Vitamin C – what does it do for your skin?

  (André Karwath/Aka) There are a lot of things that are supposed to be good for your skin. Today I’m looking at one that is in a lot of anti-ageing products, and has rave reviews on Makeupalley – vitamin C. Vitamin C (aka L-ascorbic acid) is essential in your diet – it has a lot of roles in the functioning …

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What the Hell Is pH?

Lab Muffin Guide: What the hell is pH?

One thing that a lot of cosmetic companies have recently been incorporating into their marketing talk is the concept of pH and pH balance. Yay science! But what does it all mean? Here’s a quick rundown on the science of pH, acids and bases, and what that means for your skincare products. What is pH? pH is a measure of …

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Interesting hair facts

10 facts about hair you mightn’t have known:1. Hair and nails are both mainly made of a type of protein called keratin, which contains a lot of an amino acid called cysteine. All this cysteine is one of the main reasons why keratin is so strong. There is also a lot of keratin in skin.2. Cysteine is also why you …

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DIY Skincare – Oatmeal Science

One of my interests is DIY skincare – I love cheap alternatives to expensive brands that work even better! My best friend is getting married next weekend and I’ve been trying to clear up my slightly neglected face with some SOS skincare, so I’ve revisited one of my favourites – oatmeal. Oatmeal is one of those rare traditional remedies your …

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Lab Muffin guide – how do holo nail polishes work?

How do holographic nail polishes work?   The main types of polishes with holographic effects that I know of are linear holo (e.g. Nubar Reclaim, China Glaze OMG collection, Nfu-Oh 61), scattered holo (China Glaze Kaleidoscope collection, Milani HD) and holo glitter (a lot of glitter polishes have holo bits in them – OPI Teenage Dream is one example). They …

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Fact-check: The Science of Face Washing

One of my friends recently asked me why you can’t solely use oil for cleaning your face. The answer is quite simple – water doesn’t dissolve oil, so you need something that does. If you’ve been on this planet for more than 10 years, you should have noticed by now that oil and water don’t mix (if you haven’t, please …

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Nail product ingredients – how bad are they?

  If you’ve ever looked at the ingredients list on the back of any of your cosmetics, you’ll see a massive block of scary-sounding names, with a few familiar ones in the mix (hello water!). Nail polish is probably the most unfriendly cosmetic product most people own – it smells nasty, and it’s hard to clean up after. You’ve probably …

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Chemical vs. Natural

It’s probably no surprise to anyone that, as a science geek, it irks me when I see scientifically incorrect things in popular media (I have been known to yell at the TV during Mythbusters). But what really upsets me is when advertisers and marketing gurus try to use scientific terms and absurd claims to bamboozle people into buying their products. …

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