Party season glamour and skincare
Words by Armand 29/12/2006
December is the party month of the year, and it can play havoc with our skin, so let me suggest a few products which will help to rejuvenate and protect our skin from over indulgences. Lancôme’s Absolue range has undergone a slight transformation with the addition of a powerful new molecule called pro-xylane™. Thus, Lancôme have created the Absolue Premium BX range comprising cleanser, toner, day cream and night cream specifically aimed at the over-50s. Active ingredients include barley and soya to firm; brown algae for hydration; and wild yam for nutrition. If you have mature skin then this could just be what you’re looking for.Late nights and early starts are notoriously bad for your complexion so it’s worthwhile investing in a good night cream. At night your skin naturally charges itself but sometimes, due to lifestyles, we can wake up looking pasty, tired and with puffy-looking skin. This is why Guerlain have launched Midnight Secrets. This product is such a popular one with celebrities as it’s great for giving skin a rested appearance. Estée Lauder’s best-selling product Advanced Night Repair helps skin to repair the visible effects of daily exposure to sun, pollution and other irritants. But if all those Christmas festivities and coastal party life have really taken a toll on your skin, then you may need the new Recovery Boosting Treatment™ in the Advanced Night Repair range. This intensive quarterly 21 night treatment calms and sooths redness, and relieves tight, dry and flaky skin while improving the skin’s ability to repair. One of the most exciting launches of 2006 was the eye mask by Transformulas (
www.transformulas.com). This innovative product is great for reducing puffiness, soothes sunburn, and gives relief to sinus sufferers while being effective in preparing skin for make-up application. The active ingredients include menthol, aloe vera and vitamin C, which work together to give a rested appearance to the skin that will last up to six to eight hours. I would also recommend this product to improve peeling on post-operative facial tissue.Once you have this rested appearance to the skin, then you can have fun with make-up. Bobbi Brown have launched some very handy travel-friendly products like the limited edition Shimmer Brick and Lip Kit. This two-tiered kit is filled with two new and exclusive lip shades on top and a small bronze shimmer on the bottom. Rich brown, auburn and gold are key colours for this party season but be warned as brown eye-shadows can make you look tired. The best thing to do is try using a coloured eyeliner (green is a great shade to bring out blue eyes; purple liner is excellent for green eyes; while navy brings out brown). Givenchy, Bobbi Brown and Estée Lauder are just three of the big cosmetic hoses to adopt the chocolate brown fetish. But, as I predicted a couple of months ago, gothic glamour is big too. MAC have turned to the dark side with Nocturn’ Elle – a dramatic visual with MAC muse Dita Von Teese. In the visual she looks stunning in black, plum and navy shadows finished off with red lipstick and a touch of pink blusher. Fragrance companies always launch limited edition box sets which make great ideas for Christmas presents. Winter time is a good time to re-acquaint yourself with Oriental-style fragrances like Christian Dior Poison which, this season, has a new twist in the form of Pure Poison (the top notes are more muted to give a deeper, more sensual scent). Yves Saint Laurent Opium has been a firm favourite for many years, with intoxicating notes of jasmine, vanilla and patchouli, and now they have launched a limited edition eye and cheek duo which includes purple white, jade green and golden beige pressed into a stunning Oriental-style floral motif. Finally, for the man in your life, my top three fragrances would be Sean John’s Unforgivable (yes, that is Puff Daddy); John Varvatos’ signature fragrance (difficult to get hold of but a truly unique scent); and my personal favourite, Kiton.
