Horst Rechelbacher 1941 - 2014

I landed to find out that Horst Rechelbacher passed away on Saturday 15th.

Horst was the Founder of Aveda - my first job in the industry - and Intelligent Nutrients.

He was an inspiration to those who worked with him and for him.

The beauty world will miss his vision and true care for the planet and people. It was never gimmicky with Horst, everything was done with passion and commitment.

He wrote many books but the Aveda Rituals book is a must-have for anyone interested in good health and well-being.

The world needs more people like him and he will be sadly missed. 

Aveda skincare - it's not all about the hair you know!

My recent stint in Liberty reminded me of how much I used to love Aveda skincare and what a gem it is.. The counter is opposite the Queen Mary room (fancy!) and I headed there for at least one item after nearly every consultation. Usually the original line..

The exfoliant is another alternative to the P50, Pixi Glow Tonic and Clarins Exfoliating Toner.

 The hydrating lotion does exactly what it says on the bottle. Light, non-clogging action.

The cream cleanser doesn't dry out the face..

And the spray toners are amazing. 

Here's the thing: It's kind of hard to go wrong with Aveda for good, basic, affordable skincare. I haven't delved too much into the other lines - I'm fond of this original line - I'm not one for faff and this does the job.

Here's the best thing: the pricing and the sizes. All of the products shown in Aveda's 'botanical kinetics' line start at £17.00 for 150ml.

Them's crazy prices. I forgot about you Aveda skincare. I'm sorry. Remedied. Go try it. 

Available at all Aveda stockists and online at www.aveda.co.uk 

*Purchases - no affiliates.

Where has this year gone? The year so far in pictures. Picture Heavy post..

Honestly this year has gone so quickly that I don't know where to start. After the success of the events in Liberty last week and the equaled success of my real 'day job', it seems a natural progression that the blog includes more of my day-to-day activities alongside the usual rants reviews and industry natterings. As I work in the industry, I figured it should still be of interest one way or another...!

Major shoe envy on the tube.

Aerin Kabuki brush. Loveliness.

Liberty's new self select area.

Finally got to see Sinead do 'Jackie' 26 years after the fact..

Girls Night In courtesy of Gillette Venus. Everything in the picture was stolen by Ava before I took my coat off.

Interviewing Poppy King at QVC.

Birchbox. The first time I've used everything in a monthly sub box.

Mum and Nana circa 1950

John Bell & Croyden's reception area. Anyone would think they were the Queen's pharmacy. Oh.

Ava in her element. In M&S.

CEW Demo Evening. Manic as always.

Setting up.

Ava's perfume collection. Thieving wench.

Goodwood Forest. Gorgeous.

The best salmon starter at Goodwood.

Bob Bob Ricard. Sadly unused button.

This month's indulgent purchase.

Rehydration in seconds.

Oh Good Lord.

It's Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.

La Bella Donna foundation - brilliant - and Lancome Hypnose. Standard.

My desk on a typical day. Flowers, lip gloss and too many pens. That's not even my main pencil case.

Ottolenghi's Friday madness.

Camelia Gardenia!!!!! - in HOMEBASE!

My gorgeous Mama.

Muji storage.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Can't stop looking at it!

Cleanser line-up. Reviews coming.

Standard day. Lushness.

Brilliant product.

Sprays face to death.

The big week at Liberty!!!

Setting up the workshops in Liberty.

A bag. Can't really see who it's by though?

Breasts, October, all things Pink and a slightly uneasy feeling.

Let me say this from the off: I wholeheartedly support anything to do with funding research into cancer, helping cancer sufferers, helping cancer survivors.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have been touched all too closely by cancer in recent years.

Cancer is a bastard. Make no mistake. I did the half marathon Moonwalk in May with my best friend Tracy who is a breast cancer survivor. Nothing else would make me walk 13 miles with my boobs out. Except maybe the odd long-haired-tattooed guitarist - but I digress.

The joy of doing that kind of event with someone you have a bond of 30+ years with is the dark humour that not only makes you laugh, but gets you through it. At one point in the middle of the night I turned to her and said 'It's just as well that cancer didn't kill you because this bastard walk is going to finish us both off.' 

(Next year I'm sending a cheque.)

So October rolls around and the world of beauty turns pink. Monuments are pink for the month and we are inundated by brands selling a vast array of 'Pink' products claiming to give a percentage of the profits to breast cancer research funding.

Well I'm not going for the blanket approach anymore. It's too much. I hate to be sceptical but if you can't name the value of your donation then I'm not promoting it. Or buying into it. The work I did in recent years with All for Eve and The Eve Appeal  (let us not forget the vajays) has proven to me that it is always possible to say how much your brand is ring-fencing as a donation per product. You simply work it into your cost price or budget for it from the moment you sell it in to retailers. Done.

What Estee Lauder have done to support breast cancer awareness and fund research for the last twenty years was and continues to be pioneering. Every year for the last 20 years Lauder has released products and named the value of the donation. Clear as day. Crystal.

So: Monday sees the lighting of the British Museum by Elizabeth Hurley on behalf of Estee Lauder. It has a special significance this year since the passing last year of Evelyn Lauder, the pioneer of the entire movement in the beauty industry. I'll be there supporting them because they put their money where their mouth is. 

By October 2011 Estee Lauder had donated $8.5 million to the Breast Cancer Research Fund. The fund itself has raised $380 million.

If you want to - you can meet Elizabeth Hurley at Selfridges in London on Monday between 1-2pm and in Manchester next Thursday 8th at the same time. She is also lighting up Selfridges Exchange in the Trafford Centre at 7.40pm that evening.

If you are a brand jumping on what you think is a pink bandwagon and simply saying 'profits from' or 'a donation from every sale' are going to breast cancer I'm sure you mean well, but I have seen too many the last few weeks for my liking. Name your price people. Our mammaries deserve better.

More information about the Evelyn Lauder Dream Collection is available here. 

Clinique Limited Edition Chubby Stick (gorgeous) is available here.

Bobbi Brown Pink Peony Limited Edition BCA Set is available here.

Jo Malone is donating £5.00 from every sale of Red Roses 100ml Cologne here - to BCRF.

Aveda Hand Relief for BCA is available here.

Darphin Hydraskin Serum for BCA can be found here.

Alternatively, if pink is not your thing - you can send your money directly to the following:

Breakthrough Breast Cancer 

Cancer Research UK

Breast Cancer Care

And if you have taken leave of your senses and have no need for the full use of your feet, you can sign up for next year's Moonwalk. May the force be with you.

Most importantly, feel your boobs. Know your boobs. Don't, ever, ignore them. 

The short blonde sitting on my knee circa 1982 (?)  is still with us thanks to  breast cancer research and her penchant for feeling her boobs.

The perfect Thalgo, Aveda and Elemis bath.

My steamy Sunday. 

In the same vein as the supplement post from yesterday - I've been meaning to write about my perfect bath for a while. As it was Mother's Day this past Sunday (in the UK) I took the time for one of my' mega baths'.  This basically involves me throwing all manner of products into a huge boiling bath (yes I know all about broken veins on my legs - I could give a rats arse) and laying in it for as long as possible - well, until I get bored or too shrivelled.

Above is what I used this week. The picture looks out of focus - its not - that's steam from said bath...!

Working from right to left:

Aveda Stress-Fix Soaking Salts - these are not actually released until April. I was lucky enough to get a sample pre-sale and they are SO lovely. Aveda's first Eco Cert endorsed range, Stress Fix is scented with lavender and clary sage. As soon as it hits the water the scent explodes around the room - it's lovely, not too lavender-y, just really fresh and relaxing. This is a mixture of sugar and salt - so it gently exfoliates while also de-stressing. The range also has a body lotion, pure-fume roller ball and Stress Fix treatments will be launching in their treatment rooms simultaneously. As per usual Aveda, job well done.

Thalgo Thalassobath with Algae - this is for those of us that enjoy bathing in what quite literally, is the sea. It's 76% sea salts and 24% fresh algae. Be warned: it smells of the sea - it's strong, sludgey (yes that is a word) and you will have to wash your bath (properly) afterwards. SO worth it though. Bits of the sea floating in the bath - I recommend standing up and showering afterwards. Otherwise you have green sludge on you when you are applying body creams. I'm really selling it here aren't I?!
Seriously - recommended.

Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak - This beauty has been on this blog before and was the first recipient in my Hall of Fame. It still stands alone as the best muscle soak out there. I add this last as it has a mild soap base and thus cuts through the tiny bit of oil in the Aveda. Also: blows your nostrils out of your head.
Can't recommend enough. That is all.

Beauty News Round-up

A little round-up of stories this week - first up...

• A reminder. Invati - the new range from Aveda that I reviewed late last year is on counters now. If you are worried about thinning hair - give it a go. I found it really good.
  
  
• FOUR London are teaming up with Daniel Sandler and offering a Consultation Evening next Thursday on 19th of January. The experts at FOUR will be giving colour consultations, Daniel will be giving MU tips and experts will be on hand from Dr Duve skincare to give you advice on how to get the best out of your skin. All with a glass of bubbles. To attend - simply email shirley at sdpr.co.uk
  

• Jo Malone announced this week that Charlotte Stockdale would be their new 'Style Editor'. In all honesty I'm not sure what a 'Style Editor' will do. Or how it will affect the brand. Very few brands are as visually strong as Jo Malone.
  I recently attended a CEW talk given by Jo herself to launch her new brand Jo Loves - during her speech she said that trying to pick which brand she loved more would be like 'trying to say which of her children she loved more'. I wonder what the original 'nose' makes of the new 'Style Editor'.
  Perhaps the original Jo Malone company (owned by Lauder since 1999) injecting newness into the range will be good for them - and good for the consumer.
  
  
• To celebrate the launch of their new counter in Harvey Nichols London - Stila are having a lipgloss amnesty 'Stila Steal' on 19th of this month. Just bring any lipgloss to the counter from 10am and they'll exchange it for a brand new 'Kitten' Lip Glaze.
  Interesting sidebar: Stila Lip Glaze is what I sold to my rudest customer ever when it was originally in Harvey Nichols in the late 90's. *waves at Naomi Campbell*
  
  

Frankly it's ABOUT TIME that Stila is back where it belongs. I could never get used to seeing it in Boots. Heartbreaking. It needs to be back in SpaceNK before I can sleep properly at night though.

Source

• Speaking of SpaceNK - lots of fabulous new ranges coming their way in the next couple of months - the most exciting for me being Kevyn Aucoin.
  It's 10 years this May since the unexpected death of one of the greatest MUA I have ever seen in action. I'm so glad his estate kept his new (at the time) range going. What better legacy? Look out for Celestial Powder and the Sensual Skin Enhancer. Hurry up and get here!

Best of 2011 - Hairspray

Finishing off my Best of 2011? I know. Hairspray? Really? Well, yes frankly. I use it every single day and am a bit obsessive so why not?

So without further ado:

Sorry I couldn't resist sticking them together. 

Fat Hair is one of those products that does what it says on the tin. This is definitely a 'going out' hairspray. It's also a gem for 'hair in a bun' days. This would withstand a tornado. Word of caution - being sticky/strong the nozzle tends to clog - 2 secs under a hot tap sorts it out perfectly though. And it's so worth it.
It was my hairspray of choice for the infamous Def Leppard/Motley Crue gig. Say no more.

Aveda Control Force is my hairspray of choice for a normal workday. I.E. hair down, loose - nothing special going on. Except frizz - which this prevents nicely. It's a lovely hairspray. Yes, I'm using the word 'lovely' to describe a hairspray. What of it?

I'm all up for suggestions for other hairsprays. Bring. It. On. Just no mention of Cheryl Cole please.

New Launch for 2012 - Aveda Invati

Let's set the scene. The picture above shows my brother, my father and my uncle. Oh and me. Spot the difference? I'm the one with hair. Well, not counting Dad's moustache. As you can see from said picture my father's genes run strong in our family. And that's just with the cheeks. Since I hit 40 (yes a few years ago now) I have noticed more hair in the plughole after a shower and a definite thinning in the front parting. People say they can't notice but I can.

So I was more than a little excited when I attended the launch of Aveda's newest range and discovered it was for ages 35-40+ who were concerned with thinning hair. Bliss.

Invati is the first major launch from Aveda haircare for years and from my impressions so far, well worth the wait.

There are 3 products in the initial offering.

Exfoliating Shampoo £18.50

Thickening Conditioner £20.50

Scalp Revitalizer £41.00

Invati is 97% naturally derived and improved hair loss by 33% in trials. It is specifically for women who are concerned with hair loss, thinning, loss of volume, lack of density and a tight or dry scalp - all signs of ageing.

The Invati range is designed to invigorate and stimulate the scalp thus exfoliating the hair follicle and removing the build-up of sebum and product that can inhibit healthy hair growth. Using a mixture of ingredients but primarily naturally derived salicylic acid, turmeric and ginseng so far - it does what it says on the bottle.

I felt a difference in the thickness of my hair after the first use and there is definitely less hair in the plughole. The fact that it does all of this without coating it in silicone (M*r*cc*n Oil anyone?) and chemicals is not just an added bonus - it's bloody genius.

Also, being Aveda and to my mind the most eco-aware brand on the planet - they have partnered with Indian farmers to source Ayurvedic organically-grown herbs while supporting local communities through projects to repair ageing water systems in two villages. Aveda don't just talk the talk - they put their money where their mouth is. Something I'm glad that the Lauder group continued after their acquisition.

The only thing negative is that I will run out of the shampoo and conditioner before it launches in January.

For more information on Aveda, their products and current projects around the world - here.