If you’re looking for the best at-home facial techniques, facial massage is definitely my go-to recommendation. Some of my all-time favourite facials have been massage-based, and they tend to give instant results and leave your skin looking and feeling great. But is it really possible to get the same results at home? I called on one of my absolute favourite facialists, the legendary Su-Man, whose signature technique is all about massage, to find out. Plus, read on to find out one of my favourite products from another legendary facialist to give you a helping hand at home…
Image Credit @ Su-Man
Su-Man’s Guide to At-Home Facial Massage
Q: What are the benefits of facial massage?
A: The facial massage stimulates the deepest layers of the skin so the product can penetrate to the dermis better. By incorporating a gentle massage during your skincare routine you also alleviate the tension in the muscles and minimise the wrinkles.
Q: You are renowned for your incredible massage-based facials, where does the technique come from?
A: My technique is inspired by my professional years as ballet dancer. I discovered dance at the age of 19 and I went on to be a professional dancer. From dance, I learned the pleasure and freedom of doing something without words (well, not surprisingly I ended up doing what I do best). Dance helped me to express outer and inner beauty through my body and made me realise that being beautiful is both an emotional and physical state of being.
Unfortunately, with dancing often comes injury and when it happens, it makes life miserable and not beautiful because the body’s energy is trapped and stagnated. However, through injury I discovered the power of touch – shiatsu and I became a practitioner. Shiatsu helped me understand the connection between physical and emotional well-being, and out of shiatsu came my facial technique which is an expression of everything I’ve done, all I have been and believe in.
It took me ten years to perfect my techniques and even up until today I have never been 100% sure if I’m good enough. But what inspired me and kept me wanting to improve myself was my clients. Everyone has a beautiful story to tell and everyone has their own unique beauty based on their inborn nature and the life they lead. There are many factors stopping us shining as much as we should and I love unveiling these emotions on my clients expressions.
Image Credit @ Camilla Akrans for Harpers Bazaar
Q: Is this something people can do at home?
A: Yes, during the lockdown I’ve been teaching my technique over several Instagram videos. You can have a look at @sumanskincare
Q: What are your top tips for at-home facial massage?
A: I normally recommend my clients to use enough product (big amounts of serum or moisturiser) whilst doing the massage as you avoid damaging the tissue or irritating the skin with the friction. With just 5 or 10 mins of my facial technique on a daily basis you can start seeing results long term. They should also follow my technique of ‘Holding hand and working hand’ which I explain in my Instagram videos.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Every person has a beautiful story to tell and every individual is unique so my approach to each client is different. I listen and look and let this tell me what it needed. I often find doubt in people’s eyes, sadness around the mouth, and anxiety in the jaw line. Fear of ageing, fear of losing, fear of knowing, fear of anything that comes into our mind can deeply impact on our body and how we look. That’s why I recommend sparing some time to release that tension in your face with a gentle yet invigorating massage that helps remove the skin’s stagnation and let the Qi (internal energy based in traditional Chinese medicine) flow.
You can find out more about Su-Man’s work and products here
TOP TIP
Want a helping hand? I also love Sarah Chapman’s facials and her products are some of my all-time favourites for at-home skincare. If you want a little helping hand with getting your facial massage technique right at home, check out her The Facialift Sculpting Facial Massager and try her techniques at home as shown on her YouTube.
READ NEXT: Why You Should Be Body Brushing | How To Tackle Dry Skin
As the new season arrives, it’s out with the old and in with the new. Ditch sunny corals and popping pinks and try warmer autumnal hues. From pumpkin spice and chocolate mousse to evergreen or a chic skin tone nude, pare down your manicure and smarten up your look with my pick of the most gorgeous autumn nail colours. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled and your perfectly-manicured fingers at the ready, because Hermes is also launching its first ever nail polish next month, too.
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS
Best Autumn Nail Colours
ESSIE | 50 Bordeaux Nail Polish
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN | Nail Colour
OPI | Nail Polish – Berlin There Done That
NAILBERRY | L’Oxygene Nail Lacquer Viva La Vegan
CHANEL | Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour
NAILS INC | Nailpure Womanger Nail Varnish
TOP TIP
Consider biotin and collagen supplements to help strengthen your nails. Vitamin Injections London’s Hair & Nail Patches deliver maximum efficacy with B Vitamins and Folic Acid, bypassing the digestive system. For more top tips to get stronger nails, check out my guide.
READ NEXT: How to get great nails | Best Manis & Pedis in London & New York
The six weeks holidays have begun, and with so many people avoiding holidays abroad (us being one of them) it’s been a time of chilling at home and planning little activities for the break.
I found about Dino Kingdoms through the magic of social media – with it being fairly local to us and a slew of decent reviews we decided to visit. They say:
Step back in time and explore roaring and moving Dinosaurs and state-of-the-art 3D and AR technology. Immerse yourself in unforgettable interactive activities and enjoy a range of thrilling fairground rides, delicious food and drink and much more.
Now, we were very excited to go (to the Manchester event). The kids like dinosaurs – they’re not dino mad, but they could name a few and like themed toys.
This sign you think indicates you’re entering Dino Kingdom which is actually…miles away
First point. Parking is £3 and in a designated area. The email you get prior to your visit states that you must follow the signs and park in the special car park (which is a grass area that has been cordoned off). I have since found out that there is lots of parking at the park (but I haven’t been able to find out if that is free or not)..
Either way, I expected that the designated parking was selected due to it’s proximity to the dinosaur exhibition. Nope.
We walked through the park for around 20 minutes (we have a toddler) before actually arriving at the ‘event’ – it was actually ridiculous that this WASN’T specified because those with younger kids will WANT to bring a buggy for those tired legs. Luckily I had the Mr to carry the youngest for a while when she inevitably got distracted and tired.
When we finally reached the area with the dinosaurs, (the stewards who were greeting us were very nice) everyone was a little hot and bothered but still, at least there were big animatronic dinos to look at….
The Karen of Dinosaurs
So the dinosaurs were generously spaced out, which is expected with the current Covid situation. It wasn’t overly busy when we were there but people still managed to rub up close and get irate with each other (have people forgotten how to behave post covid?!). People stopped to get photos, and there was enough room for a few families to look at each dinosaur…but let’s talk about the dinosaurs.
As I said earlier, my kids like dinosaurs but they’re not mad for them. To a kid who absolutely adores dinos I am sure it would’ve been special. But I found the models largely disappointing. Some moved, some didn’t. When I say moved, I mean, they mad some noises and their heads bobbed around slightly.
Did I expect some Jurrassic Park shiz? Yes I did. No of course not. But I did expect something a little magical. These dinosaurs reminded me of the ones you see in a very standard museum visit. Having seen some clips on social media of the very animated dinos at the event which the kids were allowed to touch (these display dinosaurs were strictly no touch) I was expecting more of that – but nope. The first half of the ‘event’ was lacking life – it could’ve come alive with some actors perhaps, playing explorers; chatting to the kids, educating about the dinosaurs. But nothing.
The AR experience which I thought would be incredible was basically a few tables with paper templates. Here you colour in your dinosaur then take it in to a tent to be scanned, and your design appears on the screen. It is fairly clever but lacks the dazzle you’d expect.
The lawless pen situation
Also a few problems – there was bout 5 pencil crayons left on the desk which parents were arm wrestling each other for. Someone should’ve been checking and making sure there were enough pens and colours throughout the day. At one point a woman said to me, ‘Isn’t this activity for children?’ as I finished off the kids design since they quite frankly, couldn’t be arsed. Well yes lady, this is for kids but I would like to leave this place in the next 10 hours so mind your own business. Lack of pens = shirty Karens.
Once in the tent a steward who was supposed to be using a dinosaur puppet to entertain the little ones miraculously appeared to stop as we entered. Like, keep the magic alive, dude. The AR itself is clever, but it’s over in seconds and the younger two were like “shrug”.
If you can tell which scribbly dinosaur is yours you can watch it on the screen.
As you leave the tent, the next area has food stalls, a tiny shop stall and a few more random dinosaurs (but the biggest ones have now been passed). There’s a face painting stall – this costs money. There’s a sand activity stall – this costs money. We’ve already passed the area which was included cost wise and now, everything from this point onwards is going to hit the wallet.
In total it took us around 20 minutes to get through the main dinosaur area. You could prolong it of course by just sitting around as many people did, but we ploughed on, through a little muddy area with some more models like a spider and giant frog.
The area at the end of this has a few more dinosaurs, a decent looking dino skeleton exhibit and a singing tree. There were some sandpits but the queues were long for the sake of some sand – then the funfair. The kids were extremely happy to see the funfair, I was not.
RIP My sanity
It does state that the rides are extra HOWEVER – at £2.50 to £3 per person, per ride, is quite frankly a rip off when you’ve already spent £65 on tickets (on the door prices, plus parking). The kids went on a couple of rides with different results. On one ride, the lady on it was nice and friendly to the children.
On another ride, the hot air balloon, the boy (the ride staff all look like Uni students) looked like he’d rather be at home applying fake tan, got snappy at the eldest when he shut the ride ‘door’ himself (well you didn’t do it quick enough did you mate?). Here’s a tip – If you don’t like kids, don’t work on a fairground ride at an event aimed at kids. The rides were about a minute long each so I paid £9 for a minute of ‘babysitting’. Does Jeff Bezos even pay that much for babysitting??
My face when I saw the fair ride prices
We did buy a toy from the gift stall, some toy dinosaurs in a bucket for £10 which were not bad value (I checked and its £14.99 on Amazon). Look – I know that on many day outs you expect to spend a little bit more than your entry fee, usually on food and snacks if you don’t take your own, maybe a little on the gift shop. But this really did feel to me a little bit, well – cheeky.
In total we spent (at the actual ‘kingdom’ – I know, I know I keep calling it different things; kingdom, event, exhibition, adventure, Jurassic Park) an hour from the second we stepped in and back out. You can absolutely spend the maximum 3 hours there if you want by taking a picnic, especially on a nice day. But it’s really no different to being at…well, the park.
Was it worth it? If your child is an absolute hardcore dinosaur fan and will appreciate looking at large models of dinosaurs (with MINIMAL movement) then yes. If you don’t mind spending £££ on top of the entry fee, then you’ll have a nice day.
For me, I was disappointed by how small the main dinosaur area was and how little actual interaction was involved to make the event come to life. It was like – here are some plastic dinosaurs, enjoy your day. Beyond that every little thing cost money, which you could justify if there was enough INCLUDED entertainment. For the price, you could go to a small theme park or go to an interesting museum and get lunch too.
And finally yes – I am disappointed there aren’t more honest reviews online that give more of a critical view of this event, which is why I had to write this one and I hope it helps and even if it doesn’t – man it feels good to write a ranty blog post!
So this is a little strange. I haven’t written a blog post in years – to take a guess, I am going to say around 7. This domain, which once meant so much to me, which once had thousands of visitors a day and represented years and years of hard work, was about to lapse and I felt nothing. I was ready to just let it go.
Then a friend said to me, why don’t you just renew it for old times sake? I tried to open up this website and I couldn’t. Abandoned and unloved, bots and hacks had managed to completely bring the site down as well flooding my long forsaken Cosmetic Candy email (full of spam for V*agra which I can’t seem to stop). Like a derelict house covered in cobwebs and dust, I had let it fall apart.
This was once my baby before I had babies, and I didn’t even have the courtesy to replace it with a holding page, a picture of a cute kitten perhaps or a rickroll. I was a very bad caretaker.
Whether you used to read this blog or have just stumbled here because you were looking for sweets, here is some background.
This is not my bed because there are no crumbs.
What is this site?
Cosmetic Candy was a fairly bustling beauty blog which I started around 2003, then for 10 years ran with equal parts of excitement and boredom, joy and sadness. Long before everyone, from your nurse to your hairdresser was an influencer, I innocently opened up an ugly blogspot website to talk about my passion for make-up. It was fun and easy, no pressure, no commitments. It took years before us mere bloggers suddenly got sent free products to review, then came sponsorships and ads, and the rest is history.
Look at this gem I found – yes that is a piece of torn paper with my domain name on.
There were absolutely no guidelines back then, you made it up as you went along whilst filling up your sidebars with as many widget as humanly possible. Our sites were ugly, but our hearts were sincere.
Another gem. Make up pic taken with flash on some bedding with the date in the corner too.
When blogging was fun and successful, I adored trying new things, swatching, staying up till 3am to write blog posts whilst going to my 9-5 job. Sometimes I went to fun events and met interesting people, occasionally I was treated like something special, giving my ego a temporary boost. This period was probably the longest part of my blogging journey; there’s other stuff that used to go down alongside the fun stuff, like plagiarism, bitching, good old fashion back stabbing and so on. That may sound terrible, but it really was generally fun because it wasn’t ‘real life‘. Later on, it started to take up a lot of time, and did become like…well, a job.
Then like any “job” it got repetitive and the love for it definitely die.
Sure, receiving new beauty stuff through the door is very exciting, there are events with free food, but there really is only so much you can use and only so much you can store unless you’re a makeup artist or an esthetician. You feel obliged to go through piles and piles of products, the majority you are lukewarm about, and back then, most of us didn’t get paid for it. Please don’t get me wrong – what a lovely treat to be able to try beautiful products and have people read about it, and support you.
But it’s natural, I think, to get bored of the same thing over and over, and more importantly, I began to wonder if blogging, or rather, influencing, supported the kind of person you want to be. Did it up hold my values, my true self? For me, it most definitely got to the point where it did not.
The fact is, the competitive side of blogging was something I had to grow out of. I can’t imagine at this point of my life, with a young family and other commitments, being tied to blogging and getting outraged when someone got paid more for an instagram post, or when someone got something that you didn’t, people following and unfollowing. Stats and followers matter if you want to be paid, and whilst some earn theirs, many have to beg or buy subscribers to feel worthy. It just wasn’t something I wanted to be part of.
Another thing that I thought about was how more and more experts were joining the scene having seen how incredibly successful bloggers were. Dermatologists, cosmetic scientists, make up artists. In contrast, I was just an ordinary person talking about products I liked and didn’t like. I couldn’t tell you the benefits or weaknesses the way a dermatologist or cosmetic scientist can,’..because this ingredient is X and does X’, I couldn’t show you how a beauty product blended like a makeup artist either.
Nurse kitty is ready to do your fillers.
Does that mean my opinion didn’t matter? Of course not. But the point of being a non beauty professional, a normal Sally (sorry Sallies) was that I could give my genuine, normal-person-view of things. But once PR and sponsorship got involved, that began to change. I also didn’t have the desire to study beauty further, although I still do love all things makeup and skincare, the limits of what I had to say definitely reached its natural end after 10 years.
I did always do my best to tell the truth about a product and if you remember my blog, you’ll know that I did, but I found it was difficult at times. Can you honestly say, this product is a pile of poo, if you’ve been sent it for free (and you don’t want to miss out on more freebies) or if you’re being paid (certainly not). I don’t mean middle of the road opinions, but I mean really rip in to something you hate. It’s rare. This is not exclusive to bloggers/influencers by the way, celebrities do this too – it’s just business and (nearly) everyone has to make a living.
Some people who I started with have gone on to make a lot of money, some are now “famous” and some really deserve their success. This post isn’t really about that though – and I say, good for those who have made blogging into a viable job and those who are still going after 10 years – well done on having the stamina to keep up with the whippersnappers!
Undoubtedly, the best thing that came out of blogging is the friendships I’ve made with people I still talk to regularly. There are some seriously good eggs out there, and it’s taken the passage of time, with most of us retiring our blogs, to highlight how good those friendships are because it’s outlasted our hobby.
Where are the old posts?
Oh the issue of the old blog posts. I think I must’ve had close to 1000 posts (I used to blog A LOT). Due to the fact I didn’t update WordPress for such a long time, it’s all locked away in some kind of database which I can’t open or access. I should be sad, but I am sort of grateful. It represents a decade of my life which has gone, I’m sure I said some mindless things so I am happy for it to be vaulted. I do wish I could remember what my last blog post was though.
And….you were gone for 7 years???
Something like that. In the last 7 or so years, I have had three babies and I think I’ve done (so far) a pretty good job of making them in to kind, fun and happy little folk. Life still has its peaks and troughs, but hey, that’s life.
I am heading to a milestone and I am working on rediscovering who I am, and what I would like to do with my life before I die. (Sorry, I am a double Scorpio, I have a preoccupation with death).
Dr Gabor Maté, a Hungarian-Canadian doctor and writer with an interest in Childhood development, says that,
“The greatest gift a parent can give a child is his or her own happiness.”
So that will be my mission and focus, alongside the day to day, to make myself fulfilled and happy to be the best mother I can be, because they are my purpose now. It’s like a win-win situation.
Iron man approves.
As for this blog, I’d like to occasionally post on here, possibly about beauty or something else, but it will just totally depend on how I’m feeling. I hope to open up more and tell you what I am up to – maybe. Double Scorpio you see, it’s hard to not keep everything a secret.
I am on Twitter and Instagram if you want to follow my musings, and I have a new outlet for crafting passions (@2amcraftclub). My plan is to add my blog sale page on here as I am also currently decluttering area by area. I suppose you could say this blog clear up is also a form of decluttering too!
The lost year of 2020 has been a really good time for us as a family to stop and reevaluate things, and I am grateful for this time even though it has been unpredictable. I hope you have all been able to find something precious amid the mess caused by the Covid-19 virus and if you used to read here frequently, I thank you for your support in the past and hopefully in the future, and most of all, I wish you all purpose, luck and of course love.
Rowena.
9-7-2021 (that’s the 9th of July, my American friends).
Every summer for the past 6 to 7 years, I’ve tuned into endurance racing events on TV or online like the 24 hours of Le Mans, Nurburgring, and Spa, and have always been fascinated by the competitive nature of the World Endurance Championship series, and also the preparation that goes on behind the scenes to make these events possible. Growing up in the US, NASCAR was my only outlet as a young car enthusiast, but as I got older I found a better style of racing, thanks to playing Gran Turismo, with more technical tracks and circuit racing across the globe and I was instantly drawn in. The camera work, the sounds that were being picked up on the mics, and even getting a small glimpse of the paddock and pit row from the on track reporters created a mental picture that I had to experience in person.
In January of 2020 I made it a goal to attend a race at Lime Rock, but sadly those plans were altered. With nothing to do on weekends thanks to the lack of car events, I started watching GT4, TCR, and Grand Sport more intently. I got a better understanding of the teams, drivers, and started following the standings far more than I had before. When 2021 began and life was returning to normal, I knew that after doing nothing for an entire year, that this was the time to make the trip and attend my first ever race.
Leading up to Saturday, weather wasn’t looking too promising but as we got within 24 hours of the start of the Lime Rock 120 it appeared as though the thunderstorms would hold off long enough to at least watch the first race in it’s entirety. The ultimate goal was to just have 30 minutes to hear the Porsche 911 RSR scream around the track, and we were rewarded with almost an hour and 30 minutes of the Northeast Grand Prix before the red flag was waved. While the race was cut short, I got hooked immediately and I’m sure everyone around me has gotten tired of hearing the endless raving about this weekend.
What made this event so special?
The sights, the sounds, and even the smells were nothing like I’ve ever experienced before. If you’ve been to air shows, you probably know the feeling, but to be within mere feet of these cars as they raced around the track made Saturday incredible. Even better, IMSA just might be one of the most fan friendly organizations in all of sports, as before the race you can walk down pit row without having to pay an extra fee, you can get up close to the cars, and maybe even meet your favorite drivers. Everyone is friendly and polite, and to an extent it feels like one big Cars & Coffee, with the exception that you get to watch the cars in motion and not have to deal with police giving out tickets for loud exhausts or have neighbors complaining.
From a spectator’s perceptive, Lime Rock offers some great locations to get awesome shots or videos or simply just phenomenal views. Turns 1, 2, and 3 seems to be the popular spot, but if you make your way to No-Name Straight the sound that bounces off the hills as the the GTLM and GTD cars pass by, then downshift as they approach Turn 5 and then accelerate out of the corner is a spine tingling sensation. It was 90 degrees and humid, but I still managed to get chills each lap. The area I couldn’t get enough of what Turns 6 and 7, but also the straight away that dips down under Bailey Bridge as the they enter the final corner. Here you can experience the race on both side of the track, providing great views but also once again perfect locations for photos and videos.
How about the racing?
Both the Lime Rock 120 and Northeast Grand Prix exceeded expectations, but in different ways. The first race had both the Grand Sport and TCR classes, offering a good mix, but also thanks to a field of 30+ cars it was a bit more competitive than GTLM and GTD. Regardless of class, there’s a variety of manufacturers and different engines which is why even on a basic level of sound is better than the V8 filled field of NASCAR. In the GS class you have a solid balance between the BMW M4 and Toyota Supra’s inline 6, the Porsche Cayman’s Flat 6, the Chevy Camaro, McLaren 570S, Aston Martin Vantage, and Mercedes Benz GT being powered by V8’s, and the Audi R8’s V10. While the TCR class is all powered by 4 cylinders, together these two classes create opportunities of seeing passes in corners and closer racing, but the amount of entries per race played a factor as well. The Lime Rock 120 also has a few more cautions which bunched up the field on numerous occasions and with that brought some great racing.
In regards to the final laps, I’d recommend retuning to the first corners or close enough where you can hear the announcers if you aren’t listening to IMSA radio to get an idea of what’s happening elsewhere on the track. While I was standing near Bailey Bridge and overlooking turn 7, I saw the end but wasn’t fully aware that in TCR the gap between 1st and 2nd as they crossed the finish line was 0.134.
Then for the main event, the Northeast Grand Prix, “speechless” would be the word to describe watching all 16 cars pass by. For such a small field, the sound was amplified compared to the prior race which was still pretty loud. The two Corvette C8.R’s dominated the entire race, both carving out a sizable lead over their only competitor, the Porsche 911 RSR and in the process lapping the GTD cars on numerous occasions. More important than the cars themselves were the drivers participating, such as Jordan Taylor, Nick Tandy, Mathieu Jaminet, and Laurens Vanthoor all of which will be competing in either the 24 hours at Spa or Le Mans so you’re watching World Class drivers execute moves on the track and race which is pretty awesome.
It was this race where I found a place to just sit down and enjoy as the skies began to darken, and rather than spending all my time filming I wanted to soak in every second of this incredible experience. I couldn’t take my eyes off the Porsche 911 RSR as the roar of the exhaust would just shake you to your core, and there were a few times where I thought I’d lose my hearing (bring ear plugs if you attend these races). But just like with the Grand Sport Class, there was a good variety of engines and exhaust notes producing a nice automotive melody as they passed by.
Sadly after almost an hour an a half in, lighting struck and that was the end of the festivities. I got to experience enough where the 3 hour drive was totally worth it, while not spending enough time appreciating this race where I feel like the next adventure is traveling to Watkins Glen next year before returning to Lime Rock.
I’m addicted having witnessed all of this in person, and I highly recommend going if you or a family member has been talking abut attending for a while. It’s an experience like no other, and once you go to one race you’ll find yourself wanting more.
Thank you IMSA, Lime Rock, and all the teams and drivers for an amazing Saturday! Looking forward to doing this again next year See you in 2022!
The post 2021 Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock – An Unforgettable Experience appeared first on Boston Auto Blog.
