I’ve had www.compeed.co.uk/totalcare in my kit for a while, but recently used them myself, for the first time, when I felt a cold sore coming on.

As anyone who suffers from cold sores will know, they are hideous and you just want them to go away as quickly and painlessly as possible. But often they take up to 2 weeks to go, and the last few days can be the worst as they crust over and then split and bleed each time you open your mouth or try to eat something.

The patches take a little practise to put on, but if you read the instructions properly, it’s fairly simple.

At first it felt a bit weird having a plaster on my lip, but after a while, I got used to it, and other people could hardly notice it.

It felt reassuring knowing that my cold sore was completely covered, so reducing the risk of my children catching it. It also stopped it from hurting so much.

The cold sore started on a Monday evening, I could feel the unpleasant tingle, and there was a little redness, so I put a patch on. The next day there was a cluster of little blisters under the patch and they seemed to get bigger over the next few days. after about 3 days, I could feel that the cold sore was starting to heal.

It took until the following Wednesday until it had totally healed up, so not really any quicker than leaving it to heal on it’s own.
 
The difference was, the cold sore never actually crusted over, it just went away. So I managed to completely avoid the last few horrible days of splitting and bleeding and discomfort. (It is important that you use the patches until the cold sore has completely healed, otherwise you risk getting the crusting over period.)

I didn’t feel so self conscious, as the cold sore was well hidden and I was even able to apply make-up over it (although I chose not to do this as I did find it gave my lip a kind of waxy look and made me feel more concious of it)

I highly recommend these patches and will definitely use them again  the next time I get another attack.(not too soon, I hope)

Amanda Roberts

www.hairandmakeup4u.com

NEW & EXCLUSIVE to thepromakeupshop.com

As a busy working mother of 2 young children I am a big fan of anything ‘relaxing’! I was delighted when asked by Antonia Hawke of The Pro Make Up Shop to review the latest soothing and cooling high tech eye gels from South Africa otherwise known as Eye Slices. ‘Encapsulated in a patented Cryogel technology’ this new product claims to deliver ‘natural, yet effective ingredients to the skin around the eye which promises revitalising results within 5 minutes’. Eye Slices also aim to reduce puffiness, dark circles, redness, wrinkles and tired eyes. Just what I needed after a very busy weekend of working, networking, socialising and lack of sleep!

The packaging is very appealing and has every bit of information you need to know about Eye Slices including the fact that one pair can be used up to 10 times, they don’t need to be kept in the fridge and they need to be used within 2 weeks of opening. The set came with a plastic container which reminds me of an over-sized contact lens case – this is where you store your Eye Slices when not in use.

Before use I cleansed and dried my skin taking care to remove all traces of eye make-up. The Eye Slices are initially packaged in a foil backed clear fronted container which is ideal for keeping the moisture and ingredients locked into the slices. The product itself is green in colour with no distinct smell. The slices are very flexible and felt quite durable. Once removed from the packaging I placed a slice over each eye. I did need to press the slice quite firmly onto the closed eye so that it moulded to the contours of my eye and held it in place. The slice needs to be comfortable and be able to stay on the eye area when sitting up.

You can keep the Eye Slices on for 5-20 minutes so seeing as I was having some ‘me’ time they stayed on for the whole 20 minutes! I found them very relaxing and gentle on the eye area. They didn’t sting my eyes nor did the product feel drying.

My main areas of concern around the eye area are fine lines and dark circles so I was very pleased to find upon removal of the Eye Slices that my whole eye area was smooth, tight, less tired and above all there were less shadows under my eyes. For a first application I was very impressed with the results and will definitely be recommending these to my clients for use after a late night or early morning, plane journey or for that ‘pick me up’ when you want to look fresh and awake!

A big thumbs up from me!

Priced at £9.99 and £14.99 you can read more about these at http://www.promakeupshop.com/

Kelly Hollands

www.kellyhollands.co.uk

Alex Box, famous for her unconventional approach to makeup, has created a book, with Rankin Photography and it shows some of her wildest and most creative looks to date.

Starting out as a fine artist and installation artist, her career took her into makeup where she melded nature, science, art and magic together.

Today, Alex works with such world renowned designers as Gareth Pugh, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, and is the driving force as the creative director for Illamasqua.

I caught up with her at the weekend when she was showcasing the Illamasqua Dystopia collection and she kindly took some time out to chat with me.

Resplendent in Bright Emerald Green with her trademark black and white hair, her face was bare of makeup except for sculptured brows and Emerald Green lips, I was pleased to also be cutting edge with my emerald green nails…!

Her philosophy on makeup is that it doesn’t always have to be about natural, but then it doesn’t always have to be wild and overly creative.

She’s very thankful for where she is in her career today, and at 36, is world renowned for her outrageous makeup looks, but is also called upon to create softer, more natural makeup for fashion and runway.  She says that not every designer wants wild and colourful, and that though they know her style, she will be asked to create other looks.

When I asked her about her inspiration for her creations, she said that often she doesn’t know where she’s going when she picks up her brushes, and that each face moves in a different way, but it isn’t always about creating conventional beauty.  In fact, when there, her demonstration on a male model was done completely on the hop, without any preconceived ideas, she hadn’t even met him before the start of the demonstration!

Very passionate about her makeup, she was pleased when I asked her about her own career path, and where she is today.  I’d listened to numerous young women asking her questions, and then proceeding to answer their own questions while Alex stood sipping from a bottle of water, with small opportunity to interject her thoughts.  Almost celebrity perhaps?  Certainly in the makeup world, yes.

Her book, available from October, is an explosion of colour and creativity.  And ‘The minute you obliterate someone’s spirit, you’re abusive’ is a statement that at first seems at odds with her fantasy looks, that on some occasions seem almost disturbing.  However, each model is shown as a mysterious creature, with the exotic and wild being at the centre.

And given the somewhat shocking looks in some of the images, one would think that Alex is a ‘divaesque’ makeup artist, but she really isn’t.  Her gentle movement of her model’s face from side to side as necessary, demonstrated that fame as an artist doesn’t mean throwing your makeup brushes around, but with it stays her status as a world class artist.

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

© Photography Rankin, Make Up Alex Box

Alex Box is published by Turnaround (£50) and runs as an exhibition at the Annroy Gallery, Kentish Town from 23^nd Oct – 22^nd Dec.

World famous Makeup Artist Jemma Kidd has done it again!

Made makeup look simple.  Well, it actually is, it just looks complicated.  How you get the look you like in the mirror is down to technique, and Jemma’s book makes it simple.

With everything covered from the very basics for a novice makeup artist right through to complex and complicated looks for the more experienced makeup fan, both artist and non.

There are colour palettes to get the right colours for your skintones.  Not quite the colour-me-beautiful of the 80s, but with a certain idealisation of what the right colours are.

For the person with ‘flaws’ on their face, or parts that they want to hide, there are visual tips and techniques on how to disguise parts of the face, and also on how to maximise parts.

And all round book that will be ideal for anyone who loves makeup, even those who are vastly experienced.  There’s plenty for everyone, and I’ve now devoured my book from cover to cover and it resides in pride of place with all my other makeup reference books!

Available from any good bookshop, it’s priced at £22.50 and worth every penny!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com