Versatile Blogger Award

This is exciting isn't it? Alice from Bright Town Girl has awarded me a Versatile Blogger Award. 

Thanks Alice!

I'm a bit rubbish at these sorts of things and so I will attempt to abide by the Rules of Honour see below (it's all a bit secret society sounding isn't it?) and pass along the Baton of Blog Love. 

Rules of Honour - 

1. Thank the person that nominated you with a link back (naturally! Done!)

2. Tell 7 things about you (oh that should be easy)

3. Pass this on to newly discovered blogs and let them know they received the award

(tricky, so many have already received it I think! But I'll certainly dish out some loving, no problem.)

But first let's talk about me again!

Here's some things you may or may not be interested in. 

1. Well. I LOVE pugs. But you knew that one already didn't you? I really love any dog. I have some strange compulsion to look after them. I have been known to stop in the street and stare at passing dogs whilst my heart fills with joy and love. I don't sniff their behinds though. That's weird.

2. I'm a Virgo. That's a bit dull. Sorry. 

3. I am super critical and annoy my nearest and dearest a lot of the time by grooming them openly in public. Like a monkey. Not a particularly appealing character trait. I blame my job for that one. That and being a Virgo. Whatevs.

4. I have a really low brow sense of humour and Jim Carey is my HERO! Dumb and Dumber is one of my favourite films. I will defend it to the death. Don't get me started.

5. I have a major girl crush on Mischa Barton (for all her weirdness), at it's height during the golden years of The OC of which I own seasons 1 and 2 but will not watch season 3 and she dies. I'm surprised the DVDs still work to be honest because I have watched them simply MILLIONS of times. I know, 10 more cool points to me!

6. I have never watched a Bond film. That's pretty embarrassing when you work in the film industry. I did try to watch one once feeling the pressure to conform but boredom prevailed. 

7. Errr... This is harder than I expected. Made so much worse by the realisation my personality can be reduced to 6 facts. I thought I was so complex! ....Here's one. I'm a peculiar type of vegetarian by which I mean I eat chicken but not on the bone, generally only in the roast dinner format. Sausages, but only if they are chipolatas and particularly well done. Bacon, but only if it's so burnt it snaps and none of your smokey nor streaky varieties please. And fish, but only if it's breaded or battered and quite mild in fishiness. And not in pie format. All other meat is met with a scrunched up nose and expression of disdain. I am properly fussy on welfare standards too so no battery farming for me thanks. No Sir.

So then. These are the most important things you need to know about me right there. 

Blogs then. 

Although much of my blog reading is devoted to my own (ha! Joke) I do occasionally click through to someone else's. Forgive me if these have already been mentioned but I think credit where it's due. Give it up for the bloggers! *wild and rapturous applause*

Aleigh from Indigo+Canary 

Dana from Organic Lassie

Kim from Sunny Mother Nature

Andy from Pampered Prince (doing it for the boys - 10 cool points to Andy)

Gemma from Buff Beauty

That's only 5 because these are my newest discoveries and I have a list of all the other blogs I like to read on the side bar so do check those out too! 

Hope you enjoyed that! 

Love and KIsses.

Pucker Up with BellaPierre Lipstick

Lipstick. Valentines. It's all so predictable. Interestingly, I'm a bit contrary and seem to veer wildly away from things that I suspect I'm supposed to do. But just as I am contrary, you will also see I am inconsistent and so here you go - a Valentine's Day themed post. About smoochy-coochy lips. Pucker up folks... I'm coming to getya!!!!

I've always shied away from lipstick. Firstly, I prefer to emphasis my eyes. Secondly, traditionally lippies only dried out my lips. Which looks crap when you deliberately draw attention to them. And thirdly, if you need one, it's a bit... obvious for me... Trés cliché!

But recently, and as a bit of a surprise, I have started to enjoy sporting a red lip. (Love referring to the plural as singular. ) I do like red lips when I see other people wearing it. So I thought to hell with it. Me too! It's that Forties glamour and a Fifties flirtiness thing. Trés cool.

So to avoid ingesting a kilo of chemicals (have you any idea how much lipstick the average woman 'eats' in a lifetime? Anywhere up to 9lbs. Thats apparently 23 tubes. Or maybe like, half your arm or something, if you think about it. Or an ankle's worth. Or maybe a knee. Or two knees!? Anyway. It's horrific!) I was determined to find a decent natural lipstick to reduce my lifetime consumption to a few fingers worth. (Weirdo)

Looking for a decent natural lipstick was harder than I assumed. A lot of them are neutral shades for a more subtle look, lacking the impact I was after. Or they are stuffed full of glittering mineral pigments which look pearly (yuk!) or frosted (yuk again). If I wanted to channel Pat Butcher it would be just darling! But I don't. So they suck.

The first one I found that looked a proper, serious red was by natural cosmetics brand BellaPierre, called 'Ruby'. It's a beautiful, slightly blue - toned red which I prefer as it helps teeth look whiter and that's never a bad thing really.

So great colour and it's long-lasting! In fact I was quite surprised how long it did last considering it feels quite juicy. It goes on very smoothly but doesn't have too much shine to feel like your in a Robert Palmer video (glossy and red - so Eighties!) It's versatile too - you can dab it on lightly with a pinky for a pretty bitten look or you can layer it up thick with a brush for the full-on femme fatale. Or the Robert Palmer video. 

It does do that drying thing which I can't seem to get around. But I think that's my own issue and not really the lipstick's fault. 

However! Something terrible has just happened and I have been deliberating for days what to do about this. The ingredients aren't too bad but whilst having a look for this post I noticed there within lurks a rather naughty little preservative - Japanese honeysuckle or Lonicera Japonica, to use it's latin name as stated on the packaging. This is a natural preservative but guess what? It's identical to parabens. So if it acts like a paraben, be it from nature or not, should it be in there? And do I want to use it? 

This is a bit of an oversight on my part, annoyingly. As I might not have bought it if I had realised. In fact I know I wouldn't. And I really wasn't sure about whether to go ahead with this post or not.  But I've thought long and hard about this and I've decided I won't get mad, or get even. I'll just see it as a halfway house. It's better than most of your common or rubbish high street lipsticks so I'll continue to use it whilst struggling ever onward to find an improvement! Everything else in it is good, it's just very disappointing to realise you REALLY need to read the labels! Even at the revered House of Natural - Wholefoods Market, where I bought this.

So there you go - let that be a lesson to y'all! Kiss kiss.


P.S

Do share the love! What are your favourite natural lipsticks? I'd love to hear suggestions! And what do you think about Japanese honeysuckle - this so-called natural paraben - being used in cosmetics? Bothered?

P.P.S
I plan to do a bit of unearthing on this matter for another post so do watch this space! 

Try the Suti Core Facial for Yourself!

Get excited people I have news!  The Suti Core Facial is now available to sample at Wholefoods Market Kensington, selected dates throughout the year! "Welcome to my world... Won't you come on in... " sung in cheesy club singer style voice or maybe someone like Michael Bublé. Yes, I can hear Bublé singing that... with a twinkle in his eye and dashing Canadian grin...

This is cracking. Sample facials are either £30 for 30 minutes or £60 for 60 minutes, at The Whole Body Centre in the fabulous Wholefoods Market Kensington and wait for it... that's redeemable against products! Again. Redeemable. Oh dear lord! That is one hell of an offer and a great introduction to my favourite skincare line. I'm a little breathless just thinking about it. And not because of Michael Bublé. He won't be there.

The treatments will be with Suti's very own and very good Suzannah Jenkins and also with Claire Popham who has already been offering this incredible facial at her treatment rooms, The Lily Room in East Sheen. Booking is essential, so call The Whole Body Centre on 0207 3684531 or email on wholebody.uk@wholefoods.com

The dates are as follows, with appointments available between 12 and 6pm:
2nd March, 30th March, 11th May, 8th June, 6th July, 3rd August, 7th September, 5th October, 2nd November, 7th December. 

You can read up on my experience with Suti's Core Facial here. And my ravings about the products I have reviewed here. If you are in the slightest bit interested in trying it out, then do! I urge you. I am merrily working my way through a second bottle of my favourite Rejuvenate Oil and especially with this bitter cold it really keeps skin comfortable and nourished.

On that note and just for your amusement, something kind of funny happened the other day. Mr. BE came trudging in from the cold and tentatively asked me if I had anything for his face because it was all chapped and was hurting him. (Can you imagine? Heartbreaking!) "Of course!" I squealed! The first thing I reached for was the Rejuvenate Oil. And he was soon happily glowing like a bunny brought in from the garden and sat by the fire, all rosy cheeked but soothed. (Don't tell him I told you.) His verdict the next morning and I quote, "Yeah it's actually better, thanks!"

That's basically top marks!

Drop your comments below if you are going to give Suti a try or if you are already are! Let's hear it for Suti! Over to you Michael.

www.suti.co.uk