REVIEW: My (Milanese) week in beauty...

ONE
I have this one, slightly bizarre, beauty ritual I adopt on every holiday. As soon as I step off the plane I buy a local oil and use it as a body moisturiser and a hair conditioner. In my mind, I’m reaping the rewards of natures hard work and it sort of makes me feel like a local. I know there is no logic to that statement, stay with me.

So, as I’m in Milano, I’m doused in extra virgin olive oil and smelling a bit, well, salady if I'm honest. In India I go for jasmine or coconut oil favoured by the locals for long lustrous locks. But my ultimate choice on my travels so far has been Hawaiian kukui nut oil, which is also the main ingredient of Connock London's range www.connocklondon.com. It's especially high in omega-3's which is alwyas a bonus!

My skin is actually the softest its been in forever, so olive oil is one tradition I will be adopting back home. Albeit with a few drops of lavender oil added in so I don’t smell like insalate on the 38 bus. Not chic, just weird.




TWO
I’ve also ditched the make-up for a week, it's another odd holiday beauty habit and I’ve left it ALL at home. It's liberating actually, I can't lie. But Jo Malone’s Vitamin E Lip Conditioner (£22) is briliant at adding a little shine (ergo light) to my lips, lids and cheekbones. Bellissimo!


THREE
The new Nars Spring '11 collection (on counters now) is overwhelmingly my favourite make-up collection of the year so far. I just think it's really difficult for brands to keep 'inventing' new colours that we've never seen before, and Nars have managed to pull it off in style.

The key picks for me are the Nail Varnish in Desperado (£13.50), an indescribable yellowy-mustard goldy yellow (clearly I make my living from words.) It's a wearable shade, but still weird enough to look a little bit edgy. J'adore.

The Lipgloss in Nana (£17.50) is a deep blackberry purple shade. It's more translucent than I hoped for, but would look all kinds of dramatic and macabre over MAC’s Media (or Verushka if we’re kicking it really old skool.) Maybe even over a dark blue/purple eye liner (used as a lip colour.)

Also really enjoying the Soft Touch Pencil in Celebrate (£16.50), a bright lime green which granted, isn’t especially wearable, but would look divine with a peacock blue/metallic green accent. Or, as I plan to wear it one day (probably IMATS 2011) as acid alien style lip statement. If only every day were like IMATS and one could wear green lipstick without fear of recrimination or frightening small children. That's not a flippant statement, this has genuinely happened. I was wearing MAC's Verushka (dark matte black/burgundy) and a little girl that normally waves at me on the bus looked at me, crunpled up her face, pointed and shouted 'NO!!!' before hiding under her seat. I wish I was joking, lipstick FAIL.





FOUR
My beauty heroine of the week is Jennifer Hudson. She’s eschewed the usual bronze colours saved exclusively for black skinned celebrities in favour of beautiful pastels and peach shades in recent pap shots. She looks amazing below (waving the WW flag nonetheless.) Major props J-Hud - loving the new do!



FIVE
I'm also doing a bit of blogging for DIRTY http://magazine.dirtyloves.com the East London mag! Keep 'em peeled for pics and news...

2010: My year in beauty....

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

BEAUTY GEEK: Jo Malone nightmare

I'm rarely faithful to beauty products. I just like trying new ones far too much.

But there is one, slightly random exception. Jo Malone's Ginseng Day Moisturizing Cream £39 for 50ml. It's rich, but so soothing and seems to work with my oily skin - it totally defies logic!

Last night I woke up all panicky and sweaty because - and this is really sad - I had a dream that Jo Malone discontinued my cream. So, this morning I actually had to Google it and check it's still sold. Luckily (phew) all is fine and now I'm so paranoid that I'm heading down to Jo Malone forthwith to get me a new pot. Just in case it was some bizarre beauty premonition and it's about to be discontinued :/

MOI? This months nightstand...

Frederic Fekkai Overnight Hair Repair £115- I’ve been trying this and it does leave your hair very soft-though not enough to warrant the steep price tag-ouch!

Aromatherapy Associates Renew Rose Overnight Repair Eye Cream £35
Lightweight, easily blended, smells like a summer day-I’m all over it like Wino on crack!

Aromatherapy Associates Anti-ageIntensive Skin Treatment Oil £36.75 Melts into skin like a dream. I use them every other day, so the oil doesn't clog pores.

Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector £37 Trial number 2 of this ‘so-called’ wonder product. Haven’t see a change-will stick with it though.

Sensodyne Pronamel £3.99 My hygienist gave me this and said to smear a little on your teeth before bed-especially the ones at the front to combat discolouring. She’s very good, so I’ll listen!

Soothing Leg & Foot Balm £22.00 I’m not a huge natural products fab, but Spiezia make the most luxurious and decadent products that work a treat. This is my new regular foot treatment!

Baum de Rose ByTerry £32 The nicest smelling lipbalm ever! I use it every night and boy does it keep your lips soft.

Jo Malone Facial Massage Brush £14 I’ve had this little rubber brush for years now. It adds a nice invigorating touch to DIY facials or even just to work in a night cream and stimulate circulation.

Also Ipod, crap phone, ear plugs (I live in a warehouse) and Lulu Guiness sleep mask.

WHAT'S IN THE: Washbag!

We all have our own little face care ways that work for us, from a quick wash in the shower, to monthly scientifically designed prescriptive facials (pah, I wish!) Daddy Gosh is a dermatologist and always preaches the less is more approach, which I try, kinda, to follow. So, here is my wash bag, is this loads or about normal? Does it even matter as long as your skin looks good? Hmm… you decide!



L-R Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil, Dermalogica Sebum Clearing Mask, Dermalogica Skin Refining Mask, Dermalogica Chroma Pure White, Dermalogica Chromawhite Pure Night, Aromatherapy Associates Fine Line Face Oil, Bobbi Brown Extra Balm Rinse, Jo Malone Ginseng Day Moisturising Cream, Dermalogica Multivitamin Power firm.

I don't use all of these everyday or I’d have no face left! I use the BB cleansing oil in the shower, then every other night use the BB balm with a muslin cloth to exfoliate (nice alternative to Eve Lom!). I used either pure light or ginseng cream depending on how dry my skin is. Then one night I use pure night, one night face oil, one night nothing to give it a rest! Sundays I use both the refining and sebum masks. Seems to work alright for me at the mo, but if I go without the exfoliating balm for too many days, it all goes tits up.

What was my point? I'm not sure, I guess I just wanna know if I'm normal?

Am I God? Am I!?!