In 2021, an estimated 980 thousand women in the UK used hair removal products once a day or more (statista) - that is a lot of razor heads and wax strips! Are you aware of the most common mistakes we make when shaving or waxing? An expert told us...

Courtesy of Sparkle PR

Our trusted waxing expert and founder of Sugar Coated, Rosie Khandwala, reveals the 10 biggest mistakes women are making when it comes to DIY hair removal.

Shaving Mistakes

Ph. KoolShooters, Pexels

1. Not Storing Your Razors Properly
"Storing razors in the shower leads to corroding and weaker blades. You should clean and dry razors after each use and store them outside of the bathroom to avoid moisture and extend their shelf-life."

2. Not Prepping Your Skin With A Hot Towel
"Prepping your skin with a hot towel before you shave will soften the hairs allowing for a closer shave. Never prep your skin with cold water since this can make it more difficult for the shaving cream to fully penetrate the skin and be effective."

3. Neglecting To Exfoliate
"Exfoliating your skin before you wax, or shave will enable you to achieve smoother results. Exfoliating on a regular basis can also help to prevent ingrown hairs."

4. Not Shaving In The Direction Of Hair Growth
"You should always shave in the direction of hair growth. Shaving against the grain can cause irritation and increase the chances of razor bumps."

5. Shaving In The Morning
"When you sleep your legs can swell which makes shaving in the morning less than optimal. Shaving at night will allow you to get a closer shave."

Waxing Mistakes

Ph. flaviasaad, Pixabay

Rosie says "Waxing is having a real viral moment right now due to the aftermath of the lockdowns."  You would be surprised but #Waxing has 9.6 Billion views on TikTok!

1. Waxing Right Before Or After Your Period
"If you’re extra sensitive to discomfort, avoid waxing right before, during or after your period. Hormonal fluctuations during these times can make waxing more painful. Instead, opt for a wax mid-cycle."

2. Exfoliating Right After You Wax
"You need to let the treated areas rest for at least 2 full days before it’s safe to exfoliate. Exfoliating prior to that can be very painful and result in redness and irritation."

Laser Hair Removal Mistakes

 Source: Sugar Coated

1. Expecting Permanent Results
"Despite often being marketed as providing permanent results, laser hair removal simply offers significant hair reduction and won’t get rid of hair forever. Occasional touch-ups will be needed in order to keep you smooth."

2. Not Shaving Before Treatment
"Shaving before treatment ensures that the hair follicle will be destroyed. Any residual hairs will prevent the laser’s heat from fully penetrating the hair shaft. It can also cause the treatment to be more painful."

3. Neglecting After Care
"Your skin will be extra sensitive and more susceptible to skin damage afterwards. Wear sunscreen to prevent hyperpigmentation. Avoid hot showers and steam rooms for at least two full days to let your skin heal."

Rosie says "choosing the correct hair removal method is so personal to the consumer, a lot of thought goes into it such as time, money, results. When creating Sugar Coated I set to make something that gave salon-worthy results, without breaking the bank, or taking too long to master."

"Sugar Coated sugar wax is 100% natural and the only UK manufactured wax that is vegan and cruelty-free. This means our formula of just pure sugar syrup and water is gentler on the skin, and more effective for hair removal as it sticks directly onto hair and pulls them straight out from the root - giving you smooth results each time."

You can find Sugar Coated Sugar Wax Full Body Kit available at Feel Unique (£12.99 for 250g). 

Are you making any of these mistakes? You are still in time to shave or wax correctly and get rid of unwanted body hair the right way and for longer.

Holidays are for relaxation and self-indulgence but your skin is not always that happy with it. Bruce Green, chartered scientist and founder of SOS Serum Skincare, explains why.

Ph. Audrey Fretz, Unsplash

Overindulging during the festive season does no good to your skin. Bruce Green, founder of SOS Serum Skincare, reveals how it goes hand in hand with some skincare dilemmas.

Holidays And Your Skin, What Bruce Says...

"First of all, we throw our healthy habits out the window and enjoy many alcoholic beverages, and eat more sugary treats, fatty foods. Alcohol is a diuretic, which forces water out of the body making it harder to rehydrate. It can cause the skin to look sallow and make pores and fine lines more visible. Sugary foods can result in a quick rise in blood sugar which can cause a spike in insulin. This jump can increase skin and hair oiliness leading to inflammation and potential breakouts. But this isn't me saying not to enjoy yourself! Here are a few tips that can help your skin this festive season."

Rehydration

Image courtesy of SOS Serum Skincare

"This is the big one. For every drink of alcohol, drink a glass of water – the one for one rule. Water flushes out toxins and restores your hydration levels."

Cleanse

Ph. Ron Lach, Pexels

"I know it's tempting after a sparkly social evening to reduce or even skip your facial cleansing routine but DON’T! After hydration, this is the next most important factor to protecting skin from party fallout. But be gentle and use a non-alcoholic, mild or no perfume face cleanser. SOS Cleanse (£15) is perfect for this as it is lightweight and rehydrating."

"Give exfoliation a miss until your skin cell regeneration batteries are re-charged. Follow cleansing with natural non-fragranced serums and moisturisers like our  SOS Serum (£15) that delivers comfort, moisturisation and protection to the skin."

Rest

Ph. Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash

"Take advantage of an alcohol-free night in your schedule and have an early bedtime. Your body, mind and skin regeneration is crucial and you will instantly look and feel better for it."

Wait

Image courtesy of SOS Serum Skincare

"New cosmetics, skincare products and perfumes will often come to you as Christmas gifts but don’t slap them all on at once or your skin could have a freak-out! Wait until your skin has settled and balance restored before trying out a new skincare formulation; your skin could reject something for all the wrong reasons."

With these expert tips in mind, you can be sure that 'festive skin' can be healthy and glowy for the new year!

Ageing is a natural part of life, it is inevitable, but there is also truth in the saying ‘we are only as old as we feel’. Listening to your body really helps head off aches down the ages. 

In the scenographic surroundings of St John's in Hyde Park, Fashions Finest's editorial team had a privileged sight on current trends and next Spring/Summer beauty forecast.

Nail art by Julie Bryan & team. Images by V. Chirico

Fashions Finest followed the makeup, hair styling and nail art teams during its LFW showcase to explore this season's most buzzed beauty trends. We had a look at what we should expect for next season, all in the making of the show.

A good old flick through popular magazines would be enough to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. What if you could have a close encounter with the style-makers and learn from the experts? Fashions Finest followed the teams led by Michelle Strain, Julie Bryan, and Amy Tasker on this mission. We popped behind the scenes during Fashions Finest's London Fashion Week event for a preview of next Spring/Summer trends and steal the best for your autumnal look straight from the catwalk.

SS22: a 20s' touch with finger waves. Amy Tasker & team.

The warmer season will see sweet hairstyles doing their come back. 'I would expect to see volumised bouffants with textured raw hair keeping the hair feeling and looking natural, sleek wet hair with styled baby hair on the forehead giving a fresh youthful appearance and finger waves to create the 1920s' glamorous timeless appeal' says Amy Tasker, lead hairstylist.

Streetstyle and low-maintenance updos are totally in these autumn and winter months, helping us to be ready in a snap. In fact, 'the 70's shaggy look is back with the grown out middle-parted bangs and invisible layers. Box braids are really popular right now as well as random plaits throughout the hair', continues Amy.

If you feel it is time to make a change with a new hair colour, pick yours from the warm palette of the moment. 'The seasons most anticipated colours are Caramel, Honey and Gold adding more warmth into the hair. For brunettes, it's definitely Espresso and Chocolate creating more of richer look and image.' This is the expert's advice.

Whether is autumn or springtime, the very essential for your makeup look is within you: 'I think always - for every season - is just a really good skin', international makeup artist from AOFM London Michelle Strain recommends. 

SS22 makeup: bright colours. Makeup by Michelle Strain & AOFM team

The makeup seems to reflect the natural colour surrounding us, as Michelle continues: 'I think we are definitely going to get more, richer colours like very bright lips with deeper tones.'

In Spring/Summer 22, the inspiration for your makeup is just outside the window with 'pastels, beautiful pretty blossom type of colours, because this is obviously what comes through with the clothing. Nice pastel pinks, peachies, blues for the eyes. Just really nice, pretty colours.'
If the next season's colour scheme comes from Mother Nature and our refreshed wardrobe, you need to know that 'definitely just a nice, glow, fresh healthy skin is always the way forward'.'

In winter/autumn nails tinge in sobriety. Julie Bryan, celebrities nail technician notices that 'people wear a lot of black in the autumn and winter. So I think the colour scheme, what we've done here today, will match autumn/winter and spring/summer. So we've got nudes: nude is going to be big as well. Loads of nudes.' As the days brighten up, so your nails do with 'a lot of neons again. They started to creep back in just as we went into lockdown. Lots of bright colours, which will be showcased in all fashion week.'

The models were sporting a rainbow of neons paired with gemstones applied as finger jewels. Without glue and rhinestones, this nail art is the idea to steal if you have some spare time for it! 'We've done the nails on the trend, so you have different neons on each end of the nail, painstakingly done', proudly points out Julie.

Every season has its colour but also its shapes too! This Autumn/Winter sees a drastic - very welcomed - change: 'coffins - some people call it coffins, some people call it 'ballerina' - that sort had its day, the nail trend that a lot of celebrities is going for is coming away from the acrylics and going more for the natural nail look.'

The beauty of nail art is in its everchanging nature, like the weather in the UK: 'the trend with nail art changes monthly, basically, so we had the mirror nails come and go, the chrome nails come and go. So it's using your own knowledge and your artistry... Just go with the flow! Don't make it too hard.'

Go with the flow, embrace natural shades and an effortless approach to hairstyling. Could you believe the catwalk was radiating so much naturalness?

More from our LFW behind the scenes? Follow Fashions Finest on Instagram.

We are just at the start of the new season, but it is time to update our skincare routines. While we adapt our daily regimen to the rising temperatures, we can grab this occasion to joy the benefits of trending skincare ingredients.