Category Archives: Make-up

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Winter survival kit

Finished_Bathroom_Image_SmallI keep thinking it’s the end of winter and I keep being proved wrong. I was SO COLD last weekend that I ended up with two hot water bottles and two blankets in my sofa nest of an evening. [We could put the heating on for a bit longer but we just got the ‘winter’ bill and have decided that ideally we’d never turn it on again…ever]

I thought I’d missed the boat on my planned ‘winter kit list’ but given winter’s set to go on indefinitely, I’ve decided to post it up. I’ve used all of the following this winter and included them here because I LOVE them. Many are products I’d continue using into the spring and summer months, but they are so good for delicate, sore winter skin.

Can’t-go-wrong skincare:

  • Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser – I raved about this a couple of weeks back. Have developed an unhealthy obsession with it – to the point where I’m probably only days away from anxiety dreams in which there are global shortages or – horrors – it is discontinued.
  • Spiezia Organic Facial Cleanser – I’ve been using this up alongside the new Antipodes one. It’s my morning shower option because the floral smell just suits mornings. I reviewed this here.
  • Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream – again, I love this. I’m not going to go on about it here because Antipodes deserves its own dedicated post and I’ll try and get to it soon.
  • REN Bio Retinoid Anti-Ageing Concentrate – featured in a rosehip update a few days back. Works beautifully under moisturiser. I’m not sure it would work alone on winter skin – I think you need a bit more nourishment. But oilier skins may find this is sufficient on its own during warmer months.
  • Original Sprout Face & Body Sunscreen – a new suncare discovery. I’ll feature it soon.
  • Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint – not strictly speaking skincare but my choice of winter SPF on days when I’m not outside a lot (or at all…). This is really moisturising and therefore soothing for dry or sore winter skin. I reviewed it here.

Happy bodies:

  • Yes to Carrots Hydrating shower gel and Yes to Cucumber Calming shower gel – lovely and soothing for the winter months, even if the fragrances are more spring-like…
  • Australian Organics Jojoba Oil Exfoliating body wash – it’s important to keep scrubbing throughout the winter but I usually opt for a less abrasive option if my skin is sensitive. This scrub is more of a body wash with added scrub so I can use it more often for a very little exfoliation each time. Smells heavenly too.
  • Barefoot Botanicals SOS Daily Rich body lotion – previously reviewed here and a must-buy for dry, scaly legs.
  • Dr Organics Skin Lotions – perfect lotions for use year-round and soon to feature in their very own review because they’ve become such staples for me. Richer options for winter skin include Coconut, Vitamin E, Olive oil and Argan oil.
  • Jojoba oil – while my skin needs a bit more moisturising in the winter months, I find it irritating to slather on something rich and heavy first thing if it means I have to wait 10-15 minutes to get dressed while it’s cold. Plus, if I had 10-15 minutes spare of a morning, I would actually be somebody else (someone who went to bed on time, got up immediately when their alarm went off and was eternally smug). I’m not. A super-quick option is to put a thin layer of body oil onto dry or damaged spots then layer your normal light moisturiser over the top. The moisturiser seals in the oil so you don’t have to wait out the tacky, when-will-it-sink-in stage. Jojoba oil is a good choice because it’s lightweight and closest in composition to the sebum found naturally on skin.

Resilient innards:

Ok, so listen up. I didn’t get ill this winter. Not once. I have been bug-free since about September of last year. This is UNHEARD of. I’m usually ill at least once and, more commonly, I get those Russian Doll illnesses where being run down and worn out from the first one leads to the second one and so on. I also have a bad habit of going to bed too late. Normally 3-4 late nights and I’m already feeling the early sniffles of some germ. But NOT THIS WINTER. And I’ve most certainly not been going virtuously to bed at 9pm every night.

I’ve been using three things consistently since September (and a bit before then too) and I would now never chance a winter without them.

  • Baobab fruit powder: for a turbo-charged hit of Vitamin C, amongst other goodies. Please don’t replace your 5-7 portions of fruit and veg a day with this. But feel free to take this when you need an extra hit. I don’t take it daily. I tend to reserve it for days when I’ve slept badly, eaten poorly the day before or am just feeling generally tired. I reckon it’s the last barrier between me and illness and it’s worked, more than once. Organic Burst do a great one. I reviewed them here.
  • Zinc supplements: recommended as a skin supplement by Liz Earle, zinc is actually an immune support. I initially started taking it for my eczema because a healthy immune system supports good skin in the same way that a healthy digestive system does (don’t you just love the glorious interconnectedness of bodies??). However, I reckon it’s also been a godsend for fending off winter bugs.
  • Vitamin D: I wrote about this here and swear by it for beating the lurgy. I’d take this for the 6 months of the year when I wasn’t getting enough vitamin D from the sun (Apr – Sept, if we’re lucky).

UPDATE (15.03): Thanks to a comment from the lovely Sarah at Sugarpuffish I realised there was a glaring omission from my winter skin kit – the Comfort and Nourish balms from Balmology. Currently there’s a pot of the Comfort balm on my bedside table and I use it for pretty much everything, from lips to hands to stubborn patches of eczema. It’s become such a part of my routine at night that I ironically forgot all about it. But that’s now been put right. If you haven’t already, check out balmology, particularly if you have dry or eczema-prone skin.

Photos © Natural Beauty Cabinet. Please do not reproduce without permission.

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22nd March – National ‘No make-up’ day

Yesterday was National ‘No make-up’ Day and I found out about it earlier in the week in an email about the Vitality Show (on this weekend at Earl’s Court in London – click here for details).

In a study commissioned by the Vitality Show it turns out that the majority of women (62%) wear make-up every day to work compared to just 20% who only wear make-up at weekends.

Now I don’t think this study is interesting because it’s about women wearing make-up. Many, many women wear make-up and we know that already. A few can’t leave the house without it. Some women even get up extra early to put on make-up so they can ‘wake up’ next to their other half looking flawless.

I think the study is interesting because of what it says about when we wear make-up. My hunch is that weekend make-up is probably glamming up for an evening out. Whereas, week make-up is that professional face, for work, like a uniform. At the weekend, no one has too many expectations of you. But in the week, it’s a whole different story.

I would describe my make-up as the ‘No make-up look’. I wear relatively little but the idea of a day at the office with no make-up on was weirdly difficult to imagine. Which, of course, meant I had to give it a go. The rules? Absolutely not a scrap at all. Just moisturiser and lip balm. Untinted.

Interestingly, it changed my routine almost from the moment I woke up. I soaked my muslin cleansing cloth in cold not warm water. Couldn’t risk patchy redness. I used my L’Occitane Shea Butter moisturiser (to be reviewed soon…). Intensely moisturising but with quite a matt finish. Couldn’t risk the shininess. Then I actually used the cold spoon trick on my eyes to try and reduce that just-woken-up puffiness. I have NEVER used the cold spoon. I’m not convinced it worked.

I wasn’t feeling brilliant when I left for the office. I’d actually had a decent night’s sleep but I felt I looked tired and perhaps a bit peaky. My eyes looked little. Littler than normal, and I very often skip eye make-up all together anyway. If the aim was to find out what product I couldn’t live without? Turns out it’s all about the skin: primer, base (usually tinted moisturiser – Laura Mercier or Liz Earle) and blusher. Most days, that’s all I use. But without it, I felt all blotchy, uneven and drawn.

When I got to work, it was like I’d turned up without brushing my hair or my teeth. I didn’t feel unclean as such, just unfinished in a slightly unsettling way. I ran into a colleague on my way into the building and was a bit horrified to find that, while chatting, I was thinking more about whether they’d think I was ill or just a bit lazy, rather than really listening to what they were saying. Terrible, shallow person, my brain muttered.

Then an interesting thing happened. I just kind of forgot. Stuff happened, I got busy, I was chatting and working and flitting around. And I didn’t really give it much of a thought. On a trip to the bathroom, I’d looked twice before I remembered I was bare-faced. And when I looked closely at my skin, it looked a bit fresher than normal – when you’ve got dry skin, it’s quite rare to find a base that doesn’t dry it out just the tiniest bit over the course of the day.

I really wasn’t that bothered. I really wasn’t that self-conscious after all.

Would I do it again? Perhaps. On a day when I know I’m meeting free, confined to my desk and wanting to give my skin the chance to breathe a bit. I never want to be controlled by cosmetics. I’m quite happy that I can leave the house without make-up and I don’t rely on it for my self-esteem. But I learned that make-up for the office serves a completely different purpose to weekend make-up. It’s not just about being self-conscious; it’s about identity. My make-up for work, while pretty basic, is as much a part of my professional persona as my clothes, tone of voice or body language. Turning up with a bare (slightly shiny) face felt like the cosmetics equivalent of wearing jeans to an important meeting.

Make-up for work is so much more than just covering up the odd blemish or trying to fake an 8-hour sleep the night before. Paying a little attention to your face, much like your clothes, demonstrates a level of polish, commitment and care. It makes me feel like I’m in ‘work mode’. A bit like brushing my hair.

Or very occasionally using an iron. After all, there is a line.

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Neal’s Yard Remedies Eye Liner

A while back, I lost my brown eyeliner. Whether it’s still lurking in an overnight bag somewhere or settling into its new life as a walking stick for an ageing borrower, it hasn’t reappeared yet. So I set about finding a green replacement.

Enter Neal’s Yard Remedies Eye Liner in oak with 37% soil association-certified organic ingredients.

I bought it because it was from Neal’s Yard and I rate them highly. It was also in a mid-season sale they were having a couple of months ago and I do rate sales. I’ve been using it on and off for a few weeks and I’ve been mightily impressed.

It’s a great colour, giving definition without vampy heaviness. It’s soft and easy to apply without drag. Plus it’s reasonably long-wearing. It won’t survive a monsoon or anything, but it makes it through an eight hour day at the office, settling into a pleasingly-smudgy shadow that still looks deliberate and not as if my make-up has migrated.

At the same time, courtesy of my aromatherapy and massage course, I discovered a wonderful way to test my eye make-up a bit more rigorously. It goes a little something like this:

  • Lie face down on massage couch
  • Place face in small hole surrounded by padding and couch roll (like loo roll but wider)
  • Close your eyes
  • Lie prone while a fellow student spends 20-40 minutes practising their massage techniques on you
  • Get a bit warm
  • Liquify into a puddle-like state that occasionally crosses over into actual sleep
  • Drool a bit
  • Don’t tell anyone
  • Get up and examine puffy, warm, drowsy-looking face in nearest available mirror

The NYR eye liner pencil made it through. I looked smudgier but still socially acceptable. Excellent work.

NYR Eye Liner, available from the Neal’s Yard website and selected stores. Priced at £9.50.

Ingredients: Ricinus communis (Castor) seed oil*, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed cera\wax, Oleyl alcohol, Mica, Cera alba (Beeswax)*, Copernicia cerifera (Carnauba) cera\wax*, Glyceryl ricinoleate, Rhus verniciflua (Sumac berry) peel cera\wax, Shorea robusta (Sal tree) resin, Cetyl alcohol, Camellia sinensis (White tea) leaf extract, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl palmitate, CI 77491 (Iron oxides), CI 77499 (Iron oxides), CI 77492 (Iron oxides).

*Organically produced ingredient. Made with 37% organic ingredients.

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Liz Earle Colour: Sheer Skin Tint SPF15

I’ve been both excited and anxious about this post. I’m a huge Liz Earle fan and have made no secret of that on the blog. So I did a little dance when the news about her foray into make-up hit the news and preordered the Sheer Skin Tint at least two weeks ago.

But when you really like a brand, the stakes are higher.

What if I don’t like it?

What if it just doesn’t work?

What if it’s just…..dare I say it….a bit rubbish?

Happily, I’ve now had the chance to try out the Sheer Skin Tint and I like it very much indeed. In fact, that like is mixed with grumpiness that Liz couldn’t have sped up just a tiny bit and got it out a month earlier so I could have had it for the wedding. It was three years in the making; it couldn’t have been one month earlier??

Anyway. Liz says: “…we’ve designed Sheer Skin Tint to work in harmony with our Naturally Active Skincare. Enriched with our own carefully selected blend of botanicals, such as avocado oil, borage seed oil (for its important GLA content) and natural source vitamin E, combining these with classic cosmetic ingredients to create a high-performance formulation. On the subject of minerals, we’ve included broad-spectrum mineral sun-filters that give our Sheer Skin Tint a SPF15 for the face…“

This is make-up as skincare and I’m much more comfortable with slathering on an extra layer when it’s offering my skin a bit more than some colour. However, while it’s easier now to find more natural skincare options, make-up is a more challenging area. I’ve checked the ingredients on the Skin Deep database and there are a couple of things worth noting. The majority of the ingredients are not rated above 3 [0 being the lowest, 10 being the highest: as a general rule of thumb I tend to try and avoid products with high quantities of ingredients rated at 4 or above]. However the Sheer Skin Tint does contain a PEG/PPG compound and uses parabens as preservatives. To find out more about these and why they rate higher on the toxicity scale, check out my Ingredients A-Z at the top of the screen.

The main concern around PEGs is that studies indicate many cosmetic PEGs have been found to be contaminated with carcinogenic substances. I’ve emailed Liz Earle to find out how they guarantee that this is not true of the PEG compound they’re using in this product and to find out a bit more about why they might have used it. Liz writes eloquently about the paraben controversy in her book Skin Secrets and I’m hopeful her experts will be able to provide a bit more info on the PEGs. I’ll update the post with any response I get.

Onto the performance… I find many foundations and a lot of the tinted moisturisers out there can be immediately drying on the skin. Many have a chalky texture and can be difficult to rub in. The Sheer Skin Tint was rich and creamy and, although it wasn’t particularly ‘slippy’ in texture, it rubbed in smoothly and evenly. It also left a surprisingly matt finish; it’s more glowy than shiny I think. Powder can feel very drying and it’s nice to get away with a light dusting rather than a thick cloud to set the base. It has a gentle and pleasant fragrance (which won’t be unfamiliar if you’ve used Liz Earle products before).

The acid test for me though is how my skin looks and feels 8+ hours later. At the end of the day, my skin was definitely less dry than usual. I usually come in of an evening and take off my make-up straight away. Part of that’s just good sense, but part of it is down to that dry, tight, irritable feeling I get when my face has been layered in sunscreen and base all day. Sheer Skin Tint felt more comfortable and I didn’t get that scratchy ‘must take off face’ feeling.

Colourwise, you’ve got a choice of three shades: 01 Bare (for fair skin tones), 02 Beige (for medium skin tones) and 03 Beach (for medium to dark skin tones). If you’re in any doubt, it’s worth noting that whatever you order, you’ll be sent a sample of each of the three shades to try out first. If you’ve picked the right shade, go right ahead and open the large bottle. If you haven’t, you can exchange your bottle for the correct shade. Just as long as it’s unopened.

Having got the shade wrong myself, I think this is a fab idea. I’m pretty ‘fair’ so I opted for 01 Bare. However, this is very light in colour and while the shade doesn’t look too pale on my skin, I get better coverage with the 02 Beige shade without making my skin look heavy or unnaturally dark. I was interested to note that Liz uses 02 Beige herself, and I’d have guessed she was ‘fair’ too.

So it’s a big thumbs up for Liz Earle’s first step into make-up. I’m so glad that her record remains unblemished.

Sheer Skin Tint SPF15, available from the Liz Earle website, Liz Earle stores and selected branches of John Lewis. Retail price: £21 for 40ml.

Ingredients: Aqua, Cyclopentasiloxane, C12-15 Alkyl benzoate, Zinc oxide, Titanium dioxide, Sorbitol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone, Isononyl isononanoate, Polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, Talc, Disteardimonium hectorite, Sodium chloride, Squalane, Borago officinalis (borage) seed oil, Polyhydroxystearic acid, Propylene glycol, Alumina, Aluminium stearate, Silica, Isostearic acid, Stearic acid, Aluminium hydroxide, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Sodium dehydroacetate, Methicone, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Persea gratissima (avocado) oil, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Methyparaben.

Update (Oct 11): I got in touch with Liz Earle’s customer service team, as mentioned in the post, to ask about the PEG compound included in the Sheer Skin Tint. This was their reply:

We do use PEG derivatives in some of our products as emulsifiers or solubilisers to emulsify or dissolve the natural materials; these are made partially from vegetable oil and partially from a man-made element.  We are currently making significant progress in the area of emulsifiers.  For instance, both Skin Repair Light and our Superskin Moisturiser use non-PEG emulsifiers, as do several of our other products.  However, our research is in its early days and, as we’re sure you appreciate, cosmetic formulations are very complex. In terms of the 1,4 Dioxane there are strict industry standards for the levels allowed, these types of ingredients will undergo a purification process to make sure that the industry standards are met.

Our priority at Liz Earle has always been high performance, quality and safe ingredients. We have always used our plant oils and extracts at levels that really make a difference to the specific formulation. Sheer Skin Tint is formulated to contain a blend of our own carefully selected botanicals – natural source vitamin E, avocado and borage – and we have combined these with classic, high-performance cosmetic ingredients. We have used natural ingredients where possible, however, colour cosmetics are not essential skin treatments they are used to add colour and definition, to highlight features and disguise certain skin concerns and are created in a very different way. All of the ingredients chosen for Sheer Skin Tint promote high performance on top of the skin and are included to create a long-lasting formulation, which is effortless to apply and provides the beautiful finish we believe we have achieved with our Sheer Skin Tint.

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UNE sheer lips gloss

After trying the UNE Soft Minerals Powder Foundation, which you can read about here, I knew I’d be coming back to the range to test out a few more things.

Make-up’s a tricky thing for the natural/organic market. With the exception of mineral-based foundations or powders, there are few products which can be 100% organically produced. UNE at least comes with the ecocert stamp of approval and the lip products, while not 100% organic, are a big step in the right direction.

UNE’s Sheer Lips Gloss made it into my wedding kit and with good reason.

It gives an incredibly subtle wash of colour (think watercolours and vaseline on the lens – not poster paints and punchy brights). The shade I chose – S07 – is actually the exact shade of my natural lips, just shinier, more even and minus those weather/stress-induced flaky bits. The finish is forgiving, reasonably long-lasting (at least as long as a gloss ever lasts anyway) and non-sticky.

The only bug bear (and I was interested to see that many other reviewers out there also commented on this) is the applicator. It’s a tiny, spiky little brush and the pointed tip makes it hard to sweep on evenly. It takes longer to put on because of this and I’m not sure I could ever get an even finish with the brush alone. I usually end up loading it on and doing the lip smoosh, or just moving it around with a finger. The formulation’s good enough for this not to prevent me from repurchasing. But if UNE could just sort this out, I’d love them forever!

The gloss is also reasonably priced at £7.99. It’s available from Boots and I also found it at Love Lula (free delivery if you spend over £30).

Ingredients: GLYCERYL DI-HYDROXYSTEARATE, GLYCERYL DIISOSTEARATE, TRIISOSTEARIN,RICINUS COMMUNIS (CASTOR) SEED OIL, RICINUS COMMUNIS (CASTOR) SEEDOIL*, TRIBEHENIN, OCTYLDODECYL PCA, PRUNUS ARMENIACA (APRICOT) KERNELOIL*, SESAMUM INDICUM (SESAME) SEED OIL*, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE),THEOBROMA GRANDIFLORUM SEED BUTTER*, SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM(TOMATO) EXTRACT*, LIMONENE, TOCOPHEROL,[+/- (MAY CONTAIN) : CI 77019 (MICA), CI 77163 (BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE),CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77742 (MANGANESEVIOLET), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE)]

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Lavera Organic Intense Volumising Mascara

I didn’t know much at all about Lavera when I started the blog, so I’ve been off and done my research. I first discovered them on a hunt for greener make-up options a month or so back but their range is actually huge and I’m now feeling a bit like a kid in a sweet shop over what I might be able to try out next…

The story of the birth of Lavera in 1975 is a familiar one in the realms of natural and organic beauty. Founder Thomas Haase suffered from neurodermatitis and began experimenting with alternative, more natural, approaches to skincare when more conventional routes failed him. Following 10 years of research, Haase launched Lavera in 1987 – the name means ‘the truth’ in Latin and reflects the brands philosophy and ingredients policy.

Lavera use plant-based ingredients from certified organic farms whenever they can. The rest of their ingredients are derived from natural sources and their products are free of the usual roll call of undesirables (parabens, petrochemicals, SLS and synthetic aromas, colours and preservatives). They appear to have a record of innovation, using plant-based liposomes and hyaluronic acid for maximum results. They also seem to have been the first brand to create a 100% mineral sunscreen. The most interesting bit, from my personal point of view, was their claim that all of their products are formulated to be suitable for even the most sensitive and allergy-prone skins.

Like I say, there’s a whole load of products out there that I haven’t tried yet but I have been using, and rating, the Organic Intense Volumising Mascara.

It’s difficult for an organic product to boast really striking volumising effects, free, as it should be, from silicone and polymers. Having said that, there really aren’t that many NON-organic mascaras out there that really truly make your lashes look like Jessica Rabbit’s. Glossy magazine ads with the most giNORmous fluttery lashes and teeny tiny small-print notes stating that they are ‘enhanced in post-production’ make me crazy.

Lavera’s Intense Volumsing Mascara does make a difference to my lashes. It’s not Jessica Rabbit but it’s silky, glossy, long-lasting and pretty smudge-resistant. I always curl my lashes before applying mascara (it’s a cheap, easy way to get a much more noticeable, wide-eyed effect) and it holds the curl well. The brush is quite large but not too big for easy handling and definition. It even picks up those little lashes at the outer corners, helping to define my lashes without any clumps. I can’t speak for its longevity yet (common long-term mascara complaints include tubes that dry out too quickly and/or separate leading to clumping) - I’ve only been using it for about a week – but I’m impressed so far and I wouldn’t expect to be using the same tube for more than 3 months anyway for hygiene reasons. I’d imagine that’s even more important to observe with an organic product because it’s free of the usual life-extending, chemical preservatives.

A couple of key ingredients worth mentioning are licorice root and sea buckthorn, included for their soothing properties. Unfortunately the mascara also includes fragrance (parfum) and I’m not sure why. Although the ingredients do state that this is from natural essential oils, it still seems a tiny bit unnecessary for an eye product.

I’m sure I’ll be writing more about Lavera in the future. Like I said, there’s plenty of really interesting products to explore. For now, I’ll leave you with the usual ingredients and stockists. You can buy Lavera in the UK from the following sites: pravera, Naturisimo and Lookfantastic (no make-up available here though).  The mascara retails at £11.90 on pravera but it’s currently available for £7.90 on Naturisimo.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Alcohol*, Stearic Acid, Besswax (Cera Alba)*, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Algin, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil*, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Liquorice) Root Extract*, Silk (Serica), Shellac, Jojoba Esters , HippopHae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, TocopHerol, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Vegetable Oil (Olus Oil), Hydrogenated Lecithin, Tilia Cordata Flower Extract*, Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract *, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Flower Extrakt*, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Fragrance (Parfum)**, Citronellol**, Geraniol**, Limonene**, Linalool**, [+/- Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Ultramarines (Ci 77007)]

* ingredients from certified organic agriculture ** from natural essential oils

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Body Shop Honey Bronze make-up

It’s not escaped my attention that every couple of days we’re getting a bit of summer. I’m not a sun worshipper – my beach wear is more huge hat, huge sunglasses and kaftan than tiny bikini and the gentle sizzle of grilling flesh – but I love the fizzy positivity of sunshine and I do, like many English roses, enjoy the opportunity to get into bronzers and shimmering body oils when I’m getting my milk bottle limbs out in public.

I noticed that the Body Shop had recently launched their new Honey Bronze make-up range and opted for the Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil and the Honey Bronze Bronzing Gel for Face.

The story is a little Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The Shimmering Dry Oil is very nice but it’s perhaps a little bit too fair. I have pretty pale skin, particularly on my legs, and I didn’t notice the hugest difference in colour. What I did notice was a very attractive sheen, a layer of healthiness if you like, easy application and a light, tropical floral fragance that wasn’t cloying or overpowering (or at all ‘self-tanny’). The oil is very light in texture so wasn’t too heavy over my usual body moisturiser or oil and it contains gold-flecked, light-reflecting shimmer particles for a healthy glow. If you want the effects of a tan, you’ll need a bronzing product underneath but this is like the statement necklace that you add to your outfit for the finishing touch.

The Bronzing Gel for Face was initially offputting as it seemed much too dark. I’m too fair to apply this neat, even as a shader. But it comes into its own when mixed with moisturiser or, better still, an SPF cream. Many of the greener physical sun screens out there, utilising titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, still cause that ‘white-out’ effect, leaving an ashy tint on the skin. I started mixing the Honey Bronze Gel with one of my current facial sunscreens (Korres Watermelon Sunscreen SPF30) and found that I could create a healthy, slightly bronzed glow and avoid the ‘seen a ghost’ ashy effect altogether. Meaning I’m less likely to scrimp on the SPF and will have better overall protection.

Now, the Body Shop are particularly good at promoting fair trade and supporting small-scale community producers – these products contain fair trade honey and beeswax – but they are now a little behind the curve when it comes to their ingredients policy. These products are no exception. There aren’t as many truly natural ingredients on the list here and I could have done without the inclusion of parfum and silica. For occasional use, these are just about ok and the price is reasonable, but I’ll be continuing my hunt for a slightly more natural range.

Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil (£16) and the Honey Bronze Bronzing Gel for Face (£11) are both available in Body Shop stores and at thebodyshop.co.uk.

Ingredients (Shimmering Dry Oil): Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Emollient), Isononyl Isononanoate (Emollient/Skin Conditioner), Mica (Opacifier), Silica (Absorbent), Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil (Emollient), Persea Gratissima Oil (Emollient), Parfum (Fragrance), Cera Alba (Emulsifier/Emollient), Tocopheryl Acetate (Antioxidant), Benzyl Salicylate (Fragrance Ingredient), Mel (Natural Additive), Amyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Tocopherol (Antioxidant), Hydroxycitronellal (Fragrance Ingredient), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), Eugenol (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzyl Benzoate (Solvent), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), CI 77491 (Colour), CI 77891 (Colour), CI 77499 (Colour).

Ingredients (Bronzing Gel): Aqua (Solvent/Diluent), Ethylhexyl Palmitate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Dimethicone (Skin Conditioning Agent), Phenyl Trimethicone (Emollient/Hair Conditioner), Glycerin (Humectant), Steareth-2 (Emulsifier), Steareth-21 (Emulsifier), Mica (Opacifier), Caprylyl Glycol (Skin Conditioning Agent), Cera Alba (Emulsifier/Emollient), Mel (Natural Additive), Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer (Emulsion Stabiliser), Magnesium Aluminum Silicate (Viscosity Modifier), Phenethyl Alcohol (Fragrance Ingredient), Isohexadecane (Emollient/Solvent), Cetyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Skin Conditioning Agent), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Polysorbate 80 (Surfactant), Caprylhydroxamic Acid (Chelating Agent), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Sorbitan Oleate (Emulsifier), Sodium Hyaluronate (Humectant), CI 77492 (Colour), CI 77491 (Colour), CI 77891 (Colour), CI 77499 (Colour).

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UNE Soft Minerals Powder Foundation

While the beauty industry has woken up to the demand for natural products that are kind to both skin and the environment, natural make-up is still hard to come by. There are more limited options out there and often the more natural formulations just aren’t as good. In my ongoing battle to ‘green’ my bathroom cabinet, the least convincing area is still my make-up bag.

I was introduced to Une quite late in the day. They launched in Spring 2010 and are an offshoot of Bourjois. Sold in Boots and Superdrug, they are reasonably priced and aesthetically pleasing. Their packaging is clean, utilitarian and slick in design which actually makes a nice change from the frills and flowers approach usually taken by ‘natural’ brands keen to shout about their credentials.

I’ve started small with their Soft Minerals Powder Foundation (shade M03 – or ‘pasty face’ if you want something to visualise!). Mineral foundations aren’t exactly a new idea and Une certainly aren’t the only brand producing them. But with a price point of £12.99, they’re firmly in the affordable category. And Une make some pretty bold claims about their formulation. Here’s the numbers bit:

99.55% of total ingredients from natural origin

12.8% of the total ingredients from organic farming

Certified by ECOCERT (an organic certification organisation – one of the largest in the world)

With dry skin, I’m normally restricted to creamy, liquid formulations but sometimes, particularly in the summer when I’m wearing heavier sunscreens, I want a more matte finish. I’ve been using the foundation for a couple of weeks now. It does give a lovely, matte finish but still allows that natural glow (or toned-down sunscreen shine!) to show through. It really seems to work with my natural skin, making it look more even without making it look flat. The coverage is light, so perhaps not for you if you’re looking for something that really will blitz all flaws, but it is buildable. And because you can gradually build it up, it’s quite hard to apply too much. The real test was a few hours later and it passed that one as well. No chalkiness, separation or drying into fine lines in evidence and I used the evil, magnifying side of the mirror as well.

You apply it, as with all mineral foundations, with a small kabuki brush. Which was my only quibble. I bought the Une brush and discovered that it sheds. Quite badly. Like a house pet during moulting season. And it’s quite offputting having to pick near-invisible, pale hairs off my perfect foundation finish. It seems to have calmed down recently, so perhaps it’s now in it’s summer coat.

But really that was the only gripe, and I can easily use another kabuki brush to apply the product.

Une also do products for eyes, lips and cheeks and, as funds allow, I’ll try a few more of their products and report back. Their shades seem to be designed for the natural look – no bold, adventurous colours here. But as I’ve made the ‘no make-up make-up look’ my default setting for nearly 10 years now, I’m not really complaining.

Une Soft Minerals Powder Foundation, £12.99 from Boots and Superdrug

Ingredients: Mica, Simmondsia chimensis (jojoba) seed oil, silica, zine stearate, zine oxide, olea Europaea (olive) fruit oil, potassium sorbate. May contain: CI 77007 (ultramarines), CI 77163 (bismuth oxychloride), CI 77491, CI 77499 (iron oxides), CI 77891 (titanium dioxide).