Skincare steps into the space age
Prince Harry seems fairly down-to-earth for any prince, however this week he
reminded all of us just how well-heeled he's as he kneeled right down to speak
with a little boy and showed tell-tale 'H' monograms on the soles of his shoes:
an unmistakable manifestation of bespoke workmanship.
Within this
mass-produced world, having something meizitang msv tailor-made is perhaps the last vestige of
true luxury. It's not just about rising above hoi polloi; its also about
something that suits an individual's needs, as opposed to a one-size-fits
all.
Imagine going to the dentist and using someone else's mould: you'd
possess a mouthful of wonky teeth. And yet that is what millions of us do when
we buy make-up or skincare.
And that is what Boots is planning to stop --
with the aid of a little rocket science.
Ioma (ioma-paris.com) is a
pioneering French brand that has hitherto been only at Harrods. As of this
month, it will be offered at Boots stores over the land.
The important thing
to Ioma may be the diagnostics. The brand's founder -- one Jean Michel Karam, a
pioneer in neuro-scientific MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) -- has
devised a piece of equipment that accurately and quickly supplies skin data so
that the customer can make an educated choice.
No more wondering whether a
method is going to work. Karam is a scientist: he deals in facts, not
unrealistic.
That's the theory, a minimum of. To place it to the test, I
decided to do a little bit of paid shopping.
The beauty department of shoes in Westfield, West London, is the usual jumble
of brands, filled with bored-looking sales assistants gossiping and tidying
their sections. Aside from something: a large, sleek white spaceship seems to
have landed in the center of it.
This is actually the shiny new Ioma counter,
staffed with a smart-looking young woman, who is diligently polishing the gear
when I approach. She seems only too happy to help: within minutes I have my head
inside a large white spaceman's helmet
As with worthwhile sci-fi movie there
are a variety of flashing lights and the obligatory probe. Nothing sinister,
Emily (for that is her name) assures me, just a test to determine my skin's
water content and desquamation (that's the dead skin cells for you and
me).
The exam takes just a few seconds, and the results are displayed on the
screen. I should warn you, this bit is a little unnerving: the device isn't
exactly set to stunning, definitely not with my ugly mug inside it.
Its
dimensions are -- and proudly displays for anybody to see -- my fine lines,
wrinkles, sagging, redness, bacterial activity, clogged pores, UV damage, bags,
droopy eyelids and dark circles. I'm slightly expecting a loud alarm to go off:
'Warning, warning, old bag alert'. But actually it's not too bad.
My skin is
spotless, no bacteria whatsoever (that is interesting, since I seldom cleanse),
no clogged pores, no redness, almost no UV damage (all that obsessive sunscreen
wearing should have repaid).
My desquamation, on the other hand, is off the
scale, and my skin is extremely dehydrated. So Emily explains the products that
should help: Ioma's Gentle Exfoliating Emulsion (??¡ìo29) and also the Optimum
Moisture Serum (??¡ìo65), to use under my normal moisturiser. I additionally
have pronounced dark shadows, so she suggests the Generous Eye Contour Cream
(??¡ìo70).
The concept is that I will return in four to six weeks' time to
find out if the lotions and potions have done their job -- and whether my
treatment plan needs adjusting.
Two counters away, No7 is rolling out its
very own space-age gadget, designed to unite woman with their correct foundation
and concealer shade in eternal happiness. This is a service that launched not
long ago but they have just introduced a new feature: lipstick matching.
Now
we all know how hard it's to find the right shade of lipstick. 50 % of time it
looks great within the shop, then you get it home and realise it makes you look
like you've been recently exhumed.
Unlike Ioma, this isn't brain surgery.
However it works surprisingly well. The device marks me out as 'warm ivory',
along with simple colour card lists the colors that suit me -- fully 21 over the
No 7 range.
I pick out the least likely, a garish affair styling itself as
Rose Blush (??¡ìo9.95). Never in my wildest dreams would I've picked this: it is
extremely loud and more than a touch trashy.
Pammy, the assistant, however,
is quietly confident; so when the result within the mirror, I'm genuinely
surprised.
It appears rather classy. It is extremely strange -- but also
rather thrilling. I attempt some more improbable shades. You will find, they all
match, even the reddish brown colours I would usually avoid like the plague. A
really life-changing invention.
This made me laugh: it requires the average woman one year and 7 months to
lose her baby weight, according to a brand new survey. Is the fact that
right?
Well clearly I never got that memo, because my youngest is nine
(that's years, not months) and i am still carrying my jelly belly
baby.
Pregnancy weight, and how quickly a lady does or doesn't lose it, is
among those eternally fertile subjects.
In celebrity-land, the approved time
period in which someone is expected to 'snap back' (such an unpleasant turn of
phrase) appears to be getting ever smaller.
Katie Price, for example, who
recently gave birth to a small human she's decided to name, inexplicably, Bunny,
may be the reigning queen from the snap-back. Barely hours after Bunny's birth,
Price was posting snaps of her unfeasibly flat tummy on the web.
The Duchess
of Cambridge, too, doesn't fool around. Nor did Victoria Beckham (although
everyone rather cruelly said she'd had a abdominoplasty following the
C-sections, but I can't believe any responsible surgeon would agree to
this).
Admittedly each one of these women are highly motivated to regain
their shape.
But the the truth is, whether you lose the baby weight is only
partly a question of effort and dedication; you will find myriad other factors
to take into consideration, too.
Truth is, it's easier for some than it is
for other people. Any random sample zi xiu tang bee pollen of mothers will explain that. For many
women, pregnancy and childbirth rarely constitutes a kink; for other people, it
can do irreversible damage.
This is exactly why these articles are so
destructive (this latest one was by a parenting website).
New mothers really
are a slightly nutty, vulnerable lot at the better of times.
They've quite
enough to cope with without idiotic surveys telling them how long it should take
these to lose the baby weight.
Some women never lose it all. And that's
absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Actually, it may be also nature's
way.
After all, motherhood changes us all for good. Why shouldn't this be
reflected in the manner we glance?
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