What Type Of Flower Is A Couperose?
Okay, okay, I’m being silly, I know. Even though a touch of couperose can impart a rosey flush, I do know that it’s a skin condition that can leave you a tad red faced (much like my bad jokes, right?). The skin condition called couperose is largely caused by very small, dilated, fragile but rarely broken capillaries (blood vessels) laying superficially just below the skin. Couperose generally occurs around the cheeks and very occasionally across the nose and chin and can give the appearance of localized or diffuse redness in these areas. Couperosing is most visible in fair skins and in skins that are exceedingly thin.
Couperose skin conditions are often caused by taking very hot showers and placing one’s face directly under pressure of the jets of the hot flowing water. This causes the blood vessels to overdilate which triggers fragility. Unprotected exposure of the skin to harsh elements and extremes of temperature like chilling winds etc. for a prolonged period of time can also produce couperose. Our ever familiar foe the free radical can also incite couperose conditions to develop if only to add insult to injury to all the other damage free radicals can bring about. Smoking, alcohol, poor nutrition, and ingesting excessively hot drinks may also cause the skin to couperose.
Unfortunately, if you do have couperosed skin, there really isn’t anything that one can do to reverse the fragility of the capillary wall once it has occurred. Luckily though, the skin does respond to being supported and protected, which seems to reduce the visible appearance and spreading of it. Topical antioxidant use and ingestion seems to lessen the effect and prevent couperose, especially when paired with good nutrition and avoiding extremes in temperature on the skin, which is great. Choosing beauty products that don’t involve over zealous scrubbing or harsh ingredients will also help to prevent couperose or won’t exacerbate an existing couperose condition. At the risk of stating the obvious, I will mention and pay tribute our best mate Mademoiselle Sunscreen as she will always keep us protected when used liberally and often. *idea* There are things that you can do to manage and prevent couperose, which is great. I suspect the trickiest thing about this condition is identifying what can cause it. But now you know all about a rose by another name that definitely doesn’t smell as sweet.
A Quick A For A Quick Q.
Q.
Hey BM!,
I’ve got dark skin and even darker under eye circles. I’d like to use concealer to rid them, but am not sure how many shades lighter, if any, to go and do you think those concealers with shimmer in them would be good for me?
A.
Quick answer in two words: One and Nope.
*takes a bow*
*Long answer alert* One shade lighter (than your foundation that is) in concealer is generally plenty. If you go too many shades lighter, dark circles will look like grey LCD lights beaming back at you in the mirror. Not the look you’re after, I’m sure. One shade lighter in the same undertone colour as your skin (foundation) will subtly lighten the dark circles which allows them to blend in quite naturally with a further flawless application of your foundation when set.
Illuminators in concealers are all the rage at the moment, I know. But between you and me, I don’t tend to go for them on darker skin tones as the pearlizing ingredients added stand out a lot too much on darker skins. The end result being that you can get alarmingly shiny looking (read: greasy) under-eyes or the dark circles are transformed into ashen circles. Ugh! Again, not a wholly flattering nor natural look on most. I hope that helps some. Please let us know how you get on, as we’d love to hear from you!
Post Waxing Wonder.
Here’s a quick and super effective little essential oil number to apply to your skin after waxing which not only soothes your skin, but act as a natural antiseptic too. Just mix the following bits of gorgeousness in an amber or similarly dark coloured bottle, cap, and gently shake. Be sure to store in a dark, cool place, out of reach of children. Not a bad drop this one. Enjoy!
- 75 ml of organic sweet almond, jojoba or apricot kernel carrier oil
- 25 ml of Calendula infused oil
- 25 drops of True lavender essential oil (lavandula angustifolia)
- 10 drops of Tea Tree essential oil
- 5 drops of German chamomile essential oil (the blue one)
It All Boils Down To This.
“We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its end; which stands related to all things; which is the mean of many extremes.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Affirm Beauty.
There wouldn’t be too many folks around who didn’t know that Beauty Marked! is Coo Coo for powder puffs, beauty inspirations, and great products and services. But did you know that I am also a huge fan and firm believer in the power of positive affirmations? Yes, sirree Bob! Not only do I personally practice by saying positive statements daily, but always recommend loving and approving affirmations for my client’s use as well.
It’s amazing how powerfully effective and life enhancing it is to affirm one’s gorgeous self by saying several positively worded truths daily that will profoundly assist to manifest their infinite beauty and light. Saying and believing in positive affirmations each day is akin to planting and nurturing the most treasured seed and watching it grow into an extraordinarily healthy and robust tree that is forever ripe with precious fruits. This life force laden tree will not only nourish and inspire, but also positively change the thoughts that powerfully create the consciousness and the future of the grower and absolutely everyone in its miraculous presence!
Positive affirmations used daily are soon transformed into beliefs that will always produce long lasting results and beneficial change. Marvelous isn’t it? You get all this from just a few positive words affirmed daily. Nice!
A few positive affirmations for today and always:
“Today is a wonderful day. All is perfect, whole, and complete. I love and approve of myself. I am beautiful. I use my affirmative thinking to create exactly what I want. I expect the best and I deserve it…everyone does!”
Wednesday Is Selenium Day.
Well actually every day is selenium day where a healthy diet that supports great skin and health is concerned. But for today, this Wednesday, Beauty Marked! has decreed it to be Selenium Day! *happy dance*
Selenium is a trace mineral that is a big league player on Team Antioxidant and is metallic grey luster in colour (it’d make a nice eyeshadow colour actually). This powerful trace mineral and the antioxidant enzymes it makes play an important role in many of the body’s varied processes and without it, not much is smooth sailing. Selenium is only required in very small amounts, but its potent antioxidant presence helps to fight damage caused by free radicals (a by-product of oxygen metabolism) in the body. Selenium’s main partner in crime is vitamin E and betwixt them both, they work flawlessly to assist in correcting UV-A damage.
Scientific research has also proven that Selenium’s presence has a protective effect on the heart, which seems to decrease the risk of heart disease as well as lowers the risk of many different cancers. It’s certainly worth noting too, that when selenium is in chronically low levels or absent within the body, one is at a much greater risk of illnesses of the immune system, mood disorders, thyroid dysfunction, degenerative disorders, and skin problems to name a few.
So where do you get Selenium? Luckily, there are many natural food sources rich in Selenium:
Shellfish, whole grains, Brazil nuts (but don’t over do it as the Selenium content is mega and you only need a little), fish such as tuna (canned in oil) and cod, meats (turkey, beef, and chicken), garlic, eggs, foods grown in soil rich in Selenium, Brewer’s yeast, and natural spring water are all fab sources of Selenium.
Many quality supplements will also have the perfect daily amount of Selenium present in it too. Just check the ingredient listing thoroughly before purchasing. But if your anything like me, you’ll go the food option, as any excuse will do to eat something yummy and (of course, Selenium-) rich!
Happy Selenium Day!
-BM! xx
SO What?!
Beauty Marked! absolutely loves an environmentally aware product, but what we love even more is an environmentally aware product that works. Did you know that Australia’s Salon Only (SO) hair care range absolutely fits this bill? SO hair care products have had a makeover with an environmental focus and repackaged its extensive range created from the expertise of no less than 3 generations of hairdressers! Most would be familiar with SO from its debut in the late 90’s and from its use in any of the 33 SO dedicated preferred product salons across Australia from soon after its inception. Now though, the range has certainly grown and is available currently from over 700 salons nation-wide with its new-look packaging!
So what we love about SO, besides their considerate product range, is the new innovative design changes made to the packaging and the super cool refill system that allows you to rock up to mostly any of 700 SO stockist and refill your empty and fully recyclable SO product bottle and receive an ever so handy $5 AUD off the refill price! Not bad, huh? Nice on your purse and great for the environment. We love that!
To find your nearest stockist, contact SO on 1300 660 680 (within Australia) or visit www.salononly.com.au for so much more.
