#nextbigbeautything so clean and so fresh

I have noticed a beautiful new trend over the last few months that is literally blossoming. A number of forward-thinking brands are using their windows, the visual gate, the optical invitation, to display their products in a raw and wholesome way. I am talking about glass jars, bottles, carafes and even scientific flasks. The contents are the natural, real ingredients that go in to making the product they are representing. I am in love with this trend. I think more than ever, we want to know what the ingredients are of the products that we are putting on our faces and in to our bodies and what better way to see the ingredients? Forget reading the list on the box, bottle or leaflet inside – this is visual merchandising at its most powerful.

Penhaligon's recently teamed up with young architecture practice Al-Jawad Pike, as part of the Regent’s Street windows project, which is in partnership with the RIBA. They created a window based on the science and history of perfumery and took inspiration from the raw ingredients that go in to making some of Penhaligon’s signature scents. The results were stunning. There is barely a moment when a passer-by is not photographing this installation.

At Good Hood, the wonderful design-led fashion and home store in Shoreditch, they have just unveiled an incredibly comprehensive beauty department. Apart from featuring an amazing edit of cult and hard-to-find beauty brands, I noticed their approach of pared-back, lab-like, serene merchandising. Topped off with fresh, green plants. The whole space is calm but inviting.

Finally, Sheridan and Co have just created a window for Marylebone cold-pressed juice bar Roots and Bulbs. It featured a giant factice of one of their juice bottles with a real eco-system growing inside. The scale was striking, the idea was clever and it really brought home the message of the freshness of the ingredients used in Roots and Bulb’s produce.

This trend in one word? Fresh. 

mummy's treats

Yesterday was mother’s day. Put your hand up if you had the best intentions and yet you still managed to not get that gift out to your mummy on time? Now that I’m a mummy, I now realise how much mums forgive their children, no matter what. So it’s never too late.

One of the best gifts you can give your mummy is the gift of soft, younger looking hands. And ones that smell amazing to boot.

Nothing beats Korres for gorgeous infusions of nature, they are my utmost favourite. I love this little soap and hand cream duo – bargain price and luxury is at your fingertips. Literally. 
Buy it now, exclusively at Asos! 

gift on the street

How much do you adore Australiana cult beauty brand Aesop?! I love the way they manage to innovate and be so forward-thinking with even the tiniest of things.

I have been (and still am, sometimes) intimidated to try beauty products at beauty counters. It can be frustrating to have an over-zealous assistant asking what you are looking for or if you need help when all you really want to do is browse. I’m curious by nature and I have a habit of smelling everything from hand cream to mascara (really!).

That’s why I love that Aesop have removed the middle man and actually put their testers out on to the street. They are positively encouraging you to try. It’s just a bonus that the hand and body moisturisers on offer are velvety soft, like whipped cream, and smell of childhood lollipops.

There’s a good reason to take your gloves off if ever I heard one. 

http://www.aesop.com 

sweet smell of nature

I (like a lot of girls) have a vast perfume closet to suit every occasion. But, ever since I became a mummy, I suddenly became a lot more aware of synthetic perfumes coming into such close contact with my baby.

I became interested in what I can do to still wear scent but not overpower my baby with a waft of crazy floral overload (I have been known to spritz more than once). In those first few months I simply wore essential oils only such as ylang ylang, lavender or chamomile.

Now I’m ready something a little stronger. Enter Acorelle, a new, 100% natural range of perfumes that are actually designed to enhance your wellbeing – bonus! Rich in essential oils, Tea Garden is a gorgeous, zingy, uplifting scent that is my current pick-me-up of choice throughout the day. It’s like someone raided my tea and spice cupboards and used my favourites to make this scent: mint, cumin lemon and bergamot.

I also particularly like National Trust Garden’s Wild Rose and Camomile. Two of my favourite flowers in one bottle. It’s delicate, floral but not overpowering and has a nostalgia about it that reminds me of my own mum and grandma.

I’d like my scents to create memories for my little girl in the future. 
Acorelle parfums available at Marks & Spencer Beauty and Whole Foods, £29.00
National Trust Garden’s Wild Roseand Camomile, £10.00

Little Fable...

As a busy mum, I’m ashamed to say that sometimes I barely have time to moisturise my face after a shower. Oh dear! This where a miracle skin oil comes in to its own. This particular one, by Balance Me, was a gift by a dear friend at my baby shower and it’s definitely one of the best I’ve tried. If applied on the face straight after a hot shower or bath, any oil will be absorbed by the open pores for maximum moisture. I love the fact that this one is 100% natural origin and soothing ingredients including chamomile instantly restore my skin during winter months.

The moral of the fable is a good face oil is the LBD in your skincare wardrobe – an absolute must-have.

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil, £30.00 

Apothecary Sea Pet

I have always loved seahorses. Ever since I met my boyfriend and we were naïve enough to think that we could actually keep a whole tank of them in our house – it’s romantic because they mate for life. We even found this little seahorse on holiday in Portugal, so the seahorse symbol has been rocking around my life over the past few years.

Needless to say I got more than a little excited when I saw the premise and packaging of the new Seascape Island Apothecary range. The brand is from Jersey (all hail a wonderful British beauty brand) and their logo is none other than my favourite sea creature. But not only does it looks beautiful in your bathroom, but the products themselves are supremely yummy  made without any parabens, silicones, artificial fragrances and other nasties. What they are made with is 100% essentials oils that ease the body and mind. In the shower, it’s pure indulgence.

PS: There is some exciting news in the pipeline for Beauty Mole, please watch this space!

The Shower Gels are priced at £16.00

One Hell of a Skin Saver

I had professed my love of this product before already. But I will say it again: this product is a life saver. Say your skin is dull, it’s maybe even spotty – it’s basically upset that it’s winter and doesn’t like the wind and rain. In comes Sisley’s Gentle Buffing Cream, which much like a hero swinging from a chandelier will sort out all your skin woes in one easy swoop.

First, you massage on to dry skin, thereby starting the gentle exfoliating process. Then, you leave to dry on your face, like a mask, and afterwards, scrub off gently. Honestly, it’s like little fairies have been giving you a facial all the while. I really like to then slather on lots of serum and moisturiser, which sinks in immediately. I also love to then stroke my face and marvel at my baby-soft skin.

Sisley Gentle Buffing Cream, £50 from Harrods

The Facial Love of My Life

In your life, you have probably had a facial or two. And like dates, you know when you have had one that is REALLY special. That is how I felt when I had the Sisley Facial in Harrods a few weeks ago. And I feel that my skin is still reaping the rewards…

I was so relaxed under that big duvet that I could have fallen asleep whilst the lovely beautician massaged my face, arms and even feet! At a time when with all the travels, I really felt that I needed that boost, Sisley has always been my go-to for beauty rescue remedies.

I especially fell head over heels for the Gentle Buffing Cream. This product deserves a standing ovation. It is applied like an exfoliating cream, however, it is then left on the face until it is bone dry and you then rubbed off to reveal brighter, smoother looking skin. Genius. Then the Flower Gel Mask will lock in the moisture and rejuvinate the skin in only 5 minutes. I love that.

The bottom line is: it made me love Sisley even more than before, if that’s even possible.  

Take your pick, you can’t go wrong. From £100.

A Birthday Wish

Don’t you hate it when you forget a best friend’s birthday? That’s how I felt when I heard that it was Korres’ 15^th birthday in September. A belated birthday card to one of my absolute favourite brands. To celebrate, I want to share my top three products from Korres (although, I use everything in my Korres collection until I have to recycle the packaging):

-          Absinthe Shaving Cream: My boyfriend’s favourite but I also love love love this. It is so conditioning, smells delicious and feels so much more delicate on the skin than chemical-laden shaving foams.

-          Cherry Lipgloss: The scent is so sweet, I defy anyone not to develop a lip-licking habit. This shade, Light Pink, is perfect for the 60s babydoll pout.

-          Coconut Milk Body Milk: I love all the Korres body milks and body butters, but this Coconut one is not overpowering but the lovely coconut smell still lingers.

Happy Birthday my lovely Korres and let’s for a moment forget Greek financial woes.

http://www.korres.com/CountrySelect.aspx

Liner Super Star

Having reported on how much I loved the Sisley Khol Star pencils at the airport Duty Free a couple of weeks ago, you can imagine my excitement when the said pencils landed in the Beauty Mole studios this week.

For anyone who is a fan of a lined eye, I would solidly recommend these pencils. They are worth the splashout. They are soft and blendible and contain a hint of sparkle (just enough for day time) to jazz up the eye. Plus, they come with a little Swarovski cyrstal on the tip and their very own little velvet pouch. Imagine that touch up on a night out.

I am now sparkly eyed and bushy tailed. Picture here are my favourites Black Diamond and Sparkling Bronze.

Sisley Phyto Khol Star Eye Pencil, £29.50

Fresh. Fresh, Exciting...

Like a true little kitsch enthusiast that I am, I absolutely love soap. Proper soap. But it seems really hard to find a good one! They either go gooey and mushy in the soap dish, don’t smell nice or break in to a million pieces after a few washes. Or all three.
However, how can you go wrong with Crabtree and Evelyn? I end up always going back to them. The smell, the consistency and texture of their soap is second to none. Although, Ren come a close second. My current C&E favourite is the Citron, Honey and Coriander Body Bar. It looks as fresh as it smells. It actually puts a smile on my face. And a snip at £5.
Crabtree and Evelyn, Citron, Honey and Coriander Body Bar, £5

Flower Addiction

I think I have become obsessed with flowers. I need a conservatory. A simple jog turns in to a flower expedition, as I have to smell each rose bush. And in supermarkets, I am like a flower fiend too. i am running out of pots and vases.

This is the season for roses and many other early summer blooms. And now that the weather is getting warmer, my previous moisturiser is starting to feel too heavy. So step in Sisley's Ecological Compound, an extremely versatile product - its light texture means you can use it as a moisturiser on its own, or as a serum, plus it helps to protect skin against environmental pollution.

But my favourite part is it's full of botanical goodness (Rosemary, Ginseng and hops) and smells like a bouquet of field flowers. So it goes some way to ease my flower addiction.

Sisley's Ecological Compound, £125 from Harrods or other excellent Department Stores.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

I have been travelling here, there and everywhere recently. I have noticed that I don't sleep well in hotels and with events to go to, I need to be able to trust good products to give me the glow of eight hours sleep. I read lots about cheat-sleep products and have found most of them to be empty hype, but then I came across Oskia's Get Up and Glow. I became a fan of Oskia when I discovered the Renaissance Mask during winter months, which is fantastic.
Get Up and Glow has the most delicious, iridescent colour to brighten any complexion. I find it works really well as a foundation primer. But I have also found, using this product, I need less foundation. With Hyaluronic Acid it really replenishes the skin of lost moisture. Finally, Butterbur reduces redness and irritation, which is most welcome on my still-healing face following my bike accident.
It has become my favourite travelling companion.

Oskia Get Up and Glow, £64.50

PS: Stamp collection from 1960s courtesy of my dad.

One Big Fat Flower Bed

While I am feeling completely sorry for myself and worrying that these cuts won't scar my face, London has gone into bloom overdrive. All the flowers are so incredibly pretty, the colours, the shapes, the sizes, crawling up walls, peeking from behind fences and squeezing out of pavement cracks.

Visiting dear friends in Hampstead this weekend and going for a walk around the back lanes, passages and hilly streets, the varieties of flowers we saw was astounding.

Beautiful Ioanna took these photos. Let the colours inspire you.

The Elegant Flower

I think Jasmine is one of my favourite flowers of all-time. Did you know that women in South-East Asia just wear the flowers in their hair? Talk about fresh.

While, Korres, my favourite Greek beauty brand, scent their heavenly collection of Jasmine bodycare with newly opened jasmine buds, making the smell delicate yet super-long-lasting. Layer the showergel with the Body Butter and you’ll barely have any need for perfume. Now breathe deeply.
Korres Bodycare collections start at £8.

One Little Miracle

Maybe it's the running. Maybe it's just the over-excitement about the weather. Maybe it's something else. But my skin is as dry as the Sahara desert at the moment. I am feeding it with everything I have, but what's working its magic is Balm Balm Little Miracle Rosehip Serum. It is a lovely blend of some of my favourite essential oils including Rosehip (duh!), Borage (which is en vogue at the moment), Juniper Berry and Mandarin. Plus lemon of course. It smells fresh and satisfying. And my skin is thankful for every drop.

Balm Balm Little Miracle Rosehip Serum, £13.25

Supernatural Powers

With Spring finally in the air, I have started running again. And running through Shoreditch Park reminds me of festivals. It is always noisy, crazy, busy and the smell of fresh grass, almost hay-like is reminiscent of late summer nights.
 
But the colours of fresh spring, I find really inspiring. And makeup at this time of year should be fresh. Dewy skin and sweet doe eyes. I love Korres' makeup for this reason. The textures are so soft, creamy, blendable that it is almost impossible to overdo it. This blush is actually insanely natural. Super peachy. And the pencil is one of the softest I have tried and I have a real bug bear about pulling the delicate skin in this area. Plus, green and blue eyeshadows are the new way to channel the 70s hot-trend.
 
So, spring in to action, right?

Korres Blush in Natural £17.50

Korres Eyeshadow in Lime £12.00

Korres Eye Pencil in Black £8.00

Korres is available from Liberty, Asos.com and other great department stores.

I'm Gonne Let It Shine

I have a new hair secret. And it’s so good that I almost don’t want to share it, but that would be mean. I have always had fine hair. And I have always wanted thick hair. Fine hair and volume don’t always go together, and what I have found is that ‘Volumising’ products don’t always do what they say on the tin.

With my penchant for discovering exciting new brands, I feel very lucky to have come across Gielly Green. This haircare just feels different. The range is full of handpicked natural ingredients. And actually, the shampoo looks like molten gold. Plus, the products are infused with three wonder oils Argan, Neem and Sea Buckthorn.

The shampoo is a classic clean formula and doesn’t actually claim to puff up, volumise, curl or straighten the hair. But what I have found is that each hair strand feels so clean that the hair becomes full of natural volume. It is not stripped of its natural oils, but rather cleansed in to place.

The Argan rescue oil is something else. If you have fine hair, a drop or two at night through the ends is all you need. You’ll never experience a shinier gloss. So as they say, let it shine.

Gielly Green Classic Shampoo, £16.00
Gielly Green Argan Rescue, £19.50

Avante Garden

If you, like me, have sensitive skin, this is the range for you. So I do have sensitive skin sometimes... ok, all the time, and I wish I could just use any old moisturiser, but I can't.

I recently saw a friend of mine who actually washes her face with a bar of soap. Not fancy soap neither. Just ordinary soap that probably costs less than £1. If I did that, my face would shrivel up like a prune.
So I take care. I have danced around the Darphin range for a while because I love the scents, ingredients, colours of the products. I finally tried Intral and it's the most delicious range. 

The Redness Relief Soothing Serum is a veil of calm for angry skin. Chamomile soothes and beautiful-sounding peony extracts protect. The Soothing Cream is a cacooning shield with Orchid extract and vitamin E to repair any damage.

You will find similarly beautiful ingredients in all of Darphin's products. Plus, they will single-handedly raise your bathroom beauty credentials. Must must must have.
 
Darphin, Intral Redness Relief Soothing Serum, £47.00
Darphin, Intral Soothing Cream, £37.00

Rose-Tinted Vision

There is something very nostalgic for me about the beautiful smell of roses. Half reminiscent of my grandmother's potpourri, half of the roses that my great-grandmother had growing outside the front of her house. I used to smell them excitedly whenever I came to visit.

I also believe whole-heartly in the benefits of rose extract in my beauty products. In other words, if it has rose in it, I am interested. In terms of the smell, like I said in my article about lavender, I am very particular. My current favourites include:

- Weleda Wild Rose range: not only is this range incredible value for money, but it's also incredibly effective. It is very soft, gentle and amazingly beneficial for calming sensitive skin. Great for winter. Their facial-oil capsules are literally pure bubbles of moisture.

- Aromatherapy Associates Rose Hydrating Face Mask: this is about as soothing as slathering your face with rose petals. This aloe vera-based mask is great for restoring plumpess to dry skin.

- For bathtime, one of the best rose-scented bubble baths I've tried is Brown & Harris' English Rose variety. Luscious and delicate rose smell.

At the moment, I'm looking at life through rose-tinted specs.

Weleda Wild Rose from £12.50
Aromatherapy Associates Rose Hydrating Face Mask, £28.50
Brown & Harris English Rose Bath Essence, £6.95