Skin with Kirsty

I’ve just become MASCED-accredited.

MASCED stands for Melanoma and Skin Cancer Early Detection. It’s an accreditation programme run by Skcin, a national skin cancer charity set up by the family of Karen Clifford, who passed away from melanoma in 2005.

I started it because skin is what I talk about every day. And at some point that felt like a responsibility, not just for skincare but for skin health. Knowing what to look for. Being the person who notices something and says ‘have you had that checked?’

Skin cancer is the UK’s most common cancer. 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women will develop it in their lifetime. And 86% of cases are preventable. Those numbers stayed with me.

I’m not a doctor or a dermatologist. But I now know what suspicious moles and lesions can look like, how to talk about it with the people I see, and how to signpost them properly if something concerns me.

If I ever notice something on your skin during a facial or a Glow and Flow event, I’ll say something. That’s the point.

Next week I’ll share the ABCDE tool that’s used to check moles. Save this post if skin health is something you want to take more seriously this year x

Back in March I stood in the Primrose Cancer Wellbeing Room at Bedford Hospital and handed care bags straight to patients having chemo that day. I won’t forget it.

Final week to donate, please. The team’s already reached over 150 bags sponsored so far, and there’s still time to be part of it.

A full bag is £34, individual items are £10 to £12. Message me and I’ll sort the rest x

8 weeks. No mascara. Compare these two pictures.

Same person, same eye, 8 weeks apart on Lashful. The before-and-afters do a lot of the talking on their own.

The independent clinical study data backs it. 95% saw visibly longer lashes after 4 weeks. 90% reported stronger lashes with less fall-out. 95% agreed lashes felt more conditioned. That’s real study data, not a customer survey.

I started using Lashful a few weeks ago as part of my own no-mascara journey and I’ll share my own before-and-afters once I’ve got them. For now, this is what the science says to expect.

Save this if a proper lash serum has been on your list. Message me if you want to talk through whether it’s right for you. xx

Earlier this year we got 114 care bags to patients starting chemo at the Primrose Unit at Bedford Hospital. I had the privilege of helping hand some of them out.

You wouldn’t believe the appreciation of a friendly face and a small bag of products when someone’s just walked through those doors for treatment. It sounds like such a small gesture, but when someone’s going through something that difficult, it really isn’t.

We’re doing it again this August. Same team, same hospital, bigger goal. We’re aiming for 300 bags this time.

Each bag contains a sensitive shower gel, a nourishing hand cream, an SPF face cream and a lip balm. Natural products approved by a hospital pharmacist as safe for patients in treatment. And a personal note from the sponsor inside.

That’s where you come in. £34 sponsors a full bag with your name inside. £10 or £12 covers an individual item.

Every full bag sponsored also enters you into a prize draw for some Tropic goodies at the end of the campaign. A small thank you for helping.

If you’d like to sponsor a bag, or you know someone who might, message me. I’ll send you the details.

Save this, share it, or drop me a message. x

Most lash serums are only working on 25% of your lashes at any given moment.

Here’s what I mean. Your lashes don’t just grow, they cycle. Four phases: growth, transition, resting, shedding. Most serums focus only on the growth phase, which means the other three are being ignored.

Lashful supports all four. And the more I’ve read about it, the more one thing keeps bothering me about the rest of the market. Most lash serums use prostaglandin analogues to force growth. They work, but they’ve been linked to skin darkening, eye-area sagging, irritation and sensitivity for some people. That’s the trade-off nobody mentions in the product ads.

Lashful uses plant peptides and naturally-derived actives instead. No hormone disruptors. Suitable for sensitive eyes. Same job, without the small print.

I started using it a couple of weeks ago and I’m quietly obsessed. Not because of dramatic before-and-afters yet, but because I know what’s in it and what isn’t.

Save this if you’ve been eyeing a lash serum. Message me if you want a hand deciding. xx

I’ve got my eye on this one 👀

Rainforest Mist. Same peptides as Tropic’s bestselling Rainforest Dew serum, made into a hydrating spritz you can spray over makeup or bare skin. And here’s the bit that got me, it drops your skin temperature by six degrees on contact. Not marketing speak, tested with an infrared thermometer. In this weather that feels like a small miracle.

Limited edition, one week only, free with any Tropic order over £100 between now and Friday 31st. Not sold separately.

If you’ve been meaning to reorder anything, this is a smart week to do it. Message me if you want a hand building your order. xx

I’ve got my eye on this one.

Rainforest Mist. Same peptides as Tropic’s bestselling Rainforest Dew serum, made into a hydrating spritz you can spray over makeup or bare skin. And here’s the bit that got me, it drops your skin temperature by six degrees on contact. Not marketing speak, tested with an infrared thermometer. In this weather that feels like a small miracle.

Limited edition, one week only, free with any Tropic order over £100 between now and Friday 31st. Not sold separately.

If you’ve been meaning to reorder anything, this is a smart week to do it. Message me if you want a hand building your order. xx

One week today.

There is always a moment when the room goes quiet in a way it has not been all evening. The facial is done. The gua sha is done. Everyone moves to the floor, wraps up, and Donna starts playing.

That is what Glow & Flow is.

Sunday 19th July at Gravenhurst Village Hall. 7 to 9pm, £30. 4 spaces left.

Message me or DM to grab one.

Kirsty x