This is our cat, Socky, he is quite a looker I’m sure you will agree… this photo was taken with a wide angle lens and Socky had his nose right in the camera. Rosie, his sister, is on the ground laughing behind her paw.
Here kitty, kitty
Cosy cushions and throws for autumn winter
I love the autumn winter home collection from French Connection. The company hasn’t long been in the home market and these beauties are as you would expect – chic, elegant, simple yet subtle and understated.
The throws look big and soft enough to bury yourself in on a cold night while the cushions echo the colours of autumn grey, blue and berry. Fabrics are wool, linen, cotton and denim (love it), while materials range from wood to stone to recycled hand-blown glass.
I don’t have any prices for these but knowing French Connection’s clothing range, they won’t be cheap, nor however will they be exorbitantly expensive. An affordable treat perhaps. Here are a few of my favourite pieces – what do you think? www.frenchconnection.com
Suncare – keep your cool when it’s hot with these practical tips
The weather has been really weird this past few months and thinking about that has prompted this post. One minute it’s sunny, the next it’s raining, the next it’s windy and overcast, so it’s easy to forget that the sun is at its hottest at this time of year. It always reminds me of what I’ve read about Tenerife – it may not be sunny but the UV rays still get through (though the one time I was in Tenerife it was gorgeous and sunny).
So at the risk of teaching my grandmother how to suck eggs, I thought I’d share five tips for keeping your cool under the rays – or in other words how to practise safe sun.
1) Stay out of the sun when it is at its highest, so from around noon until 3pm, and keep babies and young children out of the sun altogether.
2) Wear loose clothing that’s made of a close weave fabric, wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and wear a hat. Your sunglasses should be 100% UV absorbing, fit well and give good coverage all round, so limiting as much as possible the amount of light reaching your eyes. Ultraviolet rays from the sun can cause irreversible damage, leading to cataracts or macular degeneration. According to David Cartwright, optician expert for Boots: “The majority of UV damage is caused before the age of 18 as more UV rays pass through the lens, so you need to protect against this.”
3) Slap on the sunscreen. It’s not enough to apply it once outside, for best effect you need to apply it 30 minutes before stepping out the door. Then you need to regularly reapply it, especially if you’re in and out of water. Most people don’t apply enough and even the highest SPF factor won’t be able to do its job properly if inadequately applied. “You should worry about wearing enough sunscreen, rather than how high the SPF is,” says Charlotte Vohtz, founder of natural skincare company Green People. “To get the SPF advertised use a full shot glass (30ml) to cover the whole body.”
4) Fake it! False tan has come so far over the past few years that you won’t look orange if you choose a good quality product and apply it correctly, or you could treat yourself to a salon tan for a totally professional finish. As with sunscreens, there’s a good range of tanning products that contain natural ingredients, such as Melvita ProSun Gradual Self-Tanning Gel-Cream, which develops over a couple of days to give a golden glow, Green People Self Tan Lotion, containing organic rosehip, sandalwood and geranium, or Lavera Sun Sensitive Natural and Organic Self Tanning Lotion with jojoba and macadamia nut oils. For immediate satisfaction The Body Shop does a Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil that gives colour immediately (though you wouldn’t want to wear that in the swimming pool).
5) Finally, just to confuse matters, make sure you get outside into the sun every day, sunscreen-free. What? I hear you say. Doesn’t that go against everything you’ve just said? Well… as long as you don’t do it during the hottest part of the day you should be okay, says the National Osteoporosis Society. It’s all about vitamin D you see. We need vitamin D to help keep our bones strong and the best source of the nutrient is sunshine – and according to the National Osteoporosis Society just 10 minutes per day outdoors over the summer should be enough to keep our levels of this sunshine vitamin topped up year round.
And just a few more words on the subject of vitamin D: If your shadow is shorter than you then the sun is at the right angle to product vitamin D and you need to be outside to benefit as your body cannot produce vitamin D through windows. (National Osteoporosis Society Sunlight Campaign).
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Beauty reviews – lips, eyes and nails
The new Liz Earle Signature lip colours are something to write home about. As you know if you read 40s Chic regularly, I love cosmetics containing natural ingredients, especially those that offer some kind of benefit besides looking lovely – anti ageing properties, skin firming ingredients, that sort of thing. These do that.
They’re part of the new colour collection and launch this autumn. I have two of them in my hot little hands – raspberry and sweet pea, both of which are variations on a pink theme, so should suit almost everybody.
For daytime wear I would say they’re spot on – the colours are subtle, nothing outrageous here, and the consistency is light. Importantly for me, they don’t taste of anything; so many lip glosses and lipsticks taste of fruit, mint or even a sweet artificial something that make me go meh to put it mildly.
The consistency is smooth, not sticky, the effect they give is not too sheer but has a slightly wet look, and my lips feel soft, even to the touch, when wearing this. The colour stays put too and passed the highly sophisticated glass test I subjected it to.
There are 19 shades in the range, all contain shea butter, avocado and vitamin E, which could explain why they feel so soft. uk.lizearle.com
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| Raspberry |
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| Sweet Pea |
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| And a swatch from me – the shades are very close to each other and hopefully you can see the slightly wet-look finish |
I don’t know about you but I hate the fact that as I get older the lines under my eyes seem to reproduce, sprouting little lines themselves. And first thing in the morning the bags under my eyes wear luggage labels! (Probably says something about the state of my liver, perhaps I need a good detox).
Anyway, for the last week or so I’ve been trialling the Detox Eye Roller by FAB and I have to say I like it. One of the things I like most about it is the metal ball that feels sooo cold against your skin as you apply the product. Now I know that’s not what the product is all about, but first thing in the morning when your eyes are still tired, or later in the day after a stint at the computer, that metal ball is a godsend; it wakes up your peepers immediately and the effect lasts for several minutes.
The eye roller is a serum that contains bio marine extracts to help tighten and smooth your skin, as well as everyone’s favourite ingredient, hyaluronic acid, which locks in moisture, creating a plumping effect. There’s also glycerin to soften and hydrate, skin firming polymers and peptides to boost collagen production.
According to Fab: “Using the roller ball not only stimulates the skin, it also allows a no touch application to maximise the efficacy of the polymers. Mobilising lymphatic fluid that can pool in the neck and central face is an ideal way to optimise skin turgor and snap, giving skin a younger, more refreshed appearance.”
I certainly find it refreshing and have it at hand on my desk all day so I can reapply whenever I feel like it.
If you’re unfamiliar with the brand FAB stands for First Aid Beauty and was launched in the USA a couple of years ago. You can get it at Boots or from Feel Unique.
I have been wanting to try Bourjois 1 Second Gel nail enamel for a while and eventually tracked it down in Superdrug a couple of weeks ago. I bought two shades (there are 19 of them), one is Taupe Classy (or as Dot calls it, poo colour, though I’m sure that’s not a beauty term), the other is Figue Chic, a mid purple.
The idea is these enamels give a gel finish without all the faff of a gel manicure, and they’re easy to remove with normal nail polish remover, rather than having to book a session with a manicurist or go through the cover-your-fingers-in-acetone-soaked-cotton-wool-then-wrap-them-in-foil- and-sit-for-ages removal ritual. According the the website you also just need one coat and that is dry within a minute (the one second of the name refers to how long it takes to paint each nail).
I have a couple of problems with this: one coat looks great – mostly. With the dark taupe shade coverage is good but you need a second coat otherwise when you hold your fingers up to the light you can see through it on your nail tips. This may not be such a problem with a lighter shade. Also, for me at least, it takes more than a minute for the enamel to dry – perhaps it has something to do with the heat of your skin? I don’t know but what I do know is I managed to smudge it more than 10 minutes after applying it.
On the plus side, I love the extra wide brush, which covers your nails in the shortest time; it makes such a change from those polishes that have mean, skinny little brushes. I also love the finish – it is indeed gel-like, feels so smooth and I can’t stop touching it.
Obviously it doesn’t last as long as a gel manicure, but it’s an easy way to create that gel look at home.
I have tried it without a top coat and achieved a shiny effect, but in this image I have applied a top layer of Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat for ultra shiny. www.bourjois.co.uk
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