Balm Balm Face Balm

I love the name Balm Balm. It makes me think of Bam Bam from the Flintstones. And then makes me want to hit someone over the head with a club whilst shouting 'BAM BAM!' Which then makes me think of Timmy Mallet and the Mallet Mallet game. And then I forget what I'm talking about... Oh yes, why I really like the name is because it is a strident and happy declaration of exactly what it is, a range of beautiful balms. Simple.

The Balm Balm Face Balm is one of my favourite kind of products, one you can use everywhere for anything! Why stop at your face? Use it on any dry skin, anywhere; elbows, hands, knees, feet. Use it on dry ends of hair, on lips, rub into cuticles. The list goes on... I love a good multi-purpose product and if something doesn't say it is multi-purpose, I'll often end up using it in all sorts of ways anyway!

Once such bright idea came after getting a little too much sunshine recently, I used it on my shoulders and chest for a major boost of nourishing skin-loving oils that my dehydrated and rather cross skin was screaming out for. And it was very nice indeed, putting a sock in the mouth of my complaining skin! Take that, sunburn! BAM! (add your own sound effects)

The little tube (30ml) is great for travelling around although it isn't a measely size. The balm is fragranced with rose geranium which is gorgeous and there is also a tea tree one and an unfragranced version too. The balm is quite thick but happily squishes out of the little tube and when in contact with the skin, turns all melty and oily. It is quite a lingering oiliness so if I was to put it on my face I'd only use it on say, my cheeks at night, because I inevitably don't have time to wait for it to absorb properly before putting on make up. But I'd merrily use it on hands and feet etc... I squashed some into my hands when I started this post and although it hasn't fully absorbed yet I'm not leaving too many sticky finger prints all over the keyboard! It is also worth noting that this balm is 100% natural and 100% organic so that's a double whammy right there. BAM BAM!

What I like about Balm Balm most is the super-simplicity of their products. The range is very non-fussy, with few ingredients, of which all are certified organic by the Soil Association. The design of every product is clean and simple and although the packaging is appealingly candy-coloured, the products inside are as wholesome as could be. A great little family-run, British, ethical company. Go get 'em!

Balm Balm Face Balm in Rose Geranium is £6.99 for 30ml
Available in good health food shops and online from Balm Balm

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.

Beauty Sleep Concentrate by Neal's Yard Remedies

There is certain sleep debt I have acquired, since filming for six months (I think that excuse is wearing thin given that the job ended two months ago now!) and from basically spending all night researching bits and pieces for the blog followed by wasting time in the wee hours examining the lines (or the threat of them) on my face...which ironically only serves to make them worse with all the worry and the late nights etc...So I thought I was in dire need of assistance. SOS! Beauty Sleep Concentrate by Neal's Yard Remedies.

I might just have to take a deep breath now and gather my thoughts into cohesive sentences because otherwise you'll be reading a string of OMGs, exclamation marks and extended vowels.

I love it. In three words, I LOVE IT! But a three word review isn't very helpful to you so I'll tell you why.

(I'm actually getting a bit fidgety that time is getting on because all I want to do is go and get ready for bed so I can use it again! Unheard of!)

The body naturally renews itself during sleep, with the process peaking between the hours of 11pm and 4am. This is when free-radicals get mopped up, cells are regenerated, toxins are rounded up and shot, sort of! It's the optimum time for the body to heal itself and eliminate the environmental stressors and pollutants absorbed and consumed throughout the day. So then, a good night cream should promote and support this process. And here we have a very good night cream. Good, because I think it works, even on waking you can see the effects! And good because it contains all natural ingredients that will really help the skin. (You can use it alone or with another night treatment actually.)

In fact there is some serious science going on in this product. The active ingredients include dormins extracted from the narcissus tazetta bulb. Dormins are responsible for slowing down cell division which is thought to essentially slow down the ageing process of a cell. It has been a common belief in anti-ageing that increasing cell turnover keeps the level of cells that are healthy and young to an optimum. But new research says that there may be a natural limit to the number of times a cell can divide before it starts to age. Therefore, increasing cell turnover may actually allude to cells ageing. In nature, dormins induce or control a rest phase. For example they suppress a seed from germinating before it's ready and they help a plant to resist harsh environmental conditions, like a cold winter. So you can see by including this very intriguing ingredient the skin's natural processes are supported during it's own rest phase and the ageing process is resisted. Amazing.

Also included in the formula is a bio-active tri-peptide naturally derived from palmitic acid found in plants. (Sorry, more science, I'll keep it brief) Peptides basically tell the cells what to do. In the Beauty Sleep Concentrate I believe these Peptides are saying 'Make more collagen!' and then the cells say 'Sir! Yes. Sir!' giving your skin a boost to help it look fresh and well-rested. Marvellous. You know, even after a very late night, looking in the mirror in the morning I could definitely see a plump, more evenly textured appearance to my skin. And this was only the second day of using it! Sure, the under-eye shadows were still there but I think I'd need God-in-a-Bottle to get rid of those. Well maybe just the regular eight hours would do it!

Right, now the important part is covered, let me tell you how gorgeous it smells. Like you won't believe. The aromatherapy blend of clary sage, cypress, orange, patchouli and ylang ylang creates the most soothing and sleep-inducing fragrance. I was asleep in moments. My heart skips to a merry beat just thinking about how heavenly this is. Seriously, it's odd, it has some strange power over me. It's very orangey, but very deep and warm, with a chocolatey undertone that I suspect comes from the cocoa seed oil that it also contains, further helping to reduce moisture loss overnight I might add!

The bottle, as you can see is a simple pump-action and you need maybe two or three pumps for a generous application. Four, if you really want to go all the way and include your neck. Which you should! Because no-one wants a turkey gobble and because it is bedtime and it's nice to treat yourself.

And so with that, I'm afraid I'm exhausted... Goodnight!

Neal's Yard Remedies Beauty Sleep Concentrate £30 for 30ml
Available online at Neal's Yard Remedies and in stores nationwide.