skin

This year, beauty came back. After over a year (on and off) of not being able to visit our favourite salons, spas and clinics for our usual beauty pick-me-ups, their return was welcomed with open arms. Because sure, while learning how to do our nails, hair and waxing at home was fun for a little while, the truth is, going to the salon for a beauty treatment is an experience you just can’t recreate at home. Having said that, since beauty has opened back up, it’s safe to say that the way in which we want to spend our time has changed. Pre-pandemic, many of us wouldn’t have batted an eyelid at the prospect of running around town, hopping from salon to salon to tick off our beauty chores. Nowadays, however, we want convenience. Not only do we want to minimise the amount of indoo...

How do I know this, you ask? Because without blowing my own trumpet, I feel confident in saying that I know a lot more about skin and skincare than most. And, when my typically clear, glowing complexion started showing signs of acne over a year ago, I simply didn’t know what to do. I tried every tip and trick that I had learned. I tried acids, I tried no acids, I tried retinol, I tried no retinol, I tried countless different cleansers, as well as stripping my routine back to basics. And despite actioning everything I thought I knew to work, nothing helped.  In the grand scheme of things, my acne isn’t terrible. However, as someone who totally skipped the teenage breakout phase, breaking out in painful, cystic acne in my twenties didn’t make me feel great. The spots them...

You see, when it comes to social turbulence, much like the sort we have experienced since the pandemic broke in 2020, we often turn to the past to seek comfort. And beauty products act as one of the most effective ways to keep our brains in a happy place, thanks to their distinguishable scents and textures. “Various research in neuroscience over the years has examined the link between the brain, memory & scent,” says Dr Jeanina Mahrenholz, counselling psychologist at Chelsea Pharmacy Medical Clinic. “The amygdala part of the brain has a primary role in processing memory and emotional responses. This part of our brain has a direct link to our lymphatic system and is sensitive to scent, which in turn may result in activation of memories and sense of nostalgia,” she adds. I...

With our social lives largely put on hold, many of us, the Who What Wear UK team included, utilised our time spent indoors to experiment with new makeup, skincare, and haircare. But which products were we buying the most? With our interest piqued, we set about finding out.  From John Lewis & Partners and ASOS to Net-a-Porter and Cult Beauty, we asked some of beauty’s top retailers to tell us which five beauty products are most in demand. Keep scrolling to discover the most popular beauty products of 2020, and see how many you can tick off your bucket list.  You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in...

It goes without saying, of course, that the place is full of Instagrammable gimmicks. (I use that word in its most literal sense without negativity.) I’m talking a conveyor delivery service that drops your order to a perfectly pink pickup window, Glossier’s iconic G logo emblazoned on the walls and powdery-pink benches to relax on. And it’s not just beauty products that you can stock up on at Glossier London but the brand’s full line of merch, too. Adored by beauty editors, everything from Glossier hoodies to water bottles is on offer. Notably, an in-store London-exclusive passport cover is top of my wish list. I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting to be impressed. To me, as a beauty editor, Glossier’s London store launch was just another event on my calendar. However, after visiting the...

While the beauty industry has spent a lot of time talking about shade-range extensions and vowing to listen and learn, as 2021 draws to a close, we’re left asking the all-important question: Just how much has really changed? “What’s massively disheartening is that promises were made and not adhered to. When Black History Month came around this year, I thought of course the beauty industry would do something [to mark the occasion], but there was nothing of note,” says Cartwright. It was at that moment she decided something should be done and set about launching the Black Beauty Council. “It’s a council and collective that comes together to drive change. I wanted to create an initiative that holds brands accountable. Not in a cancel-culture way, but in a way that can help guid...

After two weeks of using the tool every single day, I can categorically say yes it is. In fact, considering it only launched into retailers a couple of days ago, I’d go as far as to say this has the potential to be the one of the biggest skincare products of 2022. You see, while the results aren’t too dissimilar from other facial-massage tools out there in terms of lifting, sculpting and glow-boosting, the tool itself is much easier and more enjoyable to use.  “It targets wrinkles deep below the surface by transmitting vertical waves, as opposed to horizontal waves,” explains Darden. And because the device doesn’t use microcurrent technology, unlike so many others out there, you don’t need to faff with a conducting gel. “The product does come with a gel, but it’s there to give a ...

You see, besides being a beauty editor, I am also likely in the top 1% of Elemis fans. I’m a sucker for efficacious luxury skincare that has a spa-like, sensorial aspect that just makes you feel great whenever you use it. The best skincare product, after all, is the one that you actually use. So needless to say, I love Elemis, and I’m not alone. With every fan of Elemis singing its praises all over social media, it’s no wonder that so many people are intrigued. However, it’s worth noting here that I am also someone who fervently believes in honest and open conversations around skincare, and that is hard to come by when it comes to luxury products. When we part with a lot of cash for something, we become determined to make it work. And this is whe...

You see, retinol promotes cell turnover, which helps keep my skin looking fresh and alive so that new, fresh skin comes to the surface more quickly. Niacinamide, on the other hand, keeps my pores in check and soothes any irritation, while vitamin C boosts glow and helps my skin fend off damage caused by environmental aggressors such as pollution and UV rays. Top that off with my number-one skincare must-have, SPF, which protects my skin against ageing and sun damage, and I have the perfect recipe for healthy skin. The downside is that these powerful actives can be expensive. While single-ingredient serums might seem more affordable at first, quite often they aren’t formulated with all the hydrating ingredients that your skin also needs to maintain optimum health. Person...

There was a moment a few years ago when everyone started taking skincare super seriously. It was a common opinion that if you used face wipes, you were told to sit on a naughty step, and if you didn’t know the names of the actives in a serum, then you shouldn’t be using it. Let’s not even discuss the fact that if you weren’t following a 15-step skincare routine in a very precise order, you were simply missing out. Honestly, it all got a bit too much. At the same time, unless you were using The Ordinary, affordable skincare brands just weren’t the brands of choice. We wanted to discover the latest buys with the latest super ingredients, which usually had the price tags to match. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagi...

Since learning of SAD and the apparent role that light plays in its onset, I decided to invest in an SAD light. Before I get into my experiences with SAD lights, I would like to caveat that if you are struggling to cope with SAD, it is really important to book in with your GP. My own experience with SAD is mild and manageable, so I felt as though helping boost my daily exposure to light was worth a shot. The theory goes that investing in a lamp that simulates the sort of bright sunshine you might expect on a summer’s day can help trick your brain into reducing its melatonin production and boosting production of serotonin. Plus, there are also alarm clocks which mimic a natural sunrise (and sunset) to help get that circadian rhythm back on track. For the past two years, I have had an SAD la...

It’s no secret that the way we’ve shopped for beauty has changed in recent years. Cast your mind back to a pre-pandemic world and buying new beauty products online was reserved exclusively for solid repurchases or desperate emergencies. Fast forward to now, however, and you’d be hard pressed to get anyone out of the house for the sole purpose of buying a new moisturiser. As with just about every other area of our lives, we want shopping for beauty products to be a quick, seamless, and stress-free affair. Our days of trawling around shopping centres trying to locate all our beauty favourites are behind us. We want everything in one place with easily accessible information and reviews—and we want it delivered straight to our doors. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you ...