Bleached Hair, Fringes and Middle Age

Had my hair trimmed and highlighted yesterday, after a week in the sun, it was looking tired and in desperate need of a cut. I'm very lucky that my son-in-law (James) is a fabulous hairdresser and always makes me feel as though my face has had an instant pick me up after he's finished.

He's also very blunt about what I should and shouldn't do with my hair as a 50 year old. A few years ago my hair was bleached blond, short and (I thought) quite funky. After my mother nagged me incessantly to grow it longer (she said I'd never get a man if I kept it short!) I decided to give in and over the next year allowed my hair to grow down to my shoulders. It was still bleached and James told me in no uncertain terms that I was beginning to look just like my mother (who's now approaching 80!)

The problem with bleached blond hair is that it looks great if you're young or you have an ultra short spiky crop and again if you're elderly and don't want to look like a little old lady with gray hair, but when you're middle aged (who me?) it just puts years on you.

I wisely followed his advice and toned my hair down to caramel highlights which everyone said make me look 10 years younger (well ok, maybe 5 or 6!)

I followed his advice again yesterday and had a fringe cut into my hair. He said this would help to hide frown lines on my forehead (what frown lines, I never frown!) and help me to look more youthful.

Once again he was right

Sun, Sea and...Haemorrhoid Cream!

Well here I am back in front of my computer listening to the pouring rain in good old England after a scorching week in Tenerife doing nothing but relaxing in the sun.

Of course during my holiday I was eating too much rich food (and drinking too much wine!) which in turn lead to a flare up of the dreaded haemorrhoid (had since I gave birth to a 9 pound baby 25 years ago I'm afraid-I'm sure many of you can relate!) I immediately headed to a local pharmacy and bought some very effective cream.

Lying by the pool some time later I was told by my sister that she'd recently heard that haemorrhoid cream can be very effective in treating under eye bags and wrinkles!

I don't know about you but the thought of putting something under my eyes that actually should be used at the other end of my anatomy does not appeal at all..! Does anybody actually do this?

Think I'll stick with my Naturally Skinsational ebook skincare recipes. Now going off to try the firming facial mask which involves egg whites, gelatin, mint leaves and grapefruit - much more healthy I think!

Will let you know how it goes.

Commerical V Natural Skin Care Products: Which Should You Use?

Since turning 50 my thoughts have inevitably turned to towards finding effective skin care products that won't necessitate eating nothing but beans on toast for the foreseeable future (although I suppose I might lose weight!) We are constantly bombarded with adverts telling us about the latest 'must have' miracle cream with a list of ingredients as long as your arm (which I can't read unless I've got my glasses on, but it all sounds very scientific so it must work - mustn't it?!)

Seriously though, if you really do read the small print, you begin to realize that most anti aging skin care products out there are based on some form of natural ingredient containing anti aging properties together with a lot of chemical additives and stabilizers which are actually included to prolong the shelf life of the product.

This led me to thinking: Is it possible to use the natural ingredients without the fancy packaging?

Well amazingly it is.

I found a brilliant skin care recipe ebook called 'Naturally Skinsational'. The author, Sue Dolan, M.Ed., is a researcher and instructor on anti aging skin care and facial rejuvenation for the Skin Care Resource Center and is an expert author on aging skin concerns. Sue spent years researching in to the simplest, most natural and cost effective skin care treatments which then evolved in to a book.

In Naturally Skinsational there are some wonderfully simple and very effective natural recipes that you can put together yourself using ingredients can be found right in your own kitchen!

So far I have used the following skin care recipes which left my skin feeling wonderfully vibrant:

Honey Almond Scrub - this combines the natural anti aging properties of honey (which include antiseptic; antibacterial; anti-inflammatory; healing and emollient attributes), along with almonds (which have a number of rejuvenating properties including a natural source of copper, iron and vitamin E).

Rich Avocado Face Mask - avocados have a treasure trove of anti aging attributes. They are full of vitamins A, D and E, along with proteins lecithin; beta-carotene and potassium. They are also high in emollient qualities which work to heal sun damaged skin, scarring and reduce age spots (I will definitely be taking a tub to Tenerife tomorrow!)

There are more than 150 rejuvenating skin care recipes in the Naturally Skinsational ebook including masks; peels; moisturizers; spritzers; steams; under eye treatments and facials and I can't wait to try them all!

This book is an absolute treasure. If you're interested in seeing your skin look younger, healthier and more vibrant while saving yourself ridiculous amounts of money (and, face it, aren't we all...?)

Click Here!

Why are we still dying for a tan?

I read an article with above heading this week. I was amazed and appalled to see that, despite all the education and dire warnings, people are still being just as irresponsible in the sun as they've always been. It appears that young adults are the worst culprits with one British teenager telling the reporter that her parents thought she was wearing factor 15 but actually it was cooking oil! In fact malignant melanoma is the second most common cancer in young adults (aged 15-34) in the UK today. This, quite simply, scares the pants off me.

I am quite obsessive about slathering factor 30 regularly all over my body while sunbathing and am very careful not to put any of my face in the sun (I really don't need any help with the wrinkles!) I also nag my two daughters (aged 28 and 25) incessantly about the dangers of sunbathing without a high factor protection and, up until reading the above report, I fully believed that they were listening to me. However, now I'm not so sure. Next week I am taking them both away on holiday to Tenerife and you can rest assured that I will be handing out the bottles of sun creme bought by yours truly at the beginning of the holiday and sniffing them every morning. Woe betide anyone who smells like a bag of french fries!

Star Facial Treatment

My fiancee has now gone off to sea so I have a little more time to devote to pampering myself and my first step was to go to a local beauty clinic for a 'Hydradermie' facial. This is an exclusive Guinot treatment which claims to make your skin look 'brand new' in one relaxing hour. Well, it was definitely relaxing - my own snores woke me up on a couple of occasions! My skin looked rested and clearer after the treatment but it certainly didn't knock ten years off me. However, I was told that I should follow a Hydrademie course of three treatments followed by a maintenance treatment every month which will (I am reliably informed) result in my skin looking clearer, smoother and younger looking. I am due to go for treatment number two at the beginning of September. Bring it on...!

The Ugly Face of Beauty

The last couple of weeks have been manic. My partner is due to go away to sea and we've obviously been spending as much time together as possible before the inevitable months of separation (really hope he gets back in time for the wedding!)

Haven't had time to review any products but did watch a program the other night called 'The Ugly Face of Beauty' which aimed to expose the risks and concerns with regard to cosmetic surgery. There were the usual horror stories (and some were truly awful) which emphasized the importance of researching your plastic surgeon fully to ensure that he really IS qualified to do what you want him to do. But for me the most disconcerting part of the program was a review on how teenagers today regard cosmetic surgery. Nearly all those interviewed between the ages of 12 and 18 stated that they would happily go ahead and have various procedures ranging from tummy tucks to boob jobs. They were asked to view a typical teenagers body and decide what, if any, changes should be made via the surgeons knife. Unbelievably they came up with £50,000 worth of surgery.

There really was nothing wrong with the young girl's body. It was perfectly normal. Unfortunately however, that was not the opinion of her peers. Teenagers nowadays are bombarded with glossy magazines showing celebrities with skeletal bodies and huge breasts and these images are influencing impressionable young minds.

All this begs the worrying question: When looking at themselves and others, exactly what do our young people today regard as 'normal'?

The last 9 months have passed like a whirlwind for me. I have seen so many changes in my life. I gave up my job in English Language Training to launch a full time freelance writing career; I got engaged to be married (the wedding's in October) and most frightening of all...I turned 50!

All of a sudden I've started looking in my magnifying mirror to expose non existent (so I keep telling myself!) additions to my collection of wrinkles. Of course I have to use my glasses to be able to see myself that close! Everything feels like it's going south and the challenge is not to create youthful toned skin but to minimilize the bingo wings that seem to have sprung up overnight on each arm!

Anyway, the purpose of my ranting is not to feel sorry for myself (I'm told I look fab at 50 - mostly by well meaning friends who are not wearing their glasses!) but to tell you that I have decided to use this blog (well some of it at least!) to investigate products and providing tips that I think can help us all look younger but - very important this -without losing our poise and dignity (if I ever had any in the first place!)

Stand by......