Smile! We’ve rounded up the best bad-hair-day-busting, breakout-beating, skin-saving elixirs ever
You’re just about to skip out of the front door when – BAM! – a beauty disaster strikes. A full-blown monster zit/frizzy-hair nightmare (delete as applicable) to well and truly ruin your day. Plans are forgotten, duvets are crawled under… In fact, we just want to hide, until we look prettier. A tad dramatic? Not so. Recent research by Superdrug discovered that a third of us wouldn’t leave the house at all without make-up on, while researchers at Yale University in the US found that bad hair days increase self-doubt and insecurities.
Well, enough is enough. It’s time to get happy – real, beauty happy – with the very best in spot zappers, split-end saviours and eye-bag-banishing products around.
The hair heroes
- We’ve all faced the frizz at one point or another. From pesky flyaways to full-on fuzz, Tresemmé Liquid Gold Argan Oil Infused Perfecting Treatment, £6.99 (1), will sort you out. It can be used before styling, as a leave-in treatment to smooth flyaway strands, boost shine and to tame unruly waves. Argan oil has become a beauty hit over the last few years, and rightly so. Derived from argan trees found in Morocco, its natural moisturising qualities can be used on both skin and hair.
- Can’t remember the last time you went to the salon? Patch up your split ends with Fudge Ends, £13.45 (2). It seals and smooths split ends with vitamins E and B5, which also help prevent further damage. To banish split ends for good, get a trim every six to eight weeks. If this is too pricey, look out for training nights at your local salon or hairdressing college – you’ll get a cut for free or at a fraction of the cost. A trained stylist will be on standby to keep a close eye, plus you’ll be helping a trainee in need. Happiness squared.
- Locks lacking lustre? It’s no wonder. Everything from heated tools to backcombing to colouring can lead to dull, flat, lifeless locks. Treat your tresses with Charles Worthington Salon At Home Pro-Heat Repair Milk, £12.99 (3), designed to repair as you apply heat. Enriched with vitamins, minerals and argan oil, it forms an invisable film on the surface of the hair fibre. Simply rub two to three drops into freshly washed hair, then style as normal. Eight out of 10 women reported that their hair felt smoother after just one application.
- Balding isn’t just for boys. According to Healthywomen.org.uk, up to 50 per cent of women with European hair suffer from thinning over time. Get in there early with super-nourishing Nioxin Deep Repair Hair Masque, £16.99 (4). It contains alcohol and hydroxethylcellulose, which work together to hydrate and help hair maintain moisture. Over 70 per cent of women reported thicker-looking hair after just four weeks of use.
The feel-good fragrances
Keep these mood-boosting super scents in your bag to bid the grumps goodbye
Pep-up product Aveda Chakra 3 Balancing Body Mist, £27.
Super scents Fir balsam, lavender and lemon.
Happiness power According to ancient Indian healing practices, combining these three scents will leave you feeling balanced and confident. Fab for first dates.
Pep-up product Cowshed Grumpy Cow Perfume Oil, £18.
Super Scents Grapefruit, neroli and linden blossom.
Happiness Power The citrusy grapefruit and neroli lift your mood, while the linden blossom instils a sense of calm and stops a foot-stamping strop in an instant.
Pep-up product Bulgari Jasmine Noir Eau De Parfum Purse Spray, £36
Super scent Jasmine.
Happiness power A favourite among aromatherapists, jasmine is used in the traditional healing Ayurveda medicine. It’s also claimed to increase blood flow and so leave you feeling frisky. Oo-er!
The skin saviours
- Redness can be irritating, especially when it flares up all over your face. But you can beat the blush with Skinceuticals Redness Neutralizer, £70 (5). OK, so it’s pricey, but this brand-new formula contains NeuroMed Complex. This compound includes palmitoyl tripeptide-8, an anti-irritant, and natural eperua falcata bark extract, which protects against inflammation. These ingredients combine to regulate the skin’s temperature and cool the sensation of blood rushing to your face by up to 78 per cent in just 12 weeks. Impressive.
- Who said breakouts were just for teenagers? According to the Acne Resource Centre, around 50 per cent of women suffer from acne at some point in their adult lives, so it’s time to wage war. Bioré Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser, £4.99 (6), contains salicylic acid – a natural anti-inflammatory that reduces redness and works as an antiseptic. Plus, there’s lavender extract to soothe skin. If breakouts are getting you down, look at your diet. Sugar and refined carbs cause sudden spikes in blood-sugar levels and this can stimulate hormones to produce excess sebum. This can then block pores, resulting in spots. Try to stick to wholegrain carbs, as they keep blood sugar levels steady.
- Look like you’ve had a big night out when you were actually in bed by 9pm? Dark circles and puffy eyes can age you way beyond your years. Claim ’em back with Merumaya Intensely Youthful Eye Cream, £24.50. It contains an expression-line-blocking peptide that, combined with echium oil, helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by improving elasticity as well as plumping skin.
- Just when you don’t need a zit, one rocks up. Zap it with Avène Triacnéal Cream, £23 (7). This non-greasy formula’s active ingredient, efectiose, targets the cause of the irritation by minimising redness on the sebaceous gland (where the spot springs from). The glycolic acid has a peeling effect, buffing away the blemish to reveal new skin beneath. And retinaldehyde thickens the skin, meaning spots and blackheads are less likely to reappear.
Exclusive offer
GET A FREE MURAD BEAUTY BOX!*
Hands up who wants some fab free products? The Gift Of Murad Set is packed with the skincare specialist’s hero products, including uber-hydrating Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture and age-spot slaying Intensive-C Radiance Peel. Fabulous readers can get a beauty box free with any purchase from Murad.co.uk by 11.59pm January 27.
To claim this offer, add any product to your basket at Murad.co.uk, enter the code FABULOUS at the checkout and your free gift will be added to your basket.
