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The Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible Reviewed

Yesterday I finally got my hands on a copy of the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible by Sarah Stacey and Josephine Fairley (Kyle Cathie Limited, 2011). It was worth the wait. I spent a good two hours soaking up their words of wisdom which go beyond skincare and cosmetics tops to provide some practical and sensible advice on fitness, yoga, diet and supplements.

Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible by Sarah Stacey and Josephine FairleyBeing a skincare and cosmetics junkie, I already have some established favourite products so there was nothing in the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible that was likely to persuade me to forsake my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish while on the moisturiser front, Philosophy’s Hope in a Jar and Decleor’s Hydrafloral remain my firm favourites. That said, I will be reviving my Liz Earle Skin Repair moisturiser – not for my face, but to try as a neck cream because – once again – it gets a great write-up category.

Anti-ageing miracle creams

But let’s forget moisturisers for a moment because the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible puts the spotlight on what they describe as anti-agening miracle creams. Interestingly, their top-scorer is L’Occitane’s Immortelle Divine Cream but the one that caught my eye was the Neal’s Yard Frankincense Nourishing Cream. Frankincense is such a wonderful scent that to use this as a night cream sounds like a blissful experience. That’s the first tick for my shopping basket and I’ll let you know how I get on with it.

 

Anti-ageing hair products

Other products that caught my eye include Head & Shoulders hydrating shampoo and conditioner. Colouring your hair tends to make it dry and I, for one, am definitely in the market for good hydrating shampoos. I’ve tried a number of different products, few of which have delivered the desired results (John Frieda’s Brilliant Brunette Conditioner is my current favourite). Head & Shoulders hasn’t been in my bathroom since my twenties but, if the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible is correct, then it’s time to take another look so this is another one for the shopping list.

Anti-ageing body treatments

On the body treatment side, dryness is a common complaint for women once they hit their forties and fifties. L’Occitane’s almond based range gets good reviews in the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible. I’ve tried the shower oil from this range (and loved it) so I’ll definitely consider adding the body products to my list.

Also favourably reviewed by the girls is Decleor’s Aroma Sculpt Divine – the thought of sculpting is enticing but price points mean this will have to go on the wish list. (Decleor’s Excellence de L’Age product is another one of the recommended anti-ageing miracle creams). Although Decleor is a bit on the pricey side if you’re just purchasing to try out the range, their gift sets around Christmas are very good value and watch out for their in-store promotions which sometimes offer really good value. If you’re in Dublin, you’ll find a Decleor counter in Clerys and in House of Fraser or you can purchase online from the QVC, the shopping channel.

Anti-ageing hand and foot care

Like the body, feet too seem to become drier with age. Thanks to a stroke of luck, I recently won Bliss’s Sage and Lemon body moisturiser so I’ve been using that extravagently for foot massage and moisturising. Bliss is well named! But, based on the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible, I’ll be saving up and adding Aveda’s foot relief to my shopping list.

For hands, Liz Earle’s Hand Repair is favourably mentioned as are a number of other naturally-based product. The one I’ve selected for my list is the Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream on the basis that it’s not expensive and I’ve seen some good results from Weleda products.

Eyes

I’ve blogged recently about the importance of the eyebrow and Shavata remains my favourite for shaping and grooming the brow, but based on the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible reviews, I’m now adding Soap & Glory’s Arch de Triumph Brow Shaper to my list of ‘must purchase’ items. And, if you’ll parden the pun, the other product that caught my eye is the Bourjois Effet Smoky Pencil. I want one of those!

Conclusion

Overall, the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible is an informative read that is as enjoyable as a good chat with your best friends. It’s a pity that it’s not yet available for the Kindle because I would love to have it with me whenever I am shopping for skincare and beauty products. I’ve only touched on some of the topics it covers – there’s lots more, from coping with sleeplessness to dealing with sunspots and rosacea, from getting over aches and pains to the facelift diet. Do get your hands on a copy if you get the chance. You’ll enjoy it!

Izzy’s Anti-Ageing Beauty Wish List

  • Head & Shoulders Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner
  • Marks & Spencer Advanced Formula Solutions Anti-Redness Serum
  • Aveda Foot Relief
  • Soap & Glory Arch de Triumph Brow Shaper
  • L’Occitane Milk Concentrate Firming & Smoothing with Almond Milk
  • Decleor Excellence de L’Age Sublime Regenerating Cream
  • Decleor Aroma Sculpt Divine Rejuvenating Cream
  • Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish
  • Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Rejuvenating Face Serum
  • Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream
  • Liz Earle  Hand Repair
  • Neal’s Yard Remedies Frankincense Nourishing Cream
  • Bourjois Effet Smoky Pencil

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment   Beauty, Budget beauty products, Cleansing, eyebrows, Feet, Food and Drink, Foot lotion, Haircare, Hand cream, makeup, Mature skin, Menopause, Menopause symptoms, Natural skincare, Perimenopause, Skincare, Weight Management, women's health, Yoga

Strictly Ann Widdicombe is coming to Dublin

Ann Widdicombe’s Strictly Come Dancing

Image of Ballroom Dancers in Silhouette

© Sarah Nicholl | Dreamstime.com

A Step Too Far?

Compelling but cringe-inducing pretty much sums up my reaction to Ann Widdicombe’s performances on Strictly Come Dancing. I had my hands over my face for most of her performances so the bits I caught were through the gaps between my fingers. Even replaying with Sky+ I found I couldn’t watch an entire dance from start to finish. But, as we say in Ireland, ‘fair play’ to her for having a go. She clearly had a good time. The Strictly Come Dancing Live Show is coming to Dublin at the end of January 2011 and Ms Widdicombe is expected to make an appearance. I won’t be booking tickets for the show and neither will I be signing up for a Strictly Dancercise break at a hotel anywhere near you in the foreseeable future. If I do have a goal on the dance-related front, I’ll let you know in the fullness of time. For now, though, I’m sticking to the yoga.

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Physical and mental benefits of women practising yoga

Yoga Pose - The Bow

© Dmitriy Shironosov | Dreamstime.com

You can’t really get to 50 without having tried yoga. I discovered it initially as a strategy for coping with stress  – which was reasonably effective – but what really struck me on those first attempts were how quickly you progress from being able to do nothing in terms of flexibility to really rather surprising results. Most of what I have learned is courtesy of the fantastic Vimla Lalvani whose Diet’s Don’t Work 2 video is really excellent for beginners – even if you don’t want or need to lose weight. She is a good teacher and that particular DVD has some very good routines in it. The bow, pictured left, is one of the poses that it took me some time to master. Oddly, though, even when I haven’t been practising yoga for months at a time, it has now become one that I can achieve reasonably easily. The great thing about yoga is the breathing and the stretching and the wonderful sense that it gives you of your own body. Somehow it makes you want to eat more carefully, to drink more water, and to enjoy the sensation of being more flexible. The mental benefits are also very good. With all that going for it, I’m not quite sure how it can be that I sometimes lose sight of practising. Unfortunately, I loaned my copy of Vimla’s VHS to a friend and somewhere along the way it was lost. It’s hard to find in stock anywhere these days but if you should come across a copy anywhere in your travels, I definitely recommend it. Sadly, Vimla won’t be with me this autumn, but it’s time to get back to yoga and I plan to make the bow a part of my daily routine.

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