Wealden Times | WT191 | January 2018 | Interiors supplement inside

Beauty
range doesn’t look like anything else out there – and I can’t
wait for them to add facial skincare to their repertoire.
If you’re looking for a one-stop organic beauty multitasker,
meanwhile, you can’t do better than Neal’s Yard
Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm, £40 for 50g – a serial
award-winner which just walked away with a Gold Beauty
Bible Award in the Multi-Purpose Balms category (for a
full run-down of results, visit beautybible.com). I don’t have
room to list the many and various beauty challenges this
rises to, but near the top of the list, for me, is its ability to
melt away make-up and leave skin super-soft, when used
in combo with a good old muslin cloth. While you’re at it,
check out the ever-growing Frankincense range from Neal’s
Yard: state-of-the-art anti-ageing skincare which has also,
down the years, wowed Beauty Bible’s diligent testers.
I’ve become a massive fan of the Bamford range, meanwhile,
over the past few years – the skincare ‘sister’ of Daylesford
Organic foods. For me, so much of a product’s allure is down
to smell – and Bamford’s are sublime: highly sophisticated
aromatherapeutic blends, which are infused into luxe textures
(and at luxe prices, I should probably add). Perfect for winter
skin is a duo of products in the Restore-Rejuvenate range:
Restore Elixir facial oil, £75 for 15ml, which sinks in fast
yet plumps skin with just a drop of two of the rosehip-oilbased
blend, and the ultra-rich, glow-getting Nourishing
Mask, £70 for 45ml, offering a texture that’s like whipped
cream, packed with shea butter, repairing cotton thistle
extract and lashings of hyaluronic acid, among the other
botanical skin-boosters. If I could only choose one ‘desert
island’ Bamford product, though, it would be the luscious
tub of Jasmine Body Cream, £38 for 200ml (a positive snip
compared to the facial skincare), which imparts a scent of
orange blossom and jasmine that is exactly how I imagine
heaven to smell. N.B. I like the transparency of Neal’s Yard
and Bamford: they tell you exactly how much of the formula
is organic, if it’s not 100% (and despite massive leaps forward,
some ingredients are still, alas, not available organically).
Other favourite organic brands/finds of mine include
Balm Balm, Odylique (their Creamy Coconut Cleanser is
a true beauty classic), Nourish (check out the Illuminating
Face Shimmer – a unique product which delivers an instant
boost to lacklustre skin and is great under make-up), and
new kids on the block Freshious. Among my many other
organic ‘loves’ is Made for Life by Spiezia Organics range,
from a long-established Cornwall-based organic name.
(Their Sore Skin Relief Balm is a go-to for any kind of
irritation/dryness, for me – and it’s worked mini-miracles
for friends with eczema or serious sensitive skin flare-ups.)
Meanwhile it’s definitely worth noting that superfacialist
and beauty author Alexandra Soveral’s own gorgeous
products are also certified organic – which tells you
everything about how seriously organic is being taken.
As a short-cut to other certified organic brands, I advise
that you check out soilassociation.org (Organic Beauty &
Wellbeing is a drop-down sub-menu in the Organic Living
section, which links to a wide range of certified brands).
There’s also a great post within the brand listing dedicated
to how to avoid greenwashing, in your beauty products.
But the bottom line is: can you be green and gorgeous?
The answer? absolutely. And as New Year’s beauty resolutions
go, it’s one I’d like to see every beauty-hound make.
Jo Fairley is co-author of The Beauty Bible series of
books – and for more beauty and fragrance updates from
her, visit beautybible.com and perfumesociety.org.
133 wealdentimes.co.uk