Beauty Products

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BEAUTY PRODUCTS

A collection of some of my favourite products and essentials for daily beauty maintenance:

External cleansing and scrubbing
Moisturizing
Hair care
Make-up ‘must-haves’
Body care

External Cleansing of skin

1. ‘NeoStrata’ Skin resurfacing Duo: This is a micro chrystal gel with activator for exceptional ‘polishing’ of skin. It is a fantastic product that makes my skin smoother than it has ever been with any other product. It eliminates fine lines and makes my skin look and feel like baby skin. The glow is amazing. I prefer to use it once a week or every two weeks while in the shower waiting for my hair conditioner to set.

2. ‘Aapri’ apricot scrub http://wwwaapri.co.uk: This product is for face (or body) exfoliation. It is a great general exfoliant that is inexpensive and effective. I like using it in the shower to give my skin some time to be ‘primed’ by the steam. It does a great job cleaning my skin and giving it that glow. (I use a strong exfoliating body glove for the rest of me, but Aapri also make a great body version.)

3. ‘Vasanti’ Facewash for night time before bed: SThis is a great micro chrystal wash I use at the sink, especially when I have not recently used the NeoStrata polish (see below) in the shower. I use Vasanti when I want my skin super clean to prepare it for night cream, and when I want a simple one-step wash that works without needing the steam of a shower first. I just put a dot in my hand, mix with with warm water, scrub and rinse.

2. Moisturizing Skin

1. ’Biotherm Blue Therapy’ serum: I use this in the morning after showering. I gently massage a few drops into my skin just after drying my face. It deeply penetrates and hydrates to eliminate any sense of tightness or dryness before I apply any other cream.

2. ‘NeoStrata Aqua Youth’ gel cream: This is a hydrating gel cream containing .2 % hyaluronic acid which attracts water molecules and thereby deeply moisturizes. It is my favourite day cream. I follow with a light sunscreen.

3. ’NeoStrata All-in-One’ night serum: This is an amazing liquid with 0.3% hyaluronic acid that seems to heal wrinkles overnight. I noticed an immediate difference. The eye cream is milder and should be used in those delicate eye areas. Aside from ‘Ketrel’, this is the most effective night cream I have ever used, leaving my skin looking plump and freshly exfoliated. I use it for several days in a row, then try something else for variation.

4 .‘Ketrel’: An excellent high Retinol night cream (0.05%) that speeds the turnover of fresh cells. This is a different approach to fresh skin than, hyaluronic acid. I use this for several days, and then go to a different cream. I believe alternating allows the skin to continually benefit from different approaches that work together from different angles for an overall effect.

5. ‘Polysporin Lip Health’ night cream: This cream heals lips completely and hydrates them so that they appear fresh and plump in the morning. By far the best lip treatment I have ever tried. Others are good, but this one is great. This cream has added ingredients especially for lips that make it even better than the excellent Polysporin (triple with vitamin e) ointment I already use to speed healing and that I was using on my lips before.

6. Cold Pressed ‘Castor Oil’: I often use castor oil as a night cream when I’m not using ‘Ketrel’ or ‘NeoStrata’. I simply rub it into my skin at bedtime, also onto my eyelashes and eyebrows (I alternate between products). I use an extra pillowcase as it is oily. In the morning my face is smooth and hydrated.

Apart from the well-documented anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties (for medicinal use as discussed in the ‘Health’ page), castor oil promotes collagen and elastin, is rich in Omega 6 and Omega & essential fatty acids, and promotes hair growth.

3. Hair Care

1. Natural ‘Lemon’ clarifying rinse: Every few weeks I squeeze the juice of a lemon into a 2 litre pitcher, fill with hot water and slowly massage into my hair after shampooing in the shower. I then condition as usual and rinse. The juice of the lemon removes the build-up of minerals on my hair which clog up the hair shaft (like protruding scales) and cause it to break. My hair is left very clean and silky.

2. ‘Pantene 3 Minute Miracle’ repair and protect conditioner: This product is very hydrating for my hair without weighing it down. I massage it in after shampooing (or after a lemon rinse), and leave it on for 3 or more minutes as I use my exfoliating glove on my skin, shave my legs or do a face scrub. After rinsing out well, it leaves my hair feeling silky and looking naturally healthy.

3. ‘Imedeen Hair and Nails’ supplement: I have noticed my once soft nails are now hard. My hair seems to be growing in well with good natural curls, despite the ongoing ‘London Hair’ problem of breakage and dullness caused by very hard (overly mineralized) water.

The improvement with my nails is remarkable. I have tried nail products to externally harden them, but they ended up growing only to break off easily. Currently my nails are hard but healthy with a kind of internal moisture or pliability. I believe the last time my nails were this good was in high school.

4. ‘Aran Oil of Morocco’ penetrating hair oil: I use this product every second hair wash or so. It seems to penetrate my washed and conditioned damp hair, and provide extra deep conditioning when it seems to need it.

5. ‘Tresemme Extra Firm Unscented’ pump hairspray: I like that this spray really holds the hair naturally yet firmly without creating a helmet look. It doesn’t have the added propellant chemicals found in aerosols, and thereby also travels easily on flights without fear of exploding. It doesn’t compete with your favourite fragrance because it has none.

This is a longwearing spray that lasts for days. I add just a light mist of water to re-set the hair the next day without needing to apply more spray. I have tried many sprays throughout my modelling career and later, but have always found this one to be the best.

4. Make-up ‘Must-haves’

1. ‘RapidLash’ eyelash enhancing serum: A non-invasive liquid to apply with the delicate brush provided to the base of lashes or the eyebrow line. Within several weeks, hairs re-appear that were either over-plucked or just disappeared on their own. This product is completely effective, stimulating the roots and naturally re-growing lashes and brows.

2. ‘Maybelline' Great Lash’ mascara: I have used this mascara since starting to wear makeup in High School. I have tried other brands just for fun, but this one has always been the best. Wherever in the world I have modelled, nine times out of ten this was the mascara of choice by makeup artists. I have continued to use this high-quality mascara because it is so reliable – glides on, doesn’t clump, can be layered for thickness and drama and is washable. I sometimes use the waterproof version on my bottom lashes if I know I will be wearing any kind of greasy cream like sunscreen.

I like the ‘brownish black’ colour especially in the day because it provides more of a natural look while giving an enhancing contrast to blue eyes. I also enjoy the blacker shades just at the sides on my top lashes (the rest brown) for more of a cat-eye look. Sometimes at night, I use black top and bottom for more overall drama, and layer the side lashes to make them even thicker looking.
There is also a wonderful clear Maybelline mascara that can be used to shape and set eyebrows. I would use this as a waterproof option for swimming if my lashes were only darker, but since they are not, I either swim carefully (no direct rubbing) with the regular mascara, or opt for the waterproof formula. The waterproof does not come in brown so I use it lightly. It stays on strongly, so it’s best to have a makeup remover to saturate the lashes and gently wipe off, then shower with a gentle body cleanser to remove all traces and avoid pulling out lashes by rubbing too hard.

3. ‘Lancome' Teint Mircacle Bare Skin Foundation’ Natural Light Creator: The natural colour (02) I found with this oil-free non-comedogenic SPF 15 foundation made in France, is perfect as a light concealer. I tend to use this beautiful product at home only, as it comes in a glass bottle and needs to be shaken before use. It gives a light, hydrated dewey look that lasts all day. It’s a wonderful foundation that never cakes, changes colour nor looks pasty.

4. ‘Shiseido Urban Environment Tinted UV Protector’ oil free foundation: This oil-free water-resistant broad-spectrum (SPF 43) tinted sunscreen cream made in the U.S.A., is also a great daily foundation. Although I usually use foundation only on specific areas (under eye or sides of nose) as a concealer, it is a wonderfullylight, natural looking foundation for the entire face. The colour I found (1 Glo) is perfect for my skin tone, the cover durable and the finish is fresh and light without forming lines - even after a full day. The convenient tube is light and ideal for travel.

5. ‘MAC’ Studio F/X Powder Plus Foundation Compact:This is the loveliest powder I have ever tried (NW 20 for my skin tone). It provides a delicate long-lasting powder that is natural for my skin tone and somehow simultaneously offers coverage like a foundation. I don’t use foundation except to spot touch-up, so this powder offers the look of fresh foundation coverage without the weight or any unnatural result. This U.S. made product creates a kind of porcelain-like perfection in its coverage. I replace the spongy applicator pad provided in the compact beneath the actual powder, with a small but wide brush for even more natural looking and delicate coverage.

6. ‘MAC’ Mineralize SkinFinish Powder: I use a light sweep of this wonderful almost luminescent Italian-made finishing powder (Soft and Gentle A36) on my cheekbones for a hint of glow and light reflection. I like the ‘Soft & Gentle’ colour which suits almost any skin tone, but there are numerous other natural shades to choose from.

7. ‘OLAY Regenerist’ Wrinkle and Pore Vanisher cream: I use this light cream after moisturizing and putting concealer on. It acts as a kind of ‘blur tool’ that seems to fill in lines and create a ‘no-shine’ zone that de-emphasizes areas of concern. I gently massage into any area that is not smooth and let set. After applying any other makeup, I finish with powder for the best overall look.

8. ‘Lise Watier Waterproof Lip Crayon’: This long-lasting German-made pencil is perfect to outline my freshly tinted lips for even longer lasting lipstick wear and lip contour maintenance. It really does stay on in water, and I found a natural colour (Ginger 449) perfect for my lip tone. There are many shades to try, although I found that if I outline my natural lip shape with a colour that is also natural, then any lip colour goes on beautifully and I don’t need to buy numerous liner shades to keep up!

9. ‘Kinetics Solar Gel Top Coat’ nail polish: By far the best top coat I have ever used, this polish truly lasts for 10 days (with care, gloves for dishwashing!), and is exceptionally shiny and noticeably durable. It dries quickly and creates a beautiful finish. I found this product in the ‘Douglas’ chain of beauty/drug stores in Europe, but it is available on Amazon and through other distributors. It is a regular polish that requires only one coat over any type or colour of regular nail polish.

5. Body Care

1. ‘Crystal Body Deodorant’ mineral salt roll-on: This natural mineral salt suspension creates a barrier to the growth of odour-causing bacteria. Unlike other deodorants, it doesn’t clog pores, mask orders nor prevent perspiration. It is odourless, colourless and highly effective. As an unscented product it doesn’t compete with my perfume.

2. ‘Australian Tea Tree Oil’: This is my go-to anti-septic anti-fungal anti-inflammatory pure essential oil. In addition to the many health benefits already described in the ‘Health and Wellness’ page, several drops can be added to a bath or air vaporizer for aromatherapy, to warm water for a disinfecting gargle, or to speed the disappearance of face spots or insect bites. I always have a bottle at home and when I travel.

2.’ Imedeen Derma One’ skin supplement: I believe this product has improved the condition of my skin by noticeably improving the moisture level. I started seeing a difference probably four weeks after taking them. It takes about three months to fully notice results, but suddenly my skin started looking dewy and fine lines had almost disappeared.