My skin looks cr*p - need a miracle cure!

[marthamoo]

OK, have two weddings coming up and want to glow. Only way I am going to glow at the moment is if I set fire to my head. I look pasty, ashy and blotchy with dark (I get up at 5am everyday) circles under my eyes. Please tell me of a product which will make my skin as radiant as Kate Winslet's by Saturday, please.

Ta v. much.

A skin exfoliator will help - use it every day up to the wedding (as long as its a gentle one).

I use the clinique gentle skin exfoliator - - its about £12 but it really brightens my skin up (removes dead skin cells etc .

If £12 is a bit steep, then body shop do some nice ones and there will be plenty of other brands to choose from in Boots.

Also, an under eye concealer if you don't already have one. There was a thread on here a few weeks ago about concealers - if you search for that it will give you some ideas. I swear by the Yves Saint Laurent one - its £20 but lasts forever.

Water, water, water and more water!! Best cure around for dark circles and well hydrated skin. Start drinking at least 1.5 litres a day. Will kill you for the first couple of days as you'll feel like you constantly need the loo, but I reckon you'll see a difference in a week!

Or.....

Stick a paper bag over your head with a couple of eye holes cut out and then no-one will notice the bags!! Tee-hee

mm please don't set fire to your head!!
Clarins beauty flash balm is always a goody, for tightening up saggy skin!
Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream is supposedly miraculous too...
YSL Touche eclat for hiding those dark shadows..
Best of luck!!

Nivea 'Beauty Boost' really perked my skin up. I used to use Estee Lauder, bit expensive now anyway 'beauty boost' has same effect, made my skin glow and look almost youthful. Sainsbury's had it on special but that was a few weeks ago.

Marthamoo.....I was only joking about the paper bag by the way!! (Just in case anyone was wondering....)

Message withdrawn

You could try Estee Lauder's Spotlight Skintone perfector (if they still do it). I bought this after the birth of ds when I looked really tired and people would say my skin looked lovely. You can wear in under foundation or on it's own.

You need an illuminating base! You can either use an illuminated moisturiser (Tesco's Barbara Daly range does a brilliant one for about six quid) or you can get a base you put on after your moisturiser that also helps 'set' your foundation - loads of people do them, including Avon, Boots No 7. They really make a difference.

Then, don't be tempted to slap on too much foundation to cover up all the horrors - it will only age you. Use a nice light foundation, preferably one with a bit of a sheen. Then powder only where you need it. Then try a cheek stain or sheen instead of powder blusher - I use a brilliant one by Revlon, comes in a round pink plastic pot and is very youth-giving. Finally, don't wear a lipstick that is either too nude or too dark; something pretty and closeish to your natural lip colour.

I'll have to print this off - so much to do in so little time!

I do have the No.7 version of Touche Eclat - I've never used the YSL one so can't compare, but it seems pretty good to me.

Gonna get an exfoliator, gonna get a glowy thing, gonna drink lots of water...failing that gonna get a paper bag (thanks handbag addiction, alwasy good to have a last resort kind of thing )

Also gonna wear my killer slingbacks so people will mostly be looking at my feet anyway...

Thanks girls !

Have been exfoliating and trying to drink lots of water (it's so boring...) and today I splurged on Nivea Beauty Boost (made myself stay away from the posh counters in Boots!) and a tube of Revlon "Skin Lights" which is an 'instant skin brightener for a natural glow' (and it had 200 bonus Advantage points).

And now I'm stuck again...the Revlon stuff says "wear alone or with foundation". Under the foundation or over it? Heeeeelp!

If worn with foundation, it would be put on first, then foundation on top (I've got some ).

Neutragena Visibly Refined facial wsh and moisturiser is great :-D