Gok Wan and Lip Balm

What I absolutely love about Gok Wan (apart from the classic moment in episode 3, Series 6 of How to Look Good Naked when he holds a talking colour detector to his face and it declares he is “bright orange”) is reflected in his choice of desert island luxury: Dr.Hauschka lip balm, which coincidentally is also a lovely orange hue.  This is a truly amazing product, a golden pot of feel good factor, leaving your lips kissably soft and smooth, without the celebrity price tag or cocktail of unnecessary synthetic ingredients.  It may not have a celebrity price tag, but according to this month's edition of Marie Claire it does have a celebrity following, with Jennifer Anniston listing it as her £10 beauty secret (curiously enough she is wearing bright orange in this feature).

Have you ever watched an episode of 10 Years Younger and shuddered in horror as the person standing in front of the mirror is reduced to a list of faults to be corrected by cosmetic surgery?  It is the TV equivalent of one of those scary facials where you are scrutinized under a giant magnifying glass only to leave feeling like you are a giant, discoloured, open pore (with crows feet!).  Gok, on the other hand, always sees the whole person, celebrates what is truly amazing about the individual and then helps them to blossom.  The type of beauty he helps to uncover could never be bought at a Harley Street GPs, just as a million clever polypeptides combinations could never compete with the pure beauty of natural ingredients working in harmony with the whole.  

Stravinsky, Shaving Injuries and Free Samples...

This week has not been the best of weeks.  Firstly my car started to make noises much akin to the music of Stravinsky (alas Stravinsky during his discordance period, to a tune which sounded a lot like “this is gonna cost you”). My attempts to ignore this (by playing the radio) were literally drowned out by the addition of a noise that sounded like a flock of honking, angry Canada geese. Secondly, in a monumental act of shaving ineptness I managed to cut my leg. I should note that these two incidents were unrelated, as shaving and driving do not a good combination make.  However, they put me in mind of the Dr. Hauschka body range, no seriously, please read on… 

Dr. Hauschka’s body care is based on being in tune with your body, and a soft, gentle rhythm (which I sadly lacked whilst brandishing my razor).  Of course, unlike a car, your body isn’t going to start honking at you like an angry Canada goose if it is feeling neglected, and quite frankly good job too as it would be quite embarrassing in meetings if nothing else!  But it can become dry, flaky, wrinkled and inflamed.  As a society we tend to focus more on facial products, mainly because the face is always on display unlike legs and arms that can be hidden under layers of clothing. Somehow, people feel guilty about ‘indulging’ in a product that cannot be appreciated by the outside world.  But taking care of yourself shouldn’t be about what is on show, or the perceptions of others, but what makes you feel comfortable in your own skin.  Similarly, body care doesn’t have to be a complicated regime of products.  Simply applying Body Oil immediately after a bath or shower can be the most wonderfully uplifting experience. My favourite is Almond St. Johnswort Body Oil, which I find very comforting and reassuring (note, the aroma once applied is simply gorgeous. Smelling from the bottle I originally feared the Almond was too overpowering and I would be applying essence of Bakewell tart ; ).  Moor Lavender Oil is very relaxing and soothing when massaged into the feet.  Quince Body Lotion will keep your skin comfortably moisturized all day long.  Unlike my car, body care doesn't need to be expensive, a little goes a long way and you don't need to religiously moisturise your body every day, just whenever you feel the need to do so.  Warning once you start, you might be addicted to the results though!

Very excitingly Dr Hauschka will be launching a new body product in June – Regenerating Body Moisturiser. From the mere description -“Its rich, yet incredibly light formula and naturally beautiful scent of oranges and rose petals make Regenerating Body Moisturiser a delight to apply” - I’m in love with it already!  It is suitable for people concerned with skin ageing, again there are endless product available for the face, but we tend to overlook the skin on the rest of our bodies.

Until June 1^st you can receive a free sample when placing a web order by quoting the code 4RBMS at the checkout.