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!)