down with new…

It may be counter-intuitive to declare this on what is essentially, a blog about consuming stuff, but I am absolutely well and truly over “new” right now. Sorry, I know it’s contrary to almost every other post on this site (especially the one below) but it sums up the way I’m feeling right now about the beauty industry as a whole. New does not necessarily equal better. There, I said it. Sue me. I suppose my rant is born really out of the fact that every article I’m ever commissioned to write seems to hinge entirely on its element of newness, to the point where it doesn’t matter if it’s a damn good idea if the products mentioned are more than a few months old. Have we really become so fickle that a perfectly good product becomes obsolete almost immediately purely because it’s not brand spanking new anymore (BBs and CCs anyone?)? This, I’m sad to say, is what I encounter time and time again as publications clamber over themselves to appear the most-informed and zeitgiesty while all the while, the bloggers guffaw down on them from on high as they consistently pip them to the post, breaking embargoes and generally fuelling the whole newness hysteria. So, in the interests of putting two fingers up to the relentless world of newness, here are a few products I’d like to salute for their ancient wisdom, their tried-and-tested familiarity and down night oldness. True, you might not see them in the Sunday papers this weekend and they probably won’t be appearing in a pop-up boutique near you anytime soon, but in my eyes, that might actually be a good thing…

Based on a traditional recipe passed down from her grandmother to her father, Gamila first created her skin-softening cream cleansing bars using fifteen different herbs and natural oils harvested in her native home of Galilee, Israel when she was in her 30s. That was 40 years ago. I rest my case.

Weleda’s cult Skin Food formula, a multipurpose cream I use on my hands, brows and just about anywhere my skin feels a bit parched, launched in 1926 and is still a firm favourite with discerning shoppers, make-up artists and a smattering of celebrities today.

Compared to the above this is a relatively new entry. But one I just had to mention. Created in 1998, I first fell in love with Penhaligons LP No.9 while on a shoot as work experience for Bliss magazine when I was just 21, three years after it launched. The make-up artist smelled so sophisticated, a world away from the Jean Paul Gaultier Red Jeans I was so liberally daubing myself in at the time. I didn’t actually get to own a bottle until many years later when a beauty editor friend ‘sourced’ a bottle for a birthday beauty bag. A more nostalgic scent I have yet to encounter.

it’s not shopping, it’s research…

I could (and sometimes do) spend hours wondering about the hallowed beauty halls of London. From Liberty’s cleverly curated modern-day apothecary to Selfridges zeitgeisty edit of cult buys, the big retailers have cottoned on to the fact that we don’t all want to look/smell/feel the same. Difference is key and a diverse crop of niche brands seems to be the way forward. And while high street retailers must surely be fighting every (whitened) tooth and (shellac’d) nail for actual, product-in-bag-sales against the many wonderfully savvy beauty etailers out there with their free shipping and sampling incentives, it’s heartening to see another physical beauty space pop up on London’s radar in the shape of H&Ms sister brand, & Other Stories.

To be honest I just popped in to check out the clothes. I didn’t even know they had beauty (wtf ?? – BAD journalist). I’ve since acquired the official press material from my good friend Disneyrollergirl, though I’d already typed in frantic notes on to my iphone and hipstamatic-ed the whole space with a view to writing this post.

It’s a beautiful light and airy space on the ground floor of the regent street store. It reminds me a bit of Barney’s in the US, but more oh-so-cool Scandi with beautifully packaged brands I’ll admit I’d never heard of that had me frantically googling – enter L:A BRUKET, a range of handmade soaps and spa products from Sweden whose sage, rosemary and lavender salt scrub smelt like the elixir of life, and Wash with Joe, an NYC bath brand extolling the youth-boosting properties of, you guessed it, caffeine. See what they did there?

But it’s their own-brand ranges I was really impressed with. Ben Gorham, the perfumer behind Byredo, worked up the fragrances for the bath & body line. I love the belfast sink (a concept borrowed from Aesop I’d hazard a guess) where you can sample the line up of pretty hand soaps. Another cute touch is their recycling incentive. Bring your empty bottles and tubs back for a 10% discount on your next purchase. Unlike so many fashion brands who segue into beauty, this feels like much more than an afterthought of ‘quick, let’s bung some branding on these generic body lotions’. It’s the same for their make-up. Lisa Butler, respected international make-up artist, consulted on their cosmetics offering (see the short film below for a taster). There’s a coolly understated-looking line of skincare too, which I can’t vouch for, but if the rest of the concept is anything to go by, it’ll be well thought out, functional and affordable too. Gotta love those swedes.

So if, like me, you missed all this when it debuted at Colette during Paris fashion week (oh, jeez, I must have been handwashing my woolens that day), proceed to the Oxford Circus end of Regent Street poste haste. Or, for all you non-London dwellers, get your virtual fix online here. Oh, and the clothes aren’t too shabby either….

alma mater

In just over a week it will be mother’s day, well here in the UK at least. So, while ‘real’ (ie paid work) means I’m a little busy to write you a really juicy post right now, I thought I’d paste up the below feature, from the Feb issue of Psychologies, as it seems rather timely…(thanks again to Cerine, Rosemary, Sunita, Jessica and all the wonderfully glam mums – don’t you just love those black and white snapshots? Come back Polaroid, all is forgiven).

surviving the cold spell…

It happens every year around this time, you’d think I’d be more prepared. Christmas is over and the cold snap kicks in in earnest in the January bleakness. This is when I have to loose all glamour, I’m afraid, and level with you about my dry skin issues. It’s not beauty product grade ‘dry’ as in a cursory swipe of body lotion post-shower sorts it out. I’m talking itchy, uncomfortable borderline eczema. On legs, arms, tummy, shoulders for chrissakes! Reptile skin. Transepidermal water loss. However you want to call it, my skin barrier (the natural layer that keep moisture in and infection out) is shot. A result of too much central heating as the temperatures plummet (as I type, 10cms of snow is settling on the roof outside my window) and not enough omegas I suspect, though I couldn’t physically consume any more skin-salving avocados, nuts and seeds.

So, how to solve this skin disaster. First up (and this really isn’t glam in the slightest readers, I warn you) I’ve packed away my aromatic shower gels in place of a giant tub of medicinal-looking aqueous cream. You don’t know how long I spent in Boots deliberating this purchase but so far, I haven’t found any natural product (even my Dr Bronner’s Pure Soap hasn’t safeguarded me this winter) I can use in place of shower gel that has the same effect. That is to create a film on the skin that stops moisture escaping. I hate that it contains liquid paraffin, it massively jars with my mission to detox my bathroom, but in fact Paula Begoun, aka the Cosmetics Cop, says it’s really not so bad after all. It’s a naturally derived mineral oil that has effective skin emollient properties, just what I need (read her full blurb here).

Next up, what to use after the shower? Oh and here I should add that over-cleansing is actually counter-productive in this entire process, making the skin even drier, especially if you shower in super hot water, something I’m guilty off when it’s too cold to even step out of the bathroom. Presently I’m switching between pure coconut oil and a zinc and castor oil cream I picked up in the Baby section at Boots. So basically, I’m covered in nappy cream. Again, attempting to stick with as few ingredients and keep them as natural as possible. If you flip any of the bottles in the supposed ‘dry skin’ section of your local chemist you’ll see that most of the formulas contain at least 15 ingredients AND perfume, which to me seems counter-intuitive for irritated skin. Plus they all cost in excess of £6. My nappy cream was £1.25. (My one concession here is Aveeno. They’re not 100% natural by any stretch, but I do like the addition of colloidal oatmeal in their dry skin range, though instead I’m going to try the old sock-of-oats-in-the-bathtub trick. Same skin soothing oat substance, less packaging and cost, it is January after all.)

Finally, I’m thinking more about what I put into my mouth. If that could be possible since food is pretty much what I’m thinking about at any given moment. I was lucky enough to be gifted recently with two bottles of tasty Udo’s oil, though I’ll admit I haven’t been as religious in my dosage as I could have been. It’s an omega oil blend made from cold pressed seeds of flax, sunflower and sesame plus coconut oil, rice and oat germ (note: no whiffy fish oils so it’s veggie/vegan friendly too). You add a few tablespoons to soups, juices, salads, porridge and so on to shoehorn more omega 3, 6 and 9 into your system. But it must be used raw, heating destroys the essential fatty acids that will hopefully return my scaling skin back to its former glory. That and buckets of water and rooibos masala tea and rehydration here I come.

*picture via Pinterest

the beautyhaul alternative gift guide

I’m cutting it fine I know but it’s taken me a while to collate this alternative gift guide mainly because there’s just so many beautiful items I’d like to find under my tree (which is actually a decorated plant) this year. So, I had to give myself a brief. These gifts must truly have an alternative beauty angle. That is, not be from a mass brand or something you’re likely to have already seen on every other blog from here to Lapland (Selfridges beauty advent calendar is already sold out anyway, so there.) Packaging is also a big issue for me. I’m a sucker for a pretty box just like the next girl, but I draw the line at unrecyclable plastic moulding and super shiny papers that won’t ever degrade. This year I want to keep bin bags to a minimum and my eco-credentials firmly intact thankyouverymuch. Besides, the best gifts don’t need to be planet-bashers, as the below prove, and eco no longer means ugly you know. Here’s my pick of the best ethical beauty gifts. I hope you have a few slots left on your ‘to buy’ list…

No 1. Aveda Warmth & Light Candle, £17 (20% off) at www.wantthelook.com

Okay I’ve kind of flouted my ‘mass brand’ rule already but I truly believe of all the big boys, Aveda really do deserve recognition for their philanthropic efforts. I was lucky enough to be gifted with this beautifully scented candle in a recycled glass beer bottle (yes, really) packaged in the most beautiful Nepali paper box (Aveda have been buying paper from Nepal for 5 years providing a much needed income to communities in this extremely impoverished county). It smells amazing – a spicy, warm, festive perfume –  and will scent your entire house in about 15 minutes. It also burns really slowly, so it’s a gift with longevity.

No 2. Sikkim Girls Perfume, Gorilla Perfumes at www.lush.co.uk

I’m back in the Himalayas. What can I say? I’m a mountain dweller at heart. This time with a new scent from the Gorilla Perfumes stable, Sikkim Girls. Take a day off from mass-produced, predictably packaged ‘luxury’ fragrances (that everyone else will have anyway) and try out this artisanal blend of jasmine, tuberose and frangipani. It’ll smell even sweeter knowing it’s made of predominantly natural ingredients and produced in small batches at their Dorset factory.

No 3. Alexandra Mann make-up bag, £60, www.liberty.co.uk

One of these beautiful, handcrafted washbags with laundry bag lining (how clever?) has been on my wishlist for a while now. It’s not cheap, granted, but after working on a crafty cottage industry of my own recently, my eyes have been opened as to the true worth of one-off, ethical, local design. Up the artisans!

No 4. Booja Booja Dark Ecuadorian Truffles, £6.69, www.therawchocolateshop.com

Because no Christmas would be complete without chocolate. But this year I’m going all Wholefoods with raw, that is, not heat treated, which destroys all the goodness in your common or garden chocs. They’ll be enough sugar flying around with all those mince pies so treat yourself to an antioxidant packed truffle made with agave syrup to ward off sugar slumps. Plus these are so rich you won’t be tempted to cocoa OD.

No 5. Antonia Burrell Primrose Hill Polish facial, £120 for 60 minutes, Lost in Beauty, 117 Regents Park Road, NW1, www.antoniaburrell.com

She’s my newest facialist to champion and far too good a secret to keep to myself (tempted though I am). Antonia’s super pure skincare (cossetted in expensive violet glass to protect the fragile actives from light damage) has to be seen, and smelt, to be believed so I hands-down promise you a facial with her is going to make any recipient EXTREMELY happy. There isn’t much this ex-aromatherapy teacher doesn’t know about the molecular-structure of natural ingredients and how they can replace harsh, synthetic chemicals to far better effect for younger, clearer, happier skin without the environmental hangover.

No 6. Kings Road Apothecary ‘Busted Joint Elixir’, $24, www.kingsroadapothecary.com

The name says it all. One for the yogis, or anybody active really. It’s a blend of fresh Solomon’s seal, turmeric, ashwagandha root and wild crafted horsetail that’ll get you back on the mat ( slash treadmill/running track/pommel horse) ready for your new year’s health kick. Realistically you’re not going to get this before Christmas, they’re based in LA, but make it one transatlantic latecomer to look forward to.

No 7. No.1 Ass Pant Long (really), £96 with an extra 20% off this week only at www.workoutlife.com

The PR for these guys snubbed me when I tried to invite myself to their launch yoga class but hey, I’m bucking the bad karma and putting their hilariously named printed leggings on my fantasy Christmas list. I’m living in my yoga pants right now so some springtime florals would be a welcome additional to my ninja-like, all black yoga kit.

No 8. *STOCKING FILLER* Collapsible water bottle, £4.99 each, from www.ohyo.com

What a clever little idea. I’ve stopped amassing Evian bottles, bought a filter jug and now me and my Ohyo bottle are barely separated.

No 9. Kitchen & Co. by Ellie Grace and Rosie French, £16.99 at www.kylebooks.com

This one goes out to my favourite neighbourhood eatery, French & Grace of Brixton market. Okay, it’s not strictly beauty (or ethical) in nature but their beautiful recipes and chi-chi food styling are something to pour over longingly on a dark January afternoon and will nourish your heart AND soul so technically, it’s a wellbeing buy.

the barefaced backlash

Bare skin, blah blah BLAH.

I’m sorry. I’m so over this already. Just call me Liz Jones (we all have our crosses to bear Liz, yours are crows feet, mine are spots). Standing in line for 17 minutes at the post office this lunchtime I found myself zoning into royal mail tv, trancelike, where they were showing, on a loop, an ad for the BearFaced campaign for Children in Need (to fill you in, this is where various celebrities and models, among them Heidi Klum, Louise Redknapp, Julia Bradbury and Lulu (lord, why?), have been photographed sans make-up by Rankin for a campaign to, erm, raise awareness? for Children in Need).

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE an altruistic gesture in the beauty industry, just see my last post, but I am struggling to link celebrities and models with good skin (that allegedly has not been retouched, riiiight ) going without make-up and the aforementioned Children…that are…in Need. How does this help them? What am I missing? Personally I’d have liked to see them do a ‘Waitrose’ on this, veto-ing the whole costly business and instead funneling the misguided budget of the entire hapless project directly to charity. And don’t tell me everyone waived their fees so there are no funds. What about the studio? And lunch? And cars for the talent? And the no-make-up-make-up-artists that certainly would have been in evidence? All free was it? Frankly, I’m baffled. I have nothing against the concept of make-up free skin in the media. It’s nice. Refreshing even. I just think it’s rich to ask normal women to forgoe make-up (and their confidence in many cases) in what is clearly not a level playing field. Lets have a cake sale instead eh?

And this on the back of Stylist who this week a ran a shot of a make-upless model on the cover of this week’s issue to advertise their skincare awards. Again. Playing field? Level? Does it surprise you that the majority of models actually have really beautiful skin? It’s their livelihood after all. A touch misleading methinks to suggest that any of the ‘winning’ brands, many of them big advertisers I might add, will help give you skin like the aforementioned dewy-complexioned model. But I at least think I see where there were going with it.

So it seems we’re in the grip of a barefaced phenomenon right now. One that’s great if you’re blessed with poreless, even skintone and horrid if you’re not. When I’m having a good skin day there’s nothing I like more than trotting to the shops with just a blot of lip balm and some eyebrow pencil. Post detox (yawn, sorry) I loved the fact I had to wear less make-up but slowly and surely, with deadlines looming and a smattering of forbidden foodstuffs infiltrating my diet again, the concealer had been on almost permanent standby. I guess what I’m getting at, not all that succinctly, is if you have lovely skin, I’m truly happy for you, I am. Just don’t expect other women to want to blaze your trail and whip out the wet wipes on request in the name of feeling liberated. Some people actually like wearing make-up. Skin is a delicate subject. The faces we construct for ourselves are our modern day armour. Even if like me, you’re a no-make-up make-up girl, it still takes a good 15 minutes to create the illusion. Children in Need don’t mind if we wear foundation. In fact, they weren’t even opposed to a bit of lipstick last time I checked…

*Image courtesy of Alexander Khokhlov via LaraJul

boys brigade

I’m now nearing the end of a month-long stint sans Mr Beautyhaul as he freezes his you-know-whats off on location in the Peak District. Within two days I’d already infiltrated his wardrobe to nab his beloved bottlegreen H&M hoodie (that I am banned from wearing as I turn up the sleeves, apparently stretching the arms so he claims even though anyone who knows me will attest to the fact I have bird wrists). It took me a few days longer to spread magazines about the flat and start leaving the juicer parts unwashed in the sink until tea time. Slovenly ways people, slovenly ways. However, there’s another perk for me when he’s off on his little filming jaunts with his most perfunctory of wash bag contents. I get access to his unguarded bathroom stash. Mainly supplied by me, granted, but while the cat’s away the mouse will play with his Comme des Garcon Incense in Kyoto, Dax Super-Neat Wax and various Murdock London shaving unguents.

Which reminds me. It’s Movember. The time when you start noticing all sorts of burgeoning facial hair on otherwise conservative-looking male commuters. It’s also in support of a very worthy cause supporting prostate and testicular cancer charities. My granddad died of the former. 

If you know someone taking part you might want to show them some gentle encouragement, and avoid total facial hair malfunction, with a trim-trip to one of Murdock’s London outposts (Monmouth Street, Libertys, Shoreditch and now at the Shop at Bluebird on Kings Rd) or for non-London dwelling folk, check out this short video tutorial on how to twizzle your moustache like a regal Rajasthani gent (of course, the spiritual home of the statement moustache).

Photograph courtesy of the very talented Andy Hill (aka Mr Beautyhaul)

juicewashed

As of last Saturday The beautyhaul entered a new chapter which I shall  refer to from here on in as my health kick period. No, it’s not the new year, nor am I getting hitched. In actual fact I’ve just got back from the most amazing 7 day juice retreat in Mallorca with a company called Breakfree Retreats. Right now I can’t divulge as much as I’d like about the experience since I’m reviewing it for one of my regular health & beauty clients. All I can say is a week of raw liquid nutrition, increased activity and balaeric sunshine has been the ultimate tonic for body, soul, skin, hair, nails….

Aside from the obvious, visible benefits – I lost 5lbs and 5cms from my waist – I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the less obvious side effects. Stacks of energy and a new resolve to eat cleaner being two of them. This last week back to my usual routine working in an office in central London and I just haven’t had those usual wading-through-sand-style energy slumps and have been waking naturally and not unpleasantly about 6.15am. This means I’ve had time to eat a healthy fruit-based breakfast and even make a smoothie (while I wait for the new juicer to arrive) and then I’ve been walking the 20 minute journey from the station to the office to try and sandwich some movement into my predominantly sedentary day. This morning I even managed to bust out a dynamic yoga class before work. I know, me? an early riser! Who’d have thought it.

It was  a total detox so we’re talking no sugar, caffeine, meat, alcohol and dairy. I’ve eased myself back in with one cup of early grey a day but have switched to a dash of soya milk as eating no dairy really seems to suit me. I’ve had a little fish too, but can’t say I’ve been craving ‘flesh’ of any kind terribly. After a week off digesting those really dense foodstuffs you get a much clearer sense of how energy sapping it is for your system to break down certain heavy foods. And, when you spend most of the day sat on your arse like I do, you just don’t need all that food, you really don’t. Of course I fell off the Green & Blacks wagon almost immediately but I am trying to wean myself onto raw. Conscious (from Wholefoods) being my current bar of choice.

Earlier I was reading an interview with Dr Pauline Hili on the wonderful Content Beauty blog (she’s launched a lovely new range of a advanced organic skincare called Nourish) and she was talking about the principle of Harca Haci Bu practised by the world’s oldest population, the Okinawans (google them, they’re bionic!). Apparently it translates to eating only until you are 80% full. It’s something we talked a lot about last week on retreat. Think of the oldest people you know. They’re all pretty lean right? We need a certain amount of fat to protect our vital organs from dangerous toxins which we either ingest through bad diet or pollution or generate with stress, but ultimately, we were just not designed to be fatties.

Which leads me swiftly onto my next recommended reading matter for you this weekend. The marvellous Hemsley sisters have been wooing me with their delicious yet health-driven recipies on Vogue.com for some time but yesterday I suddenly realised when I saw a picture of them yesterday that Jasmine, one of the said sisters, is actually a (very beautiful) model I know through friends of friends. I can therefore vouch for the old adage that you are what you eat. Ooh I was excited. Their blog is currently making huge waves with the London fooderatti (& all nutrition-obsessed beauty eds) and it’s not difficult to see why. It’s a riot of colour, pretty pics and mouth watering recipies where you never, ever hear the word diet or calorie or, gasp, processed. I for one have designs on this sugar and egg-free chestnut cake this weekend…

*This image comes courtesy of the lovely lacylike blog which I found via Pinterest. Check out her inspirational post on cleansing here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ready, set, shop

You want hair? Hershesons can help…

This month, two beauty behemoths go head to head as opposite ends of Oxford Street each get a posh new beauty hall.

Over at Oxford Circus Topshop have launched their revamped basement beauty zone and it’s looking pretty good. Not only have the existing franchises, Bleach, Hershesons and WAH been suped- and slicked-up, there’s a new tattoo and piercing parlour, Metal Morphosis, as well as a Strip waxing room and Blink brow bar (recommended by me, best brows for time plus a comp head massage!). There’s also a new ‘hot desk’ reception area so you don’t have to wonder aimlessly into the salons waiting for somebody (anybody?) to notice you while you secretly implode, vowing never to spend your hard earned cash here EVER again. We’ve all been there.

Mood board at Bleach. Yep, Barbie is a bonafide muse.

Back down the road, Selfridges will officially unveil their new Beauty Workshop on 15th, though it’s been semi-open for sometime. Tripling in size with a sleek new design-job by Dutch architects, Uxus, the space will showcase over 50 new skincare, hair and cosmetics brands plus a slew of top beauty treatment counters – Blink & Hershesons, again, plus St Tropez tanning and a nails inc. Paint Shop. Plus, they’ve trumped Toppers with an online booking service. Neat huh?

Beauty Workshop, with virtual customers…

All this upgrading says only one thing to me. Beauty is fast ousting fashion as the high-street’s biggest draw and with Christmas approaching faster than Santa’s Coca-Cola sponsored steam train (sorry, but it is), retailers are gearing up for a big, and beautiful, festive season.

Mauritius calling…

Friday. What better day for a big fat slice of escapism with your afternoon tea?

So here it is. Maradiva, the super-luxe Mauritian spa voted ‘Best Worldwide Spa’ by Sunday Times Magazine, whom I reckon get a fair bit of spa action, are opening a pop-up in Harrods for the month of October. Yeah it is only mid August, you’re right, but I’m giving you a month or so heads up on this one because a) I don’t want to leave this post until every Tom, Dick and Blogger has written about it and b) if you want to book in, I suggest you get in early as this is one hot ticket people.

Now, whatever you’re doing just stop and take 5 minutes out to think about how bloody AMAZING these treatments are going to be. Their team of ‘elite therapists’ (along with crates of their signature aromatic elixirs and unguents) are being flown in especially by Harrods to perform such signature ayurvedic healing rituals as Pavani, which includes vedic chanting before being doused in a potent herbal detox blend, as well as more familiar numbers like Indian head massage and herbal facials. I can already smell the sweet basil and ginger if I concentrate really hard…

Hosts Urban Retreat are calling it  ‘A FESTIVAL OF DETOXIFYING AND HEALING AYURVEDIC TREATMENTS’ which is kind of ironic since most of us have spent all summer at festivals doing anything but detoxing, but I like their concept. Plus this gives me the perfect excuse to schedule in all retoxing prior to October the 8^th, the opening date, so as to reap the full benefits, you see?