Detox Bliss

Whether it is one too many mince pies or that last bellini cocktail that will send you over the edge, after the festive season, most of our bodies are crying out for a break.  New Years is the perfect time to detox and get fit and we’re here to help you on your way!

Wash away those winter blues

Green People’s aim is to offer handmade health and beauty products that use naturally active certified organic ingredients. Ingredients are carefully chosen to nourish and enhance the skins natural beauty which is why we love this deluxe Organic Sensuous Sugar Scrub, a body exfoliator that uses pure cane sugar crystals to draw out toxins and remove unsightly dry skin. It is deeply nourishing with Avocado oil; rich in Vitamins A and E and Rosehip oil with its regenerative properties, £17.50

www.greenpeople.co.uk

Detox, invigorate and energise body and mind with Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil.  From Aromatherapy Associates, it really is the perfect antidote to morning bleariness, general weariness and the effects of over indulgence the night before.  A refreshing, stimulating, wake up blend, this light bath and shower oil supports an effective circulation with cleansing and purifying properties.

www.aromatherapyassociates.com, www.spacenk.com

With purifying eucalyptus and lime essential oils, Crabtree and Evelyn’s Seven Seas Bath Salts, 907ml, £35.00, combines mineral rich sea salts harvested from around the world to give the ultimate purifying bathing experience.  Minerals help deep cleanse whilst almond oil and seaweed extract condition the skin. 

www.crabtreeandevelyn.co.uk

Skin Care

Face Masks

What better way to begin your at-home detox than to pop on a face mask.  Amirose Self Heating Green Tea Mask, £3.99, is overloaded with antioxidants and vitamins to

prevent damage to the skin caused from environmental exposure.

www.amirose.com   

Detox your way to younger, smoother, toned looking skin with the luxurious Skin

Nutrition Marine Detoxifying Body Mask, 200ml, £60.00. Bursting with macrobiotic marine extracts and Vitamin B3, the clay mask can also be used as a detoxifying body wrap as well as a daily purifying body mask. Applied around the whole body and allowed to remain on the skin for 20-30 minutes, the Marine Detoxifying Body Mask is purification at its most indulgent.

www.skinnutrition.com

Micheline Arcier’s latest Clay Mask 'Purifiant', £20, is another excellent product for enlivening the complexion and counterbalancing the effects of excessive food and drink. The mask harnesses the powers of living clays - with mineral salts like silica, calcium, magnesium and titanium - to absorb and remove impurities from the skin.  It's the perfect antidote to the party season and is truly luxurious treat for partied out skin.

www.michelinearcier.com

Luxury Creams

For skin that looks washed out and dehydrated, look out for ingredients that will nourish and brighten the skin to restore a dull complexion.  Royal Jelly is one of nature’s most nourishing substances that will inject the skin with over 130 nutrients, 17 amino acids and multiple vitamins which will boost the skin’s hydration whilst adding a natural glow.  Try Burt’s Bees Radiance Day Creme specifically formulated with Royal Jelly for achieving naturally radiant and vibrant ski, £17.95,

www.HQhair.com

Wrap It Up

Perfect for chocoholics, Germaine de Capuccini has launched Deluxe Chocolate Body Wrap, a luxury full-on chocolate experience that pampers and hydrates the skin whilst actually reducing cellulite.  The scientists at Germaine de Capuccini harnessed the huge benefits that cocoa provides to create a body treatment that’s smooth, warm and delicious, just like chocolate.  Prices start from £40.

www.germaine-de-capuccini.co.uk

Hair Care

We all know that an excess of parties, festive fun and unhealthy food can play havoc with your hair so it’s vital that it has some pampering.  Schwarzkopf Professional’s ESSENSITY range is perfect for getting it back to shape while leaving it healthy, vibrant and glossy. The damaged & coloured range is enriched with fine filtered organic essences of Goji Berry, known for its anti-oxidant properties and to contain beneficial nutrients such as amino acids, minerals and vitamins – perfect for detoxing!

Call in the Professionals

If all this sounds like too much hard work, why not pay someone else to do it for you with a stress free spa or salon visit:

Ark's Toxin Relief Massage (London) Using an aromatic detoxifying oil to stimulate the elimination of toxins from the body through massage and essential oils. The body is cleansed, refreshed and relaxed.

55 mins, £65 www.arkhealthandbeauty.com

Beautytek Salon, (nationwide)

The revolutionary treatment is the perfect way to shift those extra pounds. Beautytek, is a completely non-invasive weight-loss treatment which uses micro-current technology to stimulate any sluggish cells. Tiny electrical impulses are automatically sent to these cells to kick-start it back into action. This means that any trapped fat can be released into the blood stream and either used up as energy or expelled naturally.

www.meditechclinics.co.uk

  

Gerard's Green Tea Abdomen Treatment (the Spa at The CityPoint Club and select spas nationwide)

Stimulating circulation to help remove blockages leaving the tummy feeling soothed and less swollen, this massage encourages the natural elimination of waste and could be thought of as a non-invasive colonic therapy.

40 mins, from £60 www.thecitypointclub.com and nationwide www.gerards-uk.com

Hydrahealing Spa (London)

A well administered colonic treatment exercises, tones and rinses the bowel, aiding the removal of built-up waste and detoxing the region. Far from being unpleasant, colonic hydrotherapy leaves you feeling clean and revitalised while boosting immune and circulatory functions as well as skin conditions.

60 mins, £80, www.hydrahealing.com

Titanic Spa's Detox Package (Huddersfield)

Your day begins with a detox bath which will revive tired muscles with aquatic jets whilst detox elements are absorbed into the body. A stimulating and energising aroma detox cocoon body wrap is followed by a Decleor aromaplastie illuminating facial to complete your cleansing journey.

2 hrs 15 mins, from £165 www.titanicspa.com

Hard Work!

Last but not least, if you want to shed those extra pounds quick fast, then good old fashioned exercise will definitely help!

If you're on a tighter budget, then I would highly recommend this ebook to rejuvenate your skin with natural, organic, home-made recipes. Click below to read!

www.tinyurl.com/325ll96

Be at one with Nature

Ok so rubbing the contents of your garden may not be the best way to get in touch with nature, but with a growing number of natural and eco-friendly beauty products from our favourite brands, there’s now even more opportunities to look great on the outside and feel good on the inside.

Bath and Shower

Natural products can often heighten the senses bringing smells from far flung exotic destinations, so start the day on a high and laver up with some tropical aromas.

Radox’s new Tea Infusions is a range of creamy shower and bath products containing tea, one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants, perfect for helping to revive and replenish both body and mind.  The Green Tea Infusion balances the beautifying qualities of green tea with the delicate fragrance of jasmine, to help calm your mind and soothe your body.  Radox Green and White Tea Infusions are available in both bath and shower options, at a pocket pleasing £1.99.

Inspired by exotic destinations from around the world, interior designer Alan MacKenzie has launched Wild Organics, taking notes from nature’s most exceptional wild flowers, and combining them with Eco Certified formulations.  The Wild Organics Marshmallow Butter Sugar Scrub is an indulging sugar based scrub to exfoliate and buff the skin.  Marshmallows are rich in minerals and vitamin B both renowned to smooth the skin, and combined with avocado oil and shea butter, help renew and condition.  

£28.00 from www.wildorganicsbeauty.com  

Skin

If like me, every morning you reach for a cup of coffee and a pot of skin cream then how about combining the both.   These two unusual pairings have joined forces in a new skin care range – Priori CoffeeBerry® Natureceuticals. Believe it or not, CoffeeBerry® extract is one of nature’s most potent botanical, derived from the whole fruit of the coffee plant and scientists believe it is the most powerful natural antioxidant ever discovered.  Priori Coffeeberry® Natureceuticals is the first, and currently the only, all natural cosmeceutical line with the range including a Revitalising Cleanser, Tightening Serum, Radiance Eye Serum, Daily Complex, Night Complex, Brightening Facial Complex, Body Emulsion and a Professional Botanical Enzyme Masque.

Prices vary, www.outlineskincareco.uk/priori-coffeeberry

Ethically sourced and community traded, Boots Extracts range is ideal for those of us who believe in beauty with a purpose. The ingredients are purchased from suppliers that allow their workers to have a say in how the money they make is used locally. 

All the Extracts products contain the moisturising Organic Cocoa Butter, farmed by a co-operative in Dominican Republic and the nourishing Shea Butter, which comes from a women’s’ co-operative in a village in Ghana near Wa.

Prices vary, www.boots.co.uk

For a bit of added zing, Paul Mitchell’s Lemon, Sage and Tea Tree will definitely leave you invigorated and ready to take on anything.  The new Lemon Sage Energizing Body Lotion™; is a delicious recipe of zesty Lemon, Sage and Tea Tree to deliver the wake-up call your skin needs.

Through Tea Tree sales, Paul Mitchell® helps to fund its Global ReLeaf® programme, an initiative that plants three million trees a year worldwide - so get clean to be green!

£11, Paul Mitchell® Tea Tree is available from selected salons.

Make up

We’ve been firm fans of mineral make up for some time now and last year we looked at some of the best that money could buy.  Since then, it’s a trend that has continued to grow and even more cult beauty brands are adding new lines while new mineral make up brands continue to emerge.

Sweeping the board at the recent Natural Health Awards, make up line Elysambre is a new refillable brand boasting all-natural plant based organic ingredients.  We took a liking to the winning Elysambre Lip Gloss, available in over 20 stunning shades, containing 100% natural ingredients.  This non-sticky gloss is made of 85% plant-based active ingredients to moisturise and protect lips the safe way.

£3.95 (case) £10.99 (refill), www.naturismo.com

With its new fresh ground technology, Elizabeth Arden’s Pure Finish Mineral Powder Foundation SPF 20 takes the mess out of loose powder mineral makeup and gives a pure, non-drying, perfect application.   Infused with minerals, rich with antioxidants and natural skin smoothers, it is also enriched with sea water complex and non-drying ingredients.

£22, www.elizabetharden.co.uk

Hair

There must be something in the old wives tales and myths we used to follow - lemon juice, mud and oils that give your hair that sun bleached look or magic spark.  With hair care becoming even more advanced, there’s a lot more choice and the key ingredients don’t seem that far from where we started with nature itself!

Surya Ucuuba Restructuring Hair Mask is an ultra hydrating mask created in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest and helps to inject moisture and elasticity into curly, fragile hair using carefully selected ingredients native to the Amazon rainforest.  The Ucuuba Seed Oil is a fatty acid similar to that of Shea Butter which provides a rich emollient for fragile hair.

£10 from Liberty and www.liberty.co.uk  (Ecocert & PETA)

Hairdresser Paul Edmonds has created four bespoke hair treatments exclusively available within his salons. The premise for these treatments is for clients to experience a unique and tailored recipe, which is presented in its rawest form and mixed accordingly to individual hair type.   The Nourishing Botanic Clay Treatment hails from the Alborz Mountains in Iran and is a nourishing clay treatment rich in minerals and nutrients that adds lost moisture and condition to hair. (100% natural and suited to most hair types with exception to Afro-Caribbean).

£50, available at Edmonds and Paul Edmonds, London. 

The Miracle of Minerals

With the latest trends for mineral cosmetics hailed as the beauty ‘Holy Grail’, offering good-for-you make up that delivers flawless results, I take a look to see whether they are as good as they sound.

There must be something in the air as a surge of popular US brands such as Afterglow Cosmetics www.afterglowcosmetics.co.uk, Youngblood www.dermapure.eu, bareMinerals www.bareescentualsuk.com and Bare Escentuals www.bareyoursoul.co.uk have all recently launched in the UK.  Celebrity fans Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Aniston have been raving about the ‘mineral miracle’ so is it worth a jump on the mineral bandwagon?!

If you are a stranger to mineral make up, try comparing it to a vegan - the simple premise of mineral cosmetics is based on the philosophy of blending 100% pure, high-quality ingredients, combined with cutting edge technology to create hypo-allergenic make-up that is kind to skin but does not compromise on quality and effectiveness.  This means that sleeping in your make-up no longer needs to be a beauty sin after all!

Top make up artist Laura Mercier who launched her own mineral-based product line back in 1996 strongly believes in the many benefits of the mineral based cosmetics: “Mineral makeup is more than a trend.  It is "make up" product that is actually good for the skin for several reasons.  It provides the skin with minerals that promotes a healthy complexion and offers excellent SPF protection.  Mineral make up gives the look of radiant and natural skin while not clogging pores and is perhaps the easiest foundation to apply.  It is especially nice to wear in the summer because it feels as if you are wearing nothing on the skin but at the same time it remains water-resistant.”

There are many myths surrounding the world of mineral make-up, especially with such a vast surge in launches and general interest.  One common misconception is that all mineral make up is pretty much the same – not true!  ‘Mineral’ is quite a loose term as any product containing minerals as an ingredient can be labelled ‘mineral make up’.  Meredith Osborn, Director Global Brand Awareness for bareMinerals, says the discrepancies between brands occur due to the fact that "mineral makeup formulas generally fall into two large camps - those that take care not to use ingredients such as preservatives, binders and fillers, such as bareMinerals, and those that do add fillers, artificial colours, binders, preservatives, and other chemicals to their formulas”.

The good thing about ‘true’ mineral products is that they are free from pore-clogging, drying fillers such as talc, which often constitute up to 80 per cent of conventional make-up formulations to stretch dyes further.  Layers of overlapping mineral crystals prevent excessive moisture loss while still allowing the skin to breathe.  The formulation is also free from the top three sensitivities – perfume, chemical dyes and preservatives - and masks any imperfections or redness making it ideal for most allergy prone skins so what more can we ask for?!

As we become increasingly aware of what we put on our skin, more and more people are choosing mineral make-up as an effective, natural alternative so we’ve put a few to the test and picked out some of the top products on the market: 

Proto-col

A fantastic range of foundations, concealers, finishing powders, blushers, bronzers and eye shadow kits which are all jam-packed with vitamins A, C and E, for a natural healthy glow.

www.proto-col.com

Becca

Becca has recently added a number of new mineral products to its line such as the Mineral SPF Primer, £33.  This ingenious SPF 30+ primer has an oil-free formulation, a silky matte finish and a cocktail of anti-oxidant vitamins to prime and protect the skin pre-makeup.  

www.beccacosmetics.com

Jane Iredale

Amazing Base, £35 (€55) is a loose powder of micronized minerals in a jar, with an SPF 20, for a dewy look.  It is long-lasting, requiring just the slightest touch-up, making it especially popular with brides. These minerals are available in thirteen colours within three tones - warm, cool and neutral.

020 8450 7111 www.janeiredaleuk.com

Youngblood

The range includes the popular Natural Mineral Foundation, £35, which acts as a foundation, powder and concealer all in one.  In sixteen shades from light and medium to dark there is a shade to suit all.

www.dermapure.eu

The Body Shop

The Body Shop is also paying homage to nature, with an exciting new mineral make-up range - Nature’s MineralsTM Make-up.  Launching in September, the range will consist if pure minerals and a large brus collection of high density to guarantee that the loose powder is held in place between the bristles for smooth and even coverage.

www.thebodyshop.co.uk

Fake It!

Top Ten fake tan products


The clocks have gone back and we’re officially in winter so in preparation for those Christmas parties ahead combat the pale effects of the long winter with my top picks to keep the winter warmers at bay

Pro-ferm Afterglow, £75.00

Pro-ferm is the definition of high-science beauty with this product taking over eight years to develop.  Afterglow is a two-step tanner which tans and moisturises, stimulating the skin’s own repair mechanism to keep your skin looking young with a sun kissed glow that works with your body’s natural sugars to form a suitable colour for your skin tone.

www.spacknk.com

Caudalie Soleil Divin, Self-Tanner, £17.00

Fed up of the unpleasant odours of the usual self-tanners?  Well check out Caudalie’s self-tanner which sounds good enough to eat with a hint of white frangipani, watermelon and lemon leaf.   Application three times a week ensures a healthy glow and gradual build up of colour day-by-day.

www.spacenk.com / www.beauty.com

True Blue Spa, Select-a-shade self tanning lotion, $18.50

The selling point of this self tanner is the customised glow control colour dial.   You can customise the intensity of your self tan by adjusting the setting of the dual chamber to deliver just the right combination of colour to suit your individual complexion.  The light moisturiser is formulated with rich ingredients to pamper the skin, including Glycerin to help skin retain moisture, Aloe Vera to soothe and smooth skin, and Vitamin E to moisturize, condition and protect skin.

www.bathandbodyworks.com  

Palmer Cutler Self-tanning milk, £150ml £28.00/200ml £32.00

Launched in spring 2008, actress Patsy Palmer and Charlotte Cutler, have introduced the award-winning Palmer Cutler self-tanning range which boats numerous benefits for the skin.  The tan, with a huge celebrity following including Kate Moss and Lisa Butcher - to name just a few, is available in two shades - light/medium and medium/dark

Available from John Lewis Beauty Halls nationwide.

Elemis Total Glow Self Tanning Cream, £21.00

An easily absorbed, self-tanning lotion which gives a natural, golden tan 2-3 hours after application.  If you’re looking for a quick cheat to top up an existing tan, this is the perfect product as it can be used as a moisturiser to prolong your tan – your friends will never know!  The cream contains Macadamia Nut Oil, which is an anti-oxidant, along with Instabronze, Elemis’ own complex formulation of DHA which reinforces melanin synthesis in the skin.

www.elemis.com

Fake Bake Airbrush, £26.95

WAG and celeb favourite Fake Bake has undergone a massive re-branding recently upping its stakes in the fake tan offering with some fantastic new packaging and a new range designed specifically for people with fair skin called Fair Collection.  We still can’t enough of Fake Bake’s Airbrush which guarantees fast drying in minutes as the air brush sprays at 360 degrees and evenly covers all of those hard to reach areas.

www.fakebake.co.uk

Rodial Brazilian tan LIGHT, £39.99

With the success of Rodial’s Brazilian tan DARK, Rodial has introduced the Brazilian tan LIGHT, designed specifically for lighter skin tones.  The gel is infused with heaps of active ingredients, including avocado, coconut oil and caramel, which firm and tone, boost collagen production and restore and repair the skin.  Celeb users include Chloe Sevigney and Kirsten Dunst.

www.spacenk.com

SunSpa Tan in a Can, 60ml £6.99/150ml £14.95

SunSpa’s Tan in a Can is a great product for a quick spray with great results.  It comes in a 150ml or there is a new mini-sized version which is ideal for topping up fading tans, pre-holiday tanning or filling in strap marks.  For a glamorous sparkle, SunSpa’s SunSparkle, available in bronze or gold, is an imaginative new treatment that will give you a beautiful golden tan with an added touch of sparkle.                                    

www.sunspatanning.co.uk

Caudalie Tinted Moisturiser, £17.00

If you are after a subtle glow, look no further than Caudalie’s Tinted Moisturiser for a product which enhances, evens and brightens your existing complexion.  It glides on like a rich luxurious moisturiser and blends in with the skin’s natural colours leaving no marked or accentuated lines with a healthy complexion that glows evenly. www.spacenk.com / www.beauty.com

ModelCo Translucent Tan, £28.00

By far one of the most convenient and easy to use self-tan airbrushes with added light- reflecting pigments.  This illuminating mist evenly covers your skin leaving it with a shimmery, youthful glow with a scent of pink frangipani.   It can be used on its own or over the top of makeup for a dramatic look.

www.spacenk.com

So put some colour in your life and get yourself a much-needed fakeover!

Chocolate Heaven

Top Ten chocolate beauty products

If you’re watching the waistline check out the top chocolate beauty products to ensure a low calorie diet this Christmas!

If you want to keep those additional pounds at bay, don’t worry about chocolate overload this Christmas. For a quick chocolate fix, I have dug out the top ten chocolate - beauty products of course - so that you can gorge yourself silly without any of the pitfalls.


Perfect for…Candy lovers
For a simple smothering Lippmann Collection nail varnishes, are available in a variety of tasty colours. Celebrity manicurist, Deborah Lippman, has added I Want Candy to the range which is a fabulous lollipop red perfect for adding some colour to any outfit.

                                                   www.lippmanncollcetion.com

                                                           1.888.929.9950

Perfect for…Vanilla lovers
You never need be without the scent of chocolate heaven with Il Profumo’s Chocolat fragrances, Chocolat Frais, Chocolat and Chocolat Amère. For a delectable smothering, the aptly named Chocolat is the original fragrance with spicy vanilla flavours. Available from La Forêt de Parfum at Harvey Nichols. www.ilprofumoshop.com
020 7201 8489


Perfect for…Caramel lovers
If your skin is looking more white chocolate than milk chocolate, Italian suncare product [comfort zone] should do the job. This anti-ageing self-tanning formula for the face and body gives the skin a lightened golden tone building up a gradual tan within a few hours. The self-tanning cream can be applied day after day to achieve the colour desired. www.comfortzone.it



Perfect for…Cocoa lovers
With an intense aroma, Chocoscrub is the ultimate chocolate indulgence. This rich chocolate textured body exfoliator is based on real cocoa particles that eliminate dead cells for smooth, sleek skin. Thanks to its concentration of caffeine and other derivatives of cocoa, Chocoscrub is the ideal exfoliant before a cellulite treatment.

Gently massage Chocoscrub into the skin once a week, breathe deeply and relax. Germaine De Capuccini Chocoscrub is £26 for 250ml.


Perfect for…Chocolate indulgence lovers
If you are out and about this Easter, why not indulge in a spot of pampering and head to a spa for a chocolate smothering. The Chocolate Body Wrap at Savana Spa, Westbourne Grove, is a chocolate lover’s dream with over an hour of pure bliss! This luxurious skin conditioning beauty treatment features the exfoliating qualities of brown sugar and the antioxidant properties of pure cocoa. The treatment starts with a luxurious warm body wrap with a soothing head massage followed by a relaxing body massage with chocolate body oil – leaving your spirit soothed and your skin smooth and smelling yummy. www.savanaspa.com
020 7229 8300



Perfect for…Mint lovers
For a calorie-free way to indulge your sweet side check out Bed Head’s range of chocolate lip glosses. Available in three delicious flavours of Chocolate Raspberry, Chocolate Cappuccino and our favourite, Chocolate Mint, you’ll be in chocolate heaven all day long. Each flavour has its own shimmery shade which is creamy textured and long-lasting. www.tigi.co.uk.
0844 844 0944



Perfect for…Hazlenut lovers
For a hit of hazelnut check out Missoni Gianduia which should kill any cravings left over. Gianduia is a creamy, smooth mixture of chocolate with a subtle hint of hazelnut inspired by the chocolate brown accord of Missoni Eau de Parfum. Combined with a distinct sexiness, the Chocolate Browns set your scents alive killing any chocolate cravings. £45.00 for 75ml www.missoni.com
08700 342 566



Perfect for…Hot Chocolate lovers
This offering might be cheating but as it’s all towards beauty surely it doesn’t count?! New to the May Fair Spa is the Chocolate Steam Bath, £70.00 for 45 minutes. Lather yourself in 100% pure organic and edible cocoa butter (we did say cheating…a bit!) to nourish the skin, whilst deeply relaxing in your own private steam chamber. www.radissonedwardian.com/londonuk_mayfair
020 7915 2826




Perfect for…Cream lovers
Chocotherapy – heard of it? No we hadn’t before ether but anything that includes the word chocolate can’t be bad and we weren’t wrong. To define it, Chocotherapy is a warm blend of 100% coco and sweet almond oil poured and massaged over the body. You are then warmly wrapped to relax and infuse the body with the natural benefits of chocolate then finished off with a topping of Gerards’ Chocolate Cream. Treat yourself to the indulgent Gerards’ Chocotherapy at exclusive salons nationwide, from £65 for 1 hour.

                                                          0208 202 2020

Perfect for…Truffle lovers
If you need somewhere to put all of those new products fear not, Lulu Guiness has a gorgeous bag, £300, which looks good enough to eat. Decorated with chocolate truffles this colourful bag really stands out in a crowd. www.luluguiness.com


We all know that 60% of what you put on your skin gets absorbed into it – but who knew chocolate was so good for you?!