Dermaviduals - Part 1

Every now and then there is a blog post that just sits in the drafts folder as a title, waiting to be written, but it's just too hard to do it justice. Well this is one of those. The reason it is just Part 1 is that there is no point reviewing a product like Dermaviduals on a one-off basis. I could write about how much I love the products I was given to try, I've already written about how great the Face It Clinic is where I first tried Dermaviduals out, but the whole point of the Dermaviduals range is that it becomes not only the only skin care that you will ever need, but tailored to your skin and you just can't do that sort of thing in one sitting.

DMS Soothing Lotion

Dermaviduals is a German brand developed by a chemist with an interest in skin. Face It Clinic have been test driving it for 2 years and are really impressed with the way the dermamembrane structure (DMS) technology works - putting back into skin what life takes out by replicating the skin barrier. The vitamins and minerals that your skin needs are added to the DMS base cream so that is completely bespoke. Everything from Vitamins A, C and E concentrates, to Butcher's Broom for redness and Boswella for age repair can be added and all sorts of skin problems treated - ageing, eczema, acne, rosacia, pigmentation. 

You'll have to read my review of the wonderful Face It Clinic in Highgate to find out more about my experience there and then you'll know that it didn't get off to a fantastic start with me being quite late and nearly missing my appointment. What I loved though was how, despite getting off on slightly the wrong foot, you couldn't dampen Donna's passion for skincare and soon we were discussing my skin, what it needs and even how it works.

With my skin we discussed my eczema - which I've never had on my face but will affect the skin on my face as your skin is a whole organism (something I've never really thought about before, I just think of eczema as existing in patches). Eczema means my skin is missing some oils which would need to be replaced but also the fact that I had a three month old baby that I was still breast-feeding would also affect my skin. The best thing for me to do would be to try some of the 'off-the-shelf' Dermaviduals products, see how they worked and then go back for a consultation.

DMS High Classic Plus Moisturiser

I trotted off with my DMS Cleanising milk, Soothing lotion toner
and DMS High Classic Plus moisturiser and used these exclusively twice a day as instructed and low and behold my annoying red non-spot spots that I'd had since having Ned completely went away. My skin felt moisturised properly even though the moisturiser itself doesn't feel that thick at all. I was seriously impressed by these products - even more so that since they ran out and I've stopped using them the spots have returned. I will definitely be going back for my consultation.

A consultation at Face It Clinic is £45, £25 of which goes towards the purchase of products. You will have a full consultation where your make-up is removed and your skin really looked at as well as your skins history discussed - what your parents skin is like, siblings skin, and problems you've experienced or think you've had. I am a make-up artist but I cannot stress how important it is to treat your skin well - you can spend hundreds of pounds on make-up to cover up problems but it is much easier, healthier and cheaper to treat the problem itself rather than try to cover it up. 

Scar Tutorial with Alexis Dolman - Friday Video

My friend and fellow make-up artist, Alexis Dolman came to my house when I'd just had Ned to ease my make-up withdrawal. During the afternoon she showed me how to create a quick and easy scar...

Products used:

3rd Degree
Principality Bruise Powder
Skin Illustrator FX Palette
Isopropyl Alcohol
Dried Blood (dark)
Maekup Yellow Wound Gel

TWO Magazine

When I was little I spent quite a lot of my time recording my own radio shows - usually featuring a lot of mindless drivel and ads for dog food - and making my own magazines - usually featuring mindless drivel and some bits about make-up. Now at the age of 7 or 8 my knowledge of make-up mostly revolved around lipstick being pink, mascara being black and nail varnish, again also pink. They weren't a great read but they were the start of my love for magazines and, never having been good or ambitious enough to actually get a job on a magazine's beauty desk the dream died slightly.

As I started to work in the make-up industry, and indeed before when I sat at a desk for eight hours a day doing absolutely nothing but looking at the Internet and day-dreaming of escape I longed for a make-up magazine. Not the pro kind that's always available at the IMATS and you can sign up for but is rather intimidating, but one that's not only covered the pro side of things but was accessible to everyone interested in make-up.

Finally there is such a magazine and not only is it all of the above but it launched just as I had the baby so I had something to do while breastfeeding in the middle of the night. And now I get to sub-edit it! Hurrah. A dream come true.

TWO Magazine is available online or as an app for your iPhone or iPad and will be available for android soon. Edited and created by Sam Chapman and Nicola Haste of Pixiwoo fame it features columns from Liz Martins, Neil Moodie, has regular skincare features and the beautiful photo shoots. If you are remotely into make-up it is really worth checking it out. The app is completely free and there's a new issue to read every month!

Give and Makeup

I am one of those people that finds it hard to through useful things away. I'm not a hoarder but I can see how such a problem can get started. I'm signed up to Glossybox - a fantastic service where you get a box of goodies delivered every month - and the boxes are so pretty and useful that I cannot bring myself to chuck them out. As you can imagine, one a month means that quite a few have now been stacked up in my office, occasionally I use one to send someone something fragile or a make-up product I don't want to get squeezed in the post.

Then I came across Give and Makeup on twitter and suddenly I not only have the perfect use for  my old Glossyboxes but it is a great way to get rid of all those make-up and beauty products you don't use. I get sent quite a few things to test out, often all within the same range and there will be things I know I'm just never going to use, lipsticks and nail varnishes in the wrong colour, the majority of perfume samples I get from Glossybox and they just lie around unloved, taking up valuable space. I'm also terrible at going out and splurging on makeup in Boots and Superdrug and then getting home and finding I've already got something or I've bought it in completely the wrong colour - some end up in my kit, some just go to the back of my personal make-up box. My initial trawl through revealed two boxes worth of products. Now I'm just going to keep an old box in my office for anything that I don't want.

Initially you may wonder why make-up and beauty products are needed for charity - I mean, they are a bit of a luxury surely, but all the products donated go directly to Refuge and Women's Aid who help victims of domestic violence. Thousands of women and children have had to run from their homes to protect their lives and they have to leave everything behind. Give and Makeup need everything from everyday essentials - shampoo, condition, toothpaste, deodorant, to skincare - cleaners and moisturisers and the added extras - makeup, makeup brushes, perfume, nail varnish and even clothes and baby products. Rather than listing things on eBay why not make a box up and send it in? These amazing charities need your help and Give and Makeup is a fantastic way to do it.