Health & Beauty: Lush Launch Gorilla Perfumes in Time for Christmas

What better Christmas gift for her this year than a gorgeous fragrance from Lush's new perfumery?

Lush have just released new fragrances in time for Christmas called 'Gorilla Scents'. Far from their confusing name they actually all smell completely divine! In fact so good, that when recently sprayed on myself at a party, half of the room was trying to figure out where the amazing aroma was coming from. I of course had to enlighten them that it was wafting from me! The perfumes are made using natural, raw scents, are free of chemicals and pack a heady and unusual punch. There's lots to choose from - a selection are available in Lush shops, but they are all available online from www.gorillaperfume.com My favorites are...

Imogen Rose (£42.00 for 30g perfume bottle / £20.00 for 10g atomiser / £10.00 for 12g solid perfume)
A soft, exquisite Damascus rose perfume. Opening with fresh roses straight from the field using 100% pure rose oil and garden fresh notes of basil. It moves quickly into baby soft talc with tonka and rose absolute producing a warm embracing middle note. Finally the dry down is a sweet amber with vetivert, orris and ambrette seed providing a warm floral finish. A beautiful, romantic, one-of-a-kind perfume.

Lust (£20.00 for 30g perfume bottle / £9.00 for 10g atomiser / £4.50 for 12g solid perfume)
Unashamedly carnal and sexy, this fragrance is pure jasmine. It's extremely provocative, sensual and erotic. It practically bowls you over. This is the one to wear to feel womanly and sensual.

Orange Blossom (£23.00 for 30g perfume bottle / £11.00 for 10g atomiser / £5.50 for 12g solid perfume).
Fresh orange blossom absolute and neroli oil burst out of the bottle like a distilled Mediterranean moment. Over time, the honeyed and woody tones develop on your skin and you are left with a warm glow. Perfect if the cold weather is getting you down and you want to be transported to sunnier climes.

Rachel

Health & Beauty: Tints of Nature Reconstructing Treatment

Tints of Nature’s reconstructing treatment is an affordable, effective hair product that works in fifteen minutes to revitalise and repair the hair follicles, condition the hair and leave it with an amazing softness and sheen. The full range of shampoos, conditioners, Scalp Treatment and new Reconstructing Treatment are the ideal way to keep your hair beautifully conditioned and in perfect pH balance.  Containing certified organic ingredients they help prevent the brassy and ginger tones of colour fade to coloured hair.

Paraben-free, not tested on animals, produced in the UK and winner of the New Forest Brilliance in Business Awards, this range has something for everyone.

Rachel

Health & Beauty: Organic Blue

If winter finds you lumbering, rather than bouncing out of bed we’ve found a range that might just make mornings more bearable.

Organic Blue’s good-value beauty and mood-enhancing treatments combine natural and certified organic ingredients from around the world.

La Luminata road-tested the zingy Shower Gel and Body Scrub, which certainly put a spring in our normally lacklustre step. Both contain uplifting organic Mandarin and Ginger, alongside anti-bacterial Neem – renowned for its ability to help with skin disorders. The Scrub contains ground peach kernels to refresh the body and banish dead skin cells.

The range also includes a body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, massage oil, muscle rub and mood oils. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, it’s paraben-, SLS-, artificial fragrance- and colouring-free. Available from Waitrose and John Lewis, call 0845 310 441 for your nearest stockist.

Jane Lee

Health & Beauty: Inner Beauty Reveals Your True Radiance

Tiens has launched Inner Beauty, a food supplement based on Carrots, Green tea, Ginko biloba and Vitamin C that improves skintone and increases energy levels.

Carrots contain large amounts of Vitamin C, valuable B-Vitamins, folic acid, some vitamin D and E, ethereal oils, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium and Phosphoros, as well as an important amounts of immune-strengthening  Selenium. Ginko is a strong antioxidant that supports the resistance of the body against negative external effects. Green tea contains green tea polyphenol which helps to detox the body. TIENS Inner Beauty Capsules provide a natural food supplement that is supporting to the normal protective functions in body cells and vessels.

Regular use of these vitamins creates a fresh, radiant and renewed complexion, perfect for that extra boost during the winter season.

Health & Beauty: Pugs and kisses

Combining all my favourite things; soft lips, retro packaging and pugs, The Balm's delightful lip treatment is also 100% vegan. The Balm to the Rescue is animal product free and uses micro exfoliating crystals to give you a perfectly silky smooth pout. And even better, all net proceeds are donated to Pug Rescue to help out little dogs in need. Adorable!

Poppy

Health & Beauty: Get luscious locks with MÁDARA’s new natural & organic hair care range

I love the whole MÁDARA product range so imagine my excitement upon discovering that they've just launched a new haircare range! What thoroughbred eco girl could refuse?

The award-winning natural and organic haircare range comprises of three different types of shampoo and conditioners designed to combat common hair problems.

Creating soft, swishy and shiny locks. This set of products has become an instant hit because of the trademark  MÁDARA scent, beautiful packaging, creamy texture and beautiful results.

The entire hair care range is ECOCERT[1] certified and contains typical herbs and plants from the Baltic region, including nettle, linden flower, quince and plantain, which contain high levels of active ingredients. All MÁDARA shampoos and conditioners cleanse and nourish the hair without containing artificial dyes, fragrance, SLS, parabens, or any other synthetic ingredients.

The MÁDARA hair care range is now available from www.amarya.co.uk, www.pravera.co.uk and www.appuru.co.uk. Each product in the range retails at £9.90.

Rachel

Health & Beauty: Lush-cious Vegan Products for Vegan Day November 1st

It's World Vegan Day on November 1st, which also marks the start of World Vegan Month, and as a vegetarian company Lush is aware of the plight facing vegans to find beauty products that meet their strict criteria. Finding soap made without animal fat, or cosmetics without honey, milk, eggs or lanolin can be downright difficult if you are one of the UK's 250,000 vegans.

Made with fresh, natural ingredients (organic wherever possible), all of Lush's products are vegetarian and approximately 75% are suitable for vegans. And to make it even easier to identify these products, The Vegan Society logo adorns all that are suitable. This is our attempt to try and make the shopping experience as quick and simple as possible for all our vegan customers.

START TO GET IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT WITH THESE GREAT VEGAN PRODUCTS

GLÖGG shower gel (£3.90 for 100g or £7.75 for 250g) ... the traditional Glögg is a spicy, warming, fruity mulled drink for keeping you nice and toasty during the cold months. The Lush version is a shower gel with a similar warming fragrance to spice up your shower time! Containing fresh orange and lemon juices, red wine, brandy, cinnamon and clove, this spicy wash will warm the cockles, helping to improve circulation and fend off the cold.

CINDERS bath ballistic (£1.95) ... drop this little fire cracker into a pre-run bath and listen as the popping candy fizzles and crackles just like a real fire. Scented with almonds and cherries for a festive mulled wine aroma, there's also almond essential oil to accentuate the scent. Sweet orange oil lifts the spirits and adds some cheer to dark, winter days. There's also a touch of cinnamon leaf oil to warm the body, just as if you were by a real fire.

GENERALLY LOOK AFTER YOUR SKIN THIS WINTER ...

A great choice in winter for vegans is the nourishing OATIFIX (£4.95 for 75g), as it contains a blend of fine oatmeal and fresh organic bananas that will soothe and calm dry or sensitive skins and illipe butter to reduce redness. Oatifix works to soften the surface of the skin, making it more pliable and flexible, which enables skin to function more easily, to absorb moisture and prevent its loss.

Going into Autumn/Winter use a more heavily weighted moisturiser, try something like SKIN DRINK (£10.25 for 45g pot) if you have dry, parched skin. It has a heavier textured formulation that contains healing and soothing aloe vera, together with emollient oils and butters of evening primrose, sesame, cocoa and almond. Also contains fresh avocado, which is packed with oils and antioxidant vitamin E, and is a very rich skin conditioner, perfect for the winter months.

Rachel