Caudalie

In 1933 Mae West famously said ‘peel me a grape’. In 1995, Mathilde Thomas and husband Bertrand peeled that grape, deseeded it, destalked it, but instead of throwing all this away, with the help of Dr Vercauteren from the University of Pharmacy of Bordeaux, they saw the great anti-oxidant benefits. And so created their own beauty brand called Caudalie with the grape vine as the main ingredient.  They chose the name because Caudalie in the wine industry means ‘a unit of measurement of quality and duration the wines flavour stays on the palette – the finer the wine the more caudalies it will have’.

Named after the finest wines, Caudalie created the ultimate moisturiser – Premier Cru, to treat all signs of ageing such as wrinkles, lack of firmness, dark spots, and dullness. And after the success of their Premier Cru – The Cream, which has become one of the best selling anti-ageing creams in France, they were inspired to turn their dedication to the delicate eye area.

This year sees the launch of Premier Cru – The Eye Cream. Looking luminous in its gold and silver packaging, it does look like the ultimate ‘elixir of youth’ which Caudalie states it is, targeting all visible signs of ageing around the eyes. And if that’s not enough, Caudalie also says this eye cream has an original feature - it can brighten the eye contour sweeping the shadows away and eliminating dark spots.

And how does it do all this? Well it’s in the grapes. Caudalie has 3 patented ingredients all based on the grapes.

1. Grape seed polypehnols - the most powerful anti-oxidants in the vegetable world. They stop free radicals and are 10,000 times more effective than vitamin E.

2. Resveratrol from the grapevine stalks – identified as the most effective active ingredient for prolonging cellular life by Harvard’s department of medicine.

3. Viniferine from grapevine sap - helps diminish and protect against dark spots by regulating melanin formation.

Other grape ingredients are organic grape water and the nourishing grape seed oil.

Mae West might not have known what she was throwing away when she said ‘peel me a grape’, but now our eyes are opened, Premier Cru will let us still have our peeled grape and eat it without losing the benefits of the skin and stalks.

THE CEW (UK) 2011 BEAUTY AWARDS

The Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) hosted their 6^th annual Beauty Awards this year at the Intercontinental London Park Lane.

Provided with champagne and nibbles, the beauty industry guests were able to network for half an hour and see the nominated products before going in to the main room for lunch and the awards.

The theme this year was a tribute to the late iconic actress Elizabeth Taylor.  

The opening of the Awards Ceremony began with Caroline Neville, CEW (UK) president, followed by a presentation of a cheque for £25,000 from CEW (UK) to the Eve Appeal - a gynaecology cancer research fund whose focus is to raise vital funds for research into prevention, detection, treatment and care of ovarian cancer.  More information can be seen on their website  www.eveappeal.org.uk

Once wined and dined, the awards began with Marigay McKee, Beauty & Fashion Director of Harrods, acting as Master of Ceremony.  Behind stood 26 graceful female statuettes designed and donated by Lalique. Joanna Page from the hilarious comedy series ‘Gavin and Stacey’, and now the new face of Superdrug presented two of the awards.

This year there were no brands that ran away with multiple awards, the most was two. Lanolips took ‘Best New Skincare Treatment Product-mass’ for their 101 Ointment , a 100% natural lip balm containing ultra pure medical grade lanolin; Dr Organic took ‘Best New Everyday Facial Skincare Product-mass’ for their Organic Rose Otto Facial Serum and both came joint winners for ‘Best New Brand-mass’

Other brands that came away with two awards were:

Balance me received the ‘Best New Bath and Body Product-prestige’ for their Rose Otto Body Wash and ‘Best New Certified Organic Skincare Product’ for their Super Oil with Juniper and Bergamot.

Liz Earle received the ‘Best New Haircare/Styling Product-prestige’ for their Naturally Active Haircare Botanical Shine Shampoo and ‘Best British brand’ for their Naturally Active Skincare.  All their Naturally Active Skincare products use the best quality natural ingredients.

Chanel took ‘Best New Make-up Product-Eyes or Lips-prestige’ for their Rouge Coco Hydrating Crème Lip Colour and ‘Best New Men’s Fragrance-prestige’ for their Bleu De Chanel EDT

Elizabeth Arden glowed when they were awarded ‘Best New Self Tan or Suncare Product’ for their Eight Hour Cream Sun Defense for Face SPF 50 and ‘Best Iconic Beauty Product’ for their much loved Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant.

Batiste coloured dry shampoo took the Best New Haircare/Styling/Colouring Product – Mass category award last year and this year it was the turn of Batiste Dry Shampoo Fresh – just proving we love our time saving dry shampoos.

All For Eve, the stand-alone beauty and fashion brand set up to raise funds and awareness for The Eve Appeal charity, won ‘Best New Hand and Nail Care Product’ for their Swarovski Crystal Nail File. Here is the chance to not only purchase the best nail file but also help ovarian cancer research

Other awards were as follows:

Filling the air with fragrance was Chloe Love Chloe for Best Women’s Fragrance

Best Classic Beauty Product-Mass category went to Bio-Oil, a specialist skincare product that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone.

Fluttering their long eyelashes with excitement were RapidLash who won Best New Make-up Product-Mass for their Eyelash Enhancing Serum.

Well we won’t tell you what Nars was doing when they won the Best New Make-up Product-Prestige for their Cosmetic Orgasm Illuminator

Best New Bath & Body Product –mass went to The Sanctuary Ultra Rich Body Butter 

Smiling whilst keeping the wrinkles at bay were Clarins who won Best New Everyday Facial Skincare Product for their Multi-active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream

Eyes wide open were Estee lauder when they won Best New Skincare Treatment Product for their Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronized Complex

Emma Hardie were gleefully amazed when they won Best New Brand for their Amazing Face.

And for the Best Classics Beauty Product – Eve Lom came clean with their Cleanser

  

Not forgetting the guys:

Nivea for Men Q10 Revitalising Gel took the Best New Men’s Grooming Product- Mass category.

For the Prestige category of Best Men’s Grooming Product, it was Shiseido for Men Skin Empowering Cream.

Best New Men’s Fragrance: Chanel Bleu De Chanel EDT.

After the awards the lucky winner of a £50,000 Global Radio campaign prize draw was Elemental Herbology. Then the grand prize draw in aid of the Eve Appeal began. Prizes included a tote bag handmade in the Bill Amberg Studio; Top to Toe pamper day with Richard Ward; evening of luxury at Harvey Nichols with champagne and a 4 course dinner for two; three Mamo Mia boot camp treatments at Urban Retreat in Harrods plus three Mamo Mia boot camp kits; and two night weekend stay for two at the Intercontinental with breakfast.

A great event and still enough time to rush home and start buying these wonderful products from Superdrug on:  www.superdrug.com  

By Karen Grace
Personal Shopper & Image Consultant for Frumpy to Funky http://www.frumpytofunky.com

CHRISTOPHER WALLER

After studying  Fashion Design at the University of East London and graduating in 2007, British born Simon Christopher Waller started designing at John Richmond. Now he has taken that large scary leap and created his own brand Christopher Waller which was launched in July 2010.

His new brand’s philosophy is:

'To provide effortless sophistication to women on a day-to-day basis blurring the transition from day to night with clean and flattering silhouettes enabling subtle detailing to shine through.'

And this certainly showed through with his AW10 debut collection which was a mix of silks, wools and jerseys in minimalistic chic tailoring injected with an effortless laid back wearablility.

For the SS11 collection, Waller has taken his inspiration from the minimalist artists of the late 50’s and 60’s who rejected outside influences such as politics, religion, symbolism etc  as the only means to create art. They chose to strip their work to the pure basics where colours, lines, shapes and textures were used sparingly and didn't express the moods and feelings of the artist, but relied on the viewer to appreciate the object in its simplicity as just a beautiful piece of art.

Waller has carried this minimalism in to his cut and colour palette, proving you don’t need to rely on frills, bows and bright colour ways to create beautiful statement garments. The fluid fabrics of silk, jersey and finely woven wool he uses ensures the simple tailored cut is not harsh and gives a soft luxurious feel to the whole collection.

However Waller does add a touch of texture with his silk panelling on the jersey and wool pieces.

The main colour palette is black with accents of bold block colouring in muted earth tones of slate, stone, aubergine and dusty pink.

Highlights of the collection include a deconstructed fine wool box blazer in a muted block colour of slate with silk black cuffs, pockets and lapels; and a jersey T-dress with a taped silk seam.

Summary: A chic and minimalistic classic soft tailored look with a laid-back sporty twist

More details and images can be viewed on www.christopherwaller.com

By Karen Grace
Personal Shopper & Image Consultant for Frumpy to Funky 

http://www.frumpytofunky.com

ORMONDE JAYNE – PERFUME PORTRAITS

Ormonde Terrace was probably one of the most fragrantly scented streets when Linda J Pilkington used her own home there as a perfume lab and created the Ormonde Jayne perfumes.  Since then she has come a long way changing her humble settings to that of the opulent Harrods Perfume Hall and her own two London boutiques with their striking black lacquered interiors.  However some things haven’t changed - each product is still created by Linda and the bottling and packaging is still by hand but now in her British workshop rather than in her home.

From this passion for perfumery and perfection, Linda was not content to just create her 12 luxurious fragrances, but wanted to ensure her customers discovered and went away with the right Ormonde Jayne fragrance for them. And so Perfume Portraits was created.

Perfume Portraits can take from a quick 5 minutes to a longer more leisurely 45 minutes depending on how many questions and how much time you have.

At the beginning she will ask a few questions such as: what other perfume brands you already love and which ones your hate, do you like soaking in the bath or prefer to shower, do you like scented candles, do you usually carry your perfume around with you, and are you looking for a perfume for a the evening, daytime or for the summer etc. 

Now you may ask how are these questions pertinent?  Well she keeps a profile for you ,so if your loved one decides to pop in to buy you a gift, she can not only recommend the right scent but also the right product.

The next stage is where Linda introduces you to the scents of individual raw ingredients in the form of oils and which can make an Ormonde Jayne perfume. Advising you not to think of them as an actual perfume but to just concentrate on the smell and say whether you liked or didn’t like it.

After smelling about 15 of the 21 oils I’d only said I’d like two so far (vanilla and freesia).  Panicking, and wondering how she was going to find any perfume for me, never mind my perfect perfume, I toyed with the idea of saying I liked the next one.  Alas I couldn’t even smell anything. Luckily I came clean and Linda advised it was Ambroxan which you either could or couldn’t smell.  Relieved my sense of smell hadn’t totally packed in, I was just a bit sad that I wasn’t one of the perfume elite who could smell it.

After going through all the oils, Linda then chose three of her perfumes, spraying two on my arms and one on herself. We talked whilst they settled.  One I instantly loved (Ta’if) but the others were too intense. Although happy with my new favourite perfume and amazed that she found it so easily, I still kept smelling the other fragrance (Tolu) on my arm. Apparently Tolu does take a while to settle.  It definitely did take a while, but after a few hours, I was surprised to find I loved the smell – Super Perfumer Linda had done it again!

But as an impatient, want everything now, now, now kinda girl, the love at first smell Ta’if is the one for me. I loved its instant top notes of pink pepper, saffron and dates and still loved it as it settled down with the heart notes of rose oil, freesia, orange flower absolute and jasmine plus the lingering base notes of broom and amber.

I was delighted to see my new signature perfume was the one and only perfume that comes in the very luxurious  Gold Dust: here you can give your décolleté and shoulders a little light dusting of  real 24 carat gold powder ! Gold Dust is packaged in an elegant black lacquered handmade gold box which contains a very fluffy and feminine champagne coloured hand sewn French satin powder puff with marabou feather trim. 

The retail price of £400 for 15ml is not to be sneezed at (definitely don’t sneeze!) and is exclusive to Harrods.

I’m pleased to say the actual perfumes are much much cheaper at £70 for a 50ml Eau de Parfum.

Ormonde Jayne’s flagship boutique is at 12 The Royal Arcade and her new and larger store at 192 Pavillion Rd just off Sloane Square.  For more information check out the website : www.ormondejayne.com

By Karen Grace
Personal Shopper & Image Consultant for Frumpy to Funky 

http://www.frumpytofunky.com

VANESSA G AW11 COLLECTION

AW11 COLLECTION

Designer Vanessa Gounden presented her debut collection at the glorious Banqueting House in Whitehall.

What makes this debut collection different is that Vanessa is not straight out from college; she is in the prime of her life and has used her own colourful and rich life experiences as inspiration for the designs.  Of Indian descent, Vanessa grew up in South Africa on her family’s small holding where she helped cut and prepare roses for sale to florist. Vanessa G the label has taken the red rose as their logo and the rose heads could be seen everywhere at the show, decorating the bar area, the side tables, the catwalk show and even the carpet at the reception was black with digital rose prints.

Due to apartheid growing in South Africa, Vanessa and her family had to leave their livelihood and were removed to a dormitory township with minimal facilities. Here Vanessa played an active role in the trade union movement and served in the Nelson Mandela administration after South Africa’s first democratic election in 1944. This experience equipped Vanessa with high business acumen but also with a strong desire to help those equally deserving but less fortunate.

Her collection takes unique pieces of art from unsung artists and transforms them in to timeless classic which are handcrafted for individuals who are equally passionate about the arts and fashion.

The catwalk was impressive and ran along the sides of the hall with a large facade of coliseum like arches at the front. Inside these arches, lasers projected films of nature (rivers, flowers, skies etc) at the right time to correspond with the prints on the model’s garments.  Opening the show was the moody monochrome film of clouds with the models wearing grey and white photographic prints with just a touch of pale pink. The prints were of the sea, clouds, windswept umbrellas, skylines and pink flamingos.

Tights were embellished with hanging sequins, sheath dresses lightly skimmed the body, trousers were high waisted and slim, and jackets finished at the waist with ¾ length sleeves. Coats ranged from the classic trench to the glamorous 1950’s swagger style. However the classic trench was given a twist with the digital photographic prints -loved the one in pale blue with the photographic art of woman and umbrella splashing in the sea.

We now swapped black and white film to colour and it was the turn of the florals, greenery and the earth.  Here the models garments merged with the large photographic prints hanging behind them, clearly showing the full picture of the digital prints on the clothes.

The next stage saw the colour palette change to a striking  black and red combination. The print here of red flora was larger with more background space. 

Vanessa G cleverly includes the different styles of the classic look in her collection, making sure all classic women will find something they love. From the above the knee fitted sheath dress, the mid calf A line skirt, the pencil skirt to the cute high waisted retro 50’s full dress which was given an update with a shorter length.

Vanessa G brand is for the upwardly mobile and well-heeled woman who is looking for a new contemporary experience and to own a piece of art through her clothes.  'Art’Outure', a mix of Art and Couture - the ultimate statement of luxury.

By Karen Grace
Personal Shopper & Image Consultant for Frumpy to Funky 

http://www.frumpytofunky.com

Scrub up for Summer with SPC Skincare

Scrub up for Summer with SPC Skincare

Before you bare all on the beach this Summer, get your skin looking luscious! SPC Skincare offers the perfect exfoliating and moisturising products to help you look fresh and beautiful this Summer. Also ideal for pre-tanning to ensure you get an even and glowing sun-kissed tan!

SPC Kiwi Complexion Scrub

Get in the mood for Summer with the fresh and stimulating SPC Kiwi Complexion Scrub (£29.00 per 50ml). This gentle exfoliating scrub works to brighten and revitalise the skin, leaving a fresh and decongested complexion.

Blends of Kiwi, Walnut, Pomegranate and Condus Crispus Seaweed, combined with Pineapple create a highly charged and effective antioxidant. Rich in minerals, the key ingredients in this combination scrub are renowned for their anti-ageing properties.

Key ingredients include

• Exotic Ginger
• Lime
• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Bergamot
• Macadamia Nut
• Sweet Almond Oil

SPC Ginger Body Scrub

Revitalise your senses with the SPC Ginger Body Scrub (£35.00 per 500g), luxuriously blended with fine grade sea salt, the micro-fine particles and pure natural ingredients result in an exfoliating experience which is both revitalising and relaxing.  Particularly effective when applied on dry skin pre-bathing/showering, once applied and worked in to the skin, shower off.

Key ingredients include

• Exotic Ginger
• Lime
• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Bergamot
• Macadamia Nut
• Sweet Almond Oil

It’s also water soluble which is great for exfoliating in the bath. The skin will be left glowing and rejuvenated and the body will be left re-mineralised, assisting with PH balance and detoxification.

SPC Citrus Body Moisturiser

The zesty SPC Citrus Body Moisturiser (£30.00 per 200ml) will leave the skin feeling ready for Summer with delicate blends of Lemon, Lime and Orange, citrus fruit essential oils. Your skin will be left feeling silky, supple and smooth and the citrus blends will leave the senses completely invigorated.

Key ingredients include

• Lemon
• Mexican lime
• Orange
• Black Pepper

SPC Skincare offers an exciting transformation of how you do skincare. We blend essential plant oils, extracts and other simple but potent ingredients into formulas that help to defy age, stimulate cells and rejuvenate your skin. SPC Skincare has a wide assortment of products that allows anyone to create a personal skincare plan unique to the individual.

As you read through the labels you might feel as though you are reading a recipe for a really vibrant salad. Ingredients matter and we ensure that our formulas are invigorating and work to preserve, protect and provide you with your own skincare path.

SPC Skincare products and treatments were created by the award winning spa at Stoke Park, Buckinghamshire, England. With years of industry experience and research gained through the spa and close collaboration with industry specialists to pick the best possible ingredients, the creation of our products deliver results, including visual radiance to the skin and improved emotional wellbeing.

The SPC Skincare products were designed with a view to create a skincare and body range that enables you to recreate your own ‘spa’ experience at home as part of your everyday life.

Philosophy

S – Synergy of nature and science
Expertly harnessing the benefits of both nature and science.

P – Potency of ingredients
Active ingredients are carefully selected to create products that really work.

C – Commitment to excellence
Throughout all of our luxurious products and treatments, we are committed to giving outstanding results.

We are proud to say that we are a British company.

Check out our new website at www.spcskincare.com! To celebrate the launch of the new website, for every person that signs up for an SPC Skincare e-newsletter receive a £10 off promotional code.

For further information, images or samples please contact Sarah Mahoney at SPC Skincare on 01753 717109 smahoney@spcskincare.com

bareMinerals Skincare

Bare Escentuals have decided to dig up dirt for their new skincare range. Well to be more exact, they have  extracted macro and micro minerals from the soil to create a revolutionary ingredient they have named ‘Rare Minerals Active Soil Complex’. And it’s not just any old soil, but mineral abundant virgin soil from around different parts of the US to make sure they find the right concentrates of minerals.

These are extracted through a unique method which allows them to yield a densely rich concentrate capable of transformational skin-renewing benefits.

They believe Rare Minerals Active Soil Complex to be so revolutionary in the beauty world that they have patented it. Its unique electrolyte delivery system optimises the skin’s ability to absorb and retain moisture, resulting in smoother and healthier looking skin. And this key ingredient is found in all of their new skincare products which are formulated without synthetic fragrances, artificial oils or parabens. 

The hero of the new range is The Pure Transformation Night Treatment. This is like make up for bedtime!

I know the most important part is the revolutionary active ingredient it has, but being able to even out your skin tone at night by buffing up your skins in a choice of 4 shades (clear, light, medium and tan) is revolutionary in itself. We are told it does not clog up the pores (in fact it has been proven to visibly reduce them) and does not smudge on to your pillow.

This is that gap filled between cosmetics and skin care – it’s a night time treatment to replenish your skin by reducing pores, increasing firmness and improving elasticity over a period of time, plus the added bonus of acting like a light foundation and smoothing out your blemishes.

Now you may think why would you want to put on foundation for bed? Who wouldn’t want to go to bed with a radiant glow and be able to wake up the next morning, peer in to the bathroom mirror and still see that glow?  

Other products in the range include a choice of two facial cleansers:

Purifying Facial Cleanser, a light creamy lather to remove make-up and dissolve impurities. This is gentle enough to use for eye make-up removal.

Deep Cleansing Foam, a richer foamy cleanser to deep clean pores and lift away impurities. As the name suggests, this is a deep cleanser so avoid the eye area.

A choice of two moisturisers

Purely Nourishing Moisturizer for combination skin. This includes the South African resurrection plant known for its skin renewing properties.  

Purely Nourishing Cream for dry skin.  This cream is not your normal clinical white colour, but more of a natural ecru colour which instantly says natural ingredients. The hydrating ingredients include the avocado oil, and for skin conditioning ingredients there is jojoba, pomegranate oil and starfruit to name a few.

A Firming Eye Treatment includes the Masterwort Leaf cultivated in the Swiss Alps where it is known as the Queen of the plants for its transformative benefits. Here it is used for both depuffing (along with caffeine) and skin-conditioning.

Bare Escentuals are really excited about their new ground breaking ingredient and are hoping that you will be too.