Purity Skincare

OK I have a moment to write something. In between mouthfuls of popcorn and with one eye on the telly. Because these things are very important to me right now - a simple day off feels like ten days in Tuscany and I have to optimise my time. Which is why I don't do videos, what with all the chomping and greasy fingers. (Sorry Little Macbook. I'll clean you another time. Along with the car and my bathroom and other chores I'm choosing to ignore.)

Right, so the point of this post is to tell you about a lovely and very inexpensive brand I have been using for several weeks now - Purity. I replied to a call out on Twitter to try it and the kindly folks there sent me a whole bunch of products to test. How nice!

I was initially very impressed with such generosity (what? I'm easily bought) but also with the clean and simple look to the range. It's very functional and straightforward. It doesn't look expensive because it doesn't have to. Nothing costs over a tenner making Purity a very friendly, easily accessible range (at Superdrug) which I hope will do some good to crossing over into the mainstream where so many natural brands have been overlooked and misunderstood.

I was sent the Facial Wash, Facial Exfoliator, Anti-Ageing Moisturiser, Anti-Ageing Serum and Mask and the Regenerating Overnight Moisturiser. I know. How nice!

The products I have used to death are the Facial Wash and Facial Exfoliator. The wash being perfect for the Clarisonic which I am still dabbling with. It feels fresh, with a nice light foam and doesn't dry out my skin. I have used is every other day as I alternate between trying other things and sticking to the old favourite - coconut oil (still in love with this). I had kind of forgotten how easy a face wash can be and this has really brought me back round to the idea, every now and then! Very good indeed.

The exfoliator is great for when you feel the need to march your skin outside into the glaring sunlight and give it a good whack with a carpet beater. Which is more or less everyday right now. I have made it sound really rather harsh and although it is very grainy these grains are actually in the most velvety, yoghurty cream. Feels like pudding for your face. Maybe an Eton mess. Or even just strawberries and cream.  It really enlivens the skin, leaving it soft and juicy. As if I might really have taken my tired old rug of a mug outside and given it a good thrashing with a carpet beater. Seriously though if you like a scrub this is actually a very kind one. Consider it recommended.

The moisturisers have been living in my kit, with good results and pleasant reactions -  the night time one has been enjoyed more by myself admittedly and although I don't like moisturisers that much (preferring a facial oil every time) I have been very happy with both of them. And very happy to use it as a way of getting people interested in natural skincare. I'm still horrified on a daily basis how  unaware most people are of what it is they put on their skin whilst assuming it must be just fine and dandy.

I admit I have only used the Serum / Mask combo once but this is mostly due to the distinct lack of time to do anything as nearly as indulgent as a mask for ten minutes and not because I didn't want to. It seems lovely but I must promise to road test it a bit more before I give you any feedback...

I have to say none of the products are heavily fragranced, or even register a smell at all and this is actually quite reassuring and makes a nice change. 

Purity is undeniably very affordable and is marketed as an option for those who want to buy natural but are put off by the price. There are several, very affordable ranges available now but usually only found in health food stores or online, not somewhere like Superdrug (which generally sells what I like to refer to as MUCK.) And it is this that I find most interesting. Encouraging even.  A great step towards people making a more informed choice I hope.

But at the same time something else worries me here - that people will read 'natural', 'pure' and even 'organic'  on other brands' packaging and feel they are getting a similar thing with those brands too when they most certainly are not. Greenwashing is a terrible, terrible thing and makes my blood boil. Don't go forgetting there is no legal definition of any of these terms and brands can wave words like this around like pretty little bunting at a summer's fayre to get you slapping on a whole host of synthetic chemicals, preservatives, fragrances and potentially carcinogenic material in the name of cheap and easy profit.

Labels are everything and although it as great to see a natural product from someone like Purity next to something like Dove, Simple or Nivea, it would actually make me weep if people didn't realise there was difference between them. 

Also whilst we are on this subject of ingredients - a full ingredients listing on a website, in this day and age, for a natural brand, is ESSENTIAL if a consumer is to trust who they are buying from and indeed what they are buying. It is a massive turn-off when a full list isn't available. At first, I was a little frustrated that I couldn't see an ingredients list right by the products on Purity's website. With a little more patience I discovered their ingredients glossary which clearly explains every ingredient they use and this I think is very, very commendable. Even I, up here on my high horse, can't be bothered to google every single ingredient and although I know I recognise and understand most things I read, there are plenty of chemicals, natural or not that I don't. This glossary is clear, transparent and something everyone should want to read. Well done Purity. 

Right, I got all serious there. So enough of that. Jurassic Park is on. See you next time.

Purity is available in Superdrug Stores and online 

www.purityorganicskincare.co.uk

Products range from £4.99 to £8.99. 

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! 

A word on 'Greenwashing'

Greenwashers can scram!!!

You know what, for a long time I wasn't going to do this - what I am about to do. I wasn't going to rubbish products as a way of promoting natural skincare. I wanted people to see the benefits in clean products for their own merits, not because they had been scared into using them over something else.

But now... Sod it! This greenwashing thing has really cheesed me off, one step too far. 

For some time now many synthetic chemicals used in our everyday products have been under question. Interest and research on this matter is growing and the natural and organic cosmetic industry has boomed - and still continues to boom. Great! Except that the big brands realised that the organic skincare industry had been taking a big bite out of their pie and in a disappointingly predictable way, they wanted in too.

The shelves in just about every store selling cosmetics are crammed with products that reference natural plant extracts either in their very name, the product description or its packaging. Words like 'pure' and 'natural' along with pictures of leaves and flowers and slow motion footage of coconuts breaking open on a lovely rock by a lagoon in paradise - it all works towards creating a brand image. One of purity; of trustworthiness; of superiority and ultimately effectiveness. 

But guess what? These lovely, effective and trustworthy natural extracts are in a base of chemical penetration enhancers, flow enhancers, detergents, fragrance and preservatives. A whole mixture of things that can upset skin, triggering allergies, contact dermatitis, eczema, chapping and dehydration. And yet so many of these more subtle effects are probably never attributed to the product and that isn't even hinting at the long term potential harm that some ingredients could cause.

The labelling laws surrounding cosmetics are laughable. With terminology becoming meaningless. 'Pure', 'natural' and even 'organic' mean very little when printed on the front of a product because there is no legal definition on these kinds of words. Although 'organic' is a standard that is certified by various organisations (with varying criteria and therefore varying standards of 'organic'), this need only apply to one ingredient and this can be in miniscule proportions in the formula. Known carcinogens are permitted for use in toiletries simply due to the argument that in small enough doses, they are harmless. Skin irritants are used for the same reason. Nevermind that these ingredients can be present in every single product you use during the course of a day. 'Limited exposure' is suddenly not so limited. All such suspect ingredients are used simply because they are cheap and the industries surrounding their manufacture are huge. 

To vilify just a few, brands like Simple, Herbal Essences, The Body Shop, Palmolive, Radox, Sanex, Garnier tout around their natural ingredients like a badge of honour, deceiving the regular consumer into thinking they have in their hands something good, something 'pure'. We know now that in cosmetics this means nothing. PR is big bucks and companies like this know how to prise the pennies out of our well-meaning wallets. And I've had enough!

What prompted my outburst here was reading this on Twitter by @BeautyShortlist about Nivea Pure and Natural:

http://thebeautyshortlist.com/naughty-nivea/

This bold advance by Nivea into the the natural beauty sector had not gone unnoticed by me. They have formulated this range without the use of parabens, silicones, mineral oils and colourants, yet browsing through their ingredients lists they still use parfum, other odour masking ingredients and preservatives that can all upset skin. Naughty Nivea indeed. After reading a call to arms on the Beauty Shortlist website I had to break my own rule and flag this up. Please do read the post on the link above.

So here's what to do...

For the worst offenders check my Hit List Page which is a very basic list of the some of the most common and yet most easily avoidable ingredients (I will continue to add to this as it is by no means exhaustive).

Check out anything you are suspicious of on the SkinDeep Database by the Environmental Working Group. This is a great resource to see what research has indicated in the safety of the chemicals in our products.

Another great site for reference is at the Green Pages of the Beauty Bible website. I do recommend reading The Green Beauty Bible as a great introduction to why it matters to pick clean, green, natural and organic products and gives great recommendations on products tested by regular consumers. But beware the rest of the website does not have these issues at heart and even within these more natural brands promoted by the book there are still some guilty parties!!)

So Final Words:

People! READ THE LABELS! Do not trust everything you read on the front of a bottle! No matter who makes it. Do not trust the marketing fatcats! Use your purchasing power! Know what you are buying! And please, please, please share this! Viva La Revolution!

Oskia Renaissance Mask

If you remember on the Oskia, A Love Story post I boldly declared my new found feelings for a nutrition-based skincare company after never having tried the products. Brave! you might say! I'd say Thank You! But that's how I am, I wear my heart on my sleeve. And here's what happened. Cupid, in the form of the lovely people at Oskia, sent to me some products to try. My heart sings, my lashes flutter, once again I think love is in the air.

Oskia bases all their products on MSM which is the most bio-available form of sulphur, known as the beauty mineral. It boosts collagen production and repairs and regenerates skin. Other ingredients in the Renaissance Mask, plucked from the grocers as well as the laboratory, include natural fruit AHAs, papaya enzymes, lactic acid, ribose, butterbur, Swiss garden cress liposomes and prebiotics. Wow.

To spotlight a few of those, AHAs help to exfoliate skin on a more molecular level, unbinding cells instead of scraping them off! Ribose has an oxygenating effect on cells which improves luminosity (with some very scientific charts and graphs to prove it here.) And papaya enzymes work to decongest pores for a thorough cleanse.

This is what I like about Oskia, the decisions on the ingredients used are made on the basis of  convincing research and facts, giving you products that work. As you know, I don't believe in the use of harmful synthetic chemicals especially when there are similar, high-performing substances which can be harnessed from nature. And when science can be used to back that up, then bring on the pie charts!

So then, the Renaissance Mask. It comes in a pleasingly heavy jar and kind of reminds me of a melty sorbet. Or a strawberry cream centre. It's fruity! And kind of gooey in an edible sort of way. But don't waste it eating the stuff - get it on your face! For it claims to brighten and resurface the skin, with those AHAs exfoliating away the dead outermost layer of the skin revealing a more radiant complexion. Here goes...

It massages in very nicely, turning a milky colour so you know it's working. And to reiterate, it smells delicious. Like breakfast for the skin! Then you need some patience to wait 10 - 15 minutes before removing with warm water. It's very pleasant to wear, whilst you are waiting, as it doesn't dry out or feel too sticky. Although, with most masks you do have to look like you might have gently dipped your face in a custard pie. But that's OK. It's part of the fun isn't it?

Rinsing with warm water takes a few goes and maybe a quick wipe with a cheeky flannel but it does indeed reveal a brighter complexion! My skin felt very, very soft - thanks butterbur. And it did look clearer and smoother and more even. 

You see, I had a very late night, so was feeling particularly puffy and achy-faced this morning when I used it. But the process of using the Renaissance Mask - massaging it in, the energising smell, obviously the ingredients used - all breathed sweet life back into my tired face! And left me not only looking brighter, but feeling it too! 

Oskia, you had me at hello.

Oskia Renaissance Mask is £48.50 for 50ml

Available at online at Oskia and Apostle and in store at Liberty's

Weleda Skin Food

I love a good meal. So you can imagine how happy it makes me when a product offers to feed my skin. Yum. Please sir, can I have some more?

One of Weleda's best sellers, Skin Food is an anything and everything product, providing extreme nourishment for deprived, dehydrated, dry, depressed and desperate skin. You can use it on your lips, on your elbows and knees, on your face for a super-intensive mask, on your hair to smooth over flyaways or dry ends. You can use it like a hand cream, a nail balm, or you can just smell it because it smells delicious, like you might just squidge it all over a freshly baked ciabatta roll.  (Don't actually do that)

Skin Food contains a very simple list of ingredients including sunflower seed oil and extracts of wild pansy, calendula, rosemary and chamomile to nourishes and protect skin. It does this so well that it has won 10 Awards in 2 years, apparently, most recently bagging Best Skincare Product in the Ethical Living Awards. And it has been around since 1926 as one of the first products made by Weleda. The old ones are always the best!

I have included this product for a while in my make up kit as a natural alternative to classic Eight Hour Cream, and I carry it in my set bag too - invaluable for quick fixes for the actors and even the rest of the crew too. You always get someone wanting lip balm or hand cream. And they always come back for more!

Weleda Skin Food RRP £8.50 for 75ml
Available online at www.weleda.co.uk and in good health food stores.
Also available at Naturisimo for £6.50 saving £2. Magic.

Little Update

So, again, I have been somewhat absent from here, mainly down to working on a short film last weekend. Quick review of that: Stressful. Car broke down. Early mornings. Crying scene. Script supervisor as well as only make up artist. Shock and panic of no tubes on a Sunday morning. Great food. Lovely actors and crew. Happy in the end.

But now, I'm back with not much else to do so here's what's new.

I'm still (very slowly) reading Toxic Beauty by Dawn Mellowship and I have to say if you have been inspired in any way reading this blog, this book is a must read! In fact, it could almost be shelved in the Horror section of your local Waterstones because, without trying to sensationalise the issues, its pretty terrifying. But it's great to get some proper facts from reliable studies. I will be posting up little tit-bits for you soon.

I'm loving the new Pai cleanser as reviewed in the last post. Such a great brand and I'm definitely going to have a look at the rest of the products. Here's a great review of their eye cream on a model recommends. I want to try that one next for sure!

And I would like to give you an update on using the NYR Beauty Sleep Concentrate- it's working wonders! The little lines around my eyes have really and truly gone! I couldn't actually believe it! Because I'm certainly not getting any more sleep. But my skin hasn't felt nor looked this good for years! So how exciting! Products that work!!!

My biggest issue right now is natural make up. Skin, hair and body care is pretty well covered in that there are some fantastic brands, producing some excellent products which really give results (like the above mentioned!) But I have to admit I'm struggling to find make up that I genuinely love. Working on this last job and reading this book has given me the inspiration to make not only my own make up bag natural and green but also my make up kit as well, at least as much as possible! It's all about reducing exposure to the synthetic chemicals we encounter and if I can keep a working make up kit that uses natural skincare and make up that would truly be something remarkable. So then, any discoveries that you might have made, do tell! Otherwise, I will be striving to find the products that will actually convince me (and maybe you) to put down the Chanel without compromising on the look! GULP! What have I said??

Watch this space...

Pai Camellia and Rose Cleanser

Pai meet Sarah, Sarah meet Pai. Nice to meet you Pai, I've heard so much about you! Yes, all good. Well mostly from magazines, from Natalie Portman raving about you in interviews, from browsing around Planet Organic and Whole Foods etc. So good to finally meet you.

This is how my first introduction to Pai went. We're firm friends now, me and Pai. Here's why I love it.

I mean look at it, it's beautiful. But that's not all...

You may have clocked how I'm into my cleansers. And I was trying to find a truly lovely natural one (after realising that I was using one which wasn't so natural after all and I was running out of another one I was relying on instead) It was time to be bold. And try something new. Something uncharted. How exciting!

I have come across Pai from the many hours I have spent loitering in organic shops and I have heard a rumble of applause and appreciation around it recently too. Pai, formulated with sensitive and allergy prone skin in mind, are very purist in their approach to caring for your skin. They are very transparent about the ingredients included and excluded (and why) and all completely organic, certifiend by the Soil Association. Top marks!

So then, the Camellia and Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser. This is the only cleanser Pai does, which I think is kind of nice and straightforward in its suits-all kind of simplicity. Who doesn't want gently cleansed skin that feels hydrated? No one! That's who! As the packaging suggests it's gorgeous. It comes in a lovely pump bottle and a little organic cotton cloth. Just massage into damp skin and remove with the cloth and warm water. It's a light and creamy formula and is just such a joy to use. It massages in well, doesn't dry out or start to drag the skin (unlike others in this family of cleansers.) You could go around and around your face for hours if you want to! And when you have and it's time to remove, the cloth does a very good job of exfoliating away dead skin cells and lifting dirt. It actually has quite a rough texture which I wasn't used to but it makes me take better care of how I handle my skin. There's no need to scrub away at it!

And then there's the smell. So calming! Like a stroll through a garden in springtime. It's kind of herby, but subtle. But here's what I love about it the most. It can also be used as a very effective eye make up remover. I hate taking off eye make up. I was always put off cream removers (until now) because they seemed too thick and just got in my eyes and made them blurry. Liquid removers often used to sting. I used to use wipes but they too would sting and make the skin red in the corners. I thought I had found a decent, gentle one but decided it was full of rubbish. And then I started using the Trilogy Everything Balm (which is still good and I still like). But this is just so easy! Pop a bit on a cotton pad and sweep over eyes. Done. Its so soothing, doesn't sting or make my eyes sore in any way which I can honestly say it a very rare find. And it does the job so easily and quickly. I love not having to bother with another product! Again, so simple!

Camellia oil is full of Omega 3 and vitamins A, B, C and E and has been used for centuries for nourishing skin and hair. Rose helps skin retain moisture and has rejuvenating properties.

The results, a very happy, balanced complexion. My skin tone appears more even, brighter in fact. And I'm all the more happier for it. Thanks Pai, great to meet you and I can't wait to try the rest of the range...

Pai Camellia and Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser £25.00 (including cloth) 100ml
Available from Pai where if you sign up for their newsletter you receive 10% off your order.
And if you fancy trying a few samples for FREE, see here for a trial pack. WOW.

Brenda Anvari Products

As a rather unknown brand, Brenda Anvari products are probably something I would never have discovered if it weren't for my easy persuasion when reading other blogs. One of my favourite sites,  A Model Recommends (see link below) reviewed the lovely hand made range of skincare by Brenda Anvari and here I am using the Pomegranate Raspberry and Patchouli shower gel and feeling pretty happy about it too.

Before I launch into a flurry of adjectives, I'll tell you about the brand.

The range includes skincare, bodycare, bath products and candles too. The packaging is both simple, almost humble in its handmade charm and yet sophisticated and chic. Created by Brenda Anvari who, after a long career with Elizabeth Arden, opened her own treatment salon, Visage House in Exeter.

Now then, the important bit, what is it like? Well, it lathers like velvety mousse made from the sweet clouds of heaven and the first dawn dew. It's lovely and leaves skin feeling soft and fresh. But the smell is what intrigues me the most, a rather fascinating blend both fruity and musky. It's quite unisex, almost quite a man-type smell, but also floral. Actually it's very masculine, but with a delicate finish. A challenge to describe, what do you think Jilly Goolden?

Jilly? I said, what do you think? 

Intermission while I fetch it from the bathroom and sit here sniffing it...

Nevermind, Jilly...

Curious as to what made this dream-foam, I have researched what is quite a (reassuringly) short ingredients list. The main foaming agent, thankfully, isn't SLS (otherwise I wouldn't go near it with a barge pole! Nor any kind of pole for that matter and certainly not in a shower/bath situation). It is in fact cocoamidylpropyl betaine. This is a common replacement for SLS but isn't quite on the good side of natural. It is derived from coconut oil but is the result of that oil being mixed with another chemical far too long for me to try and type here! It is still a detergent but a much gentler one. That said, those with extreme sensitivity could still see irritation.

On the other hand, it also contains quilaja saponaria which is Soapbark. As you can guess, this is a natural soap (hoorah!) and so I won't let cocoamidylpropyl betaine take all the credit for that lovely lather!

Brenda Anvari say all products are paraben free and many have Soil Association preservatives and organic aromatherapy oils. And none are tested on animals.

All in all I am very satisfied with taking a little leap of faith and testing out something I can't see, smell or touch until it arrives on my doorstep. And I may just do so again!

Brenda Anvari Pomegranate Raspberry and Patchouli Shower Gel £7.95 for 250ml
Available from www.visagehouse.co.uk

My favourite beauty site:
http://www.amodelrecommends.com/

Dangers of the Anti-bacterial Triclosan

Forgive me if I'm being naive here but when it comes to washing your hands I was of the belief that a good bit of (SLS-free) soap and hot water would give you a nice squeaky clean that would see you through, especially if you wash your hands thoroughly, going around the fingers and nails, interlacing your fingers, tickling your palms, even taking it to the wrists! Maybe you like to pretend you have a little hamster running from hand to hand. And after drying on a clean towel you can't really get cleaner than that, right?

Well, in recent years, you may have doubted this simple truth. There are ridiculous adverts on TV designed to bring out the OCD in all of us, where washing hands is simply not enough. And even one warning you that your soap pump is germy and unhygienic. Doesn't really matter if it is right, because I'm washing my hands. My soap pump can be as germy as it likes because I'm going to wash those germs right off any second now. Obviously no one wants to be crawling with bacteria but is filling our cleaning or cleansing products with anti-bacterial agents the answer? Manufacturers of triclosan would have you believe that it's perfectly safe but it is currently under review by the FDA for very good reasons.

Triclosan is included in many toiletries like hand soap, detergents, toothpaste etc. and is supposed to give those bad bugs an extra kick up their bug bums that apparently soap and water can't do. But as it gets washed down the plug hole it gets washed up into the environment and has been found accumulating in the bodies of all sorts of critters. The higher up the food chain to goes, the higher these levels get. Apparently a Swedish study in 2002 found high levels in 3 out of 5 samples of human breast milk. Flipping heck! It belongs to a class of chemicals called chlorophenols which are suspected of causing cancer. And if that wasn't enough it seems to have strong links to dioxins, which are definitely highly carcinogenic substances which can effect us at relatively low levels. AND Triclosan can react with chlorine in tap water to create chlorinated dioxins, also highly toxic. These toxins could be sitting in your kitchen sink right now. 

Recently, (I'm really laying it on thick here) an article in the Daily Mail discussed how Triclosan is dangerous to pregnant women, as it can disrupt the blood flow to unborn babies, doing damage even before the baby gets a chance to get to that triclosan flavoured milk.

There might be some case to support it's use in hospitals where superbugs are concerned but there is little to support it's inclusion in household products. It even turns up in toys and kitchenware as part of this fad of anti-bacterial obsessiveness.Who needs an antibacterial oven dish, seriously!? If you're foods got bugs in that cooking won't kill then only God and Andrex can help you.

It's also worth noting that too much hygiene can actually lead to allergies and health conditions such as asthma, as the developing immune system doesn't get exposed to common allergens and microbes and therefore cannot defend against them when exposure occurs.

If you ask me, triclosan is worth getting paranoid about, not the silly germs they are supposed to kill. So check your labels people and avoid, avoid, avoid!!! Rant over.

Oskia, A Love Story

With it being nearly Valentines day I have to confide in you, I'm harbouring an intoxicating and dizzying love for Oskia skincare, never having used it.

It all started with a spare hour I spent wondering around the beauty hall in Liberty's. I didn't mean to fall in love. I just did. I was actually just looking at the Korres stuff because they have a natural tinted moisturiser I wanted to investigate. And as I walked aimlessly around, perusing the various counters and shelves, I came across the understated seduction of Oskia, on an unassuming stand with no heavy promotion, no blazing signs nor annoying shop assistant to sidestep. Just subtle and beautiful and sleek. And expensive.

Oskia's ethos is nutritional skincare, with its fundamental ingredient being MSM. This is not a little sugary chocolate sweet, nor a messenger service by a computer giant. It's methylsulfonylmethane, a naturally occurring and most bio-available form of sulphur.

Known as the 'beauty mineral',  it's found in plants and helps boost collagen production. It helps skin defend itself from the saggy and sad effects of ageing by bolstering itself with lovely, delicious plump new skin cells that make you look healthier and youthful.

But I won't know because I can't afford it.

To indulge my new found love I tested out the Perfect Cleanser, on my hand obviously, I didn't go rubbing it all over my face right there on the shop floor! And without having actually used it (properly) I can confidently say it is divine. It's like a very thick oil or a silky, milky balm. It's velvety. It's smooth. It feels nourishing. I did in fact want to rub it all over my face right there on the shop floor! But it would be better to use with water which does in fact turn it into a milk, removing dirt and all the rest for beautifully clean skin. It seemed a very luxurious cleanser and made my skin glow after tissueing it off with a bit of toner from somewhere else... (thanks Korres) It feels like it's worth every penny and every pound.

Equally the Day Cream is a silky lotion that for whatever magical reason did just convince me that it was going to to take my skin out for a good meal and maybe give it a kiss goodnight. A girl can dream.

Oskia say they use 98% natural or nature-identical ingredients. Although this suggests a little scientific synthesising, according to them, this means that we are talking about pioneering bio-active ingredients that are clinically proven to work. With nature comes a bit of science to formulate products that will support and rebuild skin cell health through the provision of essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and glucides. These work to fight current and future signs of ageing. For the record the other 2% of ingredients are Eco-cert and Soil Association approved preservatives. So they certainly are doing their best. 

One point that Oskia make, and one that I have been wanting to discuss on this blog, is that beautiful skin needs feeding like any other organ in the body. If we don't eat enough of the nutrients our bodies need then it shows. We feel tired, lack the ability to fight off infection and skin looks lack-lustre. Every organ needs nourishing on a cellular level and since the skin is the largest organ of the body it surely needs feeding. So they also offer MSM tablets you can take which support your skin from the inside too.

So, as I've mentioned, the products are expensive. If you're feeling rich or you are rich I very much recommend spending your money on products that approach skincare in this natural and holistic way. You could certainly pay a lot more for a lot less if you compare to other luxury skincare brands.

And if you are feeling particularly touched by this Romeo and Juliet style love-affair (I'm pretty sure the cleanser loved me too) then feel free to send me your purchases instead. All of you.

Oskia Perfect Cleanser £38.50 for 150ml
Oskia Nutri-Active Day Cream £52.00 for 30ml
Available from www.oskiaskincare.com and Liberty's

Green and Spring

I just managed to delete a whole post on Green and Spring and now I have to re-write the damn thing. So I will try to write in a calm manner but you will understand if my enthusiasm is blighted by anger and my sentences are short with a general sense of annoyance and impatience for the whole tedious task of repeating myself.

So here goes... 

Ohh, look at the lovely little birds (this isn't how the original went, it was less sarcastic) Aren't they pretty sitting on the lovely packaging... (there was more of this, less flippant)

What a lovely range of natural products. No they really are and I'm not being fair to Green and Spring because they are a lovely company. Let's hear more... 

Green and Spring are a British company where only native plants and herbs are used in the chemical-free, natural formulations. The range is all hand-made and includes your usual bathroom products, skincare, hand and nail care and natural wax candles too. They also only use 100% natural plant material, without parabens, SLS, SLES, petrochemicals, PEGs, glycols, synthetic colours and fragrances. 

Most of the products are available in three fragrance blends, Relaxing with lavender, comfrey and rosemary, Indulging with rose, jasmine, elderflower and red clover, or Revitalising with peppermint, dandelion and fennel.

I have been using the Indulging Shower and Bath Foam which is just gorgeous. A great product, lathers very well, smells incredible, doesn't leave skin tight or dry after showering. 

Along with this I have been enjoying the Relaxing Body Lotion, another amazing fragrance, it's difficult to choose between them all. The lotion is light, easily absorbed and the fresh fragrance lingers a little which is nice so you feel like you've been rolling around in a fresh springtime meadow full of flowers and butterflies. (That wasn't in the original.)

I also have a teeny tiny travel candle also in Relaxing, its burning very happily (it was, I put it out days ago shortly after beginning this post) and although the fragrance isn't immediate I have on very firm recommendation that Green and Spring candles do deliver a good strong aroma. Some natural candles burn more fragrantly as they get lower because the essential oils sink down through the wax during the cooling process. Interesting.

There are also quite a variety of gift sets, including the bumper deluxe wooden birdhouse (nice) complete with 12 fullsize bestsellers nestling inside. All for £275! If you can't quite stretch to that!? there are loads of beautiful little sets that make really lovely gifts which won't require a remortgage or the selling of any organs. On the whole, the range is perhaps a little more than your average brand but it has by no means a super-luxe price tag for the quality and the ethos and the delightful packaging! It all makes a wonderful present or a well deserved treat for yourself in this dull, dreary winter. Roll on (Green and...) Spring! 

Clever.

Green and Spring Indulging Shower and Bath Foam £18 300ml (more in the bottle than your average brand too)

Green and Spring Relaxing Body Lotion £22 300ml

Green and Spring Home Candle £29 Travel Candle sets £18 for 3

All available at www.greenandspring.com and Liberty's

Phenoxyethanol

What a lovely looking chemical compound I hear you say! And you'd be right, but what exactly is the deal with phenoxyethanol...

During my research for the last post I got diverted trawling through ingredient lists and noticed that an ingredient I've seen popping up in natural products that I use and have mentioned- phenoxyethanol- was now popping up on all over websites reporting worries over its safety. Uh-oh.

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative and is present in many formulations where parabens have been shunned.  For a while all was well. The cosmetics industry has welcomed phenoxyethanol into the fold and held a party in its honour.

But the Japanese have been putting limits on its use. The FDA in America warned that it can cause the shut down of the central nervous system! vomitting! and contact dermatitis! The European Union classifies it as an irritant! All this whilst I was slapping it all over my face! Blimey.

So what is the story...The issue lies in the concentration levels of this ingredient. Many things that are deemed safe are only so if the concentration is limited. And phenoxyethanol seems to be one of these things. Typically the concentration in cosmetics is 1% or less. But that means in an average 200ml bottle of lotion, body wash, whatever, there's a teaspoon's worth of pure phenoxyethanol. I think that seems like quite a lot. And you must consider this - does it make a difference having that teaspoon all at once or consuming it gradually over the course of a few months?

It's inconclusive, but there is a question mark over it now. The cosmetics database make clear that any reactions studied were caused by phenoxyethanol itself and not by products containing it. So that's comforting!  It seems it is something I'll have to keep an eye on... Just how many times did I write the word phenoxyethanol?

One last time. Phenoxyethanol.

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash

My New Year's resolutions are going quite well. That blanket I told you about now has 1.75 squares ready to patchwork together when that momentous day comes. And I'm currently roasting potatoes. With rosemary and seasalt and crushed garlic. So I'm not doing too badly in all.

So then, naturally that brings me to the REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash!!

I got a lovely set of REN body washes and lotions for Christmas from my sister. I've used these before but for some reason, this time around I love them so much more! The shower gel lathers beautifully, very creamy and nourishing and the smell from those Moroccan roses is gorgeous. After showering, it leaves your skin feeling comfortable, smooth, supple and without the desperate need to replace any moisture with body cream. (One of the very pleasant effects of an SLS-free formula!) However, in the set I have is a lovely Moroccan Rose Otto Body Cream and so I will happily use them together for that extra skin boomf! This is quite souffle-like, it's light, and quickly absorbed with the same delicate rose fragrance. Delicious. Rose Otto is an expensive and treasured essential oil, used in aromatherapy to ward away depression, it also soothes skin and aids deep relaxation.

The REN ethos is 'bio active skincare' and presented is a very interesting range of natural products with a scientific edge. They proudly declare on their packaging 'NO petrochemicals, sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrances, synthetic colours, TEA, DEA, glycols, silicones, PEGS et al.' Good. You know what your getting here then. High quality, well researched skincare that works. A few of those naughty ingredients I haven't actually mentioned in my list of nasties to avoid but this will be researched and brought to your attention so we can all know why to avoid them and why REN is so good.

And just to mention there are three more fragrances to try out in the body wash range. Neroli and Grapefruit, Seaweed and Sage and Lavender and Bergamot. I know I will be...

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash £17.00 200ml

Available at Ren Skincare

John Lewis and loads of places actually so have a look.

'Big Bad I Said NO!'

This isn't actually about Stop it and Tidy up. It's nothing to do with it. It's about the ingredients in products I generally try to avoid...

There is a lot of information out there on these so if you wish to know a little more do have a dig around. I won't go into too much detail because, in all honesty, I don't actually have a chemistry degree. But it's good to have a little bit to go on...

These are almost in order according to me...