20

Beauty products every woman should own, according to Telegraph.co.uk; with LPB’s opinion in italic fond.

Mac Strobe Cream

When this illuminating moisturiser first arrived 5 years ago, it caused a storm. It’s a blend of vitamins and finely milled, light-reflective particles that give a soft, iridescent glow when smoothed over the skin. A dull complexion is instantly illuminated.

This basic moisturiser with illuminator is cheap as chips; does what it claims. However it has been surpassed by lots of products. We now have primers, foundations that serve the same purpose ( Becca Radiance PrimerBy Terry Light Expert, Sisley Phyto-Poudre compacte ). It’s price remains competitive though.

By Terry Eclat de Teint

This is a cross between concealer and highlighter from Terry de Gunzburg, the make-up guru who created Touche Eclat for Yves Saint Laurent. Use it under your eyes to brighten any darkness. In fact, you can use it anywhere on your face to make skin look fresher and more youthful. It’s a beauty editor’s classic and one well worth shouting about.

This is simply the best hybrid product on the market.

Givenchy le Prisme Visage Mat

In 1989 Givenchy launched its first Le Prisme, a pressed face powder with four slightly different hues, divided into prism-like squares. One of the most luxurious, covetable face powders on the market.

A pioneering,genius product yet to be challenged by its competitors. Shades selection could be better though.

Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick

At some point in her life every woman should experiment with red lipstick – and own one by Chanel. The modern way to wear red lips is to pat the colour on with your finger to create a stain.

Everyone should own at least 1 Rouge Coco lipstick; Fabulous shades, soft finish, ultimate texture with decent scent. For more opaque finish, try Rouge Allure.

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

When interviewing models, make-up artists and celebrities about their beauty regimes, this often crops up as a favourite. Most recently, the model Liberty Ross was singing its praises. It has a sheer texture and a little shimmer in it, which makes skin look radiant.

I call this the lingerie for the complexion, simply amazing! Effortless application with incredibly perfect yet natural finish. Like cashmere underwear, you could only justify it if you’re wearing it; Once tried, forever hooked.

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner

This waxy, solid eyeliner is the new take on liquid liner or kohl. Pressed along the eye line with a small, flat, slanted brush, it is a woman’s best ally for creating a defined eyeliner flick.

Superb texture & long lasting wear, almost impossible to smudge once dried.

Benefit Hoola

Make-up artists and Benefit fans alike love this bronzing powder because it looks so natural. There isn’t a hint of orange, and shimmer is kept to an absolute minimum.

Classic, but I prefer Soleil Tan de Chanel or Rouge Bunny Rouge Bronzing Glow Powder.

Lancome Hypnose Mascara

Lancôme has always been synonymous with good mascara. Two tubes are sold every second – 25,000 of which, per day, are Hypnôse. Now six years old, Hypnôse broke new ground with a polymer formula, adapted from the world of hair products. It meant women could do naturally defined lashes with a single coat for day, and add more layers on top for extra volume at night without it caking or clumping. Make-up artists like it and it’s a hottie on the red carpet.

This must be the most famous mascara in the world; I prefer Definicils precious cells though, less dramatic but more defined.

Nars Blush in ‘Orgasm’

When it first appeared in America in 1998 women jumped at the chance to try this soft, gold-flecked peachy-pink blush. Applied to the cheek’s apple (the fleshy bit when you smile), it imparts a warm glow and seems to be universally flattering. It’s now also available in a cream blush stick, The Multiple – another modern classic.

The blush that launched millions of other peachy glow enhancing blusher. I think the shade is great but it’s just too shimmery for my liking. Orgasm is undeniably sexy, as long as you don’t mind the glittery finish.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream

This light, gel-like cream is packed with soothing, strengthening marine extracts. Brown algae helps skin buffer itself against pollution and general wear and tear, while other seaweed extracts rich in essential fatty acids, including chlorella, provide skin with healing, moisturising oil. There are also antioxidant vitamins and other helpful vegetal extracts. It is a terrific anti-ageing moisturiser, which has already gathered a loyal following and often comes up as a favourite.

I don’t get this, it’s just a slightly above average moisturiser, neither the price tag nor the cult status is justifiable. La Mer is my choice.

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

This night-time skin repair serum has won a host of awards and is a staple for beauty editors. It is favoured for its brightening, line-smoothing, skin-plumping effect as well as its role in helping the skin repair itself from the daily onslaught of UV and pollution. Ingredients include antioxidants, to neutralise free-radical damage, and peptides, which help in the anti-ageing quest.

An outstanding, distinctive product that deserves its share in the market.

Sisley Express Flower Gel Mask

One of the original, super-luxe skincare houses, still privately owned by the d’Ornano family; Sisley is the preserve of the St-Tropez set. Make-up artists like to use this mask to perk up exhausted models’ skin before shows and shoots. If you can splash out on some even once in your lifetime, your skin is unlikely to regret it.

Splurge on this if you could afford it; Long haul flight life saver.

Guerlain L’or

24-carat-gold particles suspended in a highly moisturising gel that smells of roses. It plumps up dry, tired skin and creates a slight tightening effect, meaning foundation goes on more evenly.

Nice to have, but not essential; Great moisturiser but Sjal has far superior moisturisers that smell as good as if not better, enriched with more prestigious trace elements.

Creme de la Mer Moisturising Cream

It’s thick and creamy and melts into your skin – especially nourishing in winter. This is the cream to treat yourself to from your late thirties onwards.

I couldn’t agree more on this. Heavyweight balm that redefines miracle cream.

Dr Hauschka Rose Day Cream

This cream has an A-list following including Jade Jagger, Cate Blanchett, Kate Moss and Georgia Jagger. Each tube contains the extract of more than 1,000 organic rose petals, as well as rose-oil and rosehip extracts, which soothe sensitive or dry skin. It is all natural and ‘biodynamic’, which, to the purist, is superior to organic. There is now also a light version.

Overhyped but still a delicious moisturiser. Best for parched, sensitive skin. Not an anti-ageing product though.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

Massage the cream on to skin (it also removes eye make-up) and remove with a warm, damp muslin cloth. Soothing, gently astringent, purifying essential oils of rosemary, camomile and eucalyptus give a clean, refreshing scent. Glycerine and beeswax mean that skin feels soft rather than taut afterwards.

???, There are truck loads of similar yet better products. Not my favourite.

Shu Uemura Brightening Cleansing Oil

Not long ago few of us would have dreamt of cleansing with oil, but it is incredibly effective at dislodging grime. It is also gentle, because it doesn’t strip the skin of its natural oils. When Shu Uemura’s cleansing oils arrived in Britain from Japan they picked up a small cult following, but soon more and more women tried them.

Effective yet gentle, but more or less a glorified mineral oil.

Decleor Aromessence Neroli

Facial oils are now de rigueur. The top make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury says this facial oil is her favourite. If you use it under your moisturiser, especially in winter, your skin is less likely to dry out and will feel more supple.

Divine! However, Darphin has a better selection of oils.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serum

Nothing like this had been on the market before Frizz-Ease arrived in the early 1990s – it started a hair-styling revolution. For those in need of some curl control, it is a must-have. There are now different concentrations to suit varying hair thicknesses, so all forms of wave and curl are covered.

Still one of the best & extremely affordable, after almost 20 years.

This Works Skin Deep Dry Leg Oil

From the skincare range developed by the ex-Vogue beauty director Kathy Phillips, this oil is the answer to really dry arms and legs. The blend of rose and macadamia oils feels luxurious and it absorbs well into the skin.

An amazing blend of skin nourishing elixirs.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

For lacklustre hair that is feeling the effects of one too many half-heads of highlights, this award-winning mask is the answer.

Above average but I prefer Keratase or Phytospecific.

Skin Essentials & Make Up Tricks for 40+

While you wouldn’t expect to have the peachiness of youth at 40-something, you can still have lovely skin.

The big change is likely to be the breakdown of collagen, with a loss of elasticity. Sun damage in the form of brown spots and patches may appear, though less so if you’ve been vigilant with your suncare.

Skin Care

The key products are a creamy cleanser, gentle facial scrub, non-drying skin toner, day moisturiser, night cream and oil or serum, face mask, plus a multipurpose balm for lips, cuticles and the rest!

Moisturise as much as you can. Face, neck and cleavage in the morning and top to toe at night or after bathing.  A serum is a must to supplement & augment your moisturiser. LPB would recommend products that loaded with antioxidants, retinol, fruit acids & essential fatty acids. You will be spoilt with choices, from Neutrogena to N.V Perricones. My favourites are Dr Sebagh’s High Maintenance, Trilogy’s Age Proof & Elemis’s Pro-collagen range

I also like to use Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist as a serum / primer.

I love rosehip seed, borage seed, passionflower seed, camellia oils, with argan oil being my favourite. There is evidence that botanicals can be as effective as high-tech ‘anti-ageing’ synthetic compounds, sometimes more so.

Gently exfoliate at least once a day with a soft face cloth. Use a more intensive exfoliating treatment once a week. Choose a type with smooth, spherical beads that buff wouldn’t scratch. Manual scrubbing will enhances the sluggish circulation.

Never under estimate the power of massage, this can helps to tone & perk up your facial musculature. I would recommend using essential oils from reputable manufacturers such as Aromatherapy Associates,  Amanda Lacey, Caudalie & Darphin.

If thread veins and broken capillaries are a problem, go to a dermatologist or specialist vein clinic. The only effective method of removal I have found is laser therapy.

Stress can affects collagen production, as does lack of sleep, so find ways to relax, such as yoga and meditation, and balance these with exercise you enjoy, which can be as simple as a walking.

Make-up

I would recommend foundations that are sheer and moisturising; Forget about matte finish foundations that tend to accentuate flakiness or fine lines; Also beware of opaque, full coverage bases as these will age you more. Estée Lauder’s Futurist Age-Resisting or Re-Nutrix range is a good choice, so as NARS’s Sheer Glow, Lancome’s Photogenic range. Dewy finish is the key word here.

Make-up artist Bobbi Brown has a silky shimmer blush that looks fresh and natural; At 40s, you need some radiance to give your complexion a lift but beware of glitters that might lodge into your dilated pores. I like NARS Multiples for cheeks and eyes; the naughtily named Orgasm shade gives skin a fabulous glow.

For eyelids, I like beige and earthy tones ( Bobbi Brown or Laura Mercier has a great palette ), plus a thin trace of gel eyeliner ( M.A.C. or Bobbi Brown ) over the upper lid line only. Apply the thin line close to your lashes with a thin, stiff brush. I find that rimming your eyes completely ( full lower lash lining ) at 40s seems to accentuate the lost of tone around your eyes.

To help define your complexion, contour / sculpt the cheekbones after ” popping ” the apples of your cheek with a rosier /pinkier  blush ( cream blusher preferred ). I would recommend a cream bronzer such as NARS’s Multiples ( Malibu, Malaysia ) or By Terry’s liquid bronzer.

Barbara Daly advises using a lipliner pencil to create a crisp outline which looks youthful, but it must be in a natural colour – a dark line round paler lips is very ageing. I personally think a nude / pale/ beige lip colour is extremely ageing in your 40s. Perhaps you should be more adventurous as you are wittier, more resourceful, confident & charismatic by now, after what you have been through in life.

Artwork by Matt Armstrong.

Elemis Pro-collagen Oxygenating Night cream

The peak detoxifying times for the body are between 10 pm to 2 am, that’s why skin’s regeneration process is at its optimum during the hours of sleep.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream is designed to replenish oxygen lost during the day as a direct result of damaging environmental aggressors. Formulated with a powerful combination of concentrated actives including Padina Pavonica and Anti-Ageing Hexapeptide, this moisture-rich cream gel claims to stimulate collagen synthesis, increase oxygen levels by up to 41%* and yet provides anti-oxidant protection.

This lovely textured night cream focuses on boosting oxygen in the skin, which then triggers the cells to detoxify and regenerate. Oxygen is essential to keep the cellular activity functioning well. This ensures healthy, younger looking skin and minimises free radical damage. An oxygenating product should not just providing oxygen molecules to the skin as this can actually promote free radical development. It ought to be able to improve skin respiration.

Elemis has created a combination of extracts from marine algae, which not only promotes the utilization of oxygen, but brings benefits of various minerals and vitamins needed for healthy functioning skin. These algae also ensure hydration to the tissues and provide calcium for collagen regeneration and cellular communication.

The jojoba, shea butter, sesame, avocado and wheat germ extracts offer the EFA (essential fatty acid) benefits to ensure cell membrane integrity and free radical defense, as well as incredible emolliency.

This cream also contains some of those incredible peptides that facilitate collagen and elastin regeneration. Give your skin a month (time for cellular turnover), and it will show you a revitalized, healthier, younger looking skin.

Ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Isononyl Isononanoate, Lauryl Laurate, Ethyl Macadamiate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba), Oryza Sativa Hull Powder (Rice), Laminaria Digitata Extract, Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado), Sesamum Indicum Oil Unsaponifiables (Sesame), Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil Unsaponifiables (Wheat), Persea Gratissima Oil Unsaponifiables (Avocado), Padina Pavonica Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Acacia Decurrens Absolute, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Hexapeptide 9, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Butylene Glycol, Fragrance (Parfum), Methylparaben, O Cymen 5 OL, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Ethylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Linoleate, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Polyparaben, Hydroxyisohexyl 3 Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Butylphenol Methylpropional, Linalool, Tocopherol, Citronellol, Malic Acid

This night cream has a buttery texture and offers exceptional cushioning to the skin. Despite the creamier formulation, it’s rather well absorbed and non occlusive.

I didn’t have any breakout while i was using it nightly for 2 weeks ( I was basically slapping on this cream rather heavily, as I have few of this thanks to the festival gift set ).

My skin feels firmer & smoother with this cream. I find this more subtly scented than Pro-collagen marine cream.

Elemis skincare

I am busy bargain hunting during this sales season, and would love to try some products from this British beauty house / spa.

Absolute Eye Serum – dynamic, concentrated treatment that helps minimise the ravages of time and dark circles around the eye area. Herbal actives of Rosewood, Osmanthus, soothing Comfrey, Lavender and Chamomile gently preserve and refine eye contours. GBP 26

Bright Eyes Recovery Gel – instant relief from eye strain! Aromatic water of Blue Cornflower is blended with cooling extract of German Chamomile and Mallow, to help revive tired eyes. Horsetail gently tones and supports the puffy, delicate skin around the eye contour. GBP36

Pro-collagen Eye Renewal –  In just 28 days the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the delicate eye area is visibly smoothed by up to 60%,* with 67% of volunteers experiencing a significant restructuring effect. GBP 57

Visible Brilliance - new double-action serum that actively brightens & re-energises dull, fatigued and stressed skin.  Multi-minerals Copper, Zinc and Magnesium, combined with Red Seaweed, Swiss Garden Cress, Blonde Pea Protein, Dew Bean and a complex of Vitamins, offer instant luminosity and exceptional brightening. GBP 40

Herbal Lavender Repair Mask – powerful regenerating mask contains antiseptic Rosemary, Thyme and Lavender Essential Oils, which synergistically rebalance and purify the skin. GBP 26

Fruit Active Rejuvenating Mask – packed with active extracts of mouth-watering Strawberry and Kiwi fruit,  restores the glow to dulled complexions. GBP 26

About Elemis:

Elemis is available in over 1200 luxurious spas and salons, 130 lavish cruise ship spas, British Airways Elemis travel spas and over 100 retail stores around the globe.

The successful combination of natural active ingredients with cutting-edge technology has enabled Elemis to bring to market some of the most influential anti-ageing products and professional spa-therapies the beauty industry has ever seen.

Elemis Pro-collagen Marine cream

Margo Stilley loves this cream !

This revolutionary Anti-Ageing cream uses the Marine extract Padina Pavonica to transform the complexion in just over 2 weeks*. Trials proved that the appearance in wrinkle depth was reduced by up to 78% and that hydration was increased by up to 45%.

Skin firmness and elasticity are dramatically increased, whilst providing superior free radical protection.

This cream is formulated to make skin smoother, plumper and more youthful after just 15 days use, giving “an increased lifting effect through increased collagen support”.

This light cream also contains marine extracts, such as algae padina pavonica which prompts skin cell renewal; porphyridum seaweed, which helps to eliminate cell degeneration and chlorella seaweed to fight wrinkles. Gingko biloba liposomes, a vegetable-based molecule enables deep penetration of moisture into the skin.

Ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glycerin, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Isononyl Isononanoate, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil (Wheat), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba), Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Padina Pavonica Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Extract (Carrot), Porphyridium Cruentum Extract, Acacia Decurrens Absolute, Rosa Damascena Flower Absolute, Lecithin, Ginkgo Biloba Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Polyacrylamide, Xanthan Gum, Chlorphenesin, Methylparaben, Laureth 7, Disodium EDTA, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Hydroxyisohexyl 3 Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Citronellol

Elemis Pro-collagen Marine cream is a superb moisturiser that leaves my skin feeling nourished and pampered.

Its gel cream texture is very refreshing & hydrating upon application. The finish is rather non greasy despite its richness. In my opinion, Pro-collagen marine cream is the lightest cream in Elemis’s anti-ageing range.

It also serves as an excellent make up base.

My skin does appear smoother & firmer after 2 weeks of daily use. Fine lines are less noticeable and my neck appears less creepy & saggy.

The only thing I am not impressed about is the fact that this cream is rather heavily scented.