Totally Radical!

by Margo

This product is best for: sun damaged skin, prematurely aged skin.

Price: Treat yourself

If you have reached a certain age like myself, selecting and discovering the most effective anti-ageing products becomes a bit of a hobby. With so many products to choose from, miracle claims and enticing advertising I get completely overwhelmed with the whole process. Because I am often disappointed with my purchases I end up throwing the majority of them away. Usually they are either too strongly scented, irritate my skin, or are way overpriced and not all that anyway. The search continues….

My latest find is SKIN.NY™ (NY stands for Nurture Yourself) Radical Restructure Complex. What impressed me most about this brand is that it is the first cosmetic skincare brand to have its trial results published in the British Journal of Dermatology and the American Journal of Dermatology has also recognised the study and the formulation’s efficacy in reducing the signs of UV damage, ageing and acne scarring.

The ingredient that makes SKIN.NY™ Radical Restructure Complex and products in the range so effective is QAL-100™. QAL-100™ & Vitamin A (Retinol) are the only substances clinically proven to noticeably treat aged & sun damaged skin. SKIN.NY was developed by Prof. H Beitner, Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the Karolinska Hospital in Sweden. Dr. Beitner, an expert in UV damaged skin has dedicated his career to finding the solution to prematurely aged skin. He clinically trialled Skin.NY for 3 months and found it dramatically improved skin condition after four weeks.

SKIN.NY™ Radical Restructure Complex is an intensive anti-ageing treatment, which absorbs quickly into the deepest layers of the dermis where its active ingredients support, restructure and renew the skin, actually reversing sun and life-damage! RRP £55

Celebrity fans include Yasmin Le Bon, Jodie Kidd, June Sarpong and Helena Christensen! If it's good enough for them...

Thanks to Latest in Beauty trial samples of SKIN.NY™ Radical Restructure Complex and complimenting product Radical Eye Contour are available from May 2010. Definitely worth a try!

For more info visit skinnycosmetics.co.uk

The beauty of charity

by Sarah-Jane

This product is best for: Charity, highstreet shopping, sensitive skin

Price: Bargain! (proceeds raising vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support)

I heard today that Simple have teamed up with Macmillan Cancer Support to help raise £50,000 to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. Macmillan are a charity close to my heart. I have been witness to the difference their work makes and so am delighted to show my support and take part in The Simple Challenge.

The Simple Challenge is designed to encourage people to simplify their beauty regime by making it quick and easy to wipe, wash and moisturise,with beauty packs filled with three products from the fantastic Simple skincare range. There are a choice of packs avaliable each suited to your particular skin type. With no perfume and no colour, the most common causes of skin irritation, Simple products are suitable for all skin types, even the most sensitive.

Join in The Simple Challenge now by purchasing your pack exclusively from simple.co.uk/macmillan. Each Simple beauty pack costs £10 with a donation of £2 from each pack going directly to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Small, sleek and straight!

by Sarah-Jane

This product is best for: Wavy hair, straight hair, thick hair, department store shopping

Price: Treat yourself

My hair seems to have a mind of its own. Sometimes I wake and it is wild and out of control - I spend hours in front of the mirror trying to tame it. Other days it’s lifeless with no shape at all! I have used every hair product on the market in the hope that my locks will miraculously look like I have ‘just stepped out of a salon’. Sadly, I am still looking!

The one item that I could now no longer live without is my ghd hair straightners. A pea sized drop of the ghd serum and the frizz-free obedience cream on wet hair and then finished with ghd polishing cream leaves me giving Cheryl Cole a run for her money.

However what do you do when you are going out straight from the office and don’t fancy lugging your irons in your fancy handbag? Step forward the ghd IV Mini Styler.

Handbag sized and perfect for creating waves and curls. Whoever said good things come in small packages were absolutely right!

Treat yourself now at ghdhair.com. The ghd mini styler costs £109 and comes with its own carry case and roll mat.

Fragrance of the Month

by Sarah-Jane


A Scent by Issey Miyake Eau de Parfum Florale

This product is best for: floral scents, designer products, department store shopping

Price: Treat yourself

Hot on the success of ‘a scent by issey miyake’, the designer has presented its beautiful new summer fragrance, A Scent by Issey Miyake Eau de Parfum Florale.

This beautiful fragrance has been wafting around the office at LiB and made me feel that I am basking up the sun in a field of wildflowers rather than holed up in my four brick walls! The bottle is the same shape as its predecessor but contains pretty in pink liquid - a real feminine treat of a perfume with notes of jasmine, rose, peony, hyacinth, ylang ylang and galbanum.

A Scent by Issey Miyake Eau de Parfum Florale has only just hit the shelves... but you lucky LiB members will be able to get ahead of the pack and try it before you buy with your next beauty box!

Log in now and let us know if you agree and think this is summer scentsational!

You can also buy this product now at cheapsmells.com for only £26.40 for a 30ml spray.

Get down and groovy with Barielle’s new nail polish collection

by Sarah-Jane


This product is best for: fun party girls, online shopping

Price: Bargain

Shades by Barielle are throwing a fabulous summer party with their new disco-inspired nail polishes in the High Steppin’ collection.

You will be spoilt with choice as the collection is made up of six metallic hues, from Electric Boogie; an inky metallic blue with teal glitter to Night Moves which is a sparkling metallic silver that sparkles all night long! However, here at LiB we won’t be hitting the dance floor without our favorite talon party outfit, the cool metallic mint of Freestyle!

Brighten up your summer with these high-voltage colour injections. Each polish retails at £8.00 and can be bought at barielle.co.uk.

Beauty Product of the Week:

by Sarah-Jane

Pinup perfection with Miss Wax

This product is best for: normal skin, skin never irritable, high street shopping

Price: bargain

I remember the day when hair removal products would lay hidden at the back of my cupboard, clinical names, boring packaging - not something i wanted to show off - and then Miss Wax introduced her new collection! Each product has its own fifties pin-up model design which bring a cheeky style to your boudouir. Finally waxing has become fun!

This new range has a range of hair removal products which cater for your every need; legs, bikini, underarms, face eyebrows....and any other little areas you want to defuzz. I tried the leg wax, and being a home waxing virgin, was pleasantly surprised with the results. The sparking wax was enough to take my mind off the pain – us girls are easily pleased – plus the formula is contains organic blackberry blossom and is enriched with Vitamin E to soothe.

At-home pin-up perfection!

Miss Wax by Elegant Touch Hair Removal Wax Strips (£4.99) can be purchased directly from Miss Wax or is avaliable in Superdrug and all good chemists

TLC for dry & damaged hair

This product is best for: dry hair, thick hair, online shopping

Price: Treat yourself

I love sexy tousled hair styles. It’s perfect for the summer for that unstyled, carefree look (even though we all spend hours in front of the mirror to achieve it!).

But, sadly, my hair doesn’t love me anymore! This over styling has left it dry, damaged and unmanageable. So when the Lavender & Anthyllis 24 Hour Intensive Moisture Leave-In Conditioner from A’kin landed on my desk I rushed home to try it out!

This product helps replace hair moisture, strengthens hair and has colour protective. It contains Anthyllis flower extract which is a great hair protector, coconut glucoside to gently cleanse the deep pores, GMO free rapeseed oil to fight those tangles and Certified Organic Lavender essential oil – to soothe the skin & mind.

My hair definitely feels softer and stronger...ready for the next round of tonging!

The Lavender & Anthyllis Intensive Moisture Leave-In Conditioner from A’Kin retails at £7.47 for 150ml and stocked at looksfantastic.com

Step out of the shade with Xen-Tan Deep Bronze Luxe

by Sarah-Jane

This product is best for: normal skin, quite dry skin, fair skin, olive skin, online shopping

Price: Splash the Cash!

We are trying to get into the summer mood here at LiB, the maxi dress and wedges have been bought, the Pimms is on ice, the BBQ is smoking... but sadly the sun has failed to receive its invite!

If like us, you are in desperate need of some glow to winter skin that has been hiding under several woollen layers; you must try the fabulous Xen-Tan Deep Bronze Luxe.

Deep Bronze Luxe is rich and moisturising, plus the new formula also has high levels of DHA (that’s the stuff that makes you tan!) I have just come back from a very rainy weekend in Spain and one application has got my friends thinking I have been sipping sangrias on the beach rather than snuggled on the sofa with a cup of tea! It was non greasy, easy to apply and the colour is natural. Even better - it lasted for about a week!

PLUS, those clever guys at Xen-Tan have given it a gorgeous vanilla smell so I didn’t need to worry about that tanning odour that comes with many self tanning products. My secret is safe…

Xen-Tan Deep Bronze Luxe costs £25.95 for 236ml. Visit xen-tan.co.uk for stockist information and mail order or treat yourself at feelunique.com who stock the Xen-Tan range.

Topshop make-up has finally arrived

by Sarah-Jane

The moment all us beauty-istas have been waiting for has arrived, Topshop’s make-up range. It is due to go into stores this May and will be divided up into a core range – the lip balm, eye liners, cream blushes and lip gloss pencils are fab – and then a smaller trend range that will change every season. The spring summer range has got lots of glitter and disco colours, perfect for festivals and Ibiza bound holidays. The prices start from £5 and it’s sure to be a sell-out. The make-up collection will be available in select Topshop stores and at www.topshop.com

The new SJP fragrance

by Sarah-Jane

Unless you have been hiding under a rock somewhere for the last few months you can’t have failed to have heard that Sex And The City 2 is coming out at the end of May! And to wet your appetite SJP is launching a new fragrance called New York. It is described as being inspired by SJP’s character, Carrie Bradshaw ‘walking down her favourite New York City streets…’

I’m not sure about that but what I can tell you is the bottle is colourful and cute, it smells very fruity and for £14 for a 15ml bottle it will fly off the shelves. There is also a body lotion in the range.