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Brightening & Tightening

January – the only month where kale and juicers fly off the shelves in a mist of calorie counting cookbooks, protein shakes and suspicious coloured drinks. I’m not one for resolutions but I am for one am attempting a slightly healthier outlook on life; cutting down on processed foods (although the odd Ben’s Cookie or two still manages to find a way in) and upping my water intake (sidenote: the Clean & Lean Diet book by James Duigan is awesome for some no-fuss, no-fad common-sense cooking). To accompany this I’m whipping out the brightening and tightening edit from my beauty stash inspired by its namesake Urban Decay Brightening & Tightening Complexion Primer Potion*, which I’ve dug out from its hibernation to add some oomph and appeal to my everyday makeup. Here’s what else is making a comeback…

When the words ‘brightening’ and ‘skincare’ collide, the phrase ‘AHA based facemask’ pops into my beauty busting brain so I’ve been reaching for Alpha H’s Liquid Gold Smoothing & Perfecting Mask* more than usual and pairing it with the eye area tightening Absolute Eye Complex*. I’ve also been testing out a product from an unturned beauty product category here at VDM, Mama Mio’s Shrink to Fit Hip & Thigh Cream*. Body-busting claims make me do a shifty eye look, but I’ve been massaging this vigorously into my derrière nightly (cor, isn’t that a mental image and a half?) and I’ll report back with results. Makeup-wise I’m embracing slight touches of shimmer with the Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch, fab for swiping under the eyes or across the cheekbones, CHANEL’s Illusion D’Ombre in Emerveillé which adds a glow to eyelids and Clarins new Gloss Prodige in Water Lily* – think the formula of their cult Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector but housed as a traditional lipgloss with a shot of shimmer. And would you believe I’ve missed the most apt product of them all out of the above selection? Clarins Beauty Flash Balm works like a souped-up primer and radiance booster combined to give you that ‘I’ve had my five a day’ look; makeup and skincare all rolled into one luminising little tube.

On a healthy eating tangent I’ve managed to cut out my ten tonnes of squash a week habit by slipping some lemon, lime and ginger slices into my daily water intake. Goodbye Robinsons Summer Fruits, and hello slightly bitter, weirdly spicey tasting water. After tentative sips to start with I’m now rather partial to this refreshing tonic and I’m ready to down a few pints, pick up some Pilates in the morning, get to work on my B&T stash and let the brightening and tightening begin…..with the odd Ben’s Cookie of course.

*PR Sample

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