Jo loves… All-natural, all-affordable beauty finds including great eye make-up, a fab face mask, a sense-awakening shower gel - and the perfect summer scented candle. …
Green People Volumising Mascara, £13.99, in black only (you can also find this on-line at www.lovelula.com, with a 5% discount if you visit from our site and add the code bb10 at checkout). I wish it wasn’t true, but most natural mascaras I’ve ever tried have been disappointing. Even if they do a lash-building job, by lunchtime I look like a chimney-sweep with sooty particles dotting my cheeks. So HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Green People for this offering: an Ecocert-certified organic mascara that truly lengthens and volumises, grabs my lashes (so many mascaras skim over the surface doing nothing), and above all stays put! (Apparently there’s shea butter and sweet almond oil in there for lash-conditioning, too.) I am in natural mascara heaven, at last.
Pure Light candles, £19. One of the things I really don’t like about scented candles is the way they become dust-traps. So I really appreciate that this Pure Light candle comes with a metal lid that can cover it up when not in use – although frankly, the candle I’m enjoying is so addictive, there’s not much chance of it gathering dust on my desk. (The burn time is a generous 50 hours – and the candles burn evenly, unlike some I could mention.) My particular favourite is Bergamot, Grapefruit & Rosemary – a wonderful summery uplifting smell that’s great for the office, as it keeps me alert. But the all-natural scented candles also come in Lemongrass & Lime, Mandarin and Lavender, English Lavender and Cinnamon, Orange and Clove (a limited edition that almost – well, sort of – makes me look forward to Christmas). Pure Light promise the candles are made without any artificial ingredients at all, using soya wax. (In order to avoid the use of paraffin, some natural candles use palm wax – which has been linked with rainforest devastation.) Find them on-line at www.purelightuk.com, or click here to go straight to the Bergamot/Grapefruit/Rosemary candle.
Une Sfumato Eyes Shadows, £8.99 each at www.boots.com if you click here. We wrote a very exciting blog entry after the launch of Une, which is a natural ‘sister’ range to Bourjois that’s already huge in France. I’ve enthusiastically been using many of the products since – especially on ‘at-home’ days because they’re so easy and goof-proof I can almost apply them blindfold, straight from the lovely, slide-y mirror-lidded palette. These Sfumato mineral-based shadows come in a range of taupes, browns, smoke-y greys etc. which are – well, like actual shadows, so they look super-realistic on the lids. The whole range is Ecocert-certified, too, and Une is a great addition to the range of natural make-up out there.
Balm Balm Hibiscus Face Mask, £7.99 for 40 g. As someone who likes to make my own cosmetics, I love the sort of halfway-house nature of this: it’s a fab smelling geranium-y powder (based on rice) which you blend to a paste with water, and then apply. Only I tried using milk, and got even better results – sort of richer and creamier, and the lactic acid in milk has a gentle skin-brightening effect, too. It’s extremely reasonably priced, and you get a further 5% off that as a Beauty Bible ‘insider’ at www.victoriahealth.com; your discount will be added automatically at checkout, with free postage and packing and great gifts if you want to spend a bit more! Click here to find it.
Yes To Tomatoes Terrific Day Shower Gel, £7.99 for 500 ml. Yes to Carrots, as readers of our book Beauty Stealswill know, went down incredibly well with our bargain-focused testers. Now YTC have landed in this country with the equally crazily named Yes To Tomatoes range, which harnesses the antioxidant power of ingredients like lycopene, as well as vitamins A and C from watermelon. (Hence the subtly fruity fragrance. Trust me: you are not about to smell like someone’s Gro-Bag.) Though I’m fond of a long languid hot soak through the winter months, summertime is shower-time for me – and this has a lovely perkifying fresh fragrance,. The bottle, by the way, is absolutely VAST! Find it on www.victoriahealth.comhere. (Sadly VH aren’t able to offer our insiders their usual discount on YTC and YTT, because of dreadful exchange rates with the dollar right now. But we live in hope.)
Sarah loves... Hot pink nail varnish on her toes, a facelift gizmo, and some gorgeous
summer make-up
Aldo Nail Lacquer, £4 each. Known for shoes, handbags and jewellery, Aldo has now branched out into a line of the most scrumptious nail polishes. The range of 14 flamboyant colours - from jade green to royal blue, via yellow, turquoise, orange and purple - also offers some wonderful pinks including my favourite: Mini Bikini. They go on beautifully and last well. And my toes look irresistible (I think…)! From www.aldoshoes.com, tel 0808 101 5659, and from stores nationwide.
Blushwear Crème Cheek Colour by Jemma Kidd Make Up School, £13. A perfect lightweight cream-to-powder blush, which looks as good over base as it does on bare skin. Apply with a fingertip and blend in well. I like PawPaw, a soft coral tint which looks very natural – there’s also Pomegranate and Guava. Find Jemma’s step-by-step make-up class inside every product. From www.beautyexpert.co.uk, with your special 10% discount (deducted automatically at checkout).
St Tropez Everyday Gradual Tan for Body, Light Medium, £12.95 for 200ml (from HQhair.com so remember you get 10% discount, just click here) and remember to add the code BBHQ11 at checkout). I’ve always been a big fan of gradual tans, the ones you build up daily. In fact, before the beauty industry launched them, I used to mix a blob of fake tan with body lotion (or moisturiser for face) - same effect. This one from the uber-specialist tanning range St Tropez gives a particularly gorgeous light gold from the first time you apply it. It’s deeply moisturising but do remember that the best results come when you’ve exfoliated religiously before, and preferably applied a light coat of body lotion and let it absorb – then apply the tanning product.
Facialift facial massager by Sarah Chapman, £24 from Space NK. If a Martian (or just a man actually) should visit my office, they would be mystified by the strange gizmo by my keyboard. Look at the picture – it’s easier than me trying to describe this weirdly compulsive facial massage tool designed by legendary London facialist Sarah Chapman. There are eight massage heads with 48 nodules in all – push them across the face and Sarah promises they drain toxins, reduce puffiness and boost blood circulation so your skin gets properly nourished. It also helps with lymphatic drainage and releasing tension from your jaw. Fab for a boring phone call, or for invigorating your face when you’re tired, as well as using on daily basis – hope-in-a-gizmo (instead of a jar!) From www.spacenk.com or call 020 8740 2085.
Quick Eyes Cream Shadow by Clinique, £13.50. Ooh, I love these cream eyeshadows which are pretty fool-proof to apply: just stroke on with the sponge applicator then smudge a tad. Quick Eyes promises to stay true without creasing. The shade I like for daytime is Truffle, which you could accent with Sparkling Nude to perk up the inner eye area. And while you’re at the Clinique counter check out the High Impact Lip ColourSPF15, £14.50, in yummy soft wearable colours. Available nationwide.
BeneFit Confessions of a Concealaholic, £28.50 (or take 10% off that at HQhair.com, if you add the code BBHQ11 at the checkout). I can always rely on BeneFit to put a big, fat smile on my face: witty names, playful packaging, hard-working products. Their latest offering, Confessions of a Concealaholic, has everything you could ever need to conceal and enhance, in one (very, very cute) package. The kit features five classic BeneFit products in mini sizes, including That Gal, a brightening face primer, Eye Bright (an instant eye brightener, great for dabbing in the inner corner of your eye for instant wide awake-ness), Erace Paste for concealing and brightening dark circles, Bo-ing (a super strength concealer for covering discolouration and any imperfections - it’s marvellous for covering my pesky blemishes and comes in 2 shades, light and medium, so you can blend to suit your skin tone). And last but not least (and my particular favourite, in fact) is the cult Lemon Aid, a FANTASTIC eyelid primer that manages in just a couple of dabs to make my eyes appear refreshed and takes away all of that redness that is especially apparent in those with rather fair skin- like me.
Rituals Bed and Body Mist, £12.90 for 50 ml. I’m afraid I have a rather un-eco-friendly confession to make: I am totally obsessed with washing my bedding. That cocooning scent of fresh linen just wafts me off to sleep in an instant and I want to do it everyday! Instead I limit myself to once a week and just spritz this lovely mist all over my pillows and sheets in between. The key ingredient in this is White Lotus, a symbol of purity and peace, the heart of the Lotus flower is recommended to treat insomnia in Chinese medicine and it certainly works a treat on me, it’s bliss and now I’m guaranteed a good nights sleep everyday of the week.
Clinique Anti-Blemish Foundation,£20 for 30 ml. If you have problem skin, you may, like me find it quite difficult to find a foundation that covers what you want to be covered but also still allows your skin to breathe and not feel heavy. So well done to Clinique, who have added this new edition to their existing range, Anti-Blemish Solutions. I have been wearing this everyday and I love it, it covers all my blemishes and I say this quietly because I don’t want to jinx anything but my skin has even improved since this came into my life. This may be down to the powerful spot-fighting ingredients it contains, such as salicylic acid and a kind of sea algae called laminaria sacharrina, which is said to purify and balance the skin as well as regulating it’s sebum production-which is the stuff that can build up in pores and cause you to break out. It comes in 8 shades ranging from very fair (hurrah for me!) to dark.
STEAMCREAM Limited Edition PPQ Tins,£10 for 75 g. I think a little squeak of joy escaped from my lips when I saw that PPQ creators Amy Molyneaux and Percy Parker had joined forces with STEAMCREAM to create these limited edition, oh-so-terribly-cute tins. The PPQ shop cat, Emmanuelle, who is already infamous for appearing on the brands covetable carrier bags, inspired the designs and what’s on the inside is just as lovely. A multi-tasking cream, that is absorbed in a flash and smells completely divine, it contains a wonder mix of oat milk, organic jojoba oil, lavender oil, almond oil, neroli oil, (you get the picture) and cocoa butter to nourish you from face to feet. Available from Selfridges, Liberty and John Lewis stores, as well as online at www.asos.com, if you click here. I dare you to stick at only buying one!
Playfords Hair Salon, at the top of the very up and coming, trendy street that is Normans Road in St Leonard’s, there is a little hair haven that is Playfords. A beautiful Aveda salon opened by the lovely hair-whizz Rob a couple of years ago, the décor is gorgeous, with huge gilt mirrors and ceiling to floor windows (perfect for people watching mid-blow dry) its so light, airy and calming that I feel instantly transported into another world. The other stylist in residence here is the rather wonderful Michael, who now looks after me and my locks- I go for a big, bouncy cut and blow dry and he gets my ‘do’ perfect every time. Open Tuesday through to Saturday and late on Thursday night, you can make an appointment on 01424-445240 or take a stroll to 77 Normans Road, St Leonard’s on Sea in pretty East Sussex.
Green People Volumising Mascara
Pure Light candles
Une Sfumato Eyes Shadows
Balm Balm Hibiscus Face Mask
Yes To Tomatoes Terrific Day Shower Gel
Blushwear Crème Cheek Colour by Jemma Kidd Make Up School
Facialift facial massager by Sarah Chapman
Quick Eyes Cream Shadow by Clinique
Rituals Bed and Body Mist
Clinique Anti-Blemish Foundation
STEAMCREAM Limited Edition PPQ Tins