POSTED: 5 Nov 2017

SUNDAY VIBES | LOLA OJ, BANANAS & MORE…

It has been a busy week for us here at The Blog. We’ve decided to do a little rejuvenation of the site and whilst we can’t give anything away, it is going to be big! With that said, we’ve also survived another Halloween and Winter is most definitely here (albeit made easier by a little sunshine). In this Sunday’s beauty digest, things get a little hairy and we are very excited to introduce our YouTube of the week for so many reasons! So, brew your morning caffeinated drink of choice, chill back and enjoy.

YouTube Beauty Channel To Check Out

To continue our theme of fuss-free beauty, this week’s YouTube channel epitomises fun and relaxed beauty. Lola OJ is a British Nigerian Law graduate turned entrepreneur whose YouTube tutorials effortlessly blend makeup guides and skincare hacks for everyday polished beauty. The videos are always high in energy, set to a great soundtrack and delivered with a touch of wry humour. Not to be missed are her “15-minute makeup in a hurry” and “how to avoid under eye creases” tutorials. Her presence on Twitter and Instagram showcase her style which like her beauty tutorials is chic, vibrant and channels her Nigerian heritage. Even better, is the little glimpses you get into Lagos and Nigerian life (where she’s currently based) will bring a little warmth and happiness to a dreary winter’s day.

Hair & Skincare Tip To Try

Ok, so the effects of cold weather on the skin are quite well understood. Unfortunately, the winter period also has a habit of damaging hair to result in drying, breakage and split-ends. The combination of cold weather and indoor heating can also cause your scalp to peel causing increased sensitivity and dandruff. We’ve already said, Sundays are for chilling and watching beauty YouTube videos so clearly, a super simple and lazy hack is needed to save skin and hair from winter. Enter the humble banana!

Bananas are fantastic for both your skin and hair. They are rich in potassium (which is necessary to hydrate cells), Vitamins (A, B and E) as well as antioxidants. As such they can be used to increase hydration and moisture, brighten, exfoliate and resurface.  Rescue dry hair and flaky scalp by mashing a ripe banana and mixing it with a tablespoon of olive (or Argan or Coconut) oil then massage your hair and scalp. Wrap hair in a towel or stick into a shower cap and leave on for 30 minutes before rinsing off for soft and shiny hair. For a brightening and smoothing face mask,  mash a ripe banana with a tablespoon of honey then apply to cleansed skin for 15 minutes before washing off and following up with a moisturiser.

Makeup Technique To Practice

Winter brings about a number of beauty complaints. The main one is usually a sallow and dull complexion. In addition to a good skincare regime, you can liven up the appearance of your skin by thoughtfully using colour correcting concealers. Read our easy to follow guide on how to expertly colour correct your skin to brighten, even out skin tone and reduce the appearance of redness, dark circles and spots. You really don’t need very much in the way of product or know how to start and might find that this technique boosts the appearance of your skin.

Beauty Guide To Read

To prepare your skin for the cold months, check out our survival guide to winter skincare. Its an easy read to looking after your face and body for smooth and soft glowing skin all winter. The trick is to have an easy to follow routine augmented with an add-on weekly exfoliating step using only a small number of key products. The added benefit of following this is that you’ll also be able to start Spring/Summer with gorgeous looking (and feeling) skin.

Sneak Peek At The Coming Week In Beauty

We’ll still be working in the background on redesigning the blog page to make it easier for you to navigate. We’re also still editing videos for our YouTube channel (we’ve missed our deadline 🙁 but fingers crossed!!). In the coming week, we’ll be starting our new product review section (“The Peer Review”) in which we send a group of busy women a beauty product to try and systematically analyse their feedback for an in-depth multi-focal review! We are also super excited to be interviewing the data analyst and social entrepreneur, Noora Husseini. The founder of Teita Leila discusses life, work, entrepreneurship, style and beauty. Finally, keep an eye out for our daily beauty posts which will focus on skincare and hair this week. We will also be investigating the relationship between birth control and skin health in a post later this week.

With that we will leave you to lounge, indulge in YouTube beauty tutorials and think about that brunch… If you can’t get enough of our fuss-free beauty advice for busy women, check out the rest of the blog for tips, tricks and so much more. Let us know if there’s anything you want us to cover or if you wish to nominate an up and coming YouTube talent.

What next?

Don’t miss our most recent post on the skincare treatment that’s challenging Botox.

If this is your first visit and enjoyed this Sunday’s beauty digest, check out last week’s.

Authored by:

Dr Amel Ibrahim
Aesthetic Doctor & Medical Director
BSC (HONS) MBBS MRCS PHD
Founder City Skin Clinic
Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
Associate Member of British Association of Body Sculpting GMC Registered - 7049611

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