Good news now that we are fully immersed in Dry July: you don't need red wine to get a good dose of powerful, grape-derived antioxidant Resveratrol. So all that bleating from wine merchants about how red wine is full of antioxidants and hey, have some dark chocolate with it too - please.

So what is this magical compound?

Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes and also in peanuts and berries. It's a plant compound considered to be extremely high in antioxidants, which protect against environmental damage to the skin and body.
Some research has shown it to be highly effective for weight loss in obesity - but these are animal studies and are not definitive. It has also proven promising in protecting against heart disease and other age-related conditions including Alzheimer's and macular degeneration (eye disease).

The bottom line here is, regardless of whether it is going to prolong your life and ensure you are disease free - it IS a powerful antioxidant that nourishes from the inside out. It can only improve your heart function, skin clarity and collagen strength and early studies suggest it defends against tissue degradation - a key factor in arthritic pain.

Try Bioglan Resveratox

Try Swisse Grapeseed Ultiboost Grape Seed 12,000mg 60 tablets

Thanks for the not-so-warm welcome back Melbourne. I really do love this city, but it's a far cry from the sunny mornings of Barcelona and Paris, and my shivering limbs confirm this. While a good yoga session fixes my seasonal blues and a bit of hot yoga flow does wonders for a winter

workout, its my skin that needs extra nurturing. My ever-reliable favourite Dermalogica is my source of skincare and I'm updating my makeup with the new collection from MAC - you will want to the second you see the campaign too. It's crazily, madly MAC-ly addictive. I saw it first in the Paris MAC store, and it's just released in Australia. You will want it, I warn you. All of it!

Skin for the Shivery Season:

I have been using the Multivitamin Range for about 3 years since I discovered it via a facial in High Street, Northcote. It is brilliant on my early 30s skin, but also highly concentrated with vitamins and anti-ageing hyaluronic acid and peptides for 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. My beauty cabinet is always home to the MultiVitamin Power Serum and MultiVitamin Power Recovery Masque (Best Quick Fix Ever). I have just introduced the AGE Smart MultiVitamin Thermafoliant for ultimate squeaky clean pores.
For the body? I'm a lavender scented oasis post workout shower, using Stress Relief Treatment Oil.
All products available at select salons and Dermalogica online.

Wash And Dry

The name Val Garland gets makeup artists very excited and if you love fashion photography and Vogue magazine as much as I do, you'll know the photographer Miles Aldridge is an icon. So the fact they are BOTH behind this latest MAC campaign should speak volumes on quality and superiority. The Wash and Dry collection includes shimmery highlight beauty powders, highly pigmented colours from nude through to fiery reds as well as blushes and nail lacquers in the collectible and covetable colours MAC is famous for. I am blowing bubbles for Washteria nail lacquer!
All products available from JUNE 1 2015 at MAC counters and MAC online.
Follow Val Garland and MAC Cosmetics on Instagram for inspiration.