Fingers and Toes Tuesday- funky pink

Change up your normal nail polish for the summer. Pink is on trend this season, so add a pop of colour to any outfit and jazz it up with a bit of glitter! 

We used OPI's Strawberry Margarita and Nothin Mouse Bout It. 

To create this look follow these 6 easy steps: 

1. File the nails using a crystal file as it's more gentle on the natural nail. File in one direction and bevel downwards to ensure a smooth finish. 

2. Prep- apply OPI Chip Skip to each nail to balance the ph of the nail and enhancing the length of wear. Follow with a base coat like Nail Envy to strengthen the nail. 

3. On the toes apply Nothin Mouse Bout it to each toenail and alternating fingernails. 

4. Use Strawberry Margarita to create a French-style finish on the toes and paint the remaining nails. 

5. Apply Nothin Mouse Bout It to all of the toes and fingernails. 

6. Protect- finish off with OPI Quick Dry Top Coat to seal in colour and add shine. 

Allow 30 minutes to dry before applying a hand and foot cream. 

Suncare Sunday- Use Aftersun Repair after exposure to the elements

Round the Island Race is an annual sailing race around the Isle of Wight, located just off the South Coast of England. The race is 50 nautical miles around the island and can take up to 12 hours from start to finish depending on the weather conditions. That's a lot of exposure to the elements! 

Wearing sun protection and reapplying every 2-3 hours is vital as the sun rays bounce off of the water giving the skin double exposure to the UVA and UVB rays. Make sure the sunscreen used has a circle emblem with UVA in the centre to ensure its a broad spectrum spf thus protecting the skin from both types of ultraviolet rays. For a few tips from the experts, check our blog post http://orchidsretreat.blogspot.com/2014/09/suncare-sunday.html 

Just as it is important to protect the skin, repairing and replenishing the skin after exposure to the elements is crucial for healthy skin. Dermalogica Aftersun Repair is an excellent product to use after exposure to the elements to help rehydrate and repair the skin. It contains hyaluronic acid which gives the skin a weeks drink in one application. This soothing balm can be applied all over the face and body. For best results apply after bathing and reapply as necessary to calm irritation. It can also be used after waxing, on insect bites and to calm acne! 

A five star review from Seattle, Washington USA 

This is the best lotion-like product I have ever used! It is a moisturizing gel that soaks in immediately so I don't feel greasy. I got a terrible sunburn after a weekend trip to the coast and the reviews on this product were overwhelmingly positive. They weren't lying! It made my sunburn feel oh-so-much better. The effects of aloe only last a few minutes, but this worked for hours. I exfoliated and applied this and the peeling stopped. What blew me away is that this gel has been a dream on my acne! The redness is so much better and my facial skin is very soft. I have recommended it to everybody with a sunburn.- Anonymous 

Skincare Saturday- Festival Skincare

Off to the music festivals this summer?! Make sure you look after your skin or it will suffer from a crazy days away. Use the 'less is more' rule to protect your skin with multi-tasking products that are compact for light packing, but full of effective ingredients. The best skin tip from Dermalogica for skincare in the Great Outdoors, 

'Don’t be tempted by cheap alcohol based wipes that leave skin drier than the raisin in your muesli. Get clean fresh skin with modern cleansing wipes that give all the convenience combined with healthy clean skin.'

Cleanse: Make sure you use ph-balanced face wipes to remove daily make-up and grime without access to water. Dermalogica's Pre-Cleanse wipes even remove waterproof make-up and they come flat packed to fit into a backpack. 

Protect: A tinted moisturiser with spf is a great two-in-one product to give your skin light coverage whilst dancing the day away.  When outdoors it is essential to also protect the skin against other elements to prevent sensitisation. Dermalogica's Barrier Repair can be used all over the face and eye area to help protect the skin, apply a 5p sized amount and the velvety texture will melt into your skin. Climate control is a revolutionary product that prevents inflammation and sensitisation. Apply all over the face and lips to shield the skin from the wind and rain- a must have in your camping kit. 

Recover: Once your epic weekend has come to an end it's important to help repair the skin through a specialised Recovery Facial and home care advice. Drink plenty of water to flush out the toxins and eat a healthy diet to help your body and skin recover. The MultiVitamin Power Recovery Masque is a wow product full of vitamins to feed and nourish the skin. 

Skincare Saturday- Men's Skincare

Feature Friday- Feel Better Week Results

Look Good Feel Better Week was a great success nationally and also for Orchids Retreat! Our Cupcake Sweepstake ran for the entire week 1-7 June 2015 and with only 21 places to enter the £1 drawing we raised £28 from supportive and generous entrants. Orchids Retreat then matched the amount raised to donate £56 to this worthy cause. 

'WOW! That is such fantastic news, thank you so much for letting me know.  We are so hugely grateful for Orchids Retreat supporting Feel Better Week.  Please pass on our grateful thanks to all involved. The funds raised will enable us to fund a place at one of our confidence boosting Workshop at Southampton General Hospital.' -Ian 

To spread the LGFB love we drew two entrants one for the Dermalogica travel sized Daylight Defence products and the other for He-Shi Overnight Ageless Tanning Balm. The winner of the Daylight Defence was off on holiday to Marbella, Spain so some handbag sized treats were most welcome. 

A happy client and lucky winner of the gradual face tan! Thank you to everyone that entered and supported Feel Better Week! 

Wedding Wednesday- Safari Skincare

Planning on heading off on a Safari honeymoon? Make sure your skin is ready for the desert heat by having a facial to help protect and repair against dry heat, and you are armed with the right skincare products to protect your skin. 

Multi-purpose products are great for travel and for quick and easy skincare regime. Here are 3 products to help maintain hydrated skin in the hot weather.

Tinted Moisturiser- In the heat layering products feels like your makeup will just melt off your face, so use a dual action product to protect your skin and add a bit of colour with a tinted moisturiser. Ensure there is an spf of 30 or above to guard against ultraviolet damage. Opt for something like Dermalogica's Ultra Sensitive Tint spf30 to give your skin a healthy glow, light coverage to even out skin tone and protection from ageing UV rays. 

After Sun- Aftersun helps to soothe sunburned skin and rehydrates the skin with hyaluronic acid.  'Look for products with Japanese Alder which stimulates DNA repair and contains enzymes that accelerate skin recovery.' -Dermalogica For sensitised areas reapply every couple of hours to boost hydration and reduce discomfort. 

Hydration- Long periods of time in the dry desert heat can dehydrate the skin.  It is essential for the body to maintain hydration by drinking at least 6 pints of water daily.  Boosters and Masques that contain hyaluronic acid will help to rehydrate the skin after overexposure to the elements. Dermalogica's Skin Hydrating Masque smells of cucumber and can be added to your daily moisturiser, used on it's own, or as an eye treatment to give your skin a drink. 

Wedding Wednesday- leave makeup to the professionals

Weddings are a joyous & memorable occasion filled with lots of friends, family and photos. 

It's important that makeup is applied to last the entire day and enhance your best features for the pictures. 

MAC cosmetics have excellent staying power and offer a wide range of colours and tones to suit each Bride and her bridal party. 

We have over 10 years experience in Wedding preparations, bridal and special occasion makeup. Make sure you look radiant for start to finish! 

Fingers & Toes Tuesday- Stay polished!

Nail polish lasts about a week and the gel nail finishes such as Shellac and OPI Gel Color last up to two weeks. 

A friend's New Years resolution was to be 'more polished' in many ways- eticate, appearance, manners, etc. Here are three tips to ensure your appearance is 'more polished'. 

1. Make the most of this splash of colour by matching it to your outfits for the next week or two! 

OPI liquid sand in Kiss Me at Midnight

2. Ensure your polish colour compliments or blends with your accessories. 

Top Left- sun dress Top Right- House of colour eyeliner in Electric Blue and OPI liquid sand in Kiss Me at Midnight Bottom Left- matching nail polish and eyeliner Bottom Right- Boden glitter bag 

3. Coordinate makeup with your nail colour. For example if you're wearing pink polish wear a pink lipstick. 

Makeup Monday- highlights for brows

Thuya have produced a blonde brow tint! This is a fantastic product for lightening the brows! 

Normal lash and brow tints come in brown, black, blue, purple and grey. Mixing the different colours creates different depths of colour, but sometimes clients want to lighten their brows to match highlights. The blond tint helps to lighten the hair. 

Tinting brows helps to frame the eyes and enhances makeup and natural complexions. 

Fun Fact Friday- LGFB stats

This week is Feel Better Week to raise awareness for Women and Teenagers with cancer around the United Kingdom. 

This charity is actually international and is currently running in 26 countries worldwide! It is the only cancer support charity globally! 

Photo from www.costhetics.com.au

That said, over 130,000 females are supported each year by 600 organizations and 21,000 volunteers. Amazing support and being such a worthy cause it will only continue to grow. 

Show your support by donating through PayPal orchidsretreat@hotmail.co.uk to enter our Cupcake Sweepstake for your chance to win Dermalogica Daylight Defence minis or HeShi gradual face tan. The prize draw will take place on Sunday, 7 June, 2015.