Guest post: Six Beauty Must-Haves

Jul 29, 2012


This is a guest post by my friend the lovely 
Mary Winkenwerder(@BeautePublicist) and
Mary was a make-up artist to the stars for many
years (she still won't give me a clue to who;-)
and now writes for multiple beauty publications.
She is also currently developing the Ultimate
Beauty Channel for the online TV network
TVPBN

Here are her summer recommendations:


Summer opens a myriad of possibilities for great skin care.  
One of the greatest challenges is keeping up with the constant changing 
needs of our skin while slowing individual aging clocks.  
From experience, choosing summer a collection of beauty 
and care products to get through summer has to be a 
decision that works for you everyday.  From topical solutions to 
socially conscious tools, here are my top seven picks 
tried and true to get you through summer with beaming skin.  




Seamless and ultra light with every application, 
Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation goes on to perfection the first time.  
The flawless green formula provides a great base
 for summer color of all hues. Discover just how pretty you 
can be while wearing this!  Vapour Organic Beauty 
has a winner with this foundation, one of many products 
in the award winning line up!  www.vapourbeauty.com.  







Sweet and spicy Vanilla Sugar Spice Scrub exfoliates the body 
while providing incredible nourishing moisture.  
I enjoy using this anytime of the day.  
Based on certified organic olive oil and shea butter, 
the spicy chai of this sugar scrub offers hours of enjoyable 
let's-get-lost-in fragrance.  Ohhlala!  www.treehutshea.com.  




NATOX is where innovative anti-aging science and 
organic ingredients joyfully come together.  
Each use makes my skin incredibly soft, softens any type 
of under eye discoloration while removing the battery from my aging clock.  
I like that this green beauty solution may be worn alone 
or under cosmetic foundation.  The packaging is a gorgeous glass bottle
(resembling a piece of Lalique) that keeps the formula cool enough 
to send a soothing chill sensation through 
the senses with each application!  www.natox.com.  







Summer moments are best created and preserved with 
Sweet Patchouli.  
The softer side of this ancient potion offers long hours of 
enjoyable wear and enough excitement to lure that special 
someone to come a little closer!  
Created by Krigler in 1955, Sweet Patchouli 
was destined to be a new classic.  








Cafe du Jour is the new red.  If you're not sure about 
wearing an actual red hue on your lips, this interpretation of 
nature's passion may be for you!  The versatile alter ego of classic red, 
Cafe du Jour offers endless wear options with 
just about every shade of hair color and skin tone.  
The formula has been created with an amazing amount of Vitamin C 
and wears for hours on end passing the 
three cocktail or two cups of tea test..  If I had to sum it up Cafe du Jour, 
this lip color can easily be the one you 
have to have and never be without!  www.marilynmiglin.com.  




I try to be as socially conscious as possible in selecting cosmetic products.  
The Essentials brush set was a complete win and every vegans dream.  Natrafil®
offers eight highly useable professional makeup brushes unlike all others. 
 Housed in a gorgeous faux obsidian crocodile zipper case, 
this super set offers ergonomic tapered handles and bristles so soft, 
you'd swear they were natural.  Natrafil® bristles are a 
product of DUPONT.  Regular use produces beautiful 
makeup application while preserving a youthful appearance. 








Try one or try them all, these super six are 
bound to have some sort of positive impact on your life.  
They are all simple to use and can be easily worked 
into the busiest schedule.  The best part about using these 
life enhancing elements is that they may be used daily 
and they travel well!  Finish summer with a beautiful bang!  




So there you have it, Mary's 6 summer recommendations.
If you had to recommend ONE beauty product, share with 
us what it would be.

Mine would be coconut oil ;-)

Keep Calm and...............

Jul 22, 2012





The Keep Calm posters have  become one of the
iconic images of the 21st Century.

I bet we all have a couple on our Pinterest boards ;-)


Spend just a quick 3 minutes to see how this image
was started in the UK during the WWII.
It's really quite interesting.







Here are some of my favs:
















This last one is dedicated to
all my family + friends in the UK
who are suffering one of the wettest
summers in history :-(




So, did you know the story of these iconic images?
Do you like them or are you sick of seeing them
everywhere + on everything?

Do you have one of your own
that is your fav?
Do share it with us :-)






p.s do pop over to the Beaute Report to see our fab interview 

p.p.s having lots of problems scheduling posts with Blogger. Is anyone else? Has anyone solved the problem? Would love some advice :-(

Sisterhood

Jul 14, 2012

I wanted to take this week to let all my lovely blog
friends know how much you all mean to me.

We may never have met (yet!), but I feel we have bonded
pre-judgements, assumptions + perceptions.

So this is for every single one of you.





"Dear Amazing Girl

You have done so many things 
that you have forgotten about that make you
spectacular, brave, selfless, kind, intelligent +
wonderful





You have given so many things back to the world 
that you have forgotten about, 
that have made a difference to so many
people, 

I love these as much as I love all of you ;-)





that have changed lives + that no-one could have given
but YOU.




Try to remember right now all you have done,
all of the places you have been too





all the people you have influenced,
taught something to + all
the things you have learned along the way





You are absolutely phenomenal




both in your world +
in my world




Just remember, so many worlds would
not be the same without you



My go-to ring this summer http://bit.ly/NnGgRp





THANK YOU to each and every one of you
who join me on my blog of random 
ramblings; you've all shown me a new
kind of sisterhood I didn't know existed
before



Your messages last week re my friend
touched me to my core. How could so many
wonderful messages mean so much even 
though we have never met?


Thank you for each being YOU"
xx









What is it about the "sisterhood" of blogging that
has surprised you?

I would love to hear your thoughts



She Is So Special

Jul 8, 2012


I don't really like writing about sad things on this
blog, but this week I just feel I need to.

You see a very special person in my life was
unexpectedly admitted to intensive care.



It shook me to the core when I heard, as I had
only been speaking to her a few hours before.
How could this be happening?


Let me tell you about why my friend Teresa is so special to me.

She became my "adopted " mother when I came to Spain.

My Mum died when I was still quite young, so the deep + profound
conversations I have with Teresa I never had with my own
Mum, hence the bond.

She only speaks to me in English-never Spanish.
She went to the first ever bi-lingual school in Seville
(which at the time was run by Irish nuns), and she is
very proud of her language skills





She has advised me on everything from Spanish protocol,
to  guiding me whilst I made my first paella.

We've told each other secrets no-one else knows and
which we both will take to the grave



She is a walking Spanish history class;
most of the bridges in Seville were engineered by her
father who was Franco's principal engineer

her grandmother's house in Seville is now
a gorgeous boutique hôtel in the centre





She was the first woman to drive in her family.

Her first love declared to her he was homosexual, and was found
burned to death in a field (common practice 50+ years ago in Spain)

She went on to marry and has 8 children and
20+ grandchildren



She taught me so much about style, class and elegance.

She never leaves home without heels and pearls.

She have never owned a pair of jeans in her life!

She wears her minks + fox furs with aplomb
in the Winter, and couldn't give two hoots about
animal activists

All her clothes are handmade. Her dressmaker
(who is the daughter of her mothers dressmaker) comes
to her house at the beginning of each season, armed with designs
and  couture collection magazines

The dressmaker is closely followed by the "material man" who brings
rolls and rolls of the most gorgeous fabric to her home.
She always calls me over when he is coming, and I am
like a child in a sweetshop touching all the gorgeous fabrics





She still has domestic help, and her home still has the original
"servants entrance". She doesn't use this; her help
have their own keys ;-)
Her principal "assistant" is the daughter of her 
mothers help




She is a staunch Catholic (hence the 8 children;-)
but I have seen her get down on her knees and pray
on an Arab prayer mat to pray with a woman
who was dying of cancer. The
smile on the muslim woman's face is 
something I will never forget.

She still has mint tea, in a bone china cup and saucer
every day at 5pm; the way she was taught at school




When one of her newly married sons died of a brain tumor, she 
refused to cry in front of her children. She said she had to be 
strong for them. But when we were alone, she would
cry + sob like a baby, and all I could do was hold
her hand and "be there".




She refused to speak about me returning to the UK.

However, this month we have had to, and she always 
says "Van I hope I die BEFORE 
you go back to London, because I won't be
able to say goodbye".

Here is what is haunting me:

*in the 10 years I have known her
I have never known her to be ill.

* She looks physically at least 20 years younger
than she is.

*apart from when she had her children, she has
nerve been in hospital

*this Friday she was admitted into ICU, 
and the doctors have
no idea what's wrong.

* at the end of the day she is 82 years old!




All I can do is pray that this is all a coincidence.


Is there anyone in your life who doesn't fit
the typical stereotype of a "girlfriend", but who
has made the biggest impact in your life; is your
biggest cheerleader, and is always waiting at
the finishing line for you waving their
flag furiously?

I would love to hear your "sisterhood" stories to
get me through this week 
xx