Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: Beauty, Uncategorized

Keeping Lips Hydrated in Summer

Anyone else suffer with dry lips in Summer?  I knew it!  When the warmer weather rolls around I always get drier and more sensitive lips.  I like to switch from deep, vampy purples to brighter pinks and chalky purple lipsticks in Summer and the condition of my lips always lets me down.  Particularly when I’m on vacation, I don’t know if it’s because I have lip filler but my lips always burn and end up peeling and sore which means when it comes to the evening, wearing lipstick dries them out even more.  Uugghhhhh.

This year, to save me from tears, oh, no wait, that’s a Christmas song…

Ok, this year I’ve done my research and I’m prepared.  I’m armed with a little secret – lip balm makes your lip burn in the sun!  Who Knew?!  So when you’re sunning it up in Ibiza with your lips slathered in Carmex, you’re actually heating them up and burning the surface skin which is what causes flakes, and those tiny but very annoying imperfections in your lipstick.  To combat that, you need a lip product with SPF.  The same way you cover your body in sun protection lotion, we need to protect our delicate lips – particularly if you have filler, and especially if you’ve had it topped up close to the time you’ll be travelling.

I’ve tried a few different products, each claim to do pretty much the same thing which is protect your lips from either “Intense Sun” or “City Sun” for a certain number of hours. They come in different formulations from creams to balms but the best thing I’ve found, it the traditional stick type.  You can sense a top picks can’t you Voyeurs?  Well it’s a very short one because after trying a whopping fourteen lip protection products, there are only two I’d recommend, with a little hack / bonus thrown in as number three…

Top 3 SPF Lip Protection Products

Primark Workout Lip Balm SPF 50+ £1.50

This is a wonder product.  Billed as a workout lip balm it’s become an absolute hero product of mine.  At £1.50 it’s an absolute no-brainer, I have 3 on the go at a time and I keep them everywhere, in my gym bag, in my handbag and in the glovebox.  Try it & you’ll be converted – it’s a traditional stick balm, it’s non-greasy, non-sticky and is strong enough to fight off harmful rays from vacation strength sun.  I use it every day but where it’s really shone is as a true SPF product – I’ve used it on our last few vacations and I top it up regularly throughout the day, it works an absolute treat.  I actually discovered this product by accident after road testing another product and experiencing awful sunburn to my lips – it’s been one of my best ever accidental discoveries and I’ve converted so many people over to using it.  Go buy it, for £1.50 you have no defence argument.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Nourishing Lip Balm SPF 20+ £19

Now this exact product also comes in a stick, which I’ve used and I ended up with burned lips.  it claims to be the same formulation but you can actually feel the stick version heating up if you’re out in the sun and you have it on your lips.  This one worked better for me personally but it’s a way lower SPF to the one above so remember, re-application is king.  Slather your lips in this every hour, if you’ve been in the water, or if you feel them heating up.  This is really the ‘designer’ version for people too proud to use a Primark product.

Burt’s Bees Lipstick £9.99

Ok, now this one is not strictly a lip protection product but it’s way kinder to your lips than regular lipstick so if you’re suffering from dry lips then this is a safe bet.  Think of this one as your lip aftersun product, so if you’ve been caning it at the beach and then have a big night out at Ushuaia, this is going to give you the same hit of colour as your regular lipstick, but with ten times the nourishment.  There are (at the time of writing) 18 shades available and for a vacation I usually pack a nude, a red and a super deep purple.  Not to be confused with the Burt’s Bees Lip Tints which are more sheer, these are a fully fledged lipstick.  They look and feel the same as you regular Chanel lipstick but are 100% natural with no nasties, and give 8 hours of continuous moisture.  Winning.

All of these products are super nourishing and really improve the quality and condition of your lips, they’re not just for vacation or Summer use, I use them all year round and have a bit of a ritual: I use the Primark Lip Balm all day everyday, it travels with me and I top it up throughout the day.  The Elizabeth Arden balm is my intensive night product, I’ve probably used it now for ten years and i swear by it as an overnight lip mask.  The Burt’s Bees lipsticks are relatively new to me and I had my concerns over whether they’d be bright enough but they really are.  They have a satin sheen finish, they don’t slide and they feel like any other lipstick, but with added moisturising benefits.

Try them, let me know what you think, and yes, those are my lips in the lead image.

Pixie xo

 

Categories: Beauty, North East, Uncategorized

Newcastle Skin Clinic: Putting Aesthetics on the Map

When it comes to aesthetics and enhancement we’ve learned from the media that it pays to play it safe and do your research before entering into any non-surgical procedure.   Luckily, here in the North East we’re blessed with some of the best practitioners in the UK.

Newcastle has become something of a hub for boutique aesthetics and is home to some big players making waves on the scene.  One of these is Luisa Scott of Newcastle Skin Clinic, which serves clientele from all over the country and sometimes further afield.

I’ve come to know Luisa pretty well and there’s barely a week goes by that we don’t hang out.  We meet regularly, drink cold brewed coffee, gym and chat; but this time, she’s more excitable than usual….

“I’ve been told I’ve been nominated for an award but I need you to search for it and tell me if it’s for real” she says loudly.  After a bit of searching, a bit of questioning and the obligatory screenshot as evidence, we establish that it is definitely, very real.  Luisa / Newcastle Skin Clinic are nominated in three categories of the prestigious “My Face My Body” Awards (Best Customer Experience, Best Aesthetic Clinic North & Best Non-surgical Makeover), which are decided by a combination of public vote and industry specialist panel.  She’s also been shortlisted for The Institute Hyalual Award for Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner of the Year in the big one, The Aesthetic Awards;  this she tells me, is the Oscars of the aesthetic Industry.  She swiftly follows this up with “I won’t win”, which I answer with an eyeroll.

Let me give you a little background:  Newcastle Skin Clinic is a relatively new player on the aesthetics field and at 35 years old, Luisa is the youngest Chair of the BACN but she’s earned her stripes.  After practicing as Harrod’s Medi-Spa’s Lead Aesthetic Practitioner she returned to her hometown to set up her own clinic offering standard and bespoke treatments based on demand and thus, Newcastle Skin Clinic was born.  She’s become a firm favourite of many of the Geordie Shore cast with Marnie Simpson recently saying that she trusts a select few practitioners with her face, Luisa being one of them.

 

Luisa tells me she chose aesthetics as a career for two reasons: the first is making a difference to people’s lives and the second is freedom.  “So I can still work on my music” I laugh at this, picturing the time she dressed as Kylie Minogue for a costume party.  Seriously though, Luisa is also a pretty awesome DJ and it’s something she doesn’t want to give up. “This way I can do both” she says.

Luisa is happiest when she’s learning; she’s always asking “why not?” and seeks out opportunities to pioneer new treatments to treat causes rather than symptoms.  Take her latest Eyedration treatment for example – it’s a standard Teartrough treatment that’s been tweaked and taken up a notch to amplify results.

Fast forward to 2016 and here we are.  Luisa is literally ecstatic at her nominations and can’t quite believe it; she tells me she’s in amongst some of her idols and that just being nominated is recognition for her.  She shows me pictures of the case study for which she’s been nominated, it’s a before and after picture of a patient who has been receiving a brand new treatment for the undereye area, a patient who had been considering a facelift, and the difference is staggering. “Great isn’t it?” she says smiling.

She’s also the woman behind my awesome (yes, I said it) eyebrows.  About a year ago she said to me “We need to do something about those eyebrows, I’m going to get you something” and long story short, I never actually realised how freaking awful my brows were until now.  See for yourself….

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Luisa offers a full suite of aesthetic treatments including staples such as Botox, Dermal Fillers, Lip Fillers and Eyelash Serum but the clinic is working on introducing a new range of seasonal treatments based on customer demand, the latest being Vitamin B12 shots and bespoke Vitamin Drips based on a cocktail menu.  Anyone familiar with the Clinic will know that Lip Filler is Luisa’s specialty.  Known to her clients as “Luisa Lips” she has an artistic flair recognised and acknowledged by Juvederm, the manufacturer of the filler she uses and her clients come back time and time again for her signature ApocaLips.  I should know, I’m one of them.

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In the aesthetics industry recognition is awesome, winning the award is another thing altogether.  So, if you’re a patient of Newcastle Skin Clinic, an admirer of their work, or you’re impressed by the case study that earned Luisa her nomination then please Voyeurs, go vote in the awards and keep your eyes on social media for the results.

Best Non-surgical Makeover

Best Aesthetic Practice North

Best Customer Experience North

Also, it’s worth noting that Newcastle Skin Clinic often host a late night clinic where they broadcast live treatments using the hashtag #NSCLive so if you’re fascinated by this kind of stuff, be sure to watch.

Pixie xo

 

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