Archive for June, 2010

It’s hard to look and Gisele and not feel jealous, even if you are a very self-assured woman. Let’s be honest-she is a  young woman with a sexy body, who appears stunning in every photo that you see of her and yet she seems to be very centered and natural. She manages to keep her private life just that- private- and yet you sense that she is a strong woman who knows who she is without letting it get to her head. She has a husband and a baby son and an extended family, who seem to be very close in our unsteady times.

A while back, during a lecture at the Royal College of Fashion, Mario Testino told the audience, including me, about trying to start Gisele’s career and fashion editors being reluctant to champion her. Well, look who was right in the end? Gisele is not only the beauty but the brain too, who is determined to achieve her goals, without compromising her integrity or vision.

Having said that, I always felt that Gisele was a worthy role mode who has an innate gift to inspire people (she ‘introduced me’ to Don Miguel Ruiz, whose book ‘The Voice of Knowledge‘ I found thought provoking and inspiring), so I became very curious when I read her profile in one of the recent American Vogue editions, where she mentioned her skincare line, called Sejaa.

She started it not so long ago, wanting to use natural ingredients that healed the skin and made it radiant-after all, appearances do count in the society we all live in and a supermodel knows a great deal about that, I presume. Yet I think it is a labour of love for her too, with which she hopes to give her knowledge and maybe some of her beauty secrets back to women who are inspired by her. One also senses that becoming a mother changed her and made her think about what she uses on her skin and body-having children does make you pause and think about many things, including one’s health, mortality and general outlook on life……

If you look at the Sejaa’s site, you will see Gisele goofing about, while she talks about her pure skincare brand. She shows you how to use and apply products and explains her ideas and philosophy in developing Sejaa.

I placed my order and waited patiently-after all, deliveries from the US take ages!! I waited and waited and my parcel didn’t arrive-testing me, as I really wanted to try the creams. I e-mailed Sejaa customer services who were very sweet and prompt in their reply-maybe it’s the Brazilian way? I was told that they were now shipping thousands of kits to Europe and their European warehouse was finally operational, cutting the delivery time down to one week ( I had to wait three or four before the warehouse was ready and parcels were shipped form the US). For now you can purchase Sejaa direct from the website (see the link below), but eventually the company will partner with good distributors. Good distributors-please take note, the products are wonderful!

Finally my beautifully wrapped kit arrived in a pretty environmentally friendly packaging, that contained a message from Gisele (every customer gets one! and it’s both sweet and insightful), a bamboo cloth for the face, a little wooden spatula and two creams and a mud treatment. The packaging is simple but quite distinct with pretty lettering, listing the ingredients and explaining how to use each product. You can easily recycle the boxes and later the pots that contain creams and I think that’s a very novel and contious choice when it comes to most of cosmetic packaging.

The Day cream is a lighter formulation (it smells faintly of coconuts) and the Night cream, which smells a little like cocoa and cookies .), is thicker and more nourishing. I haven’t had a great success with natural skincare until now and in the beginning my skin felt a little tingly when I applied the creams, but within a week my skin felt clearer and more radiant. I think that some of my lines-and yes, I have those because I frown and don’t Botox-seem softer. My skin is well moisturised and I like how it feels to the touch, almost like it did in my 20s.

The Mud treatment left me equally impressed, especially when it dries up and I can pull funny faces at my son, who looks bewildered and probably thinks that his mother is crazy! It clears your complexion  with a unique combination of natural clays and unlike some masks on my shelves, I actually use this one at least once a week.

Now, let me ask you a question-do you think I met Gisele? The honest answer is not yet, but I was really keen to ask her more questions before writing this post, so I did, and thanks to  Sejaa customer services and Jared Wright, I have a little exclusive of mine below and hopefully a treat for you-some questions from me and answers from Gisele, which I hope will inspire you to try her products and see why I am such a Sejaa convert. 

http://www.sejaa.com/ 

 E-mail authorised interview with Gisele about Sejaa skincare. 

Q:How did you come about with the idea of developing a skincare line? Were you influenced by Christy Turlington’s experience with Nude & Sundari or Rose Marie-Swifts RMS Beauty (I have become addicted to her products lately!)

A: I’m getting older and I’m starting to think about what I’m putting on my skin and in my body in a wholesome, natural way. If I want to be the healthiest I can be, I want to give my body the best it can have. I really notice a difference when I don’t eat well, when I don’t moisturize, when I don’t exercise – I feel a difference. So, when I decided to do Sejaa, this is really about self love, this is a way to nurture my body more.

I wanted make something that was the most natural. I asked, “What is the best way possible this can be made?” because then I can feel good about putting it on my body.

 Q: From your experience, what does a woman need to do to keep her face looking beautiful naturally?

 

A: I believe when you are conscious of putting what’s best in and on your body, then it shows in your complexion. Beauty is a reflection outside of who you are inside.

Q: Which of Sejaa’s product’s is the most effective or is your favourite? And to what age group is your skincare best suited?

 

A: I created each Sejaa product to do a certain thing. I’ve used a lot of products in my career, so I know what’s good for my skin and what isn’t, and I really spent a lot of time making sure each Sejaa product would be the best it could be for everyone. I love the Day Cream because its very light and it nourishes very well. The Night Cream is amazing because its a little thicker, so its great at replenishing your skin while you sleep- and I think it smells amazing too. The Mud Treatment is great for pulling the impurities out of your skin.

I think Sejaa is best suited for ages 16-65 and for both men and women.

 

Q: Do you plan to expand your skincare line and maybe branch into body care too?

 A: Yes, we’ll be launching a Self-Warming Exfoliating cleanser in the Fall. Other body care products are on the way as well.

 

 Q: I have regular aromatherapy massages and truly believe in the power of essential oils. Do you use essential oils and which ones do you find the best for the skin?

 A: I really believe in how essential oils can benefit different parts of health and wellness and that’s why I included them in the Day and Night Creams. I love aromatherapy.

Q: What do you think about organic skincare versus normal (chemical based) skincare?

 

A: Anything that is truly organic, like an apple or an orange, even if you put it in the fridge, can go rotten in a week. So I know that natural preservatives (like coconut) can give it a longer shelf life. Sejaa is best that I think it can possibly be.

Q: Do you think that massage is beneficial for the face?

 

 A: I love face massage and using Sejaa to massage into my face feels wonderful.

 

Q:What makes Sejaa different from other skincare brands on the market? How involved are you with the product development and ingredients?

  A: Sejaa is different from other skincare brands because I wanted it to be 100% natural and 100% environmentally responsible from beginning to end. I’ve been very involved in creating this line for over 2 years now to make sure it was exactly the way I thought it should be – and I’m very proud of it. I hope you like it too.

Unfortunately our kids are being born in a much worse environment then we did. The air is more polluted, the water is less clean, there are more diseases and natural disasters, more additives in the food and things we use on our skin. All of the above are among the factors that make kids more susceptible to being born with asthma and skin conditions like eczema. At the same time, we, adults and parents can make a conscious choice too, by paying attention to what we are eating and drinking, how we are cooking and cleaning the places we live in and what we put on our kids skin, meaning both clothes and skincare. I would also haste to add that our kids need to go out and play with mud and run in the parks, without us being paranoid and wiping their hands every five  minutes too.

I have a dear friend, whose child developed eczema in the second year of life and while it’s quite mild and not distressing to the child, one worries as a parent and wants to make it go away. So, where do you start?

I strongly believe in a combination of medical and holistic-while not taking the importance of doctors or medicines off, I know from my own experience that holistic medicine or practitioners can be of great benefit to one’s health, be it a child’s or adult’s. For now, I can recommend a Canadian skincare brand that was developed for kids and that my friend ‘road-tested’ (both the Super Smoothie Cream, that smells so good you will be tempted to think of cupcakes or cookies every time you open the jar, and the Milk & Oatmeal Bath Powder) and now uses regularly and lovingly on her child, whose skin is getting better.

 Below is the Q&A with Tawna Hill, a lovely founder of the Tawna Hill Baby Natural baby care.

Can you possibly tell me a little about your background and how long it took you to develop the products?

Last week was supposed to be easy, doing the errands, writing, amusing my son and visiting family and then on Thursday I was supposed to go to Paris! The visit was planned in advance, I had a ‘maybe’ coffee date with someone who I wanted to meet for a while, a romantic dinner booked, a ‘date’ with friends whom I haven’t seen for ages and a ballet evening with Baryshnikov (who I adore and the post on which I will write separately)….But as always, life had other ideas…..

The trip had to be cancelled and a trip to the hospital had to be made instead. Tiredness kicked in when things improved and then sadness creeped in, when I realised that the weekend isn’t going to turn out how I really wanted… But then I paused and thought to myself that whatever happens in life, happens for the better-this is very, very Russian philosophy by the way!- and things will get better. And you know what? Things did turn around.

I did go to Paris, if only overnight. I saw friends with whom we haven’t kept in touch for a while and now are building a new dialogue. We had a relaxed drinks in the bar and later I saw their kids, who I remember when they were babies. They are bigger now, beautiful and smart and funny and such a joy to be with.

A quick dinner at L’Avenue was very Parisian, with too laid back service which wasn’t annoying, a citron presse and a delicious pasta with morels in a creamy sauce was eaten with flourish while observing pretty waitresses and Jacques Chirac lounging in the corner of the restaurant with his small entourage-business or friends I don’t know but no one in the restaurant batted an eyelid or took pictures-Parisians are just beyond cool in their approach to politicians and celebrities alike, unlike gawking Brits.

 A consierge at the hotel told me to go to Chez Angelina, but as I was leaving the apartment of my friends they told me that another patisserie, called Carette was just a few steps away and I absolutely had to buy macaroons and eclairs there. I happily went and the relaxed atmosphere of an early afternoon that is so Parisian just enveloped me in a big hug.The place was busy with couples with babies, young women drinking hot chocolate, a gentlemen popping in to buy a few treats for themselves, or maybe someone special….I bought a big box of macaroons in flavours like caramel sale, pistachio, mandarin, rose, coffee and chocolate eclairs (a big thank you goes to my friends, as the chocolate in particular was divine-and tasted like a beautiful chocolate eclair should!-my eldest niece can confirm that), and various pasties that were all devoured when the family had a late dessert on Sunday evening.

So you see, the beginning can be bleak, but then the sun comes out, things turn around and life returns to happiness. You just have to appreciate it and know that a sad event is followed by a happy one. All you have to do is to believe and it will happen.

Most of us have lost loved ones-grandparents, parents or friends. If you have experienced death of a loved one, you know the feeling of despair that overwhelms you for a long time, the sadness and the sorrow.

In time you learn to live with the loss and try to remember the person with love, reminiscing of the good times and special memories. In time memories or faces might fade but somehow some people who departed for another place continue to make their presence felt in your life and I am not talking about ghosts visiting you.

Recently I was missing someone very dear to me, feeling sad and tearful. The next day something changed and I realised that not being here this wonderful and smiley person protects me and my family, guiding us towards the right decisions and the right people.  And for that I am grateful, because it gives me courage and makes me a more compassionate human being in the process. Loss can make you bitter but it can also turn your life around, make you correct mistakes or opinions that you have held, and lead to the changes that are necessary for us to move forward and not stay in the past. 

Hope you have kind forces protecting you and your loved one in this world too.

Some might say that diamonds are the girl’s best friend but I would dare to say that underwear is a better friend and if you are lucky, just might lead to a diamond ring.

For those of us who pay attention to how our clothes not only look but fit, good underwear is essential. It holds us in, makes us feel sexy and makes our outlines more mysteriously alluring.

 Some of us like M&S, others prefer Agent Provocateur to Carine Gilson or La Perla to Elle McPherson or Aubade to Calvin Klein but what if you want something for every day, yet still making you feel sexy and sure of yourself ? Until recently I went to Bodas but now there is a new girl on the block for me and I adore her.

The beautiful lady in question is former model Ivelin Giro and she started the underwear brand called Touche Muah last year. Ivelin, who is originally from Cuba but is currently Miami based, couldn’t find the underwear to satisfy her needs, so she developed Touche Muah. ‘On a personal level I’ve always had the need to find a comforting and natural feeling (a feeling of freedom and almost naked) for lingerie and Touche Muah’s designs incorporate all these qualities. I love the feeling of the natural aspect of the fabric and its organic properties’, says Ivelin when asked how she ended up designing underwear.

She felt the connection with the word ‘TOUCHE’ (which means ‘to touch’ in the language of love that is French) ‘because that’s the feeling between the fabric and the skin. It gives a desire to be touched by the fabric and its design and ‘MUAH’ (the sound of a ‘kiss’), so, it’s as if your skin wants to be touched and kissed by the line.’

Having started to wear the underwear I can vouch that it feels very soft and comfortable on the skin-it’s so light you can hardly feel it, so it definitely gives you an air of freedom unlike many underwear brands, in which you might feel itchy or restrictive.

I was wondering why Ivelin has chosen a snake as the logo for her brand and she told me that she was always fascinated by reptiles-so much, in fact, that she even has a tattoo of a snake on her lower back. And her eldest son Samuel, knowing his mother well, suggested that the snake be made into the logo hence giving it a more personal touch for Ivelin.

Ivelin did extensive research into various fabrics for her underwear, choosing ‘organic bamboo for its sustainable fibres’ and ‘antibacterial and antimicrobal properties as well as an amazing water absorbent capacity’.

For now you have bras and low cut thong or short panties for women, two styles of underwear for men-a longer ‘gladiator’ or ‘wilder’ briefs and two styles of boy boxers in ‘highjump’ or ‘rockshop’ for teen boys.

Another added benefit is that her underwear can be worn as lounge wear or by pregnant women-just see the pictures on Touche Muah’s internet site and you will understand what I mean.

Ivelin does have plans to extend the brand, including more styles and colours plus baby clothing and sleepwear and hopefully will be sourcing some European stockists soon too. And I, for one, will be keeping an eye on anything new by Touche Muah, because once worn, you will view sexy and comfortable underwear in the new light.

 www.touchemuah.com

I have written earlier in the year about Ellis Faas and her make-up brand. This week I had a chance to meet her in person, listen to her being interviewed by her friend Bo, ask questions and try new and already existing products in her eponymous line. There are certainly a lot of make-up brand s and make-up artists but somehow a lot of cosmetic products seem mainstream. With Ellis Faas make-up you get ‘niche’ products which are not only quite superior in their colours and formulations to many other brands, but they also have their own identity and you feel more unique when using them. And believe me, I love my make-up but am quite fussy about my preferences-have been for a while and like that I will remain, that’s a promise!

The meeting was held at Liberty’s charming tea room and was quite intimate, as the limited number of clients attended, which made it even more special. Ellis is a striking woman, with dirty blond hair and beautiful eyes who wore a very unusual belt with a bag attached at her hip level-quite unlike anything I have seen before. She was quite open with her answers but I was under the impression that she is a woman who is very self- assured and knows her own mind but wouldn’t let you in easily. Her lovely brother Thijs was also present (this sweet and handsome guy drove his sister to London from Amsterdam for the event as Ellis is a nervous short-distance flyer-if that is not dedication, I don’t know what is!) and I find it very endearing that he and his sister work as a team. Thijs is also very hands on when talking to customers and navigating you to the Ellis Faas make-up artists who were full of advice and tricks, without imposing anything on you.

Now, back to the evening. Ellis’s grandparents ran a very successful hair salon in Amsterdam which also stocked up make-up (including the cream that her grandfather formulated), like Guerlain-which was an incredibly innovative concept, considering the times. Ellis became fascinated by Guerlain lipsticks which were high in pigment and very drying, unlike the lipsticks that Ellis designs now. 

When Ellis was young she wanted to be a fashion designer, even going as far as designing fur bikinis, which never turned into a runaway success. Ellis liked (and still does !) fashion and photography and she started taking pictures of herself wearing make-up ‘looks’ soon realising that make-up made a difference to how one looks. So considering make-ups versatility she stuck to make-up and later becoming a very successful make-up artist who worked with many famous brands and photographers and was doing runaway shows. Ellis motto ( I think ..) is ‘it has to mean something to you and you have to stick with it’. One has to persevere and be stubborn, she says. Of course luck plays part in it, and so does being at the right time and at the right place. When Ellis started working she didn’t want to follow trends and even though she might have been less technical than other make-up artists, she preferred to stick to her own formula, ‘being quick and poetic with the looks’ that she was creating.

Ellis always loved working with colour and texture but noticed that big fashion houses or brands were often stuck in their own ways, while Ellis wanted to identify something unique and compact, as she says ‘it wasn’t a marketing idea, but a very selfish one’ when it came down to developing her own brand of make-up.

When she thought of packaging she was guided by the military organisation and precision so, her make-up case, which comprises all of your make up-foundation, concealer, lip colour, mascara, blusher, powder plus a mirror, might look a little grand in real life but if you consider that it holds all of your make-up needs, it will make perfect sense-and it actually looks stylishly cool too. The point that Ellis has made that made all of us present giggle also related to the holder. The top of it holds powder and mirror but Ellis wryly noted that if you don’t use powder you can put your pills, vitamins or condoms in it-have you met such an originally practical make-up artist? The make-up case is based around the idea of a gun and bullets-go, see it and you will understand how ingeniously that idea got transferred into a compact, which is a modernly cool storage device that will speak highly of your style credentials. Also consider the fact that it was an idea in Ellis head which the creative team had to interpret and make it real. The make-up ‘holder’ was a starting point and based on this idea’s strength, Ellis went on to create clever and unusual formulations.

When it comes to colours Ellis is the first to admit that colour is her life, so developing them for her make-up was easy for her.

It was absolutely logical that if you want to give women lots of choice, one has to concentrate on the colours that stand up or originate from human body. Take Ellis’s Red, a versatile red lip colour. Red is the colour of blood and as all of us have blood running through our veins-well, one doubts when it comes to some people around us but never mind this fact-it suits every skin tone as it won’t ‘clash’. Ellis calls it ‘beautifying’ rather than ‘goryfying’.

I have to say that having already used Ellis’s eponymous eye colour, concealer and blusher, I can honestly testify that her textures are unique and that her make-up stays put, while you face continues to look and most importantly feel good. I have now also added Glazed Lips in 303 to my selection (which works better in the summer, as it doesn’t stay ‘put’ as long as Creamy Lips or Milky Lips textures but you can have a more vivid colour or touch it down, if you want a less subtle effect). I also want to add that Ellis Faas counter is also very distinct, with the displays having little ‘pools’ of colour around every shade of  concealer, eye shadow etc. so you can see what colours you might like before you start trying them on.  

Ellis is thinking of developing primers to add to her make-up collection but definitely rules out the skin care line under her name, saying that ‘textures and colours’ are her expertise, and not the skincare plus let’s be honest, that market id already over saturated.

When working on her formulations Ellis did talk to other make-up artists to get feedback but she does stress that all final decisions were hers and hers alone. For example she does say that when you put foundation on, it has to ’stay on the skin for a little while in order to ‘react’ with your skin’, so bear that in mind when you are trying things at make-up counters. Try, give it a few minutes and then go outside, into daylight, to assess how it looks on the skin.

When asked about other brands Ellis says that she does feel the affinity with Francois Nars and MAC (who were the first in the market to bring pigments into play) but Ellis Faas Human Colours collection is distinctly her own, I sense, supported by her brother and her team, some of which I think are also her friends. Who says that a woman can’t make-up her mind? This Dutch powerforce of a woman is definitely needs to be reckoned with.

p.s I also want to thank Natasha and Ana, the Ellis Faas make-up girls, who were very helpful and full of useful application tips and techniques during the evening. Maybe next time I can convince Ellis to do my make-up, so I can look achingly cool and feel like a supermodel at least for a short while .)

Even though everyone seems to be talking about the crisis, the prices for everything seem to be creeping up, so it gives one immense pleasure to receive a free gift, especially a good one! Red magazine’s current, July edition, carries with it a Jemma Kidd hi-shine silktouch lipgloss and you have a choice of three colours-shell (almost clear), fuchisia (a subtle red) and candy (pink).

I have bumped into Jemma when both of us used to go to a gym in Chelsea, a million years ago and every time,when working out on various machines, she used to give me strange looks and I could never figure out why….as far as I knew we didn’t socialise together, had no friends in common or never dated the same boy…  Anyway, Jemma started a make-up line and later make-up school-I first heard about it from a friend of mine, who was an amazing make-up artist.

I can’t say that I have used a lot of Jemma Kidd’s products but I can highly recommend two of them, a Jemma Kidd Pro skin rescue bio-complex veil SPF 15 and an I-perfector. The first one is a primer and a tinted moisturiser with SPF of 15 plus it acts as a concealer too-very handy for travel or if you want a multi-tasking product that makes your skin look radiant and the blusher stay put. The latter is a whitish eye pencil and a base for your eye lids, which I sometimes wear instead of a daily eye shadow. Now you can try the lip gloss for a price of a magazine too.

Several of my American girlfriends have been fans of MINX manicures for a while now, but as always, London lags behind in terms of beauty innovations and only recently this technique finally arrived on our shores.

I have gone into my local nail salon in happy anticipation and wasn’t disappointed to start with….

The girl who did my pedicure was really nice and she showed me the possible ‘films’ that I could choose from for my colour and design. After that she filed my nails, trimmed my cuticles, took my nail varnish off and put cuticle oil on my nails. So far, so predictable. The difference lies in what happens next. The manicurist then ‘warms up’ the foil-like film (with shiny mirror reflective finish) under the special lamp and then attaches it to you nail. She trims it to contour your nail shape and makes sure that the ‘film’ attaches firmly to each of your nails. The process is very quick and you don’t have to waste your precious time waiting for your nails to dry. Another plus is that they don’t theoretically damage your nails as they are chemical free.

I was told to be careful with hot water or steaming-the main enemies of MINX manicures- and that it should last as long as my usual manicure does. I skipped home, looking at my shiny blue nails but the happiness was short lived….as three hours later the film started coming apart from the top of my nails, while the base still looks pristine.

The salon was really sweet, saying that it has never happened before and it must have been a ‘faulty’ film, which they are going to report back to the US manufacturing/supplying company. I was offered a free pedicure, which I accepted. Am I disappointed? Yes, as I had high expectations and, like any woman short on time, I would love to cut my manicure time without compromising the quality. Alas, it was not to be on this occasion, but then it’s only my experience, yours might be different!

Skin is our biggest organ, as it covers us from top to bottom, protects us, absorbs things like vitamins, sunshine and moisture and makes us look human .) One thing many women have in common is the desire to have radiant looking skin, whatever the age.

When we are young we don’t even think about it, but as we get older and the radiance requires more work, we often struggle to find that magical solution.

As you know, I am a firm believer and lover .) of aromatherapy and I admit to being addicted to the skin oils-be it for the face or body-that my lovely aromatherapist Michelle mixes for me seasonally but a few days ago, as I was browsing the skincare counters at John Lewis I saw a bottle at Decleor that made me pause and consider it. The oil is called 10-day radiance powder cureand it contains essential oils (grapefruit, petitgrain,lemon) and fruit extracts. You only use it once every season, i.e. four times a year, for about 10 days or so-depending on how you use your dropper. The bottle’s top contains pure vitamin C powder which you release into the bottle and shake it. As soon as that process is done, your oil is ready for use, morning and evening, underneath your usual moisturiser. My skin really liked it and I would recommend it, unless you have access to a good aromatherapist or my friend Michelle, who can tailor make an oil for you.