I was lucky enough to get on board the Elemis Spa Bus at The Clothes Show London recently, where the extremely talented Claire (from the Mayfair Spa) set to work on my back.

Now I’m blessed with a family of 3 sons, aged 7, 5 and not-quite-2, plus a husband who works horrendously long hours, and horrendous shifts.  They are the light of my life, and I wouldn’t want to be without them, but juggling motherhood and keeping a large house, with a business as a freelance makeup artist, aswell as managing MAF and writing the majority of articles, not to mention the monthly dashes from North Wales to London for meetings, often leaves my back as knotted as a fisherman’s net.

The lovely Claire though, took my back and shoulders into her hands and worked her magic for 30 amazing minutes.  I’m fairly certain that she was exhausted at the end of it.  She really put her all into it, and her body weight too, but at no point did she cause me any pain.

She did, rather drily, say that my muscles needed a complete overhaul, and said “I really need to prescribe a course of treatment” and you know, I took her as seriously as I would my GP or my children’s Paediatrician!

Now one might think that a spa on a bus is a rather strange thing to have, and even stranger to want to actually get on board, but this bus is elegant and luxurious, with gentle subdued lighting, plus the aroma of their famous candles.  It all added to the ambience.  Plus, there is a huge selection of their products to smell, test, sample and buy.

That’s just downstairs!

Upstairs, again, the same elegance and ambience is carried through, but with areas set up for arm and hand massages, and specialist chairs for the neck and shoulder massages (anyone who’s had an Indian Head Massage by their local salon, whilst propped against a tower of towels will know how horrid that is, this is luxury!)

Obviously though, the chair was the station I was at, and there was a second chair with another lady already receiving a back treatment, but you know, I didn’t feel uncomfortable. 

Okay, so I didn’t take off any clothes, bar my cardigan, but even the close proximity wasn’t an issue.

In all though, it was a fantastic little treat, and I’m very much enjoying the Aching Muscle Super Soak that Claire prescribed, and whilst I haven’t yet started on her recommended monthly massages (you’ve just read my life, where would I find time?), my shoulders and back are feeling so much better.

And as a little aside, I’ve also recently seen Elemis’s Christmas products, and I can’t wait to talk about them, at least 3 are going on my Christmas wish list…!

For Spa Bus tour dates, please keep an eye here – http://www.elemis.com/BreakingNews/SpaBus.aspx

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

StruckbyaStar is one of MAF’s regulars, and has kindly shared her product review, with brave pictures, on the Forum.

“Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs

I got this on Amanda’s recommendation and I love it! I’m nearly through the can I bought in September. I got it in Light Glow, which is perfect for my skin tone and makes my legs look like they have a “soft” tan. 

This is part of the reason I wanted something to cover my legs with: 

And this is how that same spot looks with the spray: 

When I have it on, people do comment on my legs; I’ve been asked if I’m wearing tights and where I go to get my legs waxed! 

The leg at the top of the photo is the leg without spray- you can see the difference in the skin tone… 

Sorry for all the images, but I wanted to show how well it does cover imperfections! It costs about £6 in Superdrug, but I would definitely recommend it and buy it again because it works out lots cheaper than “pro” products like dermacolour. 
x”

Kylie Toft is one of the Moderators of the MAF forum, and is a regular contributor to the testing panel!  Here she tests a couple of Pat & Rub’s body products.

I’ve been testing two products from the Pat and Rub range which is one I’d never heard of before. 

Cool down and Glitter Body Balm 
I’m the kind of girl who loves a bit of sparkle so I really like the little gold flecks in this. It’s great to put on your legs now it’s summer and you don’t want to wear tights, your legs have a lovely sheen to them and it looks really nice when the light hits the gold particles. I didn’t really get the ‘cool down’ bit as it didn’t feel massively different from other body creams I’ve used and my appreciation is much more from an aesthetic point of view. 

Revitalising Body Oil 
Again, I used this product on my legs to help get them looking fab for summer. It made them very shiny- if a little greasy and helped them to feel silky smooth. However, I didn’t like the smell, the cranberry and lemon combination didn’t work for me and reminded me a bit of body odour! I also learnt very quickly not to use this straight after shaving my legs as it stung like mad. 

As much as I liked the look of the body butter and the smoothness of the oil I don’t think I’d rush out to buy either of these products again. The body butter is £25.70 and the body oil is £20.10 which in my opinion is way to much to pay for something that didn’t blow me away. I wish the body butter was cheaper because I did like the sparkle it gave me and how long it stayed on but it really isn’t worth that amount of money. 

All this said, Pat and Rub has got my attention and I would be keen to try some more of their products.

Its Wimbledon season, get out the Champers and Strawberries & Cream, we’re in for a hot one! 

Statistics say that Wimbledon catering staff will serve 112,000 punnets of strawberries and 7,000 litres of cream over the 13 day tournament so rather than putting them into your body, put them onto your body with a little help from the fruitiest company around.  Lush!

I remember my first experiences of Lush.  It must have been around 1995/96, I was newly graduated from Uni and working in an office on Guildford High Street.  Opposite my office window was Army and Navy and about 2 doors further up opened this new shop dedicated to all things bath and beautiful.  That year was the year of Lush!  It must have been one of the first stores to open and very few of my friends or family had heard of them, so everyone was gifted with baskets and boxes of Lush goodies.  From office contacts to sisters in law, distant friends in foreign countries, to lots of little ‘gifts’ for me on a weekly basis!

I think it was there that I realised that my love of citrus didn’t have to be recreated in bodycare form in the style of something synthetic or right out of 1983′s scented erasers.  It could be a ‘true’ scent.  Made with the best ingredients and the perfect smell, the bath bombs became my favourite thing.  Regularly copied now, but never quite matched, you won’t find me using a bath bomb or bar that’s trying to be LUSH, it will only ever be LUSH.

And now, with Wimbledon in the air, I turned to LUSH to see what delights they had to offer for those of us who might prefer to lay back in a bath than watch the highlights of the day’s matches…

Yummy Yummy Yummy Shower Gel

This incredibly popular shower gel is a deliciously fragrant strawberry and almond cream for the skin. It is whipped up with wonderfully natural ingredients: fresh strawberries, soothing honey and moisturising almond oil, with a drop of rejuvenating olibanum. Inspired by all those gorgeous 30-something Yummy Mummies of Wimbledon, you too will smell like strawberries and cream – and with all those fantastic skin softening ingredients, you’ll be yummy yummy yummy too.

Strawberry Feels Forever

Our fruity Massage Bar is made with crushed strawberries and an infusion of hibiscus flowers. While the fresh strawberries will get your skin sweetly clean, its scent of strawberries and cream will make your mouth water. Celebrate the strawberry feels forever – it’s even shaped like a strawberry!

American Cream conditioner.

It’s a fruity, creamy double-strength conditioner containing softening honey water, fresh organic oranges packed with vitamins and nutrients to calm the scalp and add shine and some fresh strawberries to help strengthen hair, condition and detangle.

And to make you feel even closer to south-west London’s most famous grass courts, pick up a bottle of Lush’s new Grass Shower Gel. This will leave you smelling like summer itself as well as being nutritious and soothing on your skin as it’s full of mineral rich wheatgrass juice.  Wheatgrass is packed with active enzymes, proteins, minerals, anti-oxidants and chlorophyll – all of which nourish, soothe and calm sore, sunburnt or irritated skin. Perfect after a day’s spectating.

Boudoir bathing is back!

Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath was launched in a classic glass decanter bottle, 20 years ago. Today, this award-winning, cult beauty product has been re-packaged in a beautiful Italian glass decanter, reminiscent of the original, to celebrate 20 years of excellence.

Noella Gabriel, Director of Product Development says…

“This delicately scented luxurious cream milk bath is the ultimate indulgence, enriched with Japanese Camellia Oil and Oat Extract in a rich Milk Protein base. An all time favourite, this award winning product has remained true to its original formulation, combining science and nature in perfect harmony” 

A truly unique formulation, adored by both mothers and children, this limited edition has been chosen as the perfect product to partner with the Mothers4Children charity, with a donation made for every purchase to help vulnerable children.

Available from February – rrp. £49.00, 500ml

£1 from every sale is donated to Mothers4Children

What are their goals?

To provide practical, emotional and educational support to vulnerable inner-city children and young people. To transform the quality of life and provide hope to orphans in developing nations.

How do they achieve these goals?

Each year M4C identifies charities in the UK and abroad that are making an impact on the welfare and conditions of the world’s most vulnerable citizens. Through a collection of different fund raising efforts during the year, M4C is able to help raise money to fuel these efforts and help a child live a better life.

Available from Elemis spas, salons and selected departments or at Elemis’ online shopping and lifestyle site www.timetospa.co.uk

An electric brush for the face and body, by the makers of the Sonicare toothbrush.  Clarisonic Plus Skincare System RRP £170

I was really excited to try this new product and have been using the brush daily for about 4 weeks now. I can honestly say that I have not had one spot on my face during this time! I am not usually prone to a huge amount of spots, but I always have at least one or two around the chin once a month. But not this time.
The brush – which comes with a charging cradle – has a very ergonomic design. It is totally waterproof, so can be used in the shower or bath, and has interchangeable brush heads for face or body.

It has 3 different speeds for the face depending on your preference, and it also has a timer of 1 or 2 minutes. I found that 1 minute was not quite long enough to cleanse my face and neck, so opted for 2.
The brush feels gentle on the face, not at all abrasive. It is very easy to use, just glide the brush in circular motion over the face, starting on the forehead. It is a little tricky around the nose area, as the brush is fairly big and doesn’t move well in small areas. My skin didn’t look red or scrubbed when I’d finished, but felt really smooth and clean.

I have also been using the body brush on just the left side of my body, so that I could see the difference, but disappointingly, I haven’t noticed much change at all. The back of my left leg still has little bumps under the skin and generally the left side feels much the same as the right. I will still continue to use it though, as I think it may just need more time before changes are noticeable.

I have definitely noticed an improvement in my complexion. It appears to be brighter and less tired looking.
It’s well worth a try.

Amanda Roberts

Okay, so we’re a makeup and hair site, however, you can’t get a perfectly made up face if you haven’t got perfectly made up brows and upper lips….

Well,  in actual fact, what’s the point in making a beautiful face if the rest of your extremeties are in need of a little ‘ahem’ maintenance…?

So, when I was able to get my hands on one of NADS brand new facial wands and some of their other bits and pieces, I decided to put some to the test.  However, because I’m not a regular brow waxer or bikini line waxer, I had to bring in some backup…!

The lovely ladies who’ve left reviews below helped out with the following products!

Original Gel

Facial Wand

Body Strips

Facial Strips

Naughty Nads bikini design kit

So what did I test?  Well, I’ve tried out the body strips on my legs and the original gel.

The body strips were so so easy to use.  Rub them between your hands to warm them up, smooth them down your legs, snap back and…..

….. oh, no pain!  I braced myself,  expecting to be sent through the roof, but I actually said, out loud, ‘oh, well that didn’t hurt’ and proceeded to merrily wax the rest of my leg, having expected to be rather patchy!

The gel was a little harder to manage, particularly as I really am a waxing novice (bad experience – pre wedding, not good on honeymoon, won’t say anymore!), and the gel is rather thick.  I needed to stick it in a sink of very hot water for about 10 minutes to get it to a consistency that was spreadable.  After that though, it was easy.  Spread it on, smooth on the backing strip, whip off!  Again, no pain!

A definite convert over here!

Oh and if you haven’t heard of NADS, it’s a great story behind a great brand!  Sue Ismiel’s young daughter Nadine, had an excess of hair on her arms that she really couldn’t bear, and found regular waxing either too painful, or she developed an allergy to it.  In an attempt to alleviate her daughter’s suffering and embarrassment, Sue took to her kitchen and with totally natural ingredients, developed what is now known as NADS.  With her 3 daughters, they created the rest of the range, and all work together in developing new products.