Bare Faced Beauty

I don't know if you have noticed but recently there has been a lot of press about wearing no make up. I believe this whole craze was kicked off by Sarah Jessica Parker (claiming she was) wearing no foundation to the Met Gala Ball earlirt this year. Whether the Carrie Bradshaw star started this trend or not, it has taken off. Loreal have launched their own no make up campaign with Cheryl Cole, Gwyneth Paltrow later turned up to an awards ceremony without make up, and Spring Summer catwalk beauty championed face-sin-slap.

Here are some faces of S/S 2014.

I love this trend as it is easy and care free. To look like you are not wearing any make up- sometimes you do need to wear a bit just to make yourself look appropriate. Focus on a tinted moisturiser (I like Laura Mercier), a good subtly blush (I use Liz Earl blossom), and concealer to hid those dark circles you have acquired (I use Boots No.7) and hey presto- this look is all yours.

NB: This look always looks better when you are healthy- the healthier, the less help you need with make up and the better you will look. Do not attempt this look if you have had a heavy night out- one generally looks better with a lick of mascara to bring out your alcohol swollen eyes (from my experience anyway). 

(I think this model may have had a larger than normal dose of photoshop...) 

Does Organic Really Mean Organic?

I found this article on Vogue.com about how organic a beauty product actually is: You'll be surprised!

DO you buy organic beauty products? Your answer may be yes, but can you really be certain that what you're buying is in fact free of harmful and artificial chemicals? According to the Soil Association, the UK's largest organic certification body, misleading product labels mean that many of us are slathering our faces, bodies and hair with potentially harmful chemicals - and we don't even know it.

"We started really looking into the issue when the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint against Boots, where a Little Me Organics Oh So Gentle Hair and Body Wash had been labelled as organic despite including only five per cent organic ingredients," Soil Association project manager Jenny Collins told us today. "The problem is widespread, and it's packaging that's the problem. Organic hair and beauty products aren't regulated in the same way as food, so things like parabens and petrochemicals are making it into supposedly organic items."

All beauty products certified by the Soil Association require at least 95 per cent of ingredients to be organic, and are checked by external auditors.

"Organic beauty products, in the same way as organic food, contribute to increased biodiversity and are kinder to the environment and to animals," Collins told us. "The labelling system is staggeringly complicated, but if you buy organic then you can have peace of mind that you aren't putting unsafe ingredients on your skin."

When we spoke to Boots this afternoon, the high street store was keen to reassure us that that "all organic ingredients used in the Botanics range are certified as organic and adhere to the Boots Organic Policy, which is verified by Trading Standards," adding that "the ingredients in the Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil support a 100 per cent claim. The ingredient list on the packaging may not make this clear, and we will look to rectify this immediately."

However, like the Soil Association, Boots recognises a need for clearer guidelines on what constitutes an organic product.

"We have a clear policy on how we substantiate claims for our products and work hard to always provide our customers with accurate and factually correct information," Boots told us. "In the absence of a standardised policy on organics claims, and as an internationally trusted brand, we have developed our own policy within which the methodology has been verified by Trading Standards. However, we would welcome an internationally consistent regulation on the use of the word 'organic' in beauty products to remove any confusion for consumers."

In September of this year, the Soil Association's annual Organic September will feature a dedicated Organic Beauty Weekend on September 7 and 8.

"We decided it was the right time for a dedicated weekend," Collins explained. "It's in the very early stages and it's the first time we've done it, but we'll be working with Neal's Yard and other natural product retailers to stage events around the country to help consumers to find out more about organic beauty. It's very exciting."

Learn more about the Soil Association's certification policy at www.soilassociation.org.

SOURCE

The African Super Food: Baobab

Predominantly, when we think of ‘super foods’ we automatically think antioxidants. We think of exotic fruit and vegetables like blueberries, avocados or the acaii berry- and rightly so, but very few of us would think of baobab. Say hello to the new super-food of 2013: Baobab. When I saw new, I don’t really mean new because this fruit has been around for donkeys years. It is Africa’s well-kept secret for improved health, beauty and vitality. 

Baobab is a tree grown in fifteen different countries in the African continent. Without having heard of baobab, you may recognise the tree, as it boasts quite a distinctive look: an extremely fat tall trunk and short branches arched towards the sun. Like everything in nature, there is reason for this: The trunk is fat and tall because it stores the water it collects in the rainy season. This water is then used to produce the baobab fruit on the end of its sky-facing branches, in the dry season. Because the tree provides when no others do, the baobab tree has been dubbed ‘the tree of life’. 

A super food is called so because it is extremely nutrition dense. That means lots of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to keep you in your prime. Baobab has an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of 24,300. This is over twice the amount of antioxidants per gram compared to goji berries, blueberries, and pomegranates combined (Aduna). For you, reader, I will break down baobab’s nutritional content, in the hopes to educate you further and convince you to adopt the super food. 

Skin 

· Baobab contains lots of vitamin C, which protects our skin from oxidative stress. 

· The high levels of antioxidants help protect our skin from damage caused by free radicals. 

· Vitamin C contributes to restoring our vitamin E levels and collagen production (anti-aging benefits). Vitamin E is the vitamin that gives us strong long nails, shiny flowing locks and glowing skin. 

Stress 

· Potassium is present in Baobab, which helps maintain a normal blood pressure. 

· Vitamin B contributes to a healthy hormone balance in the brain, helping to combat depression. 

Digestion and Metabolism 

· A lot of people suffer from poor digestion. Baobab is high in calcium, which helps our digestive enzymes do their thing. 

· Baobab is almost 50% fibre, helping us detoxify and maintain healthy bowels. 

Energy 

· Vitamins B1 (Thiamin), B6 and C are all present in baobab, which aid the process of converting our calories into energy. 

· Vitamin C enables you to absorb the iron you ate in your red meat. With iron comes energy. 

Immunity 

· As you know, baobab is high in vitamin C, which is what your immune system practically runs on. 

So where do you get this baobab stuff? 

Like the acaii berry, baobab is generally eaten as a supplement in a powder form. This powder is added to all sorts of food, but most popularly, your morning smoothie. You can get Baobab powder from: 

Aduna

Wholefoods Online

Holland andBarrett

So, reader, have I convinced you?

Product Review: Oatifix

My good fabulous friend Geneva lured me into Lush many a time when we lived together at University. Geneva is Lush's biggest fan: she uses their shampoo bars, soaps, lip balms, moisturisers- the lot.  As she recommends Lush so highly, and the fact that she has gorgeous and glowing skin, I decided to try out one of their fresh face masks: Oatifix. 

The little secret here is that Lush are very good to strangers that walk through their door.   Not only are they extremely friendly bubbly enthusiastic people but they also like to give away little testers of their products. #woopwoop. 

What I like about Lush (apart from free-bee's and nice people) is that their products are all organic and from a natural base.  This face mask for example is pretty much made from bananas, almonds, vanilla and oats.  -Sounds like my kind of breakfast! It makes sense really.  All natural products for an all natural healthy looking skin.  Here is the ingredients for this fresh face mask. 

Watch how it is made...

What Did I Do?

I slapped a nice layer of Oatifix on my face, left it on for fifteen minutes and washed it off with hot/ warm water.  When washing it off I did the whole circle rubbing action to remove any dead skins cells.

What Do I Think?

Flipping fabulous.  My face feels like a baby's bottom- seriously smooth and clean. Although this face mask is supposedly for dry skin, I would suggest it to anyone in England with this cold below 5 degrees weather. The cold dehydrates my skin and therefore this mask is a brilliant boost.  Oatifix is quite a nice price too- only £5.95 for 75g of the stuff.  Nice, compared to the creme de la mers anyway. 

Problems?

I have two problems with this mask:

1) It smells so good when you put it on taht you want to eat it.

2) It only lasts roughly four days as it is fresh- it is quite hard to use 75g in four days.  My advice- it great for a girls night in. 

BUY OATIFIX HERE

SUITCASE: Global Bust Up

I wrote an article for SUITCASE.  Check it out.. if you will..