seem to correlate with bluer days or days when I record higher stress levels. I’m also monitoring the amount of sleep I get versus the exercise I do and am keen to see whether the time I exercise impacts on the quality and quantity of my sleep.

Chartmyself isn’t a personal trainer or health guru. It won’t make you drink more water, get more sleep or take more exercise. But it can arm you with useful information about your habits and the impact they might be having on your daily life. It might just give you the motivation and the knowledge to make changes for the better.

And if, like me, you were worried that it would be yet one more thing to forget in a busy schedule, I also discovered that chartmyself sends daily reminders containing a handy link to the part of the site where you need to record that day’s results.

Happy charting!

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Silk pillowcases or ‘how to justify fancy bedding’

If I tell you I like to sleep on silk pillowcases, it might suggest that I’m a bit of a princess. To which I’d reply ‘And what if I am??!’ but I’d also tell you that it’s a part of my skin and haircare routine and it helps me get the best out of my products. Cotton pillowcases are all well and good but they are like little sponges. Overnight, a good proportion of your, potentially pricey, moisturiser will end up in your pillowcase, particularly if you’ve applied it right before going to bed and it hasn’t had a chance to skin in.

Silk has a much less drying effect on the skin, allowing your moisturiser to go further. Its slippy surface also means that your skin is less likely to get all lined and crumpled overnight; far fewer pillow ‘imprints’ in the morning and less wrinkles (hopefully) in the longer term. The slippy effect is also beneficial for your hair, helping to smoothe down the cuticle for shinier, less flyaway and staticky hair on waking.

On top of all that, silk is a better temperature regulator so you’ll have a cooler face and scalp in the summer and a warmer one in winter. I find this particularly helpful as my hair is thick and the skin on my scalp is prone to a type of seborrheic dermatitis that is often triggered when I get too hot at night.

If silk bedding stills seems a bit too extravagant, remember that only the topside of your top pillow needs to be silk to get all those beneficial effects. All the rest of my bedding is cotton. At least until I win the lottery and then it’s silk sheets and cashmere blankets ALL the way…!

There are lots of places to get silk pillowcases but I particularly like (and use) Silk Perfect. They produce pillowcases with a silk upper and cotton underside (the Silk Perfect Pur), which prevents the pillow from sliding around too much. You can get two for £22 which I think is pretty reasonable.

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Ecotools make-up brushes

The problem with greening up your beauty routine is that it has a knock on effect. The emphasis is on the products you use but it’s not long before you realise that organic ingredients are easily undermined if you’re slapping them on with dodgy brushes, or wiping them off with pesticide-laden cotton wool or a face cloth that’s been washed in a polluting detergent. I quickly realised that madness lies in wait at the bottom of that particular slippery slope and I try now to focus on the good I can achieve rather than the many things I don’t or can’t. But it still bothers me and I’m always on the lookout for the greener alternative.

Make-up brushes pose some ethical questions. Really top-quality brushes – the kind that last for years – are traditionally made with sable, badger or even squirrel hair. Which doesn’t sit too comfortably with a green agenda. Yet many make-up artists worry that synthetic brushes just aren’t as effective, particularly when applying powder-based products. There’s also the issue of the handle. Plastic doesn’t biodegrade and often can’t be recycled; wood is better but should ideally come from sustainable sources.

Time for a nap from sheer exhaustion at how difficult being green can be…

In one of my more awake moments, I was mooching around in Boots and I discovered Ecotools. I hadn’t heard of them before but, while I think they’re reasonably new to Boots, they’ve been available on Amazon for a while longer.

Ecotools began with the launch of their make-up brushes and they seem to have paid attention to many of the issues previously mentioned. The bristles are made of synthetic Taklon and it’s claimed they are incredibly soft and effective. The handles are made of bamboo and recycled aluminium. Bamboo’s green credentials have taken a knock in recent years because of the harsh solvents used in the manufacture of bamboo clothing but for a product like this where the fibres don’t need breaking down, it continues to be one of the greener options. The plant is sustainable to produce as it can be quickly and easily grown without the use of fertilisers or pesticides.

I decided to invest in a couple of the brushes and opted for the blusher brush and a new kabuki brush to replace my alopecia-stricken Une brush. The kabuki brush is in a retractable case, again made from recycled aluminium, and the blush brush has the signature bamboo/aluminium handle. The first thing that struck me was how soft the brushes really were. They are velvety soft, chinchilla soft, cashmere socks soft. Even the kabuki brush which needs to be buffed and worked into the skin. This is a huge thing for me. I’m increasingly prone to rosacea and prickly brushes are such a no no. There’s precious little point buffing in a mineral foundation if, by the end, my skin is less luminous and more lava.

The kabuki brush works brilliantly for this reason. I can gradually build up layers of product and buff them in properly without redness. And if there’s a bit of redness to begin with, I can cover it up without making it worse. The blusher brush is a nice shape and the bristles didn’t splay after use so you can be very targeted with your application. I think that both brushes picked up slightly less product than my previous ones but, on balance, this is fine. It’s much easier to build up make-up than to remove scary overdone blusher, for example.

All in all, I was pretty impressed with ecotools’ brushes, particularly at the prices they charge.

Blusher brush – £8.67

Retractable kabuki brush – £13.27

Both available at Boots or on Amazon.com