New in Beauty: The alternative eyelash curler, wishbone facial massager and mix-your-own beauty device

When I nerd out on beauty products I love, well, I nerd out completely. I get excited about sharing new discoveries and I do it from the perspective of an amateur. I’m a girlfriend, recommending to another girlfriend. And these three innovations in beauty, ladies, are innovations I’ve absolutely loved using for the past 4+ weeks and couldn’t wait to sit down and share. A few of these things I’ve geeked out about with other friends during Zoom calls. The face massager has been a source of many hilarious moments, although every call ended with someone else buying one! And the Duolab has, more times than I can count, attracted questionable looks from friends and family as it was working in the background, while I said goodnight virtually, to loved ones around the world.

Before we start, let me plainly state I am no expert. These are opinions that come from an honest, unsponsored place, on items I’ve found to make a difference in my life and therefore I feel they are worth recommending. Let’s be honest, for the real problems and solutions, you need to be following Caroline Hirons and Nadine Baggot. They are the skincare and makeup gurus that will change your life with a wealth of knowledge that floors me every single day.

Now, lets get into my real and honest experience on these three beauty game changers in my life…

First up, Duolab…

Let’s start with a disclosure.  I was gifted this machine. I went along to the launch in London at the start of this year and I have to tell you, I was floored by the presentation. I say this up front because I always worry when I’m wowed by a brand presentation. So much beauty is sold on promises and so seldom actually deliver. With Duolab, I sat and listened to the L’Occitane experts explain the innovative new beauty tech and my eyes were wide as saucers at the information they were imparting and what their machine could do. By the way, in case you are wondering, why were L’Occitane experts there? Duolab is actually a start-up in the group, giving it years of existing expertise from a world leading beauty brand.

Now, it must be said that I affectionately call the Duolab my ‘alien pod’. It’s hard to describe how this works, you really have to see it in action. So for the full video experience, I’ll direct you to the Duolab website.

In a nutshell, this is a machine that mixes your skincare, day and night, freshly for each application. Still confused? Well, the innovators at Duolab figured out that skin has evolving needs, that we really don’t need to be using the same cream morning and night, day after day. The Duolab machine allows you to change your skincare as often as needed in order to be reactive to your skin’s needs.

You have a base cream, one for morning, and one for night, and you have an added capsule that concentrates on everything from soothing irritated skin to brightening and firming. There are eight capsules in total and there’s an app that can help you figure out what your skin needs in the mix.

You then pop the capsules into the machine, push a button and wait. The machine makes sounds like a mixer and “does a little dance.” Well, that’s what I call it anyway. While it’s dancing and mixing fo 90 seconds, it’s heating the formula to the perfect temperature to penetrate your skin more efficiently. And the ingredients it’s mixing? Well, these are all clean, natural ingredients, with absolutely no preservatives, no silicones, synthetic fragrances or dyes.

Now, I have personally found that my skin is very into this whole turn into the natural ingredients world. There is a radiance and a glow to my skin that I have never experienced before. I also absolutely adore putting cream that has been warmed on my face at night. Who knew that was a thing? But, more than anything, I’ve learned that I am using way too much cream! The Duolab serves up the perfect size that we should all be using and this would explain why I was going through moisturisers at a rate that was bruising my American Express. I was using double, sometimes triple the amount that I should have been!

END RESULT: I love this little alien pod called Duolab and will continue to use it, no matter the funny looks I get when I pull it out before going to bed. The only thing I wish they would do…. develop a travel size! I can’t take this clunky machine with me on all my trips (that will hopefully start up again soon). My skin will feel like it’s being punished when I go away without it! Duolab…. please! Travel options!

More information or to purchase: Duolab

 

Next up, a wonder from Sarah Chapman….

If you have ever had a facial with Sarah Chapman, you will understand what I mean when I say that her hands should be insured for millions. I mean anything this woman touches goes back in time ten years. I would listen to anything and everything she tells me about skincare. The woman is a genius and also has a list of royalty and Hollywood starlets on her books that is more impressive than an invite list for an Oscars party. Sitting in her waiting room is like sitting in the lobby for a major film studio.

So when lockdown was about a month in and she was recommending her Facialift as a replacement for her hands as a daily facial massage, I couldn’t press the “buy” button fast enough. Sarah, this may be too good. I mean, obviously not so good that I won’t continue to come in for facials, but it’s kept my face exercised for these past two months.

The Facialift is strange. It’s strange looking and it feels strange as hell on your face. It does not feel natural. But I’ll tell you what doesn’t feel strange – your face after using it. It feels as if you’ve just had a facial. No joke. Of course you’ve given it to yourself, so sadly that relaxed feeling of nearly falling asleep while someone massages your face in the dark just isn’t there. But the results are! This is a tool all about brightening, lifting, draining toxins, reducing puffiness and fighting breakouts, and women who have used it, the world over, will all agree that it does exactly that. For me, it’s all about the reducing puffiness and I saw results after the first use!

END RESULT: For the £30 you’ll spend on this, I think you’ll find, when used properly and with good skincare, it works a hell of a lot better than simply shelling out a shed load for an expensive cream on its own. Save yourself the money, buy a reasonable cream (that Hirons recommends), and back it up with this beauty innovation! Or do like me and use it with your Duolab mix every night before bed 🙂 Your jowls (or non existent jowls) will thank you when you’re older.

More information or to purchase: Sarah Chapman’s The Facialift

And finally, a product that is rather controversial, but I love… 

I’m about to admit something that is a tad silly. I am petrified of a traditional eyelash curler. Chalk it up to a bad experience early doors. I just have never wanted to use them, no matter how much people promise the difference they will make. Instead, I typically go for a perm curl in a salon. I know, I know. That seems even more intense. Although, what I’m about to recommend might seem even more insane.

Obviously, you can’t go to salons right now. So my Blink Brow Bar addiction has had to take a backseat and I’ve had to find another way to curl my lashes. I did a little research and found I certainly wasn’t the only person that hated eyelash curlers. There’s a whole population of “fear the curlers” ladies! And it seems this population would rather heat their lashes with an odd looking device than face the silver cinchers again.

Yes, this little wand is a heated brush that you wiggle through your lashes to, well, basically curl them.

And why is this controversial? Well, I did a lot of research before buying this last month and there is some school of thought that the heat could be bad for your lashes. I then read that putting on a few coats of mascara before using the wand will help with that and will also help with the curl. After more reading, it seems there are some idiots in this world that don’t understand the idea that heat can burn, so just like you wouldn’t rest a curling iron against your head, you probably shouldn’t rest this eyelash curler against your eyelid. I can’t believe I actually have to write that, but yes, there are people out there that have burned themselves using this. I don’t get it, people, I just don’t.

END RESULT: But here’s what I do get…. this heated eyelash curler works a treat. I love it. I love how it curls my lashes. I love that it’s USB chargeable and I love that I’m smart enough not to burn myself using it. So if you too would rather not use a traditional eyelash curler, perhaps this one’s for you!

More information or to purchase: Heated Eyelash Curler

And that’s it, folks – three innovations in beauty you may or may not want to try for yourself. At least you know have the info.

Now, carry on with your day. No really, thanks for reading! More beauty chatter next week!

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