Kate Logan Beauty

Skincare ought to be simple, but as each week goes by another product is launched and another new (or should I say rehashed!) trend is reported. My hope is that this blog will provide you with all the information that you need to make the best choice for your skin. I also hope that this blog will be able to blast through a lot of the beauty myths. So, lets begin and we'll start at the very beginning (I've heard its a very good place to start!) ..... Forget Your Age, Especially When Choosing Skincare Products Its very easy to create cookie cutter skincare. The cosmetic companies make it seem all so easy - young people have oily skin and the more mature among us suffer from dry skin. Therefore highly irritating products are targeted at the young, causing dry & irritated skin; thick, gloppy and overly emollient products are targeted at mature skin types causing breakouts and dull looking skin. Find the product to tackle the problems you are currently experiencing, not the prob...

Step away from the magnifying mirror and let yourself off the hook. Rest assured that is not how the rest of the world sees you. That is unless you carry around your own hideous fluorescent lighting and invite all and sundry to check out your pores with your handy handbag size magnifying glass! One teeny weeny spot does not mean you have acne. One fine little expression line does not mean you need to be prodded with a syringe full of botox. Be kind to yourself and be honest, it really is liberating! I have seen far too many facial clients who have overreacted to a simple stress breakout, gone out and purchased mega watt acne treatments and created red, irritated and very, very, very spotty skin for themselves. Deep down we are all truly sensitive souls and that includes our skin. Would you wash a baby's delicate skin with harsh products loaded with chemicals, follow on with a drench of alcohol rich toner then follow immediately with either a thick and uber cloying cream or a moistu...

Before we delve into the fabulous world of skin type lets take a short detour and learn some basic (I promise you I won't ramble on!) physiology. Just knowing the physical make up of your skin will make it so much easier for you to cut through all the nonsense of those so called "miracle" products and enable you to make the best possible choice for your skin. Your skin isn't just a gorgeous layer of loveliness; it does some very important work. It provides protection from the elements, maintains your body temperature, eliminates toxins, protects you from all sorts of bacterial nasties and best of all is home to all those gorgeous nerve endings which give you your glorious sense of touch! Epidermis The epidermis is constantly being renewed. It takes around 28 days for the skin cells to travel from the base of the epidermis to the top, unfortunately this process slows as we age. This is why many skincare companies produce quite harsh skin treatments to irritate the skin...

What does SPF mean? All sunscreens in the UK are labelled with the letters SPF. SPF stands for sun protection factor. The SPF number is determined in lab tests by exposing skin to a light spectrum that mimics the level of UV at midday. The SPF is the level of protection that is offered against UVB (it’s the measure of time that you can stay in the sun with sunscreen on before redness occurs on the skin). So if you are a person who would start to burn after about 10 minutes in the sun without sunscreen then by applying an SPF 15 (10 minutes till burn time x 15 spf = 150) you would gain 150 minutes of UVB protection. UVA & Star System On sunscreens purchased in the UK you will find the UVA logo (“UVA” printed in a circle) accompanied by up to 5 stars.The UVA logo indicates that the UVA protection is at least a 1/3 of that of the SPF.The stars indicate the amount of UVA rays absorbed by the sunscreen in comparison to the UVB. So if you purchase a sunscreen with a low SPF, it might hav...

To really make the best choices for your skin you do need to know about UV. Ultra Violet Radiation from the sun is categorized into three different bands - UVA, UVB & UVC. Don’t worry about UVC, it gets filtered out by the atmosphere and doesn’t reach the earth’s surface. But we all have to be concerned about UVA & UVB radiation. UVA - Think A for ageing. UVA is a major culprit in the process of skin ageing. It is a pretty insidious thing as it travels deeper into the skin than UVB. It penetrates deep into the dermis and damages collagen. Damage to the collagen causes the skin to increase its production of elastin, but this is not a good thing! The large amount of enzymes being produced also results in a large amount of enzymes (metalloproteinases). The goal of these enzymes is to rebuild damaged collagen but unfortunately they don’t do that job well (think of them as the dodgy builders of the dermis world). They often break down and damage the collagen even further resulting i...

So sorry to disappoint you but there is no such thing as a healthy tan! A tan is visible proof that your skin has been damaged. In my earlier description of the structure of your skin I mentioned cells called melanocytes. These cells produce a dark brown pigment called melanin which gives the skin its natural colour. When skin is exposed to UV rays the melanocytes spring into action by producing more melanin in a bid to absorb the UV and protect the underlying structure. I suppose you could say that melanin is your body’s natural sunscreen but with an SPF of just 2 it really offers only the scarcest of protection. Even if you possess gorgeous skin of colour such as an Afro-Caribbean or Asian skin tone you still need to protect your skin. Yes, darker skin does have increased melanin, but definitely not enough to protect you from the harsh effects of UV rays. The sun may feel good on your skin but UV rays cause the skin to age rapidly - leading to uneven pigmentation, leathery texture an...

Oily skin is easily identified by its areas of shine and sometimes lumpy, bumpy texture. The good news is that it ages far slower than other skin types, unfortunately it can be a frustrating skin type to deal with. Make up doesn't seem to last, shiny areas appear by mid afternoon and the inevitable breakouts really can bring you down. Oily skin is caused by the overproduction of sebum by the sebaceous glands. Sebum is absolutely essential to the good health of skin, in fact it is your skins natural moisturizer, it locks in moisture and keeps skin soft and supple. Sebum flows out through the pores and coats the skin, giving your skin unbeatable protection. Unfortunately when excess sebum is produced it coats the skin cells in your pores which causes them to stick together, blocking the pore. As this is happening sebum is still being produced in the lower level of your skin and its travelling upwards. The blocked pore causes a back up of sebum (its like when you are behind that incre...

Back in my training days I was taught that a mature skin type was anyone over the age of 25 (how depressing is that?). But to be honest I never bought into that theory. Yes, changes do occur as we get older but lifestyle choices and genetics play their part too. Skin ageing is reflected in two ways - intrinsic & extrinsic ageing. Intrinsic Ageing - Bad news; this is the stuff you can't change, its your genetics and it happens to us all darling! Good news; on a physical (and purely shallow level!!!) this is not as noticeable as the effects of extrinsic ageing are. The signs of intrinsic ageing are sneakily slow. Subtle changes take place within the structure of your skin. The epidermis thins, there is a loss of collagen and fat within the skin, elastin fibres become coarser, hair follicles and oil glands become less dense and oil production slows down. Extrinsic Ageing - Bad news, this is the stuff that makes you look older than your peers. The good news is that you can fight ...

Dry skin feels hot to the touch, has areas of flakiness (particularly around the nose and cheek area). The skin is also prone to very fine lines, but don't worry, these are only dryness lines and do tend to disappear when you apply a nourishing product to the area. The skin can feel uncomfortably tight after cleansing. Dry skin is caused by a lack of natural oil (sebum) and moisture in the skin. Unfortunately, due to this lack of protective oil the skin does show signs of ageing sooner than other skin types. Your skin is made up of around 70% water, but as the skin cells travel up through the dermis and epidermis towards the surface much of that water content evaporates. If too much water evaporates the skin becomes parched and as a consequence the natural oils are depleted and less water is held in the skin. You may have a natural predisposition to dry skin but it can also be triggered by some of the following: Irritating Products anti-ageing treatments and products targeted to so...

I don't believe in the myth of "normal" skin, I actually believe that the basic skin type that each and every one of us shares is combination skin. All skin is dry in some areas and oily in others; its down to the distribution of your sebaceous glands, the stuff that produces sebum. Sebaceous glands aren't neatly and evenly distributed around your body; they are more abundant on the scalp, forehead, nose and sides of nose, while scarcer around the eyes, neck and outer cheek area. Treating this skin type doesn't have to be complicated at all. Skincare should be flexible anyway; you need to take into account your current lifestyle, environment and those pesky hormonal cycles. With a gentle skincare regime and an awareness of your skin you can head off any trouble.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids (also known as AHA’s) are chemicals that occur naturally in fruits, milk and sugar, but don’t be fooled by the natural description as 99% of AHA’s used in cosmetics are synthetic. AHA’s are used in cosmetics & skincare products for a variety of purposes; from smoothing fine lines and surface wrinkles, improving skin texture and tone, unblocking and cleansing pores and to adjust the PH level in skin. But it really all depends on the concentration that the AHA’s are used at. At a low concentration they work as a water binding agent, at a higher concentration they are used to exfoliate skin cells. AHA’s exfoliate by causing the surface of the skin to shed (they break down the substance the glues skin cells together). Beware as AHA’s are notorious skin irritants, as they slough off skin they make it more susceptible to irritation and UV damage. A US study found that users of AHA’s had an increased sensitivity to UV and that on average UV induced cellular damage doub...

WHAT IS ACNE? Besides being annoying, frustrating and seemingly never-ending, Acne is technically an inflammatory disorder of the sebaceous glands (wow bet you feel better now!). Its incredibly common and can strike at any age. Though it tends to rear its ugly head around puberty, it can strike in your twenties, thirties and beyond. Breakouts tend to occur where sebaceous glands are most prominent - face, back & chest. Its characterised by this wonderful group of delightful carbuncles: COMEDONES Also known as blackheads and whiteheads. Blackheads appear when the opening of the hair follicle becomes blocked with dead skin cells, oil and bacteria. A blackhead is not dirt, the contents of the follicle become dark when exposed to air. Whiteheads (not to be confused with Milia, more of that later!). These are very similar to blackheads accept that the opening is covered so the contents are not exposed to the air. They take on a slightly raised appearance (you can feel them if you run y...

Dear Kate, how do I treat a breakout? Sara L. Dear Sara, We all suffer breakouts at some point. The causes are widespread; stress, hormonal fluctuations, incorrect product usage. I know its tempting (and oh so satisfying!) to pop a pimple but HANDS OFF! A spot has a natural lifespan of three days, when you touch it, pick at it or squeeze it you create a longer lasting inflammation. Over time excess picking and squeezing can result in pigment changes (creating areas of darker skin) and scarring. Squeezing a spot causes the ickyness to move deeper down into the pimple and that can develop into a very painful and exceedingly ugly cyst. Acne 1o1 To understand the best way to treat a breakout, its imperative to understand exactly what a pimple is, then you can treat the breakout effectively. When a pore gets clogged with dirt and sebum (the skin's own natural moisturizer), the oil and bacteria are trapped inside and the resulting infection shows itself in the form of a pimple. Over zeal...

Dear Kate, I'm not entirely convinced a tinted moisturiser will give the coverage I need, what do I do? Nicola T. Dear Nicola, Summer is on its way and the last thing you need is that horrid, heavy foundation feeling. Tinted moisturizer will give you a lovely sheer finish that will look flawless if you follow my foolproof action plan for a not so natural, natural look! Step One - Tools of the Trade Any base product will look so much better if you apply with a foundation brush. But the secret to a great foundation brush is price, cheap ones work great! Oh dear, I've shocked you. There is a reason behind my cheapness (trust me I speak from experience), pricey, natural bristle brushes really soak up the base whereas with the not so natural bristle foundation brush, the product just sits on it and transfers easily to your skin and provide great coverage. Step Two - Application Dot the tinted moisturizer on forehead, nose, cheekbones and jawline. With foundat...

Dear Kate, I'm plagued by nasty, puffy skin below my eyes. How do I get rid of them? Julie T. Dear Julie, Puffiness around your eyes is caused by many factors; allergies, sleep deprivation, alcohol, too much salt in your diet and even a blubbery bout of tears! Different though they are, all these things have one thing in common, they are all irritants which will cause any excess fluid to settle temporarily under the skin. Unfortunately as we grow older our skin does thin causing this problem to be even more apparent. Skin around your eye area shows any fluid retention far more than any other bit! If you have partied a little to hard and overindulged in way too many dirty martinis (salty olives + vodka equals mucho puffiness!!) you can do your bit to combat the inevitable. When you get home drink, drink, drink; water that is! Drinking water will help your skin flush out your system. If allergies or a broken heart are the cause, pop an antihistamine before bed. Whatever the cause it ...

Dear Kate, I hear so much about make up primers, are they worth buying? Andrea W. Dear Andrea, A make up primer is designed to temporarily smooth your skin. It usually contains silicones & polymers which create a smooth surface and waxes which bind with your make up to give it longevity. Not everyone needs a primer. Make up primer is really suited to those who have uneven skin texture (perhaps due to old scars) since they level out the skin. Its also helpful for those whose lip colour feathers due to fine lines or who find that their eye shadow creases easily. From my own experience I have found that after I have used a make up primer it does make application of foundation particularly easy. It just seems to prep the surface of the skin but as for adding longevity to your make up, I'm not convinced!

Dear Kate, due to my job I have to fly a lot! The trouble is it really is taking its toll on my skin. How do I care for my skin in the air? Rachel T. Dear Rachel, To arrive at your destination fresh faced and fabulous the work begins long before you check in! Its best to make a few small changes to your diet a few days before you fly by avoiding alcohol and cutting back on caffeine and salt. All of these dehydrate your body and will make your skin look dull and exacerbate puffy eyes. Switch your moisturizer to a richer balm, like my Borage & Calendula Skin Healing Balm. Chock full of goodies like soothing Calendula and anti-inflammatory Borage, it really makes the perfect base. It contains absolutely no essential oils so is perfect for skin that may be extra dry and sensitive due to horrid recycled airplane air! Up, Up and Away! On the morning of the flight just moisturize and put on the barest amount of make up (concealer, mascara, lip gloss). Full make up will just make your skin...

Dear Kate, how do I get rid of the red veins that are appearing all around my nose? Lizzie W. Dear Lizzie, Fear not my dear for you are not alone, broken capillaries happen to us all! So you know how to treat them, its best to know what they are and what causes them. Broken capillaries are permanently dilated blood vessels. They are caused by sun exposure, extremes in temperature, overzealous exfoliation, heavy handed facial treatments, even blowing your nose can cause them! Alcohol and spicy foods can also play they're part; as they can cause the face to flush and if indulged in a little too often that flush remains! Keep It Cool (but not too cool!) Skin does not like extremes of temperature, so alway ensure when cleansing skin do keep the temperature nice and tepid. Never, ever, ever steam your face or let anyone else steam it for you. I cannot believe that therapists still offer this treatment! A client came to me through her friends' recommendation to help her solve her ong...

Dear Kate, does touching your face cause spots? Helena P. Dear Helena, Oh God, does this bring back terrible memories? Throughout my teenage years my Mom (who has the most gorgeous skin) would always scream at me "keep your fingers off your face!". Oh I hated that, I wanted to be fidgety in peace but it was never allowed! Now with the benefit of age I know how right (and how irritating) she was! Touching your face during the day can cause breakouts. The culprits are bacteria, viruses, pollutants, chemicals and ink (who said reading the newspaper was good!). Really anything that your hands come into contact with during the day; from keyboards to telephones and door handles. Repeatedly touching your face with unwashed hands can cause microscopic abrasions in the skin that can absorb all these little nasties and cause infections leading to a breakout. To protect your skin keep a little bottle of antibacterial hand gel close by and use throughout the day. Its also a good idea to ...

You know I do rather like to think of myself as the Ray Mears of skincare., providing you with all all the skills and knowledge you need to look fabulous whatever the world throws at you and winter can be very, very testing! So before you don your snow shoes and head for the bitter outdoors just take a moment to read through my top tips for fabulous winter skin. Winter takes its toll on your skin and you really need to make that extra bit of effort to protect your skin. But just follow my simple winter skincare rules and your skin reap the benefits from that little bit of extra care. Rule No 1 - WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN I know it’s the middle of a glum English winter but you still need to protect your skin and a decent SPF is the very best skincare purchase you can make. Exposure to the sun (even in the middle of winter) seriously speeds up the ageing process of your skin and makes you prone to developing dry skin, age spots, wrinkles and those horrid spider veins. For daily wear just try ...

Polished, flawless and gorgeously fabulous. Yes, that can be you with a little help from some perfectly applied foundation. With a myriad of lovely light diffusing formulas you can say goodbye to those teeny imperfections and glow, glow, glow! The Secret Finding the right shade is the key to getting the perfect look. When foundation shopping, take a friend (for an honest opinion). Apply the foundation to your jawline, ideally you want the colour just to disappear into your natural skin tone. Step away from the pink toned foundations; they do not suit anyone! Look for yellow toned shades, they are flattering and realistic. Application Tools of the Trade - Foundation Brushes are fabulous, forget about applying with a Make-Up Sponge, they just soak up your liquid foundation and you end up using twice as much! Another tip when buying your Foundation Brush (and ssh! do not tell anyone I told you this!), buy a cheap one (bear with me their is a method to my madness!). A cheap (oh that sounds...

Don't fear the glow! Subtle self tan can give you that golden glow, rather than a tango glow! Facial tanners can work wonders; they can even out your complexion, help hide any broken capillaries, camouflage acne scars, even make your face look thinner. But you have to apply it correctly, you do not want the colour to look obvious, you just want that delectable Antibes glow. Those with a fair complexion are best suited to the gradual tanners that enable you to build up the glow. Medium to dark complexions can go for the self tanners that develop in a few hours. Self tanners usually give you a little hint to the intensity of the shade, but if in doubt just look at the ingredient listing and the higher DIHYDROXYACETONE appears on the list, the darker the tan will be. Dixydroxyacetone is the stuff that colours your skin. So pick a shade (light, medium, dark) that is closest to your natural skin colour. Remember you can always apply subtle colour boost with either blush or bronzer. And ...

All Fake Tans Are Created Equal Aaah, the miracle of fake tan! Don't be put off by those poor unfortunate souls that turn a terrible shade of tangerine. Used with a little bit of skill, it will make you glow and magically erase that pesky cellulite. All fake tans regardless of price have one thing in common - DIHYDROXYACETONE. Its the stuff that creates the colour and it appears in every single self tanner, be it the priciest aerosol tan or the supermarket self tan lotion. When choosing a self tanner always read the ingredient listing on the bottle. Ingredients have to be listed in order of volume, so the ingredient that appears in the greatest amount is first on the listing, then it works downwards with the last ingredient on the list being the smallest amount of ingredient in the product. With this firmly in mind, the higher that the word DIHYDROXYACETONE appears on the ingredient listing the darker the self tanner will be. Choosing The Right Shade When buying a self tanner you r...

This simple massage is a really effective way to soothe your skin & get the best result from your facial oil. It’s a simple synergistic blend of massage & acupressure movements. This treatment will stimulate your circulation & kick start cell regeneration ensuring your skin has a fresh, rosy glow. Technique Allow your hands to mirror each other in a gentle unhurried way. Preparation Cleanse your skin & allow it to rest for 5 minutes. This will ensure your skin has recovered its natural balance and will enable the facial oil to penetrate more efficiently. Warm Up Using the thumb & index finger of each hand; start at the inner edge of eyebrows & pinch gently, working outwards towards your ears. Pinch along till you reach the end of your brows. Do twice.Using the same pinching action move hands down to centre of chin and work along jaw to ears. Facial Massage Place a small amount of facial oil (remember you only need the tiniest amount) onto the palm of your hand. ...

My cleansing routine may seem a little bit different to what you are used to, but believe me that extra minute or so of gentle cleansing will reward you with a naturally gorgeous glow. Cleansing your skin is quite simply the most important step in your skincare routine. Gentle cleansing will ensure that dead skin cells, excess oil, dirt & makeup are removed. Your skin's natural oil (sebum) needs to flow freely onto your skin to perform its own natural moisturizing and healing action. If skin has not been cleansed effectively, your pores get blocked, the natural oil becomes trapped causing infection and breakouts to occur. If skin has not been well cleansed it does take on a dingy appearance with the development of blackheads, whiteheads & enlarged pores. On the other hand overzealous cleansing damages skin and causes sensitivity, dry patches and excess sebum production. Cleansing Technique I divide cleansing into an am & pm routine. Your morning cleanse need not be too ...

Summer is just around the corner and you can no longer hide under layers and layers and layers of winter clothes. But have no fear as there is one guaranteed way to see (and feel) a real difference in your skin and that my dear friend is the simple routine of exfoliation. Its cheap and easy and the results are terrific! You do not (repeat DO NOT) have to purchase any overpriced and irritating product as you can make your own and it is oh so very simple. Kate's Fab Weekly Exfoliating Routine You Will Need A body brush (natural bristles please!) About 4 tbsp or so of Nourish Oil (Fennel Nourish Oil is perfect) About 3 tbsp or so of lovely processed granulated sugar. It may rot your teeth but it does wonders for your thighs (as long as you don't eat it!). Lock yourself away in the bathroom, this is serious work and you must not be disturbed! Step One Apply the Nourish Oil (by the way did I mention you had to take your clothes off?) all over your body with an upward, sweeping actio...