Katie

Before I was serious about skincare, the only time I used an SPF on my face was when it was ‘proper’ summer or when I was on holiday. It just didn’t occur to me to use it every single day, even in the winter.

I know.

Now, I don’t leave the house without some kind of SPF on my entire face, usually SPF30 but when it’s really hot then I am factor 50 all over. I will never tan and so the only thing I’m interested in is protecting my skin from sun damage.

The SKN Filter SPF 30 (£30) is a broad spectrum protection that contains a combination of powerful vitamins and antioxidants to protect the skin while targeting and treating sun damage effects. It has Vitamin C to help treat sun spots, pigmentation and uneven texture while Vitamin E will help the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

SKN Filter SPF30 will help to protect against UVA/UVB damage while reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles. It also helps recover damaged cell DNA, shield the skin from visible impacts of pollution and helps to soothe skin irritations and hydrate the skin.

It’s quite a thick cream so I have been using this when I’m not wearing make up, choosing to stick to my usual moisturiser with SPF under foundation, but it doesn’t leave any white streaks or residue on the face, it’s just a matter of feeling like I have too much on my skin when I wear make up on top, but that’s totally personal to each person.

It soaks into the skin easily and doesn’t feel like you’re wearing anything too heavy. It does have a kind of medicated scent, I am tempted to describe it as an unscented kind of smell, if that makes any sense whatsoever? Probably not!

SKN Filter SPF30 is available here and costs £30 for 50ml.

Gifted PR Sample.

Dry shampoo is my best friend. I’m not even going to pretend that I’m the kind of person who washes their hair every day, or even every other day. I have SO much hair that it takes me a good two days to work up the energy to wash it. Which is why I always have a can of dry shampoo in my house and my bag.

I usually go for the standard Batiste brand (even though they do a range for blondes & brunettes and have completely disregarded us redheads) because it’s nice and cheap and has always done an OK job, so when Philip Kingsley sent me a can of the One More Day Dry Shampoo I was very excited to see if you actually get what you pay for.

The short answer to that question is, yes. You absolutely do get what you pay for, when it comes to dry shampoo anyway.

This stuff is beautiful. It is really light in the hair and doesn’t give it that chalky feel that you can get and there’s minimal white residue, which is a real bug bear of mine, despite how often I use it!

You simply spray it into your roots, leave it for around 10 seconds and then massage into your scalp like you would a normal shampoo. Give it a quick brush if you’re so inclined and away you go. I tend to not brush my hair too much (I sound delightful don’t I!?) but it’s wavy, thick and if I brush it when it’s not just freshly straightened, I end up with a giant ‘poof’ on my head. So I avoid brushing where I can.

It says it refreshes and soothes the scalp and I couldn’t agree more, usually, my hair feels dry and overly textured, especially if I use it two days in a row (bad hair washer) and while that’s good for people with fine hair, it makes my hair feel dirty and stiff. One More Day seems to soak up any excess greasiness and gives a little bit of volume but there’s no actual residue from it, almost as if the hair soaks it all up.

It smells incredible, even my husband noticed and was sniffing my hair like a, hair sniffing creature.

Obviously, it’s not the cheapest brand out there, but, if you’re a fan of dry shampoo then it’s definitely worth trying. The 200ml can costs £19.59 and the handbag friendly can is £9.00 for 50ml. Both are available from Philip Kingsley here.

Payot is a brand I have been a fan of for a while, and they’ve introduced some new products to their skincare range; Blue Techni Niss.

This range has been created to fight the effects of desynchronised skin biorhythms, and helps to lessen the impact of blue light on the skin, allowing the cells to regenerate easily – serious skincare stuff!

There has been lots of research into the effects of blue light, from computer screens, smart phones & tablets, even flat screen TV’s and fluorescent lighting , where the damage is literally up close and person and right in front of our faces. Long-term blue light exposure to concentrated sources of blue light energy can cause skin damage, including colour changes, inflammation, and weakening of the skin’s surface.

Put simply, blue light promotes stressors in skin that cause ageing from exposure to light. So, we’re getting it from all angels really, sun exposure isn’t to blame entirely! It makes sense that the rays would cause some damage, but it’s just not something I have thought about until now!

Blue Techni Liss Nuit is a gel like texture which melts to oil on the skin. It’s not thick or sticky but it definitely feels different to the usual oils, it feels more like a balm oil than a liquid one. It sinks into the skin quickly, there’s no residue which is surprising considering how thick it feels.

I spend my entire days in front of computers and phones, and while I’ve always been aware of sun damage, especially because I’m a pale redhead, I had never considered the damage I could be doing to my face indoors! I’ve been using this alongside my other products before bed, and I love how it feels on my skin, and how it might be helping prevent insider damage!

The Blue Techni Liss range is available from Payot here, with the Nuit cream costing around £60.

PR Gifted Sample. All views are my own.

The Nails Are Back.

I’m going to blow my own trumpet here. I grow very good nails and very good hair. There, I’ve said it. If you were to ask me what my talent is, that would be my answer. Growing. Ahem.

They grow that fast. And we’re not just talking about flimsy nails here, no no. These are good, strong nails that, with a little time and care look bloody spectacular.

A few years ago I went all out on the nail front. My nails were super long, stiletto shaped and painted in the craziest colours you could imagine. It was great at the time because I was freelancing (and doing social media for a Nail Salon, wink wink…) so I didn’t really have to think about my nails being too long. Because that’s a thing you know.

But. Real life got in the way (damn you real life) and the nails had to go when I got a desk job in the worlds worst company but we’re going to skip past that debacle.

However. Kate is getting her nail groove back. I had a manicure as a birthday present last month, and it got my juices flowing, so to speak. Then I got a voucher to get my nails done as another birthday present (see, people know me!) and that was it.

Colour me neon, I was hooked again.

The nails are back.

Once I have good old Shellac on my nails, they’re virtually indestructible. Which means I can carry on about my business and grow my nails to all kinds of lengths. At this particular moment in time, I’m sporting what you might call a peachy-orange shade but I’ve already decided I’ll be going for actual neon pink next time. I’m hoping that, in 2 weeks, the sun will be shining and we’ll all be feeling full on summer vibes so it’ll fit right in.

They’ve also been filed a little too short for my liking, as I was getting used to having talons back, so we’ll have to work on that particular issue before my next appointment.

Admittedly it’s not the lowest maintenance routine to have in your life. I have to get them done every two weeks (ish) because they grow so fast, and it’s just not possible for me to live in a world where my nails are only half painted. I’m sorry, it’s just who I am, I will take no shame in that.

However, in between visits, my nails look freshly painted every single day. There’s no chipping or peeling (well, hopefully there’s not) and I can go about my daily business of whacking a keyboard, cooking, cleaning and, even, sit down for this, gardening without too much thought to my varnish. Plus, these nails give the best back scratches ever, or so I’ve been told.

That, my friend, is what you call a win win situation.

I’ve had a bit of a love/hate relationship with my hair in the past. I hate being ginger – the whole standing out thing really affected me when I was growing up, no one wants to be the odd one out when you’re a teenager. Now though, I LOVE being ginger and wouldn’t change it for the world. 

Despite trying to a few times, but we won’t revisit that. 

Now I can finally say I love my hair. It’s long, the remaining remnants of bleach have left the building and it’s back to feeling healthy and ‘swishy’. We all know how important that swishy feeling is. 

Because it’s so long, think touches the top of my bum long, it obviously needs that little bit extra care. Long hair is old hair, and while I only straighten it once or twice a week maximum, there’s still a lot of heat going through my tresses to get it from crazy curly to presentable straight. 

I have a whole load of products and tools I use to keep it in the best condition I can, and I use them regularly, without fail.