Beauty Blog

Some women struggle to find the right makeup, have the wrong haircut, buy and wear the wrong clothes, perhaps because they weren’t born with good taste or perhaps because they just don’t care. But looking good isn’t purely superficial, people have a natural desire to do things that themselves feel good.

Self pampering has brought success and opportunities to some, from a professional capacity to finding that special someone. Some people want to be rich, successful, well travelled and some people long for beauty, power and freedom.

Michelle Phieffer started off as a cashier, but not everyone can aspire to be the next superstar. And that’s a good thing too, life would be boring if everyone were beautiful with white teeth and gorgeous hair. Perfection would be boring, and even the most beautiful people get old like everyone else.

Beauty is work and a way of life for many. Stay out of the sun, attend the odd makeup class, drink lots of water, eat fruit, yoghurt, veg, exercise for 30 mins a day, moisturise morning and night, find a great stylist, don’t smoke, or drink too much, but above all be happy, and your beauty will shine through!

Vietnam has welcomed eighty of the world’s most beautiful women for the 57th annual Miss Universe competition. A place better known for war than Kalyani glamour is seizing the opportunity to show how far the country has come in terms of commerce and fashion and war has become a fading memory.

The contest is being held in seaside city Nha Trang, where there is major American air base used during the Vietnam War.

The show is being hosted by Scarey Spice, Mel B and American TV personality and talk show host Jerrry Springer, who is clearly enjoying his latest job. During an interview with the Associated Press on Saturday, he described it as ‘a plum assignment’.

Miss USA, Crystle Stewart has noted the warth from her Vietnamese hosts, despite the history of hostilities between their nations. The Texan is writing a motivational book and wants to act as role models for other countries to prove that you can get along after war. Her speach will be including the words ‘world’ and ‘peace’ then.

The contestants have been over in Vietnam for four weeks now, taking part in various charity events, meeting local dignitaries and posing just about anywhere in their bikinis.

Ever get big, frizzy, pouffy hair during the summer months??! Too much humidity and too much sea water, chlorine and sun damage can cause hair to become dry and like wire wool! The best way to avoid the poodle look is to start by shampooing and conditioning, and then apply an anti-frizz cream to damp hair. If you have wavy or curly hair, use a curl enhancing mousse or gel and finish with an anti-frizz sealant or a spritz of humidity-proff hairspray.

For your face, think about using an SPF moisturiser which has a touch of self-tanner or a tinted moisturiser with SPF. For oily skin use a pressed powder to control but try and keep makeup to a minimum, to achieve a light, fresh, summer look.

Don’t forget to use SPF protection on your lips, by layering SPF balm on top of or underneath your lip colour, or choose a lip gloss or lipstick that has a built in sunscreen.

Go bold with your eye colour, and be up to date with one of this summer’s hottest trends - brights. Try shades of blue, purple, green or metallic shades. There are tonnes of new long-wear mascara’s on the market now, that will withstand the humidity, oily lids and perspiration. Stay put eyeliner will give you that finishing touch that will have a big impact.

Beauty Salons are booming thanks to girls as young as six wanting facials and manicures. A brand new child-only salon called Tantrum has opened on London’s King’s Road which

offers Fantasie beauty treatments, hair styling and make-up to children under the age of 10.

Child beauty has become big business. Research has shown that six out of ten girls

aged seven to ten wore lipstick and two out five wore eye shadow or mascara. These days you can even get high heels for babies, diet pills, breast implants, facelifts and padded bra all aimed at seven year olds.

Grooming has certainly changed around children. Children aged 6 or 7 are aspiring to be a lot more grown-up than they are, trying to be more like 12 or 13 year olds. Allowing childre

n to be pampered in this way can be a dilemma for parents and salon owners alike - on the one hand not wanting their children to grow up too fast but at the same time wanting their children to fit in with their peers and be the coolest girl in school.

Many salons offer mum and daughter days and pamper parties for children, which appear to

be attracting more and more children to have beauty treatments done. We are still a few steps behind the US though - across the pond beauty treatments are common place for children as young as two and has been considered normal by many parents for several years.

If you are going on holiday this year, these are my top tips for keeping your hair in tip top condition and preventing it from getting dry and dehydrated.

Always where a wide brim hat to protect your hair and your skin from the sun. It is equally as important to protect your scalp from sun, so it is a good idea to use a hair-care product with sunscreen protection and choose styling products that have UV Defenders in them.

Before swimming in the pool or the sea, soak your hair with tap water, and add a small amount of conditioner. If you just brush this through your hair and do not rinse it out, then it will stop your hair absorbing the chlorine or salt-water which is the biggest cause of wire-wool type hair on holiday.

Try to shampoo you hair straight after swimming instead of letting the chlorine or salt water dry onto your hair. This will stop your hair from looking dull, limp and lifeless.

Make sure you research your destination. Your hair will react differently to different conditions - for example your hair may end up looking more frizzy and flyaway in an area of high humidity like Florida or the Caribbean, so you will need to come prepared with straightening irons and anti-frizz serum.

Beyoncé Knowles, lead vocalist of Destiny’s Child, has rapidly become a diva. With a stage presence similar to Diana Ross and her super-model good looks, it’s not hard to see why. To get Beyoncé’s golden and glamorous look for yourself, look no furhter!

To get this look plait your hair by sleeping on it the night before for a great look in the morning, or plait your hair in the morning and wear it all day for a fun daytime look and a great style at night.

• First shampoo hair and follow with a deep conditioner, such as Aussie Three-Minute Miracle Reconstructor (£5.29 for 250ml). Apply conditioner liberally on the ends, as this tends to be the driest part of long hair. After gently towel-drying your hair, apply a liberal application of a moisturising styling lotion and comb through to evenly distribute.
• Then part hair down the middle. You will be plaiting it in rows starting from the scalp and working back towards the base of the head. Using your comb, divide off a one-inch section of hair closest to your part at the hairline. Begin plaiting at the base of the head and continue using moderate tension. Secure the braid with a coated hair-band.
• Continue plaiting the top row in this manner until you reach the back of the head, then begin another row just down from the first, until that side of the head has three complete sets of plaited rows, top, middle and bottom. Repeat the process for the other side.
• It is important that your hair is completely dry before you undo the plaits, which, depending on the thickness of your hair, may take several hours. Before taking out the plaits, try a test strand from one of the back bottom rows to make sure the hair is completely dry.
• Remove all hair-bands and carefully unplait the hair using your fingers – don’t comb it, as this will make your hair frizzy. The look you’re going for is textured and tousled waves.