A new regime with Vichy

I do love product launches. I love seeing all the shiny new bottles on display. I love the prospect of trying something new. I love finding out all the science and nature facts that make each cream, gel, lotion or powder the new ‘best thing.’ I especially love it when these products come from a brand I already trust, like Vichy. I’ve been using their products for a while now and honestly, my skin has never looked better.

Last week, at the Rook and Raven gallery in Soho, I attended a showcase of the latest Vichy products. Some bottles were futuristically displayed in tall vases of bubbly water. Some stood proudly atop their pillars and others were surrounded by stunning fresh flowers. The whole effect was quite breathtaking –nicer than some of the art I’ve seen in that gallery before!

Some of the Vichy product ranges have become quite familiar to me now, and I was excited to find out if there was anything new to try from the Dermablend range. I wrote about it back in April last year and have been especially please with the results I’m getting from the concealer and powder. The Dermablend counter was manned by famous make-up artist Claire Ray. With 18 years of experience belying her youthful appearance, Claire has painted the faces of Take That, Westlife and Sienna Miller and she’s Vichy’s brand ambassador for this year and next. Claire was really lovely to talk to and I fully trusted her when she colour-matched me to shade 15 for a Dermablend foundation. I can’t wait to try this, it should be arriving soon. I’ll keep you posted.

Since the event, I’ve been using Skin Sleep from the Idealia range at bedtime and the matching Smoothing and Illuminating cream after my double cleanse and serum in the morning. My skin feels lovely and soft. Twice a week, I smother a bit more on and leave Skin Sleep on as a mask at night.  The ‘double cleanse’ phase of my skincare regime is new – advice I received at the Vichy event. Now, I use a cream cleanser to remove my make-up and city pollution before removing my eye-makeup with my favourite oily Boots Botanics formula. Then, I wash my face again with Vichy Purete Thermale FreshCleansing Gel and pat dry. I just love that fresh face feeling.  

I’m going to put together a product review of my favourite new Vichy products soon, so you can treat yourself to something new and shake up your skincare regime too – I’m a firm believer in mixing things up to get the best results.

Products! Products!

I get colour matched by Claire Ray

Becky gets colour matched

The foundation I'm going to try

The amazing Vichy pharmacy in the Rook and Raven

Amazing products!

Banish breakouts, prevent their return

If your skin is anything like mine, it will be a fairly pleasant dream one day and a veritable nightmare the next. There are many things that can affect how your skin behaves; stress, lack of sleep, pollution and poor diet to name but a few. Fortunately, there is a treatment that can help to keep it on the straight and narrow: Murad Blemish Clearing Solution.

Unlike other topical acne treatments, it isn’t packed full of alcohol, which can make your skin flare up. The gel-like formula actually calms your skin down as it works, reducing redness and relieving sensitivity.  It seems to reduce the oiliness too, which is a blessing. You can use it on your face, neck and chest, which is handy for the monthly breakouts I tend to endure.

Obviously, different things work for different people, but this is something I find really effective. Actually, 96% of users had clearer skin after using it for 72 hours.

Murad is a great skincare brand; definitely worth checking out if you haven’t tried their products yet.

www.murad.co.uk

Keep Kalme and Carry on Partying

With the party season well and truly upon us, chances are you’re either piling on your make-up for a night out or using it to disguise the telltale signs the following day. With all this on/off business, our skin can sometimes flare up, especially if you’d describe yours as ‘sensitive.’ What to do? Fortunately there is a product to help.

Although my skin used to be worse, it still gets very itchy and sensitive sometimes, especially when it’s cold outside (or artificially warm inside). I’ve started using ‘Kalme’ which acts as a neutral, protective barrier base coat, providing a blank canvas for any number of products you choose to apply afterwards. Sort of like a primer. Actually, quite a lot like a primer. You can also use it in place of a moisturiser, but I find I need a bit more hydration in the winter months so I usually apply it after my Ren formula.

Kalme works best if you wait about 15 minutes for it to sink in before applying your make-up. I slap it on and do my hair – the morning routine has to be particularly slick these days; when it’s dark outside, I normally feel like I should be in my bed.

I think Kalme is a great idea because it means that people with sensitive skin can still glam up as much as the next person! A great stocking-stuffer to boot!

Kalme Undercoat is free from, SLS, MI, parabens and perfumes and is suitable for use during pregnancy. It costs £9.95 (75ml) and is available from www.skinshop.co.uk or call 01794 527433

Grease be Gone

You know that feeling when you wake up in the morning? At best, a bit groggy, at worst, zombie-like. Sometimes, your skin feels sticky and you don’t know why. You cleansed, toned and moisturised like a good girl the night before (or at least gave your face a quick swipe with a moisturising wipe when drunk) but after a night of sleep, it still feels a bit icky and greasy. I wasn’t sure why, or how to combat this feeling until I attended the Vichy event at the Ham Yard Hotel last month.

I had been looking forward to visiting the Ham Yard for a while (it came highly recommended by a particularly glamorous friend of mine) and it didn’t disappoint.

The instant I stepped inside, I realised I wanted to live there forever. Everything was pink! There were neon lights from God’s Own Junkyard! The chairs were upholstered with African-style prints in fluro brights! Safe to say I was excited.

Pushing my interior design enthusiasm to one side, I tried to focus on the real reason I was there: the launch of Vichy’s Normaderm Night Detox. Ham Yard has a built-in cinema (nice) and myself and Vichy’s other guests enjoyed a presentation as we sipped our drinks and munched popcorn.

In a nutshell, as you sleep, oily skin works harder than any other skin type. Sebum is overproduced, leaving you with that oil slick feeling in the morning. Your skin tries to renew itself, working twice as fast as it does during the day and already oily skin produces three times more sebum than normal skin types. Normaderm is powered by ‘revolutionary double-edged technology,’ tackling sebum with a potent combination of detoxifying and purifying ingredients. Eperuline, LHA, Salicylic Acid and Hepes mix with mattifying Perlite and absorbing powders to give you a smooth, matte complexion well into the day. The results are proven – 93% of women noticed an improvement in their skin’s quality.

During the day, I’ve been using Vichy’s ‘Global Anti-imperfection Hydrating Care’ moisturiser which is non comedogenic (won’t clog your pores) and paraben-free. I've found that the two products work incredibly well when used in tandem.

I was surprised at how effective Normaderm Night Detox was – I’m always overloading my skin with rich night creams and it has actually been a refreshing change to use a lighter option. Similarly, switching to a lighter day cream has really made a difference to my skin this summer – it has definitely felt less oily and greasy.

Back to the cinema: after we watched the Normaderm presentation, we were treated to a surprise viewing of film classic Grease! It was a fun end to a brilliant, informative evening.

www.vichy.co.uk

Ham Yard

Two of my favourite things: cocktails and skincare

Just in case there was any doubt

Gorge lamps

Note to self: paint zig-zags on walls

Tasty popcorn is a must for any cinematic experience, as Vichy well knows

The new Normaderm range, available at Boots

Skincare steps to success

My friend Olivia gets into the swing of things

Amaze chair

The presentation in the cinema

I went with the 3 in 1 cleanser - it makes a great mask

Grease in the word

Love the opening sequence to Grease with the Bee Gees!