RADAR: Yasemin Trollope
Primped Beauty Editor, Yasemin Trollope, picks her five favourite natural & organic products.
(after watching also check out her wonderful healthy living blog, The Happiness Cocktail!)
I don’t usually write about other blogs, but I just wanted to draw everyone’s attention to the beautiful In Spaces Between. Rachel, the author of the site, writes with honesty, warmth, and vitality, and it’s just such a pleasure to read her posts.
The subject matter varies from recipes to weddings to style to good living, and I devour every word! Her latest post lifted me through my mid week slump - so do yourself a favour and add this one to your favourites list.
Do you have any blog recommendations? Spill!
The JNSQ December issue was released a few days ago - this FREE iPad magazine is your go-to resource for the holidays (not to mention it features an article by MOI on beauty picks to survive the silly season)!
Download from the App Store here
I am very excited to announce that the the debut issue of JNSQ magazine for iPad is available for download! I have been Beauty Editor for the Jenesequa website for a few months now, and I am incredibly proud of the accessible, independent & informative philosophy that drives Jenesequa. Whilst the beauty section at Jenesequa covers a broader cross-section of both clean & conventional products, it still has loads of useful tips & tricks that will interest clean beauty users, and also regularly features natural & organic alternatives - not to mention great articles on fashion, decor, parenting & travel! And best of all? The iPad magazine is free!
Available from the App Store
Okay, this isn’t strictly a ‘beauty’ post - but ever since I did a 3 day juice cleanse a few months ago I am absolutely convinced of the very strong & immediate correlation between a good diet and good skin. I already knew this to some extent, of course, but I was still taken aback by how my skin was totally transformed after 3 days of drinking vitamin-rich, sugar free juices. My skin was clear and glowing - and the texture was unlike anything I could ever achieve even with a multitude of serums & moisturisers - soft, smooth and plump. So on that note, I’ve recently purchased a short (41 page) e-book by one of my favourite bloggers, Sarah Wilson, that has an 8-week plan to quit sugar. I’m doing this both to improve my health generally and to make me more conscious of what I eat, and also to really test the effect of a sugar-free diet on my skin. I don’t think I eat that much sugar on a daily basis, but it’s the hidden sugar in sauces and processed foods (especially low-fat foods) that I will really concentrate on eliminating. Of course it will be hard to say no to delicious desserts, but Sarah’s book seems to ease you into it really gently and has some great tips & tricks to get you through the sugar-detox process.
If you’re interested in reading more about cutting sugar from your diet, click here to view more details about Sarah Wilson’s e-book (she also has great recipes on her blog).
I will soon be posting full reviews of the Odacite products I have been testing for the past couple of weeks, but I just wanted to take a moment to introduce you to this brand. Odacite is a French skincare company that produces freshly made, organic products, free of parabens, fragrance and other toxic nasties, which was founded after the CEO, Valerie Grandury, discovered she had breast cancer in 2004. This triggered her to “reinvent her life, reconnect with nature and step into a beautiful and fascinating healing journey” - Valerie started detoxifying her environment, overhauling her diet and quitting her job to study the healing power of plants, and became a health and wellness coach. This led her to investigating the products she was using, and she discovered just how full of chemicals the products she was slathering on every day were. As a result, Valerie decided to start her own ‘fresh’ skincare brand - Odacite. I absolutely love this story of how it all started, and without going into too much(/any!) detail, I had a very similar journey which prompted me to start writing this blog.
And it’s not just the philosophy of the brand that is wonderful - the products absolutely deliver! The results I have experienced in using the products for just a few weeks is quite amazing - my skin looks plump, fresh and glowing, and I find that I am applying less and less foundation to let my skin show through, which is definitely a first for me. I want to post comprehensive reviews of each of the products I have tried but would like to use them for a few more weeks just so I can thoroughly test them out over the long term, but in the mean time, check out Odacite’s website here. There’s lots of great information on there, not just about the company, but also about general wellbeing and skincare. If anyone else has used Odacite’s products I would love to hear what you think!
I recently bought a big ol’ jar of coconut oil after articles espousing its benefits seemed to pop up all over the internet. Never one to ignore what the cyberworld tells me, I decided to test the claims of coconut oil’s moisturising, makeup removing powers. The results? Coconut oil is the hardest working product out there! I’ve listed below some of the things I’ve been using coconut oil for:
- Makeup removal: The simplest, cleanest, easiest way to move ALL makeup (including eye makeup and waterproof makeup). Simply warm a little oil in your hands and then emulsify over skin, and gently swipe over eyelashes and lids to remove mascara and eyeliner in a flash. Remove using a muslin cloth with warm water.
- Hair conditioner: When hair is looking a little lackluster I run some oil through the ends of my hair and leave in a bun overnight. Rinse the next morning for super soft, super shiny hair!
- Moisturising mask: As it’s winter in Australia my skin has been quite dehydrated, so when I have some time in the morning I slather oil over my face and décolletage and leave it for about 20 minutes before rinsing it off in the shower. Instant hydration with a lingering tropical scent!
- With green tea: Miranda Kerr adds a little coconut oil to her green tea each day to ingest its health benefits. I add a teeny drop to a cup of green tea and it adds a beautiful subtle flavour (I’m still waiting on my transformation into Ms. Kerr, however).
- Aftershave: My boyfriend has sensitive, reactive skin (not to mention a sensitive, reactive girlfriend) so he smoothes some coconut oil over his face after shaving and reports that it is immediately calming and soothing.
- To refresh makeup: At the end of the day when makeup is looking a little flat, I press a tiny amount of oil over cheek and browbones to lift makeup and illuminate skin. The trick is to use a minimal amount and to just press it onto skin - don’t rub or this will take off makeup (see tip 1 above!).
- If anyone else has tips on how they use coconut oil in their beauty routine I would love to hear from you!
What a gorgeous idea! This company ticks all the boxes - vegan, cruelty-free, natural, pure, organic - and fully customisable products. Truth Art Beauty’s ethos is simple:
By enabling our customers to select their own ingredients and build their own blends, we are empowering them to learn exactly what’s going onto their skin. And into their bodies.
Create your own blend of eye balm, face oil, body scrub & body oil in Truth Art Beauty’s modern day online apothecary. There are also suggested blends on their site for different skin types (but choosing your own is the fun bit)!
