Do you need Gluten-free makeup?

     There are so many categories of makeup now, from organic, to vegan, to low allergen, and now we have added Gluten free to the already confusing and heady mix. Is this a step too far, or a necessary one?

Go to www.coeliac.org.uk for help

     If you are a coeliac, putting a product containing gluten on your skin shouldn't really be a problem, as wheat/grain sensitivities are generally located in the digestive tract, but if you've been advised to go gluten-free for health reasons, then you might want to consider using gluten free makeup, to avoid any possibility of accidentally ingesting something that might affect you adversely. 

     It makes sense to use a gluten-free lipstick, at the very minimum, as a certain amount will be absorbed. It's also a really good idea to make sure that you always wash your hands after applying makeup, so that you don't get anything allergenic in your mouth inadvertently.

     To be on the safe side, though, it is probably worth considering making the change, as it will be safer for you and your health, and there are some really great Gluten-free makeup ranges around nowadays, so you don't need to feel that you are missing out. I am an Organic Makeup artist, using Dr Hauschka makeup which is certified Gluten-free, so safe for anyone with wheat sensitivities.

Gluten-free Colour Correcting Powder
from Dr Hauschka

     If you are not a coeliac, or don't suffer from a wheat allergy or sensitivity, then you might think that there is no need for you to consider this subject, but if you live with a coeliac, then perhaps it might be as well to make the change, for their sake. 

     After all, lips are for kissing and you don't want to make anyone feel unwell after kissing them, do you? You want the people around you to feel comfortable, in which case, gluten free products are the way forward. 

Want a consultation? 

Contact The Organic Beautician 

Email: jane@theorganicbeautician.com

Text:   07961 224560

All women, but not all men...

      There's been a lot written about Harvey Weinstein, and his appallingly bad behaviour and bizarre sense of entitlement, and now it's beginning to turn on the women who knew: why didn't they say something?

     This is something that my husband, being an adult, and with no propensity to blame anyone for anything that is his fault (luckily) calls "How can I pin it on the missus?" after a friend of his, who, having pranged his car, was trying to work out if he could blame his wife. (Who wasn't even in the car at the time, and in fact, prefers horses.)

     Whether it is a universal male thing to try to pass the blame onto women, I don't know, but it does, of course, have Biblical precedent. "The woman did tempt me, Lord." So let's wrap her up in black shrouds, so that her propensity for 'tempting' is removed. Yeah, right. That'll do it. Not. How about trying to get all men to behave with common civility instead? A bridge too far?

     Anyway, Facebook, a thing of wondrous ability to steal your time, and will to live, has come up with a #metoo trope, and many women are posting things that have happened to them, most of which are no surprise to other women, because we've pretty much all had some entitled idiot thinking he has a free pass to the female anatomy. Some chaps are getting a little twitchy and saying #notallmen, which wasn't really the point; nobody ever said all men are total fruitloops, but pretty much all women have experienced the nastier side of entitled masculinity. To lighten the mood a little, I thought I would recount something that happened to me. Don't worry! No triggers!

     When I was 19 and living in London, I often got the late tube home to High Street Kensington and then had to walk for about 20 minutes to where I was living. Having done a little bit of karate, I wasn't terribly concerned and with the arrogance of a teenager, I thought I was invincible. Once, arriving after midnight, I was greeted by three young men, a little older than me. They were tall, strong and of a dusky complexion. One of them said that he would walk me home. I was slightly perturbed by this idea, so I fanned out my keys between my fingers and prepared to thump him hard.

     He walked me to my door, told me that I shouldn't be out late at night on my own because it was dangerous for girls at night. He waited till I'd unlocked the door, then said goodnight and left. A Gentleman!

     So I don't believe that all men are the problem, but I'm also aware that I was lucky in that instance. One of my Australian friends once found an unknown hand on her posterior, in a crowded tube. Lifting it in the air, she asked loudly

     "Whose is this hand, and why is it on my @rse?"

     She was in a full carriage, and with true British phlegm, everyone turned away and ignored her; nobody stepped up to help. Shocking behaviour, and presumably what goes on all over the place, not just in Hollywood.

     Let's hope it's getting better, but according to my daughters, it doesn't seem to be, although the youngest scowled so scarily at a group of catcalling lads recently, that they shut up. She wasn't prepared to put up with it, but her older sisters told her to ignore it. Plus ça change, eh?

     Ah well, plough on regardless, eh? Have a radiant day! 

Not just for Guacamole

Yummy skincare      Every once in a while, I look again at the ingredients of what I'm using on myself and my clients and have a muse on them. It's much easier to do this when they have friendly Latin plant names than when they are chemical ones like Methylisothiazolinone. (I may have misspelled that, but I don;t care, I'm not a big fan...)      One thing I suggest to people who've been on my Skincredible Journey is to chop an avocado over their Radiant Skin Salad at lunchtime, as it's an easy and delicious way to benefit from the oil, as well as the vitamins, minerals and trace elements contained in this creamy pear-shaped fruit. It's great to care for your skin from inside as well as outside, and easy when it's this tasty.      Avocado oil is prized as a skin care ingredient because it spreads really easily, so without pulling delicate skin, it also emulsifies with other ingredients and is quickly absorbed and well-tolerated by most skin types. As it makes skin supple and smooth, it's also great for hair and itchy scalps. So all pluses there.      Something bizarre...      Something you might not know about avocados is that the name derives from the Aztec word for 'testicle', as the fruit grow in pairs. (That's up there with Testament and testimony and the way the Ancient Hebrews used to swear oaths by putting their hands on each other's 'thighs', or that's what it says in the King James version. If you learned Latin you'll know different, and if you have nothing better to do, here's the explanation. We do learn something most days, don't we, though we might be happier to labour on in ignorance.)      Another equally unusual avocado fact which really makes it a 'fruit for today', is that it changes sex daily.  At least, the flowers do: half of the day the flower is ready to receive pollen, so acts 'female', while the other half of the day the flower sheds pollen making it 'male'. Whether this makes life easy or tricky for the pollinating insects, who knows? Possibly it was not a consideration.      Now, not only is avocado good for your skin, but also for your hair and nails having ludicrous amounts of potassium as well as the benefits listed above. Let's not forget the monounsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, magnesium, and folate, shall we? Lucky it's delicious, then. And, don't believe people who tell you it's fattening. They often go off to eat chocolate and biscuits, which are not as beneficial and probably more fattening. Some fats are good for you and your skin;this is one of them.      If you have any left over, you can also rub it into your hands, though personally I prefer hand cream, as it is less likely to make one resemble the Incredible Hulk, but possibly that is being Greenist...?      With all those benefits, both internal and external you probably have guessed that Dr Hauschka use it liberally. So what's it in? Here's little list (and they really would be missed!)       All of the following have Avocado in: Daily Hydrating Eye Cream, Quince Day Cream, Rose Day Cream, Rose Day Cream light, Regenerating Day Cream, Firming Mask, Concealer, Light Reflecting Concealer, Lavender Sandalwood Calming Body Cream, Almond Soothing Body Cream, Lavender Sandalwood Calming Body Wash, Lemon Lemongrass Vitalising Body Wash, Almond Soothing Body Wash, Rose Nurturing Body Wash.      Of course the new Regenerating hand Cream contains avocado too. If you liked the normal hand cream, you'll love this and it smells a lot nicer than avocado. but, maybe don't eat it...        Have a radiant day! Contact me: jane@theorganicbeautician.com

Why I became a skin therapist

Once upon a time, I sat waiting in a salon that shall be nameless, because I'm not keen on offending anyone, and I'm not too clear on the libel laws. This was many years ago, but the memory is still painful...

...I'm waiting, not terribly patiently, for the dimbo receptionist to finish talking to her chum on the salon phone.

 “Yeah, babe, yeah, I know right. No, he never? What? Reeely?”

Her inane chat goes on and on as I seethe quietly. I left early to get here; I made sure I had change for the car park; I double checked the time and got here five minutes early, as requested. I wait longer...

Ten minutes later, I know rather a lot more about this girl’s life and friends than I’d like to. I sigh more loudly and start drumming the reception desk with my neglected nails. She finally looks up:

 “Gotta go babe, there’s a customer, yeah, I know, it’s a pain, right. Later, babes.” And, finally I have her attention! She speaks to me:

Her: Hiya.
Me: Hello. I had an appointment booked for 1pm.
Her: Oh yeah, Take a seat, I’ll go and get the room sorted.

I seethe a little more, and try to remember how long I put on the car, because I’m now 15 minutes later than expected.

Finally we go into the misnamed “therapy room”, where I’m greeted by off-key whale song and a fug of cheap incense, nail varnish fumes and air freshener, presided over by a pissed-off looking statue of the Buddha. I’m not surprised; he looks as I feel. I thought this was supposed to be 'an hour of Blissful Relaxation', but so far, all that’s happened is that my blood pressure, normally rather low, is rapidly approaching the stratosphere.

“What’s up with your skin then?” she asks, laconically (or would if she knew what it meant). “If you don’t mind me* saying so, it looks a bit old and weathered.”

Actually, I do mind, and, as I’m about 25 years older than her, I’m bound to look a little more careworn in comparison, especially after listening to her inane babble for 15 minutes. Anyway, at least my nails, eyebrows and eyelashes are my own, unlike hers.

She proceeds to slap some cream on my face, telling me I desperately need exfoliating – my God! What’s she using? A patent and potent mix of Agent Orange, diamond chips and stainless steel gratings? It stings. I mention this.

“Yeah, well, it’s meant to take off the top layer, innit.”

I’m not altogether convinced that I want the top layer removed and allude to this. Nobody else complains, apparently.

I give up and suffer with clenched lips, as she proceeds to tell me about her fella and asks whether I think she should dump him and go out with Darren instead. I mention that Darren and I have not been introduced, so I couldn’t really give a valid opinion – “Oh, right, yeah”

She tells me about her holiday in Majorca, as she slaps more stingy stuff on. I try to go to my happy place, but they’ve moved it without telling me. I’m bloody paying for this; I can’t believe it.

Finally she says she’s finished with me for now, but I need to come back next week so we can do something about those lines.

“What exactly are we planning to do?” I ask “Botox?” “Nah, I’m not qualified, but Stace could do it for you, she’s just done a course.”

I demur gracelessly and say I’ll learn to live with them. Then I stare in dismay at my reddened face, and don’t say anything, because I think I’d cry. I’ve got quite nice skin normally, but now it appears like newly waxed legs: reddened and blotchy, and should it really itch? I looked better when I came in. Is this really good for my skin?

I go home to weep and drink vodka. Still, on the bright side, I didn't get a parking ticket.

     This was just one of the reasons why I studied skin care; I thought that there had to be a kinder way to treat the skin. Surely skin treatments could be pleasurable as well as effective? Is it really necessary to suffer to be beautiful?

     The answer to all those questions turned out to be Dr Hauschka. Kind, gentle, effective, organic and unique. Just like you and me, and our skin. 

     Why not try a little kindness and see how your skin responds? www.theorganicbeautician.com

*Yes, I know this should be 'mind my saying so', as it is a gerund, but I'm quoting from life, and her grammar, like her customer service skills, left something to the imagination.

Organic September - back to basics

 Welcome to Organic September! 

     What is that? you might ask. It's been going on for several years now, and is an annual campaign led by the Soil Association. The idea is to encourage people to make small changes to their purchasing habits and to raise awareness of buying genuine organic products. It's pretty obvious which month it's in, isn't it?

     Anyway, I thought it might be a good opportunity to go 'back to basics' about skin care, as it's so easy to miss things out in consultations and there is so much to learn. Most of it slightly different from what we are usually told: 'no night cream', for instance, has been known to induce semi-hysteria, but there's no need to panic - all will become less murky and arcane over the next four weeks.  

     During this month, you will discover

• why many things you’ve been told about skincare are unhelpful and possibly damaging to your skin
• how you can find a better way of looking after your skin so that it becomes radiant and healthy because healthy skin is always radiant, but radiant skin is not always healthy
• simple tricks that will help keep your skin looking radiant and dewy, regardless of age

     So, why do I say that nearly everything you have been told is wrong? Well, for a start take exfoliating. Yes! Please take it away and dispose of it. 

We are ladies not scrubbers!

      Scrubbing at your lovely skin is not a good way to treat it, despite what all the companies selling us scrubs and peels say.

     (At this point you might be thinking that I’ve gone mad, but I can assure you that I am fairly sane, have rather good skin or so my clients say, and haven’t scrubbed, exfoliated or peeled my skin for over a couple of decades. Guess what? It looks just fine!) I often say to my clients 

     "If you really want to scrub something, there is the kitchen floor,or better still come and scrub mine!, but don't attack your lovely face."

     If you have an open mind, and think this is an interesting concept, then please continue to read for the rest of this series, as we discuss this further, but if you are quailing in horror, then please run away now: go back to your scrubs, wipes and peels, as this is not for you! 

Dr Hauschka and the Rhythm of Skin

This year marks the 50th year of Dr Hauschka Skincare, so it seems appropriate to write a little about the two Rudolfs who made it possible, as well as Elisabeth Sigmund who did so much to develop the treatment side, as well as the skincare products.

In 1924, Dr Rudolf Hauschka, creator (with Elisabeth Sigmund) of the eponymous skin care range had a meeting, in a corridor, which would literally change his life: he met Dr Rudolf Steiner at a conference, the year before Steiner died.

Rudolf Steiner 

Born in 1891, in Austria, the younger Rudolf was a keen biochemist and was looking for a way to preserve plant extracts without the use of alcohol or synthetic preservatives, in a way that would retain the essence of the original plant. He asked Dr Steiner a seemingly simple question: "What is the meaning of life?" (I think we'd all like the answer to that one.) 

Anyway, he got his answer. Rudolf Steiner told him to study Rhythm, because "Rhythm carries life." 

Most women are pretty aware of rhythms; we have the obvious monthly one, then day and night, heat and cold, dry and moist: all these different modalities of life and rhythm surround us, and we take then for granted, without really thinking about them, but Dr Hauschka was inspired by this concept, so proceeded to experiment with various methods of extracting and preparing his plant extracts. 

By potentising them according to homeopathic principles and using his unique 'rhythmical processing', which involved exposing the plant extracts to the elements and rhythms of nature, he succeeded in creating an water-based extract of rose petals which remained stable without the use of alcohol or preservatives. 

If you or your children have ever tried to make Rose Water, you'll know that initially the mix smells beautiful, but in a day or so, it's pretty rank and only fit for the compost heap. Dr Hauschka's, however, lasted for over 30 years, and formed the basis of the mother-tincture that was used for medicines, by Hauschka's company WALA. 

(Wala is an acronym for Warmth and Ash, Light and Ash or, more probably, in German:Wärme-Asche und Licht-Asche, which stands for the rhythmical process developed by Rudolf Hauschka)

In 1935, still working with the impulses of anthroposophy, Dr. Hauschka opened the first WALA laboratory in Germany. There was a bit of a blip in the period between 1939 -1945, and Rudolf Hauschka, like all the best people, spent some time incarcerated; a pretty common occurrence at that point. He was lucky enough to survive the war, and WALA continued its medical work, expanding and creating a range of medicines that today numbers over 900 different products, plus the Dr Hauschka skin care range.

This was a co-creation with the renegade Esthetician and anthroposophist Elisabeth Sigmund. She was ordering WALA medicines to use in her own skincare creations and they began to correspond.  Dr. Hauschka asked for her thoughts and ideas about creating an holistic skin care range based on Anthroposophical principles, and was so intrigued and delighted with her input, that she was invited to visit WALA HQ in 1964. 

From then on they collaborated and the first WALA skin care products appeared in 1967. Initially the products were labelled with both their names: 

Dr R Hauschka and 
„Heilende Kosmetik nach Elisabeth Sigmund“ (roughly translated as 'healing cosmetics from Elisabeth Sigmund') but her name was dropped at some point; I don't know why. It often happens to women in science, though. It might have been considered better to use the prefix Dr. and Elisabeth had given up her medical training in order to work as a nurse during the war, and never gone back. 

Rudolf Hauschka's grave at Wala

The resulting partnership was remarkably fruitful and creative. When Dr Hauschka died in 1969, Elisabeth Sigmund carried on with their joint work. She developed the Dr Hauschka Classic Facial treatment, the Facial Gymnastics and started the development of colour cosmetics - makeup with the same curative ingredients as the skincare range. 

Elisabeth Sigmund's grave at WAL

Elisabeth Sigmund died in 2013 at the age of 99, wearing her favourite Dr Hauschka lipstick to the end, and still a keen student of Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy.

They both stayed at WALA though; their grave are in the lovely little cemetery in the grounds where they worked so hard.

Empow(d)ering women

At the Edinburgh book Festival, Zadie Smith asked if women were paying the hair and makeup tax, and she has a fair point: should modern women be spending up to four hours on their hair and makeup? If they do spend that long, then she is surely justified in limiting her seven-year-old daughter's mirror time. Mind you, she looks pretty glamorous in her makeup!

I also think that four hours is way too long. I'm not sure what these women can be doing, unless they are straightening their hair daily. Which, as any hairdresser will tell you will eventually leave you with no locks to straighten at all, as straightening is very bad for your hair. 

So can it be the makeup? 

Can you spend two hours on your makeup? I can't. At a push (i.e. most mornings) I spend about five minutes putting on my makeup. In fact, being fairly sad like that, I just timed myself to check, and I can slap on the slap in just under five.That includes foundation, eyeshadow, eye liner, mascara, lip liner, lipstick, blusher and bronzer, by the way. As I am a trained MUA, maybe that doesn't count, but my clients are also taught how to makeup quickly, as really, who wants to spend that precious time painting their face on a daily basis?

If you want to do all that contouring, though, it might take longer

I'm not a huge fan of contouring on the High Street; it usually looks as if the wearer has war paint on. Contouring was really designed for photography and bright lighting, but, if it makes you happy, and you have damn all else to do with your time, by all means watch some YouTube videos and learn how to do it properly, with the caveat that what looks splendid in the bright light of your room might look a little 'Frankenstein's bride' in the great outdoors. Fine if you like the Goth look but otherwise, maybe save it for the Insta filter?

Wasted time?

Back to that wasted time, though: it's only wasted, if you feel that you have to wear makeup. You don't. You look great without it too, so only wear it if you really want to, not because you feel imposedupon. Feminism is about free choice, and if you choose to spend your precious time painting yourself, fair play. In fact, recent studies suggest that women do better in exams if they are wearing makeup! So maybe that time is not wasted!

So makeup can be empowering! 

If you feel more confident with a little paint and powder, that's fine; just learn to do it faster, and enjoy it! Makeup should be for fun and enhancement, not for hiding behind.  

Sun protection in the 'Shade'

    Yesterday, my husband insisted on showing me the highlights of the women's cricket. I'm not terribly interested in cricket, but I thought that the girls should have been supported. They did tremendously well,

     The thing is, I have not so fond memories of playing cricket at school. We had to play with the boys, and they knew what a googly was and a boundary and I didn't. Plus they could quote from Wisden ad nauseum. (If you don't know, don't ask. Particularly don't ask a cricketer.) That was fine, as long as you were interested in cricket. I can't remember any of the girls being keen; we generally prefered rounders. 

     It's not cricket

     My other main memory of school cricket is a red nose. Because in those days, they didn't insist on children being smothered in sun-cream, before being allowed out, under an umbrella and sunhat. (Nowadays, it's virtually classed as child abuse, to let a child outside, without lathering it in white stuff.) 

     A Quest...

     Since that time, I suppose I have been on a quest for the perfect sun cream. Not all the time, you understand. I do have a life. However, now and again, I would wonder which sun-cream to use, pick up a shiny bottle and look at the ingredients listed on the back. At which point, it was promptly returned to the shelf, as being unsuitable for human use and detrimental to the ozone layer/coral reefs etc. 

     Smells like unclean spirit

     This is because the majority of sun protection products contain artificial fragrances, colours and various assorted synthetic chemicals which claim to absorb the rays of the sun. Brands which claim to be natural, usually use minerals (such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide) which sit on the skin reflecting them. Some studies suggest that chemical sunscreens are more likely to cause allergic reactions than mineral sun blocks. Plus many of the ingredients are really unpleasant. After all, if they can bleach and kill the coral reefs, what are they doing to you and your skin? 

    Dr Hauschka used to make a rather lovely suncream, but then stopped, as they were not convinced that they could use natural ingredients and still achieve the ratio of UVA/UVB protection mandated by EU regulations, so that was a pain. 

Over the years, I've used the Dr Hauschka normalising day oil on my face and made a mixture of oils and butters for the rest of me. But, I am quite cautious to avoid too much sun and wear a hat, because I am not partial to a burned nose. 

     However, I did burn my nose once, when surfing (or falling off a board and semi -drowning, which is my version). It was horrid (the burning bit, not the falling off the board - I've perfected that) and I would like to avoid that in future. But you can't surf/swim/run/do stuff under an umbrella all the time, can you? You need something, sometimes.

     'Shady' ladies!

     Now, I have recently found a sun cream called Shade, which is mostly organic (Zinc oxide can't be organic) and only has four ingredients, so is unlikely to cause problems, even on the most delicate flower/child. I've been testing it for a couple of days, until it started to rain (again) and it seems very nice. My clients seem to agree, too, as it has been whizzing out of the clinic.

     At the moment, I only have a limited amount of handbag-sized testers, but if there is enough interest, I'll stock it permanently, in larger sizes. So do let me know if you'd like to try one. They are £3.75 for a 15 ml tin. As I said, I've been putting it on for the last few days and I like it! You might too. But you won't know unless you try it, will you?

www.theorganicbeautician.com

What to wear to vote?

Something I rarely get asked, in fact, almost never, is "which lipstick should I wear to vote?" In an attempt to lighten the mood a little, here is the answer to that question, which is undoubtedly one of today's least important issues, but should you be terribly excited about the election, you could make sure that your makeup is in keeping with your political choices. 

Eye definer Green

Brow & Lash gel

Green Goddesses should be totally happy with the entire Dr Hauschka makeup range, as it is undoubtedly 'green', being biodynamic/organic and produced in a factory that recycles its water and uses green electricity, amongst many other environmentally-friendly policies. 

Should they wish to wear their colours on their sleeves, or rather, faces, a good choice might be Eye Definer 04, a soft green eyeliner, and eyeshadow Verdelite 04, a darker green with added sparkle. (All politicians can do with a little more sparkle, in my view.) As Green types are often too sérieuse for much makeup, a nice addition might be the transparent Brow and Lash gel for eye lashes and brows (who would have guessed?) and a light lip gloss, like Cornelian 05.

Eyeshadow Trio 01

Azalea Lipstick

Conservatives and 'True Blue' types have plenty of choice with eye colours: there is the Blue Mascara, an Eye Definer 03 in a bright blue, and a lovely soft blue shade in the new palette called Sapphire. Plenty of choice there.


For lipsticks, it might be best to avoid a red, unless it really is a really blue-toned one, but the bluish-pink lipstick Azalea might be just the ticket.

Rubellite for eyes

Labour lovers will want to avoid any blues, of course, but can plump for really red lips, so something like Dahlia topped with Goji lipgloss would be fab. 


On the eyes, the closest thing to red is the Rubellite eyeshadow, which comes in a just left-of-centre soft pink. Brown mascara goes well with this. 

Amber Eyeshadow

Fire Lily

The poor LibDems seem to be slightly confused about which colour represents them, them having meandered from yellow to orange then back again. So how about the lovely Amber eyeshadow which is particularly flattering for blue and green eyes and those who aren't quite sure? If that's a little bit too out there, a soft vanilla shade of Alabaster might be more subtle.  Brown Mascara might be a good choice with either of these. 

For lips, there is a fab orange called Fire Lily, which looks as it sounds, but is surprisingly flattering, whatever your political persuasion. 

Ametrine Trio

Along with Voltaire, (and the writer who actually wrote that this was his attitude, a woman called Beatrice Hall)  ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" describes pretty well many people's thoughts about the last party. 

Chessflower

UKippers seem to go for purple, so there is plenty of choice for them with Plum volume mascara and eye definer and a lovely palette of mixed purples called Ametrine. The purplest lipsticks are Hollyhock, a deep plum with a hint of pink, and Chessflower, a deep purple shade. 



All types of politicos will benefit from the Colour Correcting powder, which does what it says on the tin and also looks pretty and smells delicious.

Colour Correcting Powder: only works on faces,  not policies.

Best of luck to you, whatever you decide to vote! 

If you would like a totally non-political, personal colour assessment and makeup session do get in touch. I am the only Dr Hauschka Certified Makeup artist in the UK and I promise not to mention politics! jane@theorganicbeautician.com

Power (brow) dressing

It's not often that men wear makeup, in public, anyway. Except in Brighton of course; good for them! Certainly it's rare in the Cotswolds, but there is a new trend which is creeping in and that is fuelled by Dr Hauschka's new Brow and Lash gel. 


Anyone with a chap at home knows that they tend to be hairier than most girls, not just the beard, but all over, and as they age, their eyebrows can often become quite fearsome. These monsters need taming, and that's not always easy, because they can be a bit wussy about tweezers and waxing. 

Dr Hauschka's Brow & Lash gel

The best solution, and the most fragrant, is to use Dr Hauschka's new Brow and Lash Gel! Not only does it keep those scary male eyebrows in the right place, but it conditions them too. 

It's a transparent gel with a handy mascara brush, which fixes unruly eyebrows in place, invisibly. This is a gentle option, which also smells nice, but not too girly, and has nourishing botanical extracts which also condition the beasties: neem and eyebright are just a couple. It's not totally magic, of course, they still might need a little trimming...

Having said that the chaps like it, so do the ladies. One of them said that you just don't feel dressed unless your brows are groomed, and this also applies to the boys, it seems. 

www.theorganicbeautician.com

Dr Hauschka's new Makeup range

The new Dr Hauschka makeup launched officially on 30th March, and it was well worth the wait, as it contains wonderful new products which are just what every woman needs: 


First up is the Brow and Lash gel

This gently keeps lashes and eyebrows in order as well as nurturing them with a wealth of healing ingredients like seaweed, Neem, tea extract and eyebright. As well as silk, to keep your lashes silky soft. It's also great for women who don't want to wear heavy mascara, but like a little definition. Rumour has it that chaps like it too, and considering some of their eyebrows, that can only be a good thing!



Another great product is the new clear Lip Line Definer. 

Initially, it seems odd to have a clear lip pencil, but this is not your regular lip liner, as it's specially designed to stop lipstick bleeding into the little lines around your mouth. (If you are under 35, you may not have this problem, of course!) This transparent pencil forms an invisible, moisturising barrier that prevents lipstick and lip glosses from smudging and running.
The moisturising formulation includes nourishing botanicals like jojoba oil, shea butter, carnauba wax and rose wax to moisturise the skin around the lips, as well as forming a lipstick proof barrier. So far, it seems to do the job brilliantly. It's a dandy makeup bag addition!

 Then there is a nude Eyeliner pencil 

Why would you want a nude Eyeliner? is what you might be wondering. Fair point, but you use it on the water line and it makes the whites look whiter and the eyes look larger. An optical illusion in both senses!
As usual, it contains healing herbs like Witch hazel and Anthyllis, botanical extracts like Black tea and Quince as well as precious oils and waxes, including Marula Oil, Jojoba Oil and Shea butter. This is far more sophisticated than putting a couple of tea bags over the eyes and I think will be very useful as barrier to pollen for hayfever sufferers.

My new Favourite: Colour correcting powder 

This silky smooth powder is a mixture of colours which help to tone down any redness and even out skin tone with a light veil of blended colour. This has already been the best seller for me, with some clients ordering before they even tried it out, so this must be filling a long felt need. It does what it says on the packet, as far as I'm concerned. Plus, it smells of roses and contains the now familiar list of lovelies including Tea extract, Anthyllis, and Witch hazel. Part of the reason it feels silky is that it actually contains silk, which is very protective and soothing for the skin.



My next new favourite is the Light Reflecting Concealer

A wondrous product, this, similar to Touche Éclat concealer, but with the addition of curative ingredients such as silk, witch hazel and anthyllis, a healing herb, which, you might have noticed, is found in most of the Dr Hauschka skin care products as well as the cosmetics. This also contains carrot seed oil and soothing calendula extract. 

Now, this little beauty is great for dark circles around the eyes, as it brightens the skin and helps to soften dark shadows, because of the mineral pigments in its formulation. You can also use it in the inner corner of the eyes and as a highlighter over the lips, in the cupid's bow. 

If you'd like more information, you can sign up for my emails by clicking here Jane's Emails You'll get hints, tricks & tips and the occasional bizarre factoid, and you can unsubscribe at any point, and I won't mind. (Well, I will sit in a corner weeping, but don't let that concern you!) You can also contact me by email - jane@theorganicbeautician.com 
I have all the new makeup in stock, and as I'm currently the only Dr Hauschka Trained Makeup Artist in the UK, I am uniquely placed to help you discover the colours which will best enhance your own individual beauty.  

New makeup coming soon from Dr Hauschka

New looks and colours are always exciting and the Dr Hauschka makeup range has been extensively updated as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.

I can't post any pictures as yet, but I have seen and tried some of the products and am very excited about the new range. There are new additions and tools as well, which are worth waiting for!  

This means, of course, that the old makeup range will be phased out soon, so I am offering all that I have left at 20% off while stocks last. 

This is a great opportunity to bag yourself a bargain 

or stock up on a favourite.

Watch out for more news, or sign up to my newsletters for further info!

The Shepherds’ Supper

Christmas is not just about commercialism, but also about enjoying memorable moments, and something that we have done as a family, for several decades now, seems to have aroused some interest, so to save my breath, I’ve decided to write it down.

On Christmas Eve, we have a shepherds’ supper, which initially, at least, when the children were smaller, consisted of what we thought the shepherds would have eaten on Bethlehem Plain, on the very first Christmas Eve, while sitting around their camp fire. I’m not sure where we got this idea, but it stuck, and over the years, became the children’s favourite part of Christmas. Occasionally, when they were smaller, we had it outside, around a fire in the garden, and once, our eldest daughter dressed up as an angel and sung to her four year old baby sister, who commented that “the angel looks just like Georgie.” (Unsurprisingly.)

As the children grew up, it has become more of a “Brian Aldridge School of Shepherding” feast, with champagne, but it is still eaten in front of the fire, with candles and we always light the tree candles* for the first time, sing a few carols, and read “the Night before Christmas”.  Some years, when we have had one child or another singing Midnight Mass, at Gloucester Cathedral, we’ve had to go easy on the bubbly.

Because it was something different, it was quite a calming way to get small children into bed on Christmas Eve: candle- and fire-light is far more soporific than electricity and the flickering Television screen, so we didn’t have trouble with them staying up for hours, waiting for poor, exhausted Father Christmas to fill the stockings. (We used to leave some brandy for FC and a few carrots for the reindeer, but they’re a bit old for that now, and more inclined to drink the brandy themselves.)

The menu is a godsend for busy "caterers" at this hectic time of year, as it consists of bread, crackers, cheeses and salami, a few olives and pickles, with bunches of grapes for pudding. This means NO COOKING! Fab idea!  Now that they do their own shopping and cooking, the children bring a contribution to the feast, so that we get a variety of cheese and salami which nobody in Bethlehem would ever have dreamed of, but the theme remains the same.

As we no longer have small children, we thought that the popularity would have waned, but it is still their favourite Christmas tradition, and even if they can’t be with us on Christmas Day, they will drive miles to come to the shepherds’ supper, which is rather touching!

*Safety Note: 

We've been lighting candles on our Christmas trees for over 30 years, and only once has the tree caught alight, and was quickly put out. But we put our tree up a day or so before Christmas Eve, so it hasn't had time to dry out, and we never leave lighted candles unattended. We now use these candle holders which are much safer than the old clip on types, and have - fingers crossed - not had a problem since. (Though, actually, the children really enjoyed the little conflagration!)