On applying Laura Geller Baked Marble Eyeshadow...

With a lot of make-up ranges, you may only find one or two products that you really warm to or get on with. With Laura Geller, every product is fantastic quality. She travels around the world and actually hand-picks the formulas that she likes and that work for her.
 
Her products are all so versatile as they can be interchanged for what you want to use them for - be it a liner, eye colour or highlighter.

A few top tips for applying Laura Geller Baked Marble Eyeshadow

- To step into a high fashion look for the spring/summer season, the gold and plum tones of Laura Geller Baked Marble Eyeshadow are perfect. Simply sweep the colour over your eyelids for a lovely shimmer.

On a face wash and moisturiser for young skin...

I have a little girl aged 11 and I would like her to start using a face wash and moisturiser. Which products would be suitable for such young skin?

Alison: The A'kin range automatically springs to mind and should be fine for her skin. It's quite a fun range, unisex and economical with great pricing and big sizes. She may be more interested in it too as it supports a lot of environmental issues and a lot of youngsters are often more alert to these issues because of their education etc.

From a Mum point of view, you should like this range too as the products are paraben-free and enriched with pure ingredients. She should also enjoy and grow into this range without spending too much money, yet still looking after her skin.

Shop for A'kin skincare

 

My top bargain buys this Beauty Day

To make sure you don't miss out on bagging a bargain this Beauty Day, I've picked out my top five beauty products just for you!

1. Elemis 4 Piece Tan Accelerator Collection

This is a limited edition collection - not even available in salons. The Tan Accelerator can be used to get an even film star tan without spending any more time in the sun. But remember to still apply an SPF factor.

So, the best way to use it is as an after-sun moisturiser. It will keep your tan developing, encouraging it to develop further, and help to prevent it from fading.

On make-up to complement blonde hair and pale skin...

I have a problem with my make-up. I have just dyed my hair blonde from being dark brown and now I'm not sure what colours I should be using. I have green eyes and pale skin, which is combination. I am 35 years old. Can you also suggest what I can use under my eyes as I have very bad eye bags which never go whatever I try.

Alison: When you dye your hair a different colour, people don't realise that it can be a complete shock when you get home and suddenly none of your make-up seems to work on you anymore. It's like wearing a new coloured dress - if you've never worn a red dress in your life and then you choose to wear one, you look in the mirror and can think, "oh my goodness, my hair and make-up look terrible!"

It's just a completely different tone next to your skin that you aren't used to. It doesn't mean that you don't look great with your new dress or hair colour - it just means that you may need to rethink your complexion products.

For sore and puffy skin after eyebrow waxing...

I'm 41 and have just started to have my eyebrows waxed. They became very puffy and sore for about a week. If I can't find anything to help I'm going to have to stop, so I would love all the help I can get.

Alison: They shouldn't be puffy and sore after a week. If you've waxed your eyebrows yourself then you may have not stretched the skin with your other hand while waxing or you may have not pulled the wax off at the right angle, and have caused a little inflammatory reaction in the eyebrow area. The skin will have been pulled up and become bruise like - so causing the cells to fill with fluid.

If you've had this done at a salon, then you should tell them if it happens again as the techniques they've used may have been incorrect. Give them the opportunity to correct this for next time.

Remember also that you can be more sensitive to waxing at the time of the month - and this applies to any form of waxing. So, it's best done at the beginning or middle of your menstrual cycle when you will be less sensitive.

Hygiene is also important before and after waxing. Make sure your skin is completely clean and free from any make-up. Afterwards, if you want to apply a little make-up I recommend Bare Escentuals and would advise using an antiseptic - I recommend applying tea tree oil on the area for a couple of days.

There are other hair removal options that you could consider - threading is done in a salon and is really quick, or tweezing can be done at home or in a salon.

On a male skincare product for acne scars and ingrowing hairs...

My partner has Afro-Caribbean skin and is adamant on using his own facial products. I've been desperately trying over the last few months to convert him to a skin friendlier range.

He suffered terribly as a teenager and in his early twenties with acne and ingrowing hairs and he goes to the barbers on a weekly basis for a shave, so it would be pointless in me buying a kit with aftershave cream in it. I know Liz does her own male skincare range, but the kit that I think suits him most is the female kit. Is it OK to use this kit on men's skin or is it too weak? Also, he now wants a facial wash too.

Alison: Basically the female Liz Earle range is exactly the same formula as the men's Liz Earle range, just in different packaging. Liz Earle designed the range for skin, not for women specifically. So, yes, if he prefers those Liz Earle formulas - such as the Liz Earle Skin Repair instead of an aftershave cream - then it's fine for him to carry on using them.

Actually going to a traditional barbers and getting a wet shave is really good. Barbers do a lot of skin work with cleansing and helping to soften beard growth - so let him continue to enjoy that. I would definitely include the Decleor Prolagene Gel and he should apply this underneath his moisturiser. This should give him a long-term result on the coarsened or darkened skin from scarring when he was younger. It will also be great for ingrowing hair scars.

Facial wash-wise, I want to recommend brands that are complimentary to this routine. So, he could try the Elemis Sensitive Skin Wash or an A'kin Facial Wash. Both of these brands are designed to be unisex and are plant based too. Elemis did bring out a men's range but these formulas are the same as the women's, again just in different packaging.

Also, if you he's using any aftershave or alcohol-based finishing products on the skin, these are better applied to the neck and chest than to the face.

On a fast-acting product for deep lines around the eyes...

Could you please help me choose a powerful and fast-acting product for my eyes? I'm 35 years old but due to years of sunbed abuse I have the eyes of a much older woman. I have deep lines the length of my whole lower eye area, lots of small fine lines and crepey skin.

I stopped using sunbeds about a year ago but the abuse has well and truly taken its toll. My eyes are desperately in need of help. My skin is combination - I sometimes have a greasy t-zone, dry cheeks and open pores.

Alison: You're right to treat your eyes completely separately as your skin type doesn't have anything to do with what you need for your eyes. For example, you may have an oily skin type but this won't apply to your eye area as there are no oil glands there.

I'm going to recommend a fast-acting and powerful regime that I'd expect to a see results from within the first week. Sun damage takes about ten years for it to appear on your skin so you're obviously starting to see its effects now. So use the Gatineau Floracil Eye Make-up Remover - don't underestimate the results you can get from taking off your eye make-up with a separate eye make-up remover (as opposed to a cleanser), especially to keep your skin looking as young as it can. Using a separate product can stop the eyes from being pulled around by a flannel or an all-in-one product.

Then try Prescriptives Super Line Preventor right up to the lashes - you can use this on your whole face as well, though on the eyes it's fantastic for helping with any fine lines. You can apply this quite liberally.

Then put Gatineau Melatogenine Futur Plus Eye Cream on, and two-three times a week I'd like you to wear to bed the Gatineau Melatogenine Face Mask on your eyes - it can be used all around the eyes right up to the lashes. This particular routine that I've suggested is a powerful, fast-acting one - as you need to improve the look of your wrinkles now because you shouldn't be suffering from them so much at your age.

The more often you can use these products the better. If you keep applying these products, three and even four times a day, the better results you'll get.

On using the Decleor range during pregnancy...

I'm three months pregnant and am wondering if it's OK for me to use the Decleor range during pregnancy? I know I can use the prolagene gel but can I also use the system corps and is it safe to use neroli essential oil? I'm getting a little paranoid about what I can and can't use.

Alison: The Decleor range should be absolutely fine and safe to use. The only thing I wouldn't advise is using any of their body products for celulite or detoxing, but that would be the same with any skincare or salon range. This is because you shouldn't be worrying about your weight or fluid retention as this is normal during pregnancy and is looked after for you by your doctor. You can try relaxing bath products just avoid any bath products for detoxing. 

The ready blends of oils, such as Decleor Aromessence Neroli Face Oil, are safer to use than trying to use the essential oils yourself, as they have been made to the highest standards by scientists who are aware of the safety of those using them.