Archive for March, 2010
For one reason or other some of us don’t go out for regular facials, and by regular I mean monthly. But what do you do, if you still want to look good? You go out and buy two new products, that I am going to tell you about below.
The first one is by a brand that I really like, Origins. It is called Brighter by Nature high-potency brightening peel with fruit acids. When you go for a facial, facialists often use some form of peel, as this needs to be done by a professional so it doesn’t burn your skin (peeling gets read of the dead skin cells and gives you fresher, younger looking skin) but Origins created a natural, fruit based peel that is safe to use twice weekly and it doesn’t leave your skin red or inflamed. After cleansing, you massage your face circle-wise with the pad and hey presto, a cleaner, brighter complexion will be achieved in no time. I was also given a sample of Brighter By Nature skin tone correcting serum, which gives your skin a lovely finish.
After that, I suggest you give Bliss’s triple oxygen + C energising cream a go. I have long been a fan of its Triple oxygen instant energising mask but this cream-gel formula is great for this time of the year, when spring has failed to fully materialise and our complexions are still pale and uneven, after the dreadfully cold winter months. The cream will revive your stressed and tired skin but you will have to put a few minutes of facial massage in, for the product to be really effective. It also smells lovely and gives you a happy boost in the morning, if outside is looking grey.
Finally, a small treat for your lips. Body shop introduced a new line of lemon scented products and my new cheap thrill is called Sweet lemon lip butter (contains shea butter and beeswax)-it moisturises your lips, gives them a slight, pretty sheen and tastes of lemon. You might even get away with not wearing any lipstick while your lips will be instantly kiss-ready.
Bliss Triple Oxygen + C energising cream £45 for 55mls
Origins Brighter by nature High potency brioghtening peel with fruit acids £28 for 40 pads (used twice weekly will last 20 weeks). It is only available in Harrods until the end of April, when it will go on general release.
Body Shop Sweet Lemon Lip bitter £5 per 10ml pot
I was recently reading April’s issue of Red magazine and came across a feature called ‘Come dine with us’. It contained four interviews: with TV presenter Nadia Sawalha, local food promoter Maureen McKenna, organic baker Vicky Harford and PR consultant Alexa Perrin. All those lovely women talked about food, special ingredients and they happiness they feel when they cook.
It made me think of my own childhood, when I was indulged by my mother, aunt and both of my grandmothers, who were wonderful cooks. Each one was different, each one had her special secrets and recipes but just reminiscing about them makes me feel happy. There were many occasions for get-together with family and friends, when everyone-adults and kids-would gather around a big table-no one cared that apartments were small, it was the spirit of being together, eating, drinking, talking, reciting poetry and us, kids, creating mischief.
My father could invite friends at short notice and mum would create amazing feasts and no one left our house without a happy smile on their face. My friends were always indulged and mum always made sure we ate well-or we just weren’t let out from the table. Then there was my grandmother’s meat pie with lots of pastry or my mum’s meat pies that I love to this day. Syrnyky (cottage pie cakes) eaten with sour cream and sugar, jams or dulce de leche (condensed milk), pelmeny (meat dumplings) or a special cake that my mum used to make for my brother’s birthday, with short-crust home made pastry, condensed milk and jam. My aunt’s creative flair was also unrivalled, she fused russian cuisine with the flavours of the countries that my uncle worked in, be it Venezuela, Mexico or Peru. Or my maternal grandmother’s fried potatoes with meat patties (kotlety) that I can still taste in my dreams, even though she died when I was seven. No one made that dish taste as good ever since. There are so many things that mum makes for us still, when she visits us or we visit her but some recipes are gone, as both of my grandmothers passed away. Some things just cannot be re-created, can they?
Nowadays that art of getting together, for the simple pleasure of the company of the people you care about, is being lost at times. We go out to restaurants (don’t get me wrong, many of them are fun and inspiring) or don’t invite people over, lacking the time or the inclination to cook. And that’s a shame. Yes, it can be a tad stressful, especially if you are expecting a large number of guests, but it doesn’t have to be.
When I am in the kitchen, cooking, it becomes almost a meditative past-time. The flavours coming together and the simple pleasure of feeding the people you love is unsurpassed. Add to that nice juices and wine and kid’s laughter, some tea lights and pretty blooms on the fresh linen and the happy event will be complete.
When I was young mum did all the cooking but when I was close to finishing high school both my mum and my paternal grandmother decided to give me a cookery ‘crash course’-I enjoyed eating but not the cooking at that stage, the pleasure of cooking came later, when I got married and my husband had to be fed-he is a tall guy with an appetite that was a butt of jokes in my family to start with.
As I don’t live in Moscow currently I miss my family mealsgreatly but we have friends here and being with them makes me think of my childhood. And going to my best friend, for her roast chicken with honey roasted parsnips and carrots, gravy and truffle roast potatoes cannot be compared to anything else-it is just divine. And that is just one of her delicious recipes-she is just a natural cook, who puts in magic ingredients to create dishes that are unforgettable, but easy to make.
As we get older, we add precious pieces to our life and food and our family and friends are a big part of the quilt of life. Doing it more often just makes our lives more happy and complete, don’ t you agree ?
More and more people seem to be developing skin conditions and many are blaming the environment we live in. Paediatricians will also tell you that kids skin problems are on the rise too, which is even more distressing for children and their parents.
I have a few friends who have eczema and in a couple of cases it’s their kids who have it, even though it doesn’t run in the family. The straightforward solution is to go to the GP or paediatrician, get examined and receive various prescriptions for strong moisturisers or steroid creams.
Personally, I am not a fan of steroid creams when it comes to children-even though it does help, I must say. I have spoken to my local pharmacist, who is not only a lovely man but a very knowledgeable pharmacist too. He recommended the product directly below, as an option to hydrocortisone cream.
The first thing that will definitely sort you or your child out is called ‘Eumovate Ointment’ and you can get it on prescription. It does contain clobetasone butyrate but it also has soft and liquid paraffin in its formulation. It is very potent and one shouldn’t use it for longer than a week but it does get the results quickly, without drying the skin unlike hydrocortisone in some cases.
In terms of natural solutions there are two, for which I can vouch. The first one is the bath oil by Aveeno, which contains oats and is deeply moisturising, which is a god’s scent when it comes to eczema, as often your skin is not only dry but itchy too. Another solution is ‘ECZ-Easy calendula & plantago soothing balm’ by Inlight, which is particularly lovely for kid’s skin. It works really well and it dampens the redness and dryness of eczema (you can buy it via Victoria’s Health site).
Whatever option you choose, don’t despair, try different things and see what works for you, as we are all so individual.
I am always keen to keep an eye on the cosmetic brands developed by make-up artists. They do the shows, know the trends and have a pretty good idea about what makes us, women, look good and help us enhance our features. My personal favourites are Bobbi Brown (she makes women look beautiful and natural at the same time), Gucci Westman (looking at her makeovers I just want to smile in admiration) and Pat Macgrath (her creativity goes beyond the term genius), so the name Ellis Faas was new to me.
Ellis was born in Amsterdam, studied in Paris and works all over the world. She was initially hired by the legendary Mario Testino (who is also the sweetest man with the most wonderful wit and sense of humour). Later she was introduced by Emmanuelle Alt, a wonderfully chic French fashion editor, to Karl Lagerfeld, which led to very special collaborations.
Ellis Faas Human Colours collection is based around the human palette as its inspiration. Her make-up is on sale at Liberty’s for now and I must warn you that when I was there to have a look at the products and textures the girl, responsible for the Ellis Fass make-up, was on an extended break and I never got to talk to her.
In any casae I must say that the packaging looks very distinct and the formulations seem quite impressive. There is SkinVeil foundation (helps to illuminate the skin), Concealer (unlike many concealers it doesn’t ‘cake’ and offers a great cover for dark shadows. It also stays put for a long time), blush (made with essential oils, rose water and vitamin C it adds a pop of colour to the skin), Powder, Creamy and Milky eyes (eye shadows that work as a colour stain or subtle wash. I bought Creamy Eyes E103, which dries up quickly and stays put (takes a little bit of time to wash it off in the evening though and I laughed, looking at my panda reflection in the mirror) . It’s a very dark grey shade and even though I wasn’t a 100% sure to start with, now I love wearing it. There is also mascara and eye liners, but I must confess that I use my eyeshadow as an eyeliner sometimes too. Ellis Lips come in 3 formulations-Creamy, Milky or Glazed. You can also buy an Ellis holder which will solve the problem of travelling with make-up: your lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, blush and powder will be held in a stylish metallic case that will look cool inside your bag or on your make-up table.
It’s a proven fact that chocolate makes most of us happy and there is so much of it, be it on the supermarket shelves or in chocolate selling
shops, scattered around London. But there is one jewel of a place that I am really keen to tell you about.
It is called Cocomaya and when you will get there, you will understand instantly why this place is very special indeed. Cocomaya consists of two shops-one is where you can buy chocolates-and there is so much choice, you will be hard pressed to decide which ones you want! The lovely gentleman serving me last time told me that they keep on coming up with new flavours ALL the time. You can host a birthday party there or just get together with your girlfriends for a nice catch-up and lots of divine chocolates.
If you go around the corner, you will find another Cocomaya, which is an artisan cafe, serving delicious teas, coffees and hot chocolate in indulgently colourful porcelain cups plus you can have salads, cakes, muffins, sandwiches etc. The stuff working there is very smiley and sweet and just being there you will feel a rush of happiness and I promise you, you will smile back at people later in the day too!
Make-up makes us feel great and we start playing with it as soon as we can, be it with our mother’s treasures or with cheap kiddy ones. As we get older and can afford to buy our own, we go out to shops and indulge. However, what if you want something ‘niche’, not known to many, but delivering the results and giving you fun in front of the mirror?
I have been on many make-up and beauty sites but to be honest, I don’t go back to most of them. However, a few months ago I heard of the internet site called Cult Beauty from a friend of mine, who works in the beauty industry. My curiosity aroused, I browsed the site….and have stayed loyal.
Jessica DeLuca Moore, one of the founders of the company ( its internet site went live in June 2008 ) told me that she and her colleagues wanted to educate woman, to give them an honest information and to recommend the products that they believed in and that delivered results.
One often gets disappointed-after seing ads, buying the product and then realising that the product doesn’t work for you-but the money was spent and no refund is forthcoming. Women like Jennifer Aniston inspire us because she looks healthy, toned and glowing. That is why Jessica and the Cult beauty team rely on their ‘expert’ panel of well-known hairdressers, facialists, manicurists & foot experts, make-up artists etc. who know their products and can provide you with the right information in order to let you make informed choices.
In the last few months I got several products that I would definitely recommend to you.
Ginvera Green Tea Marvel gel-removes dead skin & blackheads, very gently exfoliates your skin without irritating it and evens out the skin tone, among other benefits.
Kaplan MD clear treatment lip 20 moisture therapy +SPF-it sells out every time it is in stock, comes in different shades, plumps and moisturises your lips. Plus it tastes nice, so I keep on re-applying it.
Time Balm concealer-there are plenty of concealers on the market but many of them dry your skin and emphasise, instead of hiding, the shadows and lines. Not this one. It comes in different shades, hides the multitude or problems and feels very moisturising, when you put it on with the applicator sponge enclosed. It is also quite compact, so you can put it in your pocket or make-up bag, when travelling.
Davines De Stress Musli & Yogurt shampoo-I am always on the lookout for a great shampoo, that treats the sculp, manages the hair and makes it shiny & healthy (in addition to good diet, of course). This one ticks all of the above.
Tara Smith base coat serum-this one was recomended to me by Jessica. I was ‘moaning’ to her via e-mail about my fly-away hair and she offered me a possible solution. Demi Moore tweeted about it, when this product line was launched. It smeels nice, is made with natural & organic ingredients, gets ‘tested on film stars not on animals’, but most importantly it does make your hair look more groomed and it only costs £5.
One often gets very confusing advice about the eye area. Some people suggest ‘tapping’ the cream into the area, some say that the cream ends up creating under-eye bags, which we all want removed later in life, but the question remains-how do you look after the under the eye area?
Generally I tend to put a tiny amount and gently tap it on (I rate very highly Caudalie’s contour cream eye & lips for the morning, Sarah Chapman’s Skinesis eye recovery for the night and Body shop’s vitamin eye cream (it was recommended to me by Vaishaly) for when the skin needs a little tender loving care), but today I bought Garnier’s Caffeine roll-on which also contains grape anti-oxidants (which, by the way, are being used and talked about more and more often, since the stratospheric rise of Caudalie products).
The massage roll-ball feels cool on the skin and the anti-dark circles formula goes on smoothly and hopefully effectively too.) It refreshes the skin under the eye and boosts the radiance of that area. Currently Boots has some special offers on this and some other roll-ons in that range. Try it and let me know what you think.
There is something magical about theatre and it doesn’t matter what age you are. I prefer the theatres that are smaller, more intimate and then you get to feel like you are part of that mysteriously creative process.
So, if you like theatre, you are bound to like Simon Annand’s exhibition ‘The Half’ at Victoria & Albert museum.
‘‘Half” is the term used in theatre, those sacred 30 minutes that actors get before the start of the play, when they immerse themselves in their creativity or just stay reflective, getting ready to surprise their audience. Rarely, if at all, you are allowed to see actors in those precious minutes but over the course of 20 years that’s what Simon Annand did and his work is truly mesmerizing, giving you a very intimate glimpse in to the un-atteinable world.
Beware, though, that finding the exibition in the maze that is V&A isn’t easy, it took me several attempts, following mixed-up directions of the staff. A worthy treat in the end, though .)
Swedish stylist Ulrika Lundgren started her label Rika not so long ago, but it seems to be gaining loyal fans pretty quickly.
Over the weekend I popped into the Shop at Bluebird where Rika has a pop-up store. It is full of pictures and the clothes and bags are pretty cute. There are soft t-shirts with slogans, butter soft leather jackets, cool leather skirts (with two zippers instead of pockets but it’s a detail that sticks to mind), softly draped tie-dyed dresses, colourful leopard-print jackets and of course, bags of various shapes and sizes, which carry Ulrika’s trademark- the stars.
The clutches are very girly and the satchels and holdalls are tougher looking but very cute when hanging off your arm. There are small details, like the stitching or studs that combine the cool factor with the modernity, so they will probably become even better as you carry them around.
I read about Joseph Altuzarra’s designs on the blog of Garance Dore, went on his site and realised that I was looking at the work of a very strong and talented individual.
In London his spring/summer’10 collection is only stocked up at Liberty on Regent street and he is so new to them, that the sales girls were frowning and sending me in different directions until finally, I came on to one railing holding his clothes. There was a pretty, light purple dress with very beautiful twists and pleating, an asymmetrical khaki skirt that will hang sexily on the hips and a very light, beige suede trench. On the centre of the floor there was a few mannequins dressed in his long, unusual dresses, that will flatter your figure and make you stand out. If you like fashion, I would highly recommend that you go and have a look.
http://www.garancedore.fr/en/page/4/
http://josephaltuzarra.com/collections/
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