What to wear to vote?

People ask lots of questions about makeup but 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 can at least make sure that your makeup is in keeping with your political choices. 

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 you wish to wear your colours on your face, 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.) A nice addition might be the Limited Edition Green Mascara, for lashes as green as your politics.

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 tick all the right boxes. . .

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

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 both blue and green eyes and those who aren't quite sure? If that's a little bit too out there, a soft vanilla shade - 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 deep purple Chessflower. 

All types of politicos will benefit from the Colour Correcting powder, which unlike many politicians, actually does what it says on the tin and also looks pretty and smells delicious. (Possibly unlike most of them...)

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 absolutely promise not to mention politics! jane@theorganicbeautician.com

The Changing Face (and Body) of Beauty

Faces and bodies are subject to fashion as much as hair, clothing and makeup.

You might be aware of the scary light blue eyeshadow trend? 

Popular in both the 1950s and again in the 1970s, this is not generally a good look, although of course, the gorgeous Agnetha looked fantastic in anything.

Abba's Agnetha in blue eyeshadow

Even baby-blue eyeshadow. 

Despite that, it's a trend best forgotten swiftly, so let us move on rapidly.

Visiting Malta recently and the ancient Hypogeum, I realised how much beauty is in the eye of the beholder

The Sleeping Lady

Despite her girth The Sleeping Lady is tiny. Her rest was disturbed when she was removed from the Hypogeum. (Well worth a visit, but book many months in advance!)
She is now slumbering in a museum, but is easily missed as she is so little. 

She is very far removed from our current idea of beauty, though. We're not over keen on hips like that nowadays, and prefer a more athletic form, although this is a very modern trend.

Take Rubens, and his pneumatic ladies 

Dawn French once said: 

‘If I had been around when Rubens was painting, I would have been revered as a fabulous model. Kate Moss? Well, she would have been the paintbrush.’

Wealth is always attractive

Or it's thought to be. Rubens did paint some smaller women, but on the whole his subjects were anything but thin, in line with society. 

The people who could afford his paintings were rich, and larger ladies were on trend, as a status symbol - their generous size meant that their husbands could afford to feed them really well, so he must have lots of money. Poor women worked hard and had less to eat, so they were probably a lot thinner than their wealthy sisters. 

Being large was a status symbol

Also the people buying the pictures and painting were almost 100% men. And men generally like child bearing hips, even if their owners don't.

This trend was wiped out in the 1960s, when waif-like women became trendy.

Suddenly, everyone wanted to look like Twiggy. 

All eye lashes and no hips

This actually was a recap on the 1920s androgynous look when women bound their breasts to flatten them in an attempt to look more boyish. 

Dying to be thin

During the Renaissance, and in many other eras, thin women were not considered beautiful, but nowadays, wealthy people tend to be skinny. 

Despite most of us being lucky enough to have plenty of food, some girls are starving themselves in pursuit of a mythical ideal of thinness. But there's no point in being skinny, if you are anorexic and your hair starts falling out. Or you get so ill that you have to be force fed and hospitalised.

Although it must be said that not all thin girls have anorexia and will resent it, if you assume they do. Some people just really prefer salad to crisps. (I like both. But, crisps in moderation, salad not.) 

Naturally thin girls can have a hard time too (I know - I was one for decades!) 

People comment on your size and say things like 

"Ooh you're so thin. We must feed you up." 

Can you imagine if I'd said the same thing to them, but opposite - 

"Oh you're so chunky. We must put you on a diet!" 

It would have been unspeakably rude, so I never did. But I often felt like it...

Equally, if you're a curvy beauty, don't long to be skinny, but enjoy having your luscious curves. 

The Venus of Willendorf.
Possibly not a healthy eating role model.
More of a fertility goddess

If you're interested, most men prefer curves

The brain of the male of the species is programmed to notice fertility of prospective mates (that would ideally be most women) and what their brain looks for is curves:

Breasts that can nurture a baby, hips to store fat to feed that eventual baby, and a waist in between, so that they can see that the woman is not already pregnant. 

That might sound sexist, but Nature is pretty sexist, I've found.

The sanest way to look at body size and shape is probably to be happy in your own

It's the only one we'll get after all. At least this time round.

I really hope we are approaching an era of common sense where anyone, regardless of their size can feel and look beautiful. 

Because beauty should be a question of good health, not size

What we should all be aiming for, regardless of our size is a healthy diet, some pleasurable activity and exercise and acceptance of, and appreciation for, our own unique natural beauty. 

Picture by Shahab Yazdi from Unsplash

This time of year, as the seasons change and summer slides slowly, sullenly and soggily into autumn, your skin gets dehydrated like mad.

If you are dehydrated, your lips will let you know. They are an exceptionally efficient barometer of the rest of you.

The central heating, possibly, the coldness, then heat of the changeable weather, and the forgetting to drink enough water; all these take their toll.

Of your skin, of course, but your lips too, because lips, although they look like skin, are actually part of the digestive system: they're the nearest the internal bits get to the outside. (Except in horror films, obviously.)

Technically, the skin of the lips actually forms a border between the external skin on your face, and the interior (mucous membrane) of the mouth.

Lips are a transition layer between the outer and the inner, so they're a jolly good signal of what is going on with your health and hydration.

Now, the fullness of your lips is mainly controlled by the orbicularis oris muscle, the one which encircles the mouth, and enables you to smile, grimace and grin. Should you wish to do so. Keeping this muscle built up and strong will give fuller and firmer lips, so it's well worth getting stuck in to the old facial exercises. 

Obviously genetics play a part, as always, but you work with what you've got, don't you?

Lips, because they are lacking as many layers as the rest of the face, and contain no oil glands and considerably fewer melanocytes (that's the clever little chaps which produce melanin), tend to be dry. 

Photo by Luka Davitadze /Unsplash

Also, what you see as colour on lips - yours and other peoples is the blood vessels showing through that clear, thin skin. Less attractive, isn't it? (Except to vampires, probably.) 

So your lips really need your help to keep them moist and protected. 

Make sure you use an organic lip balm though, as some of it will inevitably get eaten!

Five a Day?

Did you know that the 'Five a Day' rule was a random easy number?

Yup. It was a decision made in the winter of 2002/3 to try to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables. 

Why five though? Isn't that a little on the low side, considering that people in nations like Japan eat seven to thirteen portions per day?

The reason is that the Department of Health didn't want to scare us with big numbers:

"There must be a balance between what is healthy for the British public and what is feasible," said a spokeswoman. 

Which is slightly scary.

Some of the Five a Day suggestions were
3 T baked beans
1 tinned peach
1 T of tomato ketchup
1 glass of fruit juice
3 T sweetcorn
3 T lentils
3 T marrowfat peas (?)

Meaning that you could get all of your five a day from tins and jars!

One of your five a day?

Yummy!

(And, healthy? Really?)

However, despite this, the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of 2014 showed, more than ten years later, that 70% of UK adults ate fewer than five portions of fruit and veg a day, let alone the seven now recommended last month by researchers at University College London. 

This is a lot more than slightly scary.

In my not-terribly-humble opinion, getting your vegetables from tins doesn't count.

Image from Harvard Health

You need fresh stuff, and considerably more vegetables than fruit which, though tasty, often causes tooth decay.  

A Radiant Skin Salad for lunch is a good place to start, and to make that easy on yourself prep some of it beforehand. 

I'm not giving you a specific recipe, but it's always nice to think about having every part of the plant on your plate, from root to seed, to sprouts to leaves.

If you prepare some grated roots at the beginning of the week, it'll last you a few days, and sprouted lentils are definitely better for you than boiled to death ones, so get some of those on the go. 

Washing your lettuce as soon as you pick it can make the difference between whipping up a quick lunch and resenting it. I always have some washed lettuce in the fridge for ease and speed. (Smug? Yes, probably...)

Radiant Skin Salad

Today I'm having grated raw beetroot and carrot, lettuce and welsh onions from the garden, watercress (not from the garden - sadly) avocado, sprouted lentils, sprouted alfalfa, tomatoes, raspberries and cucumber (yes they are really nice in salad, as they are slightly sour) topped with some feta and salad sprinkles for fats, minerals and vitamins. Also they taste delish. The recipe for that is in my book - The Skincredible Journey. (In fact there are lots of suggestions in there, now I come to think of it!)

If my lunch looks particularly pretty, I do put it on Instagram on occasion, so that might give you some ideas. 

So, that's my 'Five a Day' done by lunchtime today, and I'll be having asparagus, aubergine, green beans and chard with my supper.

Why make such a song and dance about vegetables?

Well, not only are they good for your health, but they're good for your skin (and hair and nails) so eating more of them is a GOOD THING in general.

Do you have any super salad recipes? I'd love to see or hear them.

In the meantime, have a Radiant day!

A simple way to get great skin

Sometimes the old ways are the best. Many moons ago, my mother told me to use a warm cloth before cleansing and a cool one afterwards. 

The first was to increase the circulation and open the pores, the second one to close the pores. 

But seriously, what would my mother know? 

I ignored that advice, until I started using Dr Hauschka, and found that the good doctor also advises warm and cool compressing, as a great way to gain and maintain radiant skin. I've now been doing it for twenty years, (And, Mama was right, of course!)

With new research about the skin's 'dew point' and added knowledge about the Lymphatic system, and how that needs to be healthy if our skin is to look radiant, we can see that this old fashioned skincare practice is a brilliant way to look after our skin and keep it looking and feeling more youthful and vibrant. 

Compress with a warm cloth, splash off cleanser then use a cool compress to close pores

How to compress:

• Fill the sink with warm water. 
• Add a few drops of your favourite Bath Essence*
• Place the compress in the water. 
• Wring it out and wrap the cloth over your entire face, including the chin and jawline
• Hold the cloth to your face for half a minute, and enjoy the delicious aroma
• Repeat, then apply your cleanser 

After rinsing off your cleanser, wring out the compress in cool water, and reapply for a few moments. 

This contrast in temperature between the initial warmth and the cool compress stimulates the lymphatic system, meaning that wastes in the tissue fluid are more efficiently removed.

It also helps to activate the arrector pili muscles in the pores, stimulating them to contract and remove any dirt and stale oil lurking in the pores.  

Don't make the mistake of using Essential oils - they will not dissolve in water. Use a proper Bath essence, like the Dr Hauschka ones.  

*Which bath essence is best?

• Moor Lavender Calming Bath Essence is great in the evenings, to promote a good night's sleep, and used any time for sensitive skin
• Rose is balancing and lovely for sensitive skin, and a pleasure for anyone who appreciates the glorious scent
• Sage is ideal for oily, blemished skin and helps balance hormones
• Lemon & Lemongrass is fab for morning awakening 
• Spruce is superb, if you have a cold or hayfever, and also in autumn and winter 

Need more advice? Click here for more info http://bit.ly/lookingforradiantskin

Manioc - a toxic root?

Cassava - AKA Manioc root - From Time - Top Ten Most Dangerous Plants!  is an unlikely plant for a cosmetic ingredient, wouldn't you think?  A strange name, which it's tempting to pun badly, but as I type, it's early, so forgive me! How anyone ever worked out that you can eat this plant is a wonder, because Manioc is toxic.  Exceptionally toxic. Cyanidally so. It's chock full of linamarin, a glucoside which it collects in storage cavities. If the roots get damaged, linamarin is released from the vacuoles, and enzymes set to work converting it into cyanide!  Which is odd, when you realise that the Brazilians eat quite a lot of it. As do school children in the form of tapioca pudding. (Usually with luminous jam. No wonder there's so much hyperactivity.)  Luckily, heating it volatises the cyanide and renders the roots edible. Phew! It's hard work though. The roots need peeling, grating, pounding and soaking. (Sounds like doing the laundry in the olden days!) After it's been left for a few days, possibly while the people have a little rest, it drains and dehydrates, leaving behind a detoxified mass of roots. They leave this to dry in the sun or oven, and eventually you get cassava flour, which is often well tolerated by people who have wheat or grain allergies. What's the point of all this you might ask? Washed, minutely ground tapioca starch can help absorb oil and waste products from the skin. Once the cyanide's been removed obviously. Dr Hauschka use it for these oil absorbing properties in Melissa Day Cream, the Coversticks and in Compact Powder. If you're technically minded, and want to see the botanical name on the packet, it is usually listed as Manihot and or tapioca. It's a member of the Euphorbiaceae family. But that's enough botany for now. Manioc's absorbent properties are handy on hot, stuffy days to keep skin looking radiant and matte, although if you can get hold of the actual root, apparently it's good for anything from headaches to worms. (I don't suppose worms like cyanide any more than we do.) Have a radiant and matte day! The pamper line is 07961224560 if you need anything. I don't stock cyanide, though. If you fancy making tapioca pudding, just click the link below the picture. It does look nicer than I remember!

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tapioca_pudding/

Best foot forward!

They say that an army marches on its stomach. This is patently untrue, like much military lore, no doubt.

Like us, they march - if march they do - on their feet. Their poor, neglected, bunioned, sore, blistered feet. 

Unlike us ladies, though, most soldiers don't get their toes on show. (Well, maybe the female ones do, when they get back to the Mess, but I digress) 

As we've been promised sun, that means no tights and skimpy, sandally-type shoes, or, perish the thought, flip flops. (AKA Thongs for reasons which escape me, as I thought thongs were particularly uncomfortable knickers. Showing my age again.)

This means that our toes - like soldiers -  will be on parade, so they may need a little TLC to look their loveliest. This means that either you book someone to pamper your tootsies, or you do it yourself. 

One of the new treatments I recently learned was a Leg one - fab for cellulite and perfect to add to a Foot treatment, so that's a good choice, but if you can't get here, this is a DIY version.

You'll need 

• a footbath
• some bath oil- Sage Spruce or Lemon are nice
• foot cream 
• Arm & Leg toner
• a Neem nail oil or pen

What to do

• Soak your feet in the footbath* and bath oil
• Dry them gently and apply the Neem oil. Leave to soak 
• Massage your legs with the A&L toner and enjoy the refreshing tonic scent of Rosemary and Horse-chestnut
• Now, gently push back the cuticles. (This may take several attempts if this is the first time you've seen them this year.) 

Slowly is better than viciously attacking them, as if you cut or split them, you could get a nail infection. (There are plenty from which to choose, and all rather unpleasant, so don't bother, is my advice.)

I know we're not scrubbers, but sometimes, feet can do with a little bit of abrasion. You can make a DIY scrub from a mixture of oil and sugar. Just be gentle and rinse well.

After that, massage in some foot cream in, then gaze in wonder at your lovely feet, which do so much for you.

Walking on sunshine, or even in it, seems a distant dream, but you should feel as if you are!

Have a radiant day!

Mother of Thousands?

What a bizarre name and what an odd plant!

Looking at Bryophyllum you can see how it got the nick-name mother of thousands.

Each stalk bears teeny-tiny baby plantlets - little clones of the mama - all along the edges of the serrated leaves. They perch, like swallows on a phone line, ready to drop off and grow up elsewhere. 

They are speedy growers, and rapidly develop a root system, thus becoming independent of the mother plant very quickly. 

Look at those babies!
Picture from Bryophyllum.weebly.com

Luckily she's got plenty more baby plants to occupy her, so no empty nest syndrome here.

This squishy fleshy plant is a reservoir of water covered in a shiny wax, which helps to prevent evaporation. Native to madagascar and Calcutta, it's a heat-tolerant plant, for sure, and copes well with drought. Luckily.

Traditionally, it's taken internally for diarrhea and fever, but an ointment made from the expressed juice of the leaves is used externally for treatment of ulcers, abscesses, burns or poorly healing wounds. 

This ointment has haemostatic, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing actions. You really wanted to know that, didn't you?

Anyway. Handy. Literally, as this ingredient is used in Dr.Hauschka Hydrating Hand Cream, as well as

• Regenerating Serum
• Regenerating Day Cream
• Soothing Intensive Treatment
• Renewing Night Conditioner 

Goethe from Allmusic.com

All of which benefit from the juicy, abundant succulence of Bryophyllum.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - he of Heidenröslein and Faust fame - was a big fan.

Not of Dr Hauschka, which wasn't around back then, but of the plant; he often sent it to his (many) lady-friends.

Saying it with flowers? I don't really want to think what he was implying.

I've never been too sure about Heidenröslein lyrics either, they always struck me as a bit #metoo, although the music is lovely, of course. 

But did Schubert pinch it from Wolfie? It's so similar to Könnte jeder brave Mann from The Magic Flute. 

Just me again, is it? Have a listen and tell me I'm wrong!

Text the Pamperline for more info 07961224560

Springtime self-care = self esteem

If winter is the time to hibernate and contemplate, a sort of withdrawal of mood and spirit, Spring is the season to move outside and breathe out.

It is also the season of the liver. Or the liver cleanse anyway.

Most European cultures teach that it's a time to detox and recharge one's health. The fresh green growth of plants shows us that we should be eating more greenery - wild garlic, sorrel and chives - all cleansing herbs - are bursting out all over. Pick some and add them to your Radiant Skin Salad!

It's also time to shed a few layer, expose a little skin and feel a little better. The sun lifts our spirits, along with charging up our vitamin D levels.

However, with the constant exposure to 'perfection' that we see all around us, it is possible to become a little discouraged if you think that you don't look like the people in the adverts.

I don't think the women in the adverts look like that either.

Sometimes, self-care can help build self-esteem

For instance, if you spend some time massaging your thighs, rather than berating them for not having a 'gap', you might decide that actually, dimpled or not, they do a rather fab job of attaching your legs to the rest of you, they work really hard, and now smell and feel great too.

Looking after something builds attachment, and affection. We could all do with some of that, couldn't we?
Blackthorn Toning Body Oil is perfectly suited to this.

It smooths, and tones. It smells delicious.

There is a particular technique to use with it, which helps increase circulation and decrease the appearance of cellulite, so ask me about that if you're interested. 

PS If you fancy trying some, text the Pamper-line 07961224560