Health & Beauty: Spring Moisture With Materia Herba

Fresh from Korres comes a new nutrient-rich moisturiser, which offers deep hydration and helps to improve skin tone. Perfect for the unruly spring weather of late, this delivers moisture to the parts that need it and balances the slightly oilier facial areas. Laced with an organic antioxidant blend of Sunflower, Jojoba and Olive oils, Hyssop, Edelweiss and Masterwort extracts get your skin prepared for the barbecue summer that we've been promised!

Health & Beauty: He-Shi Self-tanning range

There’s nothing better than having a sun-kissed glow, without the harmful effects of sun damage. For the past few weeks I have been treating my skin to a pre-summer tan using He-Shi self-tanning range, which in 3 simple steps promises a natural glowing tan for both men and women.

First prepare the skin with the Face and Body Exfoliating Bodywash which contains fruit AHA’s and silica scrub particles to rid dead skin cells, creating smooth, cleansed and moisturised skin.

The next step is the Express Liquid Tan for your body which is instantly bronzed so easy to see where you have already applied and thus avoiding streaks. The natural coloured tan develops within a few hours and is paraben free so there are no chemical smells.

Next is the Facial Gel. I am always slightly wary of applying fake tan to my face, in the risk of looking like Katie Price. However, the patented tanning mitt makes application of the gel easy and streak free, and results in a very natural looking tan which can be built up in layers for a darker finish if desired.

To add the finishing touch to your glowing complexion apply the Fusion Multi Bronzer to highlight and illuminate your face for that sun-kissed look.

To help prolong your tan, use the Souffle Moisturiser which contains Aloe Vera and Vitamin E to maintain an even and long-lasting tan. Like the bodywash, this product has an aroma of wild strawberry extract, which smelt delicious!

And finally, to top up your tan daily use the Day to Day Gradual Tan, which moisturises the skin and gradually builds up a light bronzed skin tone.

The range is available from Harvey Nichols, selected salons and day spas across the country and available from the He-Shi website.

Carly Gordon

Health & Beauty: ROSE RELIEF FOR STRESSED SKIN

I don't like receiving bunches of cut flowers. Although the gesture is nice, it's a bit of a cliché and the cost to the environment can be alarming, and not really worth the brief feeling of pleasure you get from a bunch of blooms.

But that's not to say that I don't like roses - in particular rose oil - and if you consider that 1kg of this wonderful stuff represents 10,000kg of petals, suddenly twelve roses doesn't seem like that much of a gesture after all!

I'd much rather receive something like this new rose product from [A'kin] - Pure Rose Hydrating Mist - with rose oil, aloe and Vitamin B5. It's an Australian product, and also contains bush flower essences with wonderful names such as old man banksia, dog rose and tall mulla mulla.

Mist sprays are especially good to combat the effects of working in dry, air conditioned offices, or long car or plane journeys, as they calm and soothe the skin.

[A'kin] products are vegan and made without animal testing, and are free from parabens and sulphates. And a 125ml bottle of hydrating mist will give you pleasure and calm long after flowers in a vase have wilted and faded!

[A'kin] products are available from a number of online stockists and retailers - for more information visit www.purist.com

Sophy Colbert

Health & Beauty: Mineral Makeup for Mother’s Day

Mineral makeup is the new revolutionary trend within the cosmetics world, made entirely from the natural ingredients of the earth’s surface, with no harmful chemicals, fillers or parabens.

Purity Cosmetics are leading the way with their luxurious range of mineral makeup; from mineral foundations, blushers and bronzers, to eyeshadows and natural nail polish, all coming in a fabulous range of colours and shades to suit your skin tone.

I have been using their Mineral Foundation which is easy to apply and offers good blemish coverage without the feeling of heaviness like other powder foundations. The foundation looks and feels natural and gives your skin a glowing complexion that lasts all day.

Why not treat your Mum to some gorgeous makeup gifts for Mother’s Day? The Mineral Eyeshadows cost just £3.50 so there’s no excuse not to embrace mineral makeup!

Carly Gordon

Health & Beauty: Great Elm Physick Garden – Organic Herbal Skincare

At this time of year your skin needs a little help to look and feel restored and revived. Great Elm Physick Garden, producers of organic herbal skincare from the country gardens of Somerset are here to help!  

Over the past few weeks I have been trying out their Mallow and Immortelle Nourishing Face Mask, and their Lemon Balm and Blackcurrant Intensive Face Care.

The face mask comes in two parts; the fragrant liquid and the gentle oats, petals and clay mix. When blended together they create a nourishing, chemical-free mask made from traditional skin-calming ingredients; including soothing violet leaf, nourishing almond oil and the detoxing ingredient Immortelle which is known for its reputation as a pain-reducing anti-inflammatory and an effective cell-regenerator.    

I loved this face mask, not only was it fun to make (rather like mixing up a potion), it left my skin feeling nourished, soft and smooth.

The Lemon Balm and Blackcurrant Intensive Face Care did not disappoint either. The roll-on oil is packed full of natural ingredients including blackcurrant seed oil, health-giving vitamins borage and high levels of fatty acids, essential for cell-growth. After using this every night for the last few weeks I really have seen a difference in my skin’s tone and appearance, and even by the morning my skin still feels hydrated and moisturised.  

The Great Elm Physick Garden products are a joy to use and beautifully packaged. Check out the full range here for some fabulous gift ideas for Mother’s Day!

Carly Gordon

Health & Beauty: ALGOVITAL – CANNES THERAPY

A trip to the beauty salon is a truly wonderful experience; putting yourself into the hands of a skilled professional who can scrub, knead, treat and tend, dedicating time and care to you.  However, for most of us a trip to the salon is just an occasional indulgent sojourn into a magical world of white toweling and new age music.

So, if you can't make it to the spa, why not bring a little bit of the spa into your bathroom, and enjoy the same products that the professionals use. Algovital from Cannes, France, make beauty therapy products using only natural, certified organic ingredients, and 29 years of scientific research into natural skincare.

I liked the Algoderma body cream, the almond oil and vitamins have anti-ageing properties that leave your skin smooth and protected, with a lingering summery scent of magnolia and tiaré flowers. And 14 euros for a 100ml pot seems pretty reasonable for a luxurious daily cream.

I was intrigued by the Gel draining body scrub, for use in the shower; lavendar, ylang ylang, thyme and crushed apricot pits for friction sounds like a heady combination of scents and texture!

There are a whole range of interesting products which cater for different skin types, all of which not too expensive and are recommended by spa therapists.

Algovital products are available to buy online from their website (delivery from Cannes takes around three to five days) – click on the British flag for English translations.

Sophy Colbert

Health & Beauty: A LUSH TREAT FOR YOUR LIPS

Cold weather can be tough on your skin and your soul, so anything that is exfoliating, and also a bit fun, is a very good thing. My lips are prone to getting chapped in the cold and the wind, so I was very happy to try out the new Sweet Lips and Bubblegum lip scrubs from Lush.

I found the Sweet Lips scrub delicious, the chocolate and vanilla flavours are moreish, and the feeling of the sugar on my lips was very satisfying. Afterwards my lips felt smooth and refreshed, and the after-taste is lovely and uplifting. I didn't get on quite so well with the Bubblegum flavour, but I still enjoyed the rough texture of the sugar and how smooth and soft my lips felt afterwards.

I like Lush's philosophy.  Their cosmetics and toiletries are made from fresh, organic, high quality ingredients. Lush are firmly against animal testing, and have an ethical and a sustainable approach to their business. They also manage to continually come up with funky, original ideas for products, which they sell for a reasonable price. Pampering and peace of mind – a winning combination!

Sophy Colbert