In regards to your hairPosted in 'General' on December 9, 2011 
Of course if your hair is perfect, shiny and strong as a horse’s leg, by all means, move along. Or keep reading for the lolz, whatever.
For everybody else, repeat after me: shampoo matters.
That’s right, shampoo matters. A simple concept one assumes...
Okay, so I was getting a lift in a cab once, and was just talking to the cabbie about dying my hair and whatnot, when clearly eager to offer something to the conversation, he starts talking about shampoo. Saying that its only purpose is to remove grease, that any old swill will do the trick and salons are just out to rip people off. He suggested I pop down to the local 2 dollar store and get a litre of unlabelled "hair cleanse”.
Now naturally at this point I started laughing like a mad thing, assuming he was having me on. Imagine my humiliation when my good natured cackling was met with a blank stare. Oh good lord, the man was serious.
In an effort to rectify the situation I begin rambling on about non water soluble silicon content and whatnot, at which point he kindly asked me to get out of the cab (in his defence, we had reached the destination.)
Now I won’t go into a mad rant like I did then, but I will say this. The wrong shampoo, that is, a cheaply formulated brand (I’m naming no names lest I’m lynched by angry people) can actually cause damage to your hair. They can corrode it and strip it of moisture. They can cause silicon to build up on the hair shafts and coat your hair. Pretty much, they can do a number on your hair that leaves it dry, brittle and weak, and nowhere near approaching the strength of a horse’s leg.
So, keep it in mind. Shampoo matters.Lou Blush Gone WrongPosted in 'Unassigned' on November 18, 2011  
When blush is done right, it sculpts, defines and highlights your features, helping you achieve a healthy glow and an all round better looking complexion. But when it's done wrong? Well, see above.
When applying blush, you need to consider which shade will best suit your complexion, how intense the blush should be, and of course, whether your intention is to look sophisticated, cute, or like a scary porcelain doll (again, see above).
Remember, it's all about subtlety and creating a look that's fresh and natural. So next time you apply your blush, look to Lindsay, then back to the mirror, then to Christina, then to the mirror again. Assess the situation and use your judgement. And, if all else fails, take into account these masterful blush tips from make-up guru Napoleon Perdis:
+Don't blend your contours too low towards the jaw line
+Ensure your blush, contour and highlight blend seamlessly together
+Don't blend your blush or contour too high onto the top of the cheekbone
+Don't blend blush too close or low towards the lips 
See how effective blush can be when done the right way? It's a treat for the eyes. For further assistance, check out this handy face map: Lou
Christmas is ComingPosted in 'General' on November 11, 2011 
That time of year is fast approaching once again, that wonderful, magical excuse for shopping, eating, and singing loudly and out of tune. Not only is it acceptable, it’s expected! Naturally one cannot forget the presents...
I love Christmas, I really do, for all of the above reasons. Mostly though? It’s spirit of the season that gets me. Laughing with family, getting in touch with friends...it warms your heart, really it does. However, there inevitably comes that last week before the day itself, that week were you realise, "Oh no...I didn’t get my aunty/step-father/boyfriend’s sister a gift!” So naturally you dash out to the shops, running round like a crazy person trying to find that perfect gift. What do you do?
Well, here’s a little tip: skincare. Oh I’m biased you say? Maybe, I do love skin products. But hear me out...what is more perfect than a gift you not only want, but need? A gift that brings excitement, joy and entertainment (who doesn’t love giving themselves a mini make over?) but that actually benefits you in some way? It’s a necessary luxury. Pretty great, right?
Luckily for you and your aunty/step-father/ boyfriends sister, we have a variety of beautiful Christmas Gift Packs this year, ranging from the excitingly practical to the lavishly decadent. Need something cute and fun? Burt’s Bees All Over Goodness Gift Set. Something sophisticated? The Ecoya Gift Pack. Something wonderfully indulgent? Elemis Rejuvenating Stars Gift Set. I could go on.
So take it from me, a self confessed lover of Christmas: nothing beats skincare for a gift that delivers.
Check out our Christmas page to browse our full selection of gifts. LouElemis is Here!Posted in 'Unassigned' on September 30, 2011 
Well, what is there to say about a luxury British Spa brand that is beloved by millions of people worldwide?
Elemis products are designed to dynamically treat and care for the skin with powerful results. As they are developed first and foremost for professional treatments, the balance of natural and scientific ingredients in each product is formulated to achieve the very best therapeutic results, whether in the spa or at home.
I took home a few Elemis samples and was thrilled with what I found. The moisturisers, so soft and creamy. The gentle rose exfoliator, so sweet and smoothing. And the masks? Oh boy, did I love the masks. From the refreshing tingle of the Tri-enzyme mask to the calming caress of the Pro Collagen Quartz Lift Mask, it was very hard for me to wait three days to try the next one.
So if you take anything away from here, let it be this: Elemis = wow. Eye Can, Eye WillPosted in 'Skin tips' on September 23, 2011 The eyes are a window to the soul…or so ancient philosophers would have us believe. Whether or not this is true, there’s no doubt that our eyes do say a lot about us; relaying expression, feeling, and oftentimes the status of our personal wellbeing. All this being said, l wonder…what are your eyes saying about you?
Dark circles, puffiness, fine lines and wrinkles…three major eye concerns that represent your soul in, let’s face it, a pretty poor fashion. You’re tired, you’re stressed, you’re old; it may not be true, but leave these issues unchecked and that’s the image you’re presenting to the world. So what can you?
Dark Circles
Unfortunately, there’s a whole bunch of factors which contribute to dark under eye circles. Sun exposure, lifestyle choices such as diet, lack of sleep, allergies, ageing, stress, even genetics. What are they though? Where do they come from, what do they want?
Short answer? They’re not really caused by anything, rather, they are always there, but the above "causes” work to highlight them. The area is dark because of weakened capillaries and translucent skin, both hereditary things. However, when you’re stressed or tired, your skin is paler and therefore the circles are emphasised. As for what they want…well the only discernable motive seems to be to make us look as unattractive and old as possible.
Puffiness and Swelling
Puffy eyes, or "bags” as they’re so attractively nicknamed, are also caused by numerous factors, however the big bad in this case is fluid retention. Now why on earth would your eyes retain fluid? Could be fluctuating hormone levels, an overly salty diet, hot weather, and of course there’s medication side effects.
Fine Lines & Wrinkles
Finally, there are the visible signs of ageing. Now I don’t about you, but this is the eye concern I fear, because although there’s small things you can do to conceal and reduce these frightful flaws, in the end, they just don’t go away. These are caused by things such as sun exposure, squinting, rubbing your eyes, and of course, just ageing naturally.
Bottom line is, the skin around our eye area is so delicate, and it just doesn’t produce moisture the way the rest of our skin does. The result? Skin that wrinkles easier and doesn’t bounce back into place.
So…
Now you know why your eyes are dark, puffy and wrinkled (although I hope you haven’t been afflicted by the whole trio), question is, what can you do to put things right?
Cold Compresses
Cucumber slices, a spoon, ice water on a swissper…get creative! The coolness causes the blood vessels under the skin to contract and blood circulation to increase, temporarily reducing the appearance of dark circles and reducing swelling.
Lifestyle changes
Reduce the amount of salt in your diet, the amount of caffeine and/or alcohol you drink, and naturally, quit smoking. Try to get a bit more sleep, and if you can’t, compensate for that pale skin with a dewy tinted moisturiser. Lifestyle and dietary changes can go a long way to helping your eyes be as bright and youthful as a bright and youthful thing.
Teabags
The caffeine and tannin in a used teabag (cooled of course) works to pull out and eliminate the fluid retained in the under eye area, putting an end to nasty puffiness and swelling. Little tip? Use a Green Tea bag. Not only do they have caffeine, but they’re rich in antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties. If you’re lucky, these antioxidants will also assist in fighting damaging free radicals that contribute to premature ageing.
Sun Protection
Rather than tackle lines and wrinkles when they happen, help prevent them by applying a broad spectrum sun screen daily.
Eye Cream
Lucky for you, there are literally hundreds of eye care and treatment products on the market designed to help target and prevent these eye concerns. You can pick one for a specific concern, like Medik8 Dark Circles (guess what that does?) or go for an all rounder like Skinstitut’s Eye Believe.
Although eye creams can give you targeted results, even just taking care to moisturise the eye area (gently of course) can go a long way to restoring moisture to the area and alleviating and preventing eye concerns.
Be Gentle!
Don’t pull at, rub, or stretch the eye area. It has inferior elasticity and will eventually just stop snapping back. Be gentle; take care to pat eye products on instead of rubbing them in.
Conceal
For situations when you need results now, a good concealer is your best bet. Fill in those lines, cover up those circles; just make sure you choose a tone that matches your skin, else you’ll look a little bit silly.
So, if eyes are the window to the soul, make sure your soul is saying nice things about you; namely, that your youthful, bright and full of life.
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