Image is a major part in how you communicate

You have 9 seconds for that first impression and no second chance!   It is interesting that the words you use only count for  7%, the way you say them for 38% and body language counts for 55%.  This is because that other person is so busy looking you up and down deciding if they like you.

Colours you wear, your personality style, body shape and accessories

With these statistics it is vital that these factors enhance your looks.  I have successfully used the 4 Seasons method for years, based on discovering whether warm or cool colours are best for you.  Colour analysis uses three dimensions, your natural hair colour, skin tones and eye colour.

Choosing foundations and lipstick colours

How many times have you chosen a foundation but find it turns too orangey on your face, or that you look like a ghost?  Or bought a lipstick but when wearing it, it changes and becomes too blue (cold) or orange and no longer resembles the colour in the tube?  (What a waste of time and money, as you cannot return it!)

Make-up must be tried out properly on your skin, your lips and your eyes to get the true value form it. 

It should also be tried on by you and not applied by someone else.  This is because each person’s touch is very different, for example, if you compare a light touch to a heavier one the way the foundation sits and ultimately settles on the skin will be totally different, resulting in very different makeup looks.  After all, it will be you applying it 99% of the time!

I suggest you book a Nutrimetics workshop or consultation so you can accomplish these objectives.

Use colour harmony to customise your make-up

Make up foundation colours vary from your colour harmonised palette due to the fact that they are one dimensional, if you have had your colours ‘done’ and for example, you are warm, you may be surprised to discover that cool or pink based foundations suit you better and vice versa.  Do not panic, just find a good make-up consultant who understands this fact and let her help you choose your best colours.  It is really easy if you have not been colour analysed!

Lipsticks vary according your natural lip colouring and the acidity present, so always test them on your own lips.

Eye colours are amazing and no rule fits all and I will continue this and how to create the Wow factor with your brows in my next blog!

Ideas and comments from you are important to me, so please use the box below.

new* Dark Circle Eraser

Interactive Skin Care 3 with Helen Reeves Nutrimetics

Are you concerned about puffy eyes or dark circles around your eyes? 

This is the question I asked on Monday at the Nutrimetics Sales Leaders meeting and the answer, well, all but one lady put up her hand!  I was quite amazed at this overwhelming response and nearly got crushed in the rush when I pulled out the brand new product – Dark Circle Eraser from the Ultra Care+ range.

Targeting tired eyes the Ultra Care+ Dark Circle Eraser refreshes them by reducing the appearance of dark circles and puffiness.  According to the press release it revives eyes in less time than it takes to have good night’s sleep!  According to the ladies who were looking at me,  it works, although actually I am not quite sure how to take this as I didn’t think my eyes were too bad!

The Eraser is a very clever piece of hand bag equipment, in a handy but small tube with a unique rollerball applicator for quick, fuss-free usage and is for everyone who is worried about dark circles, puffiness and tired looking eyes.  It is a genuine male and female product, suitable for all skin types and very cooling to use.

Are you ready for the technical bit? 

If not, then just skip this paragraph!  The way it works is that peptides diminish the look of dark circles, while caffeine and arnica stimulate the skin’s natural drainage function to reduce puffiness.

And as always, I do have an additional tip to you. 

Puffy eyes and dark circles can be hereditary, but can also be sign of lack of fluids, so do check you are drinking plenty of water every day.

This is a great product to enhance both our skin care workshops and the make-up workshops where you can test and try it yourself!

Please comment in the box below any questions or skin care concerns, or contact me directly.

My last interactive blog covered how computer work can affect your skin, and how the ageing process can be slowed.  Today I will discuss the effects of emotions, stress and temperature extremes on your skin and ways to counteract them.

Emotions and Stress

Stress can be physical or mental.  It usually occurs when you are under pressure and can build into a mental overload will lead to poor sleep and tiredness.  Being too busy to eat properly and choosing quick snacks and junk food will deprive the body of essential nutrients and develop into physical stress. 

Results of long term stress will show in face quite quickly.  Symptoms such as a grey, dull-looking skin, frown lines or extra lines around the mouth and eyes.  Spots, eczema, rashes, hives and late-onset acne often develop.

Tips for self-help (and I agree that the advice is easier to give than to do!) are to determine the cause of the stress and remove it.  If this is not possible then help yourself to cope by building relaxation into your life.  Relaxation could be taking long walks, relaxing baths, massage, yoga, exercise, golf but whatever you decide you must build into your life 2 or 3 times a week.

Tips for being too busy to eat properly are self-explanatory, but I will spell them out.  Eat three times a day and ever skip a meal and eat freshly prepared food where possible.  Carry a nut bar or fruit with you for emergencies.

Tips for repairing your skin

Use good skin care products and use them properly, every day.  You can book a Nutrimetics consultant to help you with this.

Temperature Extremes

Excess heat or cold can lead to broken capillaries or dry, delicate skin or chaffing.  At Nutrimetics we see a lot of redness, flakiness and unexplained rashes.

The UK and Irish climate is very hard on our skins as we have the sun, wind, cold and rain in differing forces throughout the year.   We do not escape when indoors due to air conditioning or central heating.

Tips for self-help to protect your skin include:

• Covering up
• Good skin care applicable for your type of skin
• Protection eg good sun protection products

Tips for repairing the damage:

• Nutrimetics Ultra-Care+ range offers good protection and also a variety of repair products, so do book a Nutrimetics consultation or workshop to discuss your needs.

I do hope that this helps you.  If you have questions or a particular skin concern please leave a comment in the box below, or contact me directly.

Interactive Skin Care with Helen Reeves Nutrimetics

When a mixed group of Sussex networkers asked me to talk about skin care, I pondered for a while as every one of them looked great at 8am with no sign of skin problems!  I decided on an interactive talk and let them choose cards headed with regular problems that I come across, so in this series of blogs I will discuss the different  skin care challenges that they do have and my self-help suggestions including recommendations of Nutrimetics products.

Computers

• Constant computer work can cause dry eyes, which can lead to decreased vision.  Help yourself by taking frequent breaks, drinking plenty of water, regular eye checks with your optician.
• The electro-magnetic field can cause skin ageing, headaches and frown lines.  Use good skin care every day including an eye cream (Nutri-Eyes by Nutrimetics helps to maintain ideal moisture levels, whilst the Comfort eye cream calms redness and soothes irritation around the eye area).
• Poor Posture.  Neck ache and back problems are caused by sitting in one position for too long.  Leaning forward and hunching your shoulders aggravate this.  Adopt good posture; use a Fitball for ten minutes every hour.  Poor posture can result in tight muscles leading to dry, tight skin.
• Suspended dust caused by the electro-magnetic field can cause allergies and skin rashes.
• Tip: place a large chunk of Amethyst near your computer screen, amethyst attracts the negative ions away from you.

The Ageing Process

Ageing is inevitable, but can be slowed.  Protection is the important thing, for example, compare parts of your body which are always covered by clothing to your face or hands.  Can you see the difference?  The question is, how can we protect our faces?  The answer is to use good facial moisturisers as these form the invisible protection.  Moisturisers come in many forms and a consultation is important to discover the best one for you, I consult in person at workshops and 1-1’s, by telephone, email or Skype so do contact me today.

In future blogs I will cover more skincare challenges such as emotions and stress, pollution, hormones, bacteria, temperature, health and offer self-help suggestions including recommending Nutrimetics products that will help you.

Meantime please leave a comment below, or a topic you would like covered.

Does your hair change when you go on holiday?  What I am asking is does the texture of your hair change when away from home?  Does it gain volume or just look lanky, does it hold its hair style or just be a nightmare to cope with?  

At Nutrimetics workshops which are held throughout the UK and Ireland, this is one of questions frequently asked.  We specialise in small group workshops which are free to hold and attend, so that you can test and try the products properly on yourself before making any product decisions.

Changes in local water affect the condition of your hair, as does the climate which may be more humid or drier, thus affecting the porous nature of your hair.  The sun, sea and swimming pool tends to bleach and brighten the hair colour, but dries it out causing longer term problems.  Changes in eating patterns show through in the condition of your hair, after all, it is fact that we are what we eat.

Tips to look after your hair whilst on holiday

• Drink plenty of water, whether you are on a hot or activity holiday your body loses water quickly, likewise if you find yourself drinking more alcohol.
• Cover your hair when in direct sunlight to protect from the external damage.
• Use quality, detergent free shampoos and conditioners in your home country and decant enough into small pots for your travels.
• Do not rub your hair dry, as this ruffles the cuticles causing the hair to lose it shine.

Nutrimetics Products for healthy hair whether home or away

• Essentials Shampoo, Frequency or Reconstruct.  Use sparingly on wet hair and massage to form a lather.  Rinse thoroughly and repeat if required (when the hair is clean these shampoos lather up easily)
• Essentials Conditioner, Frequency or Reconstruct.  After shampooing, comb through the hair and leave for up to 5 minutes.  Rinse thoroughly.   When blow drying, use cooler temperature.

For beach and watersport days, comb through the Nutrimetics Vitamined Oil from roots to hair tips and leave in all day.  This protects and nourishes the hair.  Tip: apply shampoo to the dry hair before adding water, this dissolves excess oils and allows a super deep cleanse.

I am interested if any of you suffer with this same holiday hair problem, and would welcome your ideas and tips for overcoming it.

Do contact me, or leave a comment below.

Most people pay careful attention to their skin, their hair is often left to fend for itself …. and it shows!  Your skin could never endure the harsh treatment that is so carelessly inflicted upon your hair but by understanding the purpose and structure of hair and the challenges that today’s lifestyle and environment present you can help it.

Like the skin, the hair needs gentle cleansing and moisturising to keep it soft, flexible and healthy.

Often if your skin type is dry,  you are likely to have dry hair characteristics.  Nutrimetics have closely researched this chemical and psychological connection and, as a result, you will find that many of the special active ingredients contained in their hair-care products closely follow the ingredients in the corresponding skin care formulations – effectively harmonising both skin-care and hair-care.

As with their skin care formulations, the shampoos and conditioners are detergent free, pH balanced and use age-old herbal prescription remedies such as:

ü  Sage Extract which strengthens and cleanses the hair.

ü  Willow Bark Extract – strengthens hair and helps regulate oil production

ü  Coltsfoot extract soothes the scalp

ü  Sunflower Ceramides to lock in colour, nourish and helps repair damage

ü  Milk Proteins to strengthen and nurture the hair.

ü  Horsetail Extract (it’s a herb!) – nourishes hair follicles and encourages volume

To keep life simple, the shampoos and conditioners come in two ranges. 

• Frequency – is mild enough to be used every day
• Reconstruct – is naturally enriched with ceramides and milk protein to strengthen, restore and protect chemically damaged hair and works to lock in the colour

I will include a few cleansing tips in this blog to help you get the most from these products.

• Always pre-rinse hair thoroughly before applying shampoo
• Massage the shampoo gently into the scalp using the pads of the fingertips.
• Avoid massaging shampoo through hair growing below chin length, as the diluted shampoo during the rinsing stage is perfect to cleanse the longer part of the hair.

I hope that you are now on your way to having healthy, shiny, manageable hair and in next blog will include more tips and the importance of hair conditioners.

Do contact me for more information on Nutrimetics products and also write your views and comments in the box below.

(information gathered from Nutri-Metics ‘Daily Hair Essentials’ and Product Fact Sheets)

Your hair reflects what is happening in your life.  If your diet is lacking in essential nutrients, if you are not coping with stress, environmental factors, human error or using incorrect hair care products your hair will suffer.  A lot of hairdressers say they see this before their customers even says hallo!  My previous blog covered the purpose and structure of hair.

Environmental Factors

Such as air pollution and climate, in particular the sun, are amongst the major causes of today’s hair care problems.  Prolonged and repeated exposure to our harsh climate, especially the sun’s harmful UV rays, cause the hair to dry out but can also disrupt the cuticle cells causing them to wither and break down resulting in dull, lifeless hair!

Human Error and Mistreatment

This is the common cause of most hair damage today.  The harsh chemicals used for permanent waves and colour, the heat from blow-dryers and curling irons can actually burn the hair using extreme damage.  Ruffling the hair whilst towel drying can ‘ruffle’ the cuticles resulting in dull, dry looking hair.  Do contact me for ideas to overcome this.

Incorrect Hair Products

Strong detergent based shampoos with a pH level of 7 or more can also cause damage to the structure of each individual hair shaft.

Shampoos (hair cleansers) and Conditioners (hair moisturisers) serve two very different functions.  A shampoo opens the pores of the hair to provide the cleansing function, whilst a conditioner soothes the cuticle and closed the pores to protect the hair.  Thus it is not advisable to use a shampoo and conditioner ‘all in one’ as such products will counteract this basic procedure.

If you start to correct some of the above procedures you will be on your way to have healthy, shiny, manageable hair and my next beauty blog will discuss the Nutrimetics prescription for healthy hair and skin.  In the meantime, I welcome your comments on today’s hair care problems, as well as ideas and questions.

 (Information gathered from Nutri-Metics ‘Daily Hair Essentials’)

Do you care for your hair or leave it to fend for itself?  Years ago my friend’s Dad told her to use washing up liquid, it would sort out her oily hair.  The result was even oilier, lank, dull hair which she genuinely could do ‘nothing with’!  Poor girl, her spotty, oily skin was also at crisis level and she hated going out.  If only we both knew then what Nutrimetics has taught us now.

Shiny, healthy and manageable.  This is hair in its ideal state, and it is achievable!  In this series of blogs, you will your understand your hair, the purpose and structure of hair, today’s haircare problems, cleansing and extra care tips, tried and trusted ingredients and the Nutrimetics prescription for healthy hair.

The Purpose of Hair

Hair is one of the most productive growth areas of the body, and with the exception of our lips, the soles of our feet and the palms of our hands, the whole of our body is covered hair.

The hair on our scalp grows the longest and the thickest to help protect one of our most vital organs – the brain.

The Structure of Hair

Our hair consist of three layers – the medulla, the cortex and the cuticle.

      The Medulla is the innermost core of each hair, giving thickness to the hair shaft and is sometimes missing fine hair.

      The Cortex, is composed of cells providingstrength and flexibility to the hair and also containing the colour pigmentation.

      The Cuticle is the outside layer of the hairshaft.

Healthy hair is incredibly strong, in fact it is stronger than a length of copper wire to the same thickness.  Dry, neglected hair however, is weak, brittle and can break at the slightest pressure. 

It is quite normal to lose between 50-150 hairs every day, and more during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause periods. 

You may experience increased hair loss if you have been on a strict diet which does not cover all your bodily needs for essential nutrients. 

By understanding your hair, you can have healthy, shiny, manageable hair and my next beauty blog will discuss the problems we face to today to do this.  Meanwhile please contact me, or better still leave comments and questions in the box below ……

Is it an accepted fact that men do not have to worry about their facial looks ie their skin?  Remember that first impressions count and you do not get a second chance here!  Many men have been told that soap and water or shave and water is sufficient!  However, Nutrimetics consultants and beauty therapists meet  men who do have skin problems, whilst others want a healthy youthful looking skin but do not know where to get help and advice.  So can we help them?

First of all let us look at the male skin and why good skincare is needed. 

Compared to female skin it tends to be:

• more oily- creating larger pores and more prone to blackheads
• generally a coarser skin texture
• thicker – containing more collagen, which is why men age later
• men’s skin is more easily dehydrated
• increased sensitivity to testosterone which aggravates acne

Additionally the wear and tear that a man’s skin endures on a daily basis creates more problems.  Examples are:

• shaving -chemicals in the shaving cream
• scraping the face daily with a razor
• abuse with harsh washing
• rarely using a skin / sun protectant

These can all lead to increased sensitivity, sun damage, premature ageing and wrinkles.  Whilst increased computer work, air travel or extensive driving can create dryness around the eye area and cause concern about lines. 

 Listening carefully to what they are looking for will help to find the problem and then solutions can be found, but bear in mind that men like to:

• get straight to the point regarding why to use a product, what it will do and what it will cost. 
• they often expect instant results
• and tend to be very practical, preferring multi-functional products – ie simplicity and no ‘clutter’.

 Can a good men’s skin care routine be designed?  It is easy, let them make the decision!  By you asking questions and them testing the products first you can suggest different routines that will work for them then they can make the final decision.

In addition to the Nutrimetics ‘For Men’ range, depending on the skin problems – Clear, Heritage and Nutri Clean bring great results too for all the age groups, whilst I recommend Nutri-Eyes or Comfort for the eye area as these have ingredients to soothe, calm and re-hydrate.

I hope this helps, please give me feedback and more ideas by contacting me or starting a comment stream below.  Thank you.

What’s the difference between a plum and a prune?  A prune is a plum that is drying out due to lack of moisture!

The same thing happens to human skins, but can you stay as a plum? 

Yes is the answer, with the help of moisturisers, you can.

 Moisturisers are a blend of ingredients designed:

• to replace moisture lost from the skin each day
• to soften lines, wrinkles, cracking, roughness and irritations
• to protect against the drying and damaging effects of everyday life.

For computer users, both men and women, a good moisturiser is needed to combat the negative ions emitted from the screens and when working in air conditioned offices dehydration from the skin is multiplied.

 What type of moisturiser is best for you?  It is the different blends of ingredients that determine which moisturisers suit different skin types and the associated needs or problems.

 Look for products free from

• mineral oil (can clog pores and cause irritation)
• lanolin (sheep’s sebum and a common irritant)
• petrolatum (tends to ‘sit’ on the skin blocking natural respiration, excretion and absorption of other nutrients). 

 In their place, Nutrimetics moisturisers use naturally enriched ingredients such as Cotton Seed Oil, Soy Bean Oil, Peach and Apricot Kernel Oils, Shea Butter, Rice Bran Oil which are known for their easy absorption and nutritional value.

 Nutrimetics skin care products are pH balanced to work together synergistically.  The cleansers and toners help to maintain the skin’s natural pH levels allowing the acid mantle to protect against infection, bacteria, pollution.  When you use a Nutrimetics Skin Care collection you will see and feel the true benefit to your skin and become a plum again!

 You can find out more about Nutrimetics  ‘plum or prune’ moisturising skin care by commenting here or contacting me.