The Beauty Blog - Woman Beauty Spa

A vegan diet and glowing skin

February 6, 2020 by w b

February is vegan cuisine month. It’s no secret that you are what you eat… And some claim a vegan diet is the secret to glowing skin. At Woman Beauty we believe that you should enjoy life, including the food and drinks you love. Just remember everything in moderation!

Nevertheless, because there is a school of thought that plant-based eating is good for your skin… In this article, we thought we’d share three reasons why going vegan could have a positive effect on your complexion.

A vegan diet and glowing skin:

Dairy… Not always a delight:

For anybody that suffers from acne, it may come as no surprise that serious breakouts come after an overload of ice cream! Dairy can be a major culprit when it comes to skin congestion. As dairy is eliminated in a vegan diet it can improve the complexion of those prone to acne.

If you have suffered from acne historically and need to address any associated scarring, talk to us about Dermapen 4.

Root vegetables and radiant skin:

Carrots and beetroot are rich in beta-carotene. But this red-orange pigment is not exclusive to root vegetables. You’ll also find it in pumpkin, squash, citrus and even greens like kale and spinach. Beta-carotene’s antioxidant properties can give you a healthy glow. But before you start munching on raw carrots with gay abandon, remember that too much beta-carotene can have adverse effects, giving your skin a yellowish tinge.

Banish fine lines with fruit and vegetables:

A plant-based diet is chock full of antioxidants. These are the critters that chase away the free radicals that can cause premature ageing.

Additionally, soy foods (a staple part of vegan diets) including tofu, edamame, and tempeh increase levels of hyaluronic acid. It’s hyaluronic acid that helps your skin retain water and stay plump and youthful!

Whether you’ve decided to eat a vegan diet or not, we can still help you achieve glowing skin. Check out our range of facials, or call in to talk to us about the best product for your skin types.

Develop a coconut crush this Valentine’s Day!

January 30, 2020 by w b

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. We believe that you can celebrate this romantic day whether you’re part of a contented couple or satisfyingly single! If you’re looking for romance we know where you should be focusing your attentions… It’s time to develop a coconut crush!

In this week’s blog we thought we’d share three reasons to fall head over heels in ❤️ with coconuts!

Develop a coconut crush this Valentine’s Day:

Amorous Antioxidants:

Coconuts are chock full of powerful antioxidants. They contain phenolic compounds, which are antioxidants that may help protect cells from oxidative damage. These same phenolic compounds also have anti-ageing properties!

Healthy fats to light your fire:

No, we’re not talking cooking fats… We’re talking fats that make your skin glow! Healthy fats are an essential part of any diet. They reduce inflammation and help to keep your joints, hair, skin and nails in tip-top condition.

Romantic rehydration:

Dehydrated skin is sad skin… While a good skincare regime is essential for healthy skin, it’s also important to rehydrate from the inside out. So, be sure to drink your coconut water for an extra hit of hydration.

To help you develop your coconut crush we’re giving away a Pure Fiji Coconut Crush Body Scrub ritual, and all you have to do to enter is fill out a form. Enter HERE.

Additionally, stay tuned for details of our Valentine’s Day Grab-A-Treat. The very same Coconut Crush Body Scrub Ritual will be available for sale at a swooningly special price from 10th February for a limited period. A perfect treat for your loved one or yourself. PLUS buy two for extra special pricing! But this deal isn’t just for couples, bring your friend, daughter, sister or whomever you think needs to take time out for themselves and escape from the every day.

You can view more details here, but this treat won’t go on sale until 10th February.

Why you need a summer facial

January 22, 2020 by w b

In the middle of summer, we understand that it’s tempting to let your regular facials slip. Your skin feels like it has a radiant summer glow. It doesn’t necessarily feel tight and dry like it does over the winter months. Plus, you enjoy the warming relaxation of facials in winter, but don’t feel you need that rejuvenating comfort as much in the summertime. But you do! In this week’s blog article, we thought we’d share three reasons why you need a summer facial!

Why you need a summer facial:

Repair your skin:

A weekend spent at the beach, camping or hiking can take its toll on your skin. Gritty dust and sand, combined with layers of sunscreen can clog your pores and leave you glowing for all the wrong reasons. But that doesn’t mean you should stop enjoying fun summer weekends! Just be sure to book in a facial to repair any skin damage.

Our popular 02 Facial rejuvenates your skin with hyperbaric oxygen technology. A beautiful calming treatment incorporating anti-oxidants and vitamins; it provides instant results you can see and feel.

Protect your skin:

Even with sunscreen, sun exposure will lead to dehydrated skin. While dryness might not seem as obvious in the summertime your skin will still be parched. When your skin is dehydrated, it creates oil to make up for the missing water. This, in turn, can lead to breakouts and pimples. So, the best way to avoid this is to ensure your skin is suitably hydrated.

The Sothys Hydra 3Ha Facial is the perfect solution. As the crème de la crème of facials, it creates a unique triple Hyaluronic acid approach to restore, reactivate and rejuvenate all the key elements of skin hydration. It offers 70% increased skin moisture levels after just one treatment.

It’s always time to relax:

At Woman Beauty Day Spa every facial comes with a healthy dose of relaxation, and that includes our summer facials. We keep our rooms at the perfect temperature for you to be able to lie back and drift off.

View our full range of facials here.

Christmas Gifts from Woman Beauty Nelson

December 10, 2019 by w b

Christmas is just two weeks away. If you’ve been scouring the streets of Nelson for Christmas Gift inspiration and drawn a blank, we can help! As is customary at this time of year we’ve put together our beauty gift guide so you can delight friends and family with something they really want for Christmas!

The Woman Beauty Christmas Gift Guide:

It’s time to get FESTIVE!

F – is for Friends

Why not give your best friend a Christmas gift that you can enjoy too. Take a break over summer with a spa package for two people. You’ll both enjoy your treatment, and afterwards, you’ll also get a chance to catch up over a refreshment in our relax lounge.

E – is for Exciting Gifts that aren’t Socks!

Step away from the socks and give him something different this year. We offer a fantastic Man Power Package which includes a facial, file and buff on hands and feet followed by a relaxing back, neck and shoulder massage. Or why not give him one of our Ultra Signature facials which include an eyebrow tidy!

S – is for Secret Santa & Stocking Fillers

All of our Pure Fiji Christmas Gift Packs are available from our Nelson Spa now. Be quick if you are after something in particular. Prices start at just $7, so these packs are perfect as tree gifts, stocking fillers or Secret Santa surprises. They also make the perfect end-of-term treat for patient teachers. Or, they’re a great way to show a colleague how much you appreciate them.

T – is for Treating Yourself

Not sure that Santa knows you’ve been good this year? Don’t wait to see what’s under the tree, buy yourself the gift you think you deserve. Our recently released seasonal specials are a perfect way to treat yourself.

I – is for Impressive Gifts

If you want a gift that means business for your boss, we can help! A Woman Beauty Treatment Voucher is sure to impress. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if you got a pay rise next year!

V – is for Very Busy Women

If your wife, partner, Mum or sister has been racing around pre-Christmas to ensure the family’s favourite foods and gifts are all taken care of. Give them the perfect Christmas gift. An hour or two to relax and unwind with a massage or body treatment.

E – is for Everybody Else

If you’re not sure what to get, let them choose themselves. Our monetary value gift vouchers can be used against any of our treatments or services and can be bought in denominations of $25.

Order your Gift Vouchers or Treatment Vouchers through our online store from 1st to 24th December and go into the draw to win an Ultraceuticals Super Serums set worth over $400. Shop for your Christmas Gifts HERE or call into our Nelson Day Spa.

IPL – IPL Hair Removal & Skin Rejuvenation

December 4, 2019 by w b

At Woman Beauty in Nelson, we have been offering IPL hair removal and skin rejuvenation with our ELOS IPL machine for many years. We have achieved excellent results for many of our clients. However, we found we could no longer get replacement parts for our old machine. So, we recently upgraded and in this article, we’d like to introduce you to Sirius, our brand new IPL machine by Candela. Just landed to help you with your hair removal and skin rejuvenation goals!

IPL for Hair Removal & Skin Rejuvenation:

We use Sirius, our new IPL machine for permanent hair reduction and skin rejuvenation.

In Nelson, we’re lucky that we have such high sunshine hours. The downside is that many people end up with unwanted sun damage. Delene and Bridgette have been helping many of our clients with their skin rejuvenation goals over the winter months.

Sirius the Best in the Business:

Our new machine has extremely intelligent technology. This includes patented narrow band Ellipse IPL technology with dual filters. These state of the art systems allow us to safely and successfully treat a huge range of concerns. We use the machine’s customisable pulse duration to determine each client’s safest treatment parameters based on their Fitzpatrick skin type.

Sirius & Specific Skin Concerns:

With our smart new IPL machine, we can safely and successfully treat a huge range of concerns. These concerns include Rosacea, sun damage, broken capillaries and diffused redness.

Why Certified Training is Important:

Although IPL is a widely used modality and growing in popularity, not all machines are created equal. Some machines are not self-calibrating. This means that their energy output can vary hugely between each shot, which in turn, can lead to burns.

If a practitioner has not undergone the necessary training to help them understand the treatment they are performing or the machine they are using, then they do not have the knowledge to correctly select a client’s treatment parameters for a successful treatment plan. Additionally, they are unlikely to be fully informed to guarantee client safety, or how to troubleshoot if things did go wrong.

Badly administered IPL can lead to burns, permanent pigmentation and scarring.

If you are considering IPL, it’s important to do your homework on your practitioner as the industry is unfortunately unregulated. This means that anybody can purchase a machine and begin offering IPL or laser services.

You can rest assured that you are safe with Woman Beauty in Nelson. Delene and Bridgette are both certified by NZ Laser Training, and Hayley will join them in early December.

This training means firstly that your safety is paramount. Additionally, it arms us with in-depth knowledge of how to tailor treatment plans to give you optimal results. When you undertake a treatment plan we use everything we learned in training to keep assessing your progress. We can also judge when it is appropriate to make changes to your treatment plan.

Ready to get started with hair removal or skin rejuvenation?

Initial consultations for IPL hair removal and skin rejuvenation are free. We recommend a test patch at least 24 to 48 hours before your first treatment. The number of treatments can differ and we determine this on a case by case basis. We recommend making an initial appointment to fill out the consultation form and perform a test patch.

We have a special running on IPL hair removal. Buy five treatments on one area and receive your sixth free. Please contact us to book your consultation time.

Perfect Party Makeup – Our Top Tips

November 21, 2019 by w b

As the Christmas and New Year celebrations approach, it’s time to get your glam on. So, this week we would share our top tips for perfect party makeup.

Top Tips for Perfect Party Makeup:

Party eyes:

A quick and easy way to dial-up the glam is to add depth to your eyes. You can achieve this either by darkening the crease with an additional eyeshadow or smoking out the lash line with some eyeliner which gives the illusion of fuller lashes.

Hot Tip: take care not to encircle the entire eye as it will close the eye off and often make it look smaller than it is.

A sure-fire way to ensure your make up looks fabulously festive is to add some shimmer to the inner corner of the eye. The Jane Iredale Naturally Glam Eyeshadow Palette has some lovely shades to help you achieve perfect party makeup.

Hot Tip: When adding shimmer to the eyes always take care not to apply shimmer through the crease, as it will accentuate fine lines.

Party cheeks:

During the festive season, we tend to opt for a fuller face coverage than our everyday wear. But if you do, always be sure to give colour and dimension back to the face! If you don’t add a little bit of blush and/or bronzer, you will be left looking a bit flat and washed out in your party photos.

Party lips:

Hoping for a kiss under the mistletoe? Nothing says pucker-up quite like a bold red lip. But, always be sure to use a lip liner first! This makes the world of difference in how long your special lip colour will last and also how tidy it will look. Red is very unforgiving and mistakes show up easily.

Hot Tip: If you do make a mistake on the edge, take a small detail brush and some concealer and go around your lips to smooth things back over.

Making a night of it:

Nobody wants to spend all night in the loos reapplying when you should be on the dancefloor. To make sure your perfect party makeup goes the distance always begin with a primer. The Smooth Affair for oily skin by Jane Iredale is designed to keep oils and sweat at bay all day long. It’s a perfect addition to your makeup bag over the warmer summer months.

A long-wear foundation like Beyond Matte Liquid Foundation from Jane Iredale is designed to give you a flawless finish for up to twelve hours.

Keep your handbag stocked with blotting paper to remove breakthrough oils without fading foundation. Alternatively, a matte finish powder is perfect for touching and ensuring you are photo-ready all night long.

Hot Tip: Keep a setting spray in the fridge to cool off during the long hot days. Pop it in your evening bag just before you head out. It will help to keep your perfect party makeup in top-notch condition all evening.

Jane Iredale must-haves:

We recommend the following Jane Iredale must-haves for perfect party makeup.

The triple lux lipstick in Gwen is the most amazing bright red, in a long-lasting formula to give that wow factor at your Christmas party!
Pommist Setting Spray will help your makeup last into the night!
Jane Iredale’s contour kits are also a great addition to your makeup bag as they have everything you need (in one handy container) to complete your complexion look. A bronzer, blush and highlighter.

If you need help achieving perfect party makeup, the team at Woman are always happy to help. Call in so we can talk you through our products or phone 03 548 0030 to book a 60-minute Jane Iredale consultation/colour match.

Brows that Wow! Woman talks eyebrows!

October 18, 2019 by w b

At Woman Beauty Nelson we’re only too aware that full, fluffy, natural eyebrows are having a bit of a moment! That doesn’t mean you should let your brows get out of control. But, it does mean you need to be careful not to over tweeze! When it comes to removing hairs from the brow line, we always believe less is more. If you’re unsure of how much you should be taking or leaving, come and see us and we can help find the right balance for you.

If you have over-plucked in the past, don’t despair. A good tint will always help enhance what you have, giving a much fuller look to the brow.

We also stock Revitalash. A hair growth serum for eyelashes and eyebrows that promotes growth where it is applied, we have seen some fantastic results with this product.

Face up to brows:

Face shape matters a lot when it comes to eyebrows. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. It’s all about perfecting a great set of brows to frame and flatter your face.

Professional eyebrow shaping versus DIY:

The great thing about popping into the spa to get your eyebrows shaped is that it comes with a bonus lie down! Seriously though, it can be tough to get your brows to look even if you’re doing the job yourself. We, however, can take a view of both brows from above to get them as even as possible! So, you’re less likely to fall foul of the dreaded over tweeze attempting to balance your own eyebrows.

As well as super shaping, we can also tint your eyebrows. We’ll help you choose the right tint to flatter your complexion and hair colour.

We recommend a tint and tidy every four to six weeks to keep your brows looking super smart.

Making the most of your Woman Beauty Nelson brow treatments:

When your tint is first applied, we recommend that you don’t wet or cleanse the area for twenty-four hours. We also suggest you continue to avoid exfoliation of the area to keep that fresh, filled in look.

As the tint inevitably starts to fade, we have a range of Jane Iredale products that can be used at home to maintain the fresh salon look we know you love.

First up, the Jane Iredale brow gel comes in three shades: brunette, blonde or clear. The brow gel is essentially a mascara product but for your brows. So it will give them a boost of colour while also taming any stray hairs into place.

Also useful are Jane Iredale’s retractable brow pencils. These come in a range of brunettes and blondes to suit your hair and brow colours. They are great for filling in any sparse areas in the brow that may need some extra help. You’ll find them easy to use as well because they have a crayon tip as opposed to a pencil tip, which can give a harsh line on the brow.

Finally, for an enhanced and customised effect use the Great Shape eyebrow kits. These kits include a brow powder to fill in your brow, a wax to set the hairs in place and an angled brow brush to apply the products. You can achieve a very natural look for day wear. For more glam makeup, you can define the brow by combining the wax and powder for a sharper look.

For help on how to use any of these products at home, or find the one that best suits your needs, ask your Woman Beauty Nelson therapist! We are always more than happy to help! 😊

Check out our full range of brow treatments HERE.

Getting the foundation right with Jane Iredale

October 8, 2019 by w b

There are so many situations in life where it’s essential to get the foundation right! If you start with a good base, you’ve always got something to build on. And actually, making up is no exception. Choosing the right foundation for your skin won’t just improve your appearance. Research has shown that most foundations provide another layer of protection against environmental stresses. Jane Iredale mineral foundations are formulated with only the best natural ingredients. Each ingredient is only included to either give coverage or to benefit and nourish the skin.

How to choose the right colour:

When testing foundation shades, it’s important to colour match to your neck and décolletage. That way, when you have applied it to your face and blended down the neck area, there will be no visible line where your foundation ends, and your natural skin begins. Your face finishes where the neckline of your top starts! This goes for skincare too ladies always use your product across the décolletage area.

How to choose the right type of foundation:

Liquid, powder, matte? Foundation is a minefield these days! What kind of foundation is best for you can depend on a whole array of things, such as skin type, desired coverage, personal preference and how much time you would like to spend applying your make up. To make sure you make the best decision, just ask your preferred therapist for guidance.

Seasonal change-up:

As you head into the summer months, you might prefer a more lightweight and natural look for your skin. Lightening things up helps ensure the wear on the makeup (through swimming or perspiring) is a lot less noticeable.

We’ll often suggest a switch to tinted moisturiser during high summer (we have a couple of options in the salon). Combine this with a small amount of powder over the top to even out your complexion.

If your complexion deepens over the summer months from sun exposure, then you are likely to need to change your foundation shade as well to keep everything looking seamless and natural.

Save yourself from summer slippage:

To stop your foundation slipping off during warmer months, follow our top 5 handy hints!

Apply a primer first. This will provide your foundation with a better base to “grip” to.
To ensure your foundation stays put, set it with a powder and touch up partway through the day.
An oil-controlling setting spray will help keep breakthrough oils at bay.
Blotting papers are a handbag essential. Blot off excess oil and sweat while still keeping your make up intact.
The Jane Iredale range also includes a mattifying powder. Keep this in your handbag to eliminate shine without having to cake on more powder foundation.

Jane Iredale Beyond Matte Foundation:

We’re delighted to introduce this new product to our Jane Iredale range.

Key Benefits:

Semi-matte, this means it isn’t wholly matte, which can leave some people looking a bit “flat” it still allows the skins natural luminosity to come through.
Lightweight and long-wearing.
Medium-to-full, buildable coverage.
Reduces the appearance of shine and creates the look of smooth, even skin while minimising the appearance of pores.
Suitable for all skin types.
Free from phthalates, parabens, GMO, artificial dyes, synthetic preservatives, synthetic fragrance, talc, nanoparticles and heavy metals.
Certified clean and safe: clinically tested, dermatologist tested, allergy tested, sensitisation tested, noncomedogenic.

Key Ingredients:

PoreTect^™
An eco-friendly ingredient made from Linseed and Celery Seed Extracts, PoreTect brings firmness, tone and density to the skin, reinforcing the structures that hold pores tight.

Peptides
Minimise the appearance of shine and promote a smooth, semi-matte, photo-ready finish.

Xilogel^®
A proprietary blend of Tamarind Seed and plant-based Hyaluronic Acid, Xilogel enhances the ability to improve skin elasticity, smooth and moisturise the skin.

We have a fabulous Jane Iredale event coming up where you can find out more about the new Beyond Matte Foundation. Discover all the details HERE.