Caudalie Beauty Elixir fashion makeover

For the first time, Caudalie Beauty Elixir is getting a high-fashion makeover courtesy of acclaimed fashion designer L’Wren Scott. 

The clothing designer has designed 50,000 limited-edition flacons with a design based on her 2013 Fall/Winter collection inspired by artist Gustav Klimt. The result is a sexy, graphic package that makes this elixir even more attractive. The formula is based on a recipe found in a book of spells for the youth elixir used by Queen Isabella of Hungary in the 17th century to lure the 35-years-younger King of Poland with her radiant complexion. 

Since its launch in 1996, over two million bottles of this cult bestseller have been sold. If you’ve ever used Caudalie Beauty Elixir on tired skin, then you know how addictive it is. The blend of myrrh, rosemary essential oil, lemon balm, peppermint, orange blossom, rose and grape pulp extract tightens pores, fixes makeup and makes skin look radiant. Inspired by the brand’s  ‘Beauty from the Vine’ ethos, the spray smells like a breath of fresh countryside air. No wonder the product is a essential staple among A-listers and beauty editors.  


Shop here for: Caudalie Beauty Elixir L’Wren Scott Limited- Edition (from £9.50)

Pinks Boutique - Organic Festival

Pinks Boutique is a professional spa organic skincare range designed, formulated and made in the UK with full certification from the Soil Association providing Eco-Luxury manicure, pedicure, facial, body and waxing products to spas and high end salons who want organically sourced ingredients but also demand professional performance. Here we catch up with founder Kirstie Sheriff.

What do you think sparked your passion for natural and organic ingredients?

Believe it or not- from professional Rugby. When I launched our first business Pinks Academy- a fast track beauty school for adults changing careers over 10 years ago Luke my husband and partner in Pinks Boutique was playing at Harlequins RFC for 7 years. Every pre season they would have a fitness coach or nutritionist who would make them do ‘odd’ things- one year they had to skip everywhere for 6 weeks and one summer before organic had gone into the mainstream they had to adopt a completely organic diet and lifestyle. Being in the house too I lived through it- the organic steak and broccoli cooking for breakfast at 7 am and the results for the boys were incredible. It started to make me worry about the fact I was teaching every day, bathing in product and covering my students in it. 

We were teaching approximately 1000 students a year and our tutors had a real influence on their career, what products they wanted to use and what they understood about ingredients. So, I started to research cosmetic formulation and once you do there is no turning back!

There was no professional organic range at this point in the Spa and salon sector and we launched Pinks Boutique to be the first complete range- i.e not just face and body but manicure, pedicure and waxing too. The strategy was and still is to be able to offer the professional sector and crucially the clients that walk in the door a genuine natural and organic version of Elemis. The spa sector really struggles with ‘natural’. Every brand that isn’t a medical spa brand claims to be natural. All the product houses teach this, their employees believe this and so in turn do the therapists and clients. There is no mention of what is really in the bottles underneath the sprinkle of natural essential oils they may have in there.

Pinks Boutique, how you chose the name?

Pink- why? For us Organic is too obviously white or beige with green leaves.  We wanted to create a brand look which appealed to all whether they care about organic or not. This for us is the future, to make even those that are not aware of what is in normal cosmetics use a luxury skincare product that is effective and not toxic. The brown bottles stand out from a crowd, the brown gift boxes and bags with pink or white highlights are very visually appealing- the aim was Eco Luxury.

Boutique- why? I had a list of everything I hated about dealing with the large spa product houses and I wanted to undo these and create a real boutique concept for our individual clients. As we specialize in attention to detail and arrive at the door of each client with a unique offering- 4 prongs.

1) UK made spa products with full certification from the Soil Association providing Eco Luxury manicure, pedicure, facial, body and waxing products to spas and high end salons who want organically sourced ingredients for professional performance skincare.

2) Training- our products are linked to signature treatments in which we provide training to our spas but we are also accredited to offer Insurance level qualifications in all the base beauty, nail and holistic courses so can support our spas training needs- e.g Brazilian waxing, Hot stones, Reflexology.

3) Spa Essentials is a one- stop concept for all the finishing touches to perfect your spa or salon decor.

4) Spa consultancy and advice- with our Boutique offering we have worked with many of our clients on projects from developing new sites, reorganizing spa structures and redesigning menus and full spa concepts. Ultimately our offering wasn’t simple and so we created a Boutique to house it all!

This is 'The Organic Beauty Month' you are launching in September is a fantastic idea. What inspired this?

We have over 85 spa and salon accounts now in the UK that all have owner, spa managers of hotel group sustainability policies that have led them to select an Organic brand. However, when we return to visit our spas it is very difficult in a busy back to back treatment world to find the time to really educate the clients on why the products are different and what they are going to do to your skin. Spa life is about treatments, we make incredible treatments due to our training background and this is what we all do all day long. Most people who enter our salons may have never met an Organic product before and in truth are not really looking for one- just genuine results for their skin. So the idea was to create a focus and some time to actually go back to this and celebrate the organic in what we do. 

The Soil Association in the past have been so focused on food that we felt we could help support them and really fly the beauty flag with a nationwide covering of spas. For the spa visitors they will be getting lots of nice extras in September- samples, advice and tips and full Organic brochures explaining the science of organic to take away with them. This will be sent out with Naturisimo purchases too.

Where do you see the brand 5 years from now?

The plan is continue the UK expansion supplying more and more salons and spas and to work with colleges to get some formulation and organic education into the beauty syllabus- this doesn’t exist currently. We will be expanding to the Middle East and Asia- Luke and I have travelled extensively there- our second home so I can’t wait for that part!

What do you wish you’d known when you started?

The list is too long in honesty; you make so many mistakes when you first start a business. I would be so good at it if I started again now!

What is the most challenging part of your job?

It is all a challenge but I think in truth that is why I do it, my husband and resident philosopher tells me that Life is a game, a great game and we all have to fill it with something or make a difference somehow. I have found a role that does both.  Right now, a personal challenge is watching my Oxford contemporaries working in the City or Law reach a peak in their careers 10- 15 years after graduation when their wage slips are becoming fairly incredible. When you have your own business cash is always going back in, never out to you it seems!  On the flip side on a weekly basis I am either in my home office or in 5* spas in the UK or abroad- no tube commute for me Also my skin is looking very good for my age!

What are your every day beauty essentials?

Toner- I use our Ocha Toner. I think people underestimate toner. It is always the one that gets left out of the facial regime but they are crucial to helping retain your skin’s natural moisture- just like your actual moisturizer. We refer to ours as a skin drink- you are missing out on a trick if you are not using a great Organic Toner. 

If you could treat yourself to one thing this month it would be...

A Pinks Boutique Signature Pedicure- described by Marie Claire as the best pedicure they have ever had, then coffee and cake with Luke and Layla. Frankly- any one of our treatments would be nice. Therapists never get treatments as a rule!

Shop here for: Pinks Boutique

Micellar Water Revolution

A one-swipe cleanse that leaves skin glowing - without irritation or harsh surfactants? No wonder Micellar waters are beauty’s next big thing. Micellar waters are super fresh, light cleansers that feel like toners but contain microscopic oil spheres that cleanse without stripping leaving skin without residue or irritation.

We are talking about a whole new product category now being hailed as the next BB creams. 

The one-swipe, no rinse action makes them fresh, new and super convenient. The clever formula cleans skin without irritation so it’s ideal for stressed, over-worked lifestyles we are now prone to. 

The secret is in the cleansing molecules. In soap they can be harsh but in micellar waters they are clustered together in arrangements called micelles. Unlike wipes, they allow dirt to be ‘sucked’ off the skin without residue or irritation. 

Want to embrace the micellar water revolution? We’ve selected the best eco alternatives:

Melvita Fresh Micellar Water, £15

Evolve Liquid Crystal Cleanse & Tone, £13.80

Iroisie Gentle Facial & Eye Cleanser Gel, £22

Caudalie Cleansing Water, £9

All available at: Naturisimo.com

Nourish Skincare

Nourish skincare is designed and formulated as a skin rejuvenating, natural range that is perfect for daily skin care needs but also helps you optimise your skin's health. No small feat: exceptional performance using organic ingredients that deliver healthy, gorgeous products for the consumer. Here we catch up with co-founder Dr Pauline Hili, who was Technical Director at Neal's Yard for over 20 years.

So tell us a little bit about your own history and experience, and what sparked your interest in natural beauty?

I came into the beauty industry from the food and brewing industry. I had qualified as a biochemist and a chemist in Australia and then was working and travelling around Europe when an opportunity to join Neal’s Yard Remedies came available. It was a very fortunate opportunity for me that really supported my natural interests and research. I found sensory science really exciting and had a real passion for plants and natural ingredients. I spent over 20 years developing products as the Research Director for Neal’s Yard and did my PhD on the antimicrobial properties of essential oils. The research was so good and finding out what these plant ingredients were capable of and then applying it into formulations that provide benefits on the skin was just a dream situation and really has been the formula for my career to date.  My favorite thing is when plant and plant ingredients prove my fixed ideas wrong and demonstrate much more capability than I had given them credit for. Nature and plants have been my mentor and teacher from a very young age in my career and they continue to guide my interest and energy in the natural beauty sector.  Seeing the results of a formulation being demonstrated in clinical trials, which we have across the Nourish range is the ultimate professional prize.  Working with passionate, articulate and intelligent consumers such as those in the beauty industry makes in a real pleasure to be working in this sector and keeps my interest high.  Innovation and a desire to have products that raise the benchmark in terms of performance is my absolute driver. 

And how did the idea for Nourish come about?

The idea for Nourish came about through wanting to provide a really effective product of value using organic ingredients, conducting a very rigorous research program and clinical trials that lead exceptional performance for the consumer. We have heard a lot of discussions over the past years about Inside Out - beauty from in and the use of supplements. I would like to now move to Outside In, which is the idea of creating topical products that are so good that they support improvement of any underlying issues causing skin issues. The Nourish range is based on the effective use of vitamins and minerals known to be crucial to normal cell metabolism and specifically the skin. The range has been thought out with very specific scientific objectives and many years of experience of knowing how ingredients behave on the skin.

 

What have you found to be the most challenging part of setting up and launching Nourish?

The most challenging thing about launching Nourish has been not finding enough hours in the day to do all the things one wants to do. Also, as a start up, demonstrating that you do not have to have a huge budget to create pioneering products that push the boundaries of innovation. Spreading the word that quality is about how you think and not the size of your budget has been a challenge also.

There are lots of natural brands on the market. What do you think sets Nourish apart from the others?

Nourish has a pioneering spirit that is based on many years research and experience and is founded out of an absolute desire to place the consumer at the heart of our thinking. We see ourselves as part of an evolving community and need to be providing an effective service to our consumers on an ongoing basis. Part of that is really pushing the boundaries of shared knowledge to create effective products.  Everything from the ingredients we choose, the formulations we create, the social media we share and the way we deliver to customers needs to be at the forefront of excellent.  Great companies are built from attention to every detail of the customer experience. 

If you had to choose, what’s your favourite Nourish product?

I am constantly asked this question and my answer is always 'the one I am working on next!' Seriously, of the current range I think the Argan Skin Renew has exceptional performance as demonstrated by the clinical results of increasing skin hydration by over 25% for 24 hours.

Are there any plans to further expand the existing range?

Oh yes!  I am biologically programmed to create products. For me it is like breathing. I cannot exist if I am not envisioning and making research and products. It is instinctive for me - whatever I see in the world, from a fallen leaf to waste product from a process, I am always trying to work out how it can be turned into something valuable and of use. The Nourish range will expand to fulfill our customers’ needs, with products that are pioneering and that provide something, even a small innovation, to push expectations higher.

What is your career mantra?

Christopher Reeve said “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable”. It can be done! Innovation and shared knowledge help it happen. Anything is possible. This would be my career mantra - having been told so often what could not be done and then being fortunate enough to watch it happen. Naturals are now mainstream and I feel privileged to have been part of the journey

Who do you admire, and why?

I admire people who have a singular career passion and who dedicate themselves and their skills to making it happen – in particular all the scientists and innovators who work alongside commercial facilitators. We are incredibly lucky at Nourish to have a young dynamic team who challenge me constantly, which is extremely rewarding.

If you could treat yourself to one thing this month, it would be....

A day in the sun reading the latest publications on skin and ingredient research.

Shop here for: Nourish Skincare