Never a truer word

What more can we add?  Except to say that whatever you're doing this upcoming Royal Wedding weekend, we hope it's something you love - with someone you love.
     The poster, by the way, is from a wonderful Brooklyn-based letterpress studio, Heartfish Press, which creates limited edition artworks and delightful cards.  (It also comes in a very Beauty Bible-esque pink - and other great colours - but we like the hanger tip.)
     We'll be back Tuesday.

Find the poster on-line here.

This knocks spots off other hairdryers

So cute.  So spotty.  So - well, so Cath Kidston, except this happens to be from good old M & S:  a divine little travel dryer in a very Beauty Bible-esque shade of pink - hence it pressed our (cool) button.  (FYI It's the Get Set.... Go Travel Hair Dryer:  1200W, two drying speeds, folds up - and it's just fifteen quid.)
      And it had us thinking:  why didn't anyone think of making hairdryers much more interesting-looking before this, to take the boredom out of that pesky home hairstyling ritual?
     Down with black and chrome!  Bring on the zebra stripes, the leopard prints, the colour-blocked fluorescent shades, not just in dryers but tongs, curlers, straighteners.
     Pretty please...?

To find it on-line, click here.

A bunny thing happened...

...  we weren't going to do a blog posting today.  But then we mysteriously found ourselves in the office, surfing the net (there is only so much gardening you can do in a weekend), and found this photograph (on Fab Over Forty's blog).
     And we realised this is probably the last time in ages we can get away with sharing such an unbelievably cute bunny photo with you.

     So:  Hoppy Easter Monday, from Beauty Bible...

Such a Good (Friday) wheeze!

What are you doing tomorrow (Good Friday)?  Because for one day only, you can take any current skincare product - full or empty - to an Origins counter, and trade it for a complimentary special edition Checks and Balances™ Frothy Face Wash, or A Perfect World Antioxidant Cleanser with White Tea, each worth £16.  
     Yup.  Any old face product that you've squeezed the last drop out of, or fallen out of love with.  No catches.
     What's more, for every Plantscription™ sold until 30th April - that's their new age-defying serum - Origins will plant a tree on each customer's behalf, through Global ReLeaf.
    That's makes it not just Good Friday.  That's a G-R-E-A-T Friday.  
    Oh, and a Happy Easter from us.  We're off to nibble eggs, weed the beds and put our feet up, for the holiday weekend...


www.origins.co.uk

Aesop pops up...

Turn your back and someone else pops up at Selfridges London.  Now it's the turn of Aesop, one of our long-term favourite Australian brands - fresh from their installation at Merçi, in Paris (which involved 4,000 cardboard 'shippers').
     The full range of Aesop skin, haircare and bodycare will be showcased in Selfridges from tomorrow (21st April) for a full five weeks (to 31st May).  Since Aesop provided this rather enigmatic visual, we rather suspect rope will be involved.
     What's more, our friend Suzanne Santos - who's been part of the brand from the start - has volunteered personally to man the Aesop pop-up for the duration.
     Having recently spent five days on the (marbled) floor at Selfridges for our own Beauty Bible pop-up shop, we'll be sure to swing by to offer Suzanne emergency rehydration.  And maybe massage her feet.  Though it was truly worth it, five days standing on a rock-hard floor talking to readers nearly finished us off!  After that brief insight into the job, our admiration for the beauty consultants there - who remain smiling and helpful all day long - now knows no bounds.
     But after five weeks, we'd probably need to check into The Priory with exhaustion...

www.aesop.com
     

Happy Birthday Weleda!

For a brand that's celebrating 90 years of sustainable beauty this year, we think Weleda's wearing rather well.  Our Beauty Bible testers, as you may know, love the biodynamic brand - with many products making it into our books and our Beauty Bible Beauty Steals iPhone App, which recognises great performance at affordable prices.  (Including the sssh-don't-tell-anyone-but-it's-ever-so-slightly-Shalimar-scented Pomegranate range.)
     But we just had to share with you this vintage visual, which emblazoned a Weleda carrier bag we were handed at The Natural & Organic Products Show the other day.  Weleda's packaging may have changed - not to mention the logo - but the vision of beauty is utterly contemporary.
     So Happy 90th, Weleda, from all of us at Beauty Bible.  We just hope there's going to be (organic) cake...
  
  
  
     

A V.I.P. (Very Important Petition)

We are delighted that The Body Shop has lost none of its campaigning grit, even though our much-missed friend Anita Roddick is no longer around.  And we've just added our signatures to this important petition.
     The reality of sex trafficking is anything but pretty.  According to the United Nations, it's the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, with over 1.2 million children and young people trafficked every year.          Commendably, The Body Shop's doing its bit to end this horrific trade, with their campaign to Stop Sex Trafficking of Children & Young People - working alongside ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes). Now, they're urgently asking for your signature on this petition, too, which will be presented to Downing Street on 30th April.  All you have to do is follow the links below.
     Knowing that Anita would definitely approve...

So click here for the on-line petition, or here to join the cause on Facebook.

Bathroom bliss (contd.)

If you're anything like us, you like to fantasise about the perfect bathroom - so today we thought we'd bring you one that's as close to bath heaven as we can imagine.

     Stack of super-squashy towels.  Tick.

     Ultra-deep tub complete with reading rack.  Tick.

     Glass of chilled orange juice, for in-bath sipping.  Tick.  (Or maybe it's a giant Mimosa.  Even better.)

     Ginormous bottle of Shalimar.  TICK!

     It only remains to give credit to Everything Fabulous, a favourite blog of ours, for the photo, and to wish you a deliciously indulgent weekend...

Great hare styles

Yup, read that right.  Not hairstyles:  Hare Styles.  The hare above is by Nicky Clarke, snipper extraordinaire, who's just one celebrity involved in Hare Styling: a charity event in aid of GOSH (the Great Ormond Street Hospital charity).  It's been organised by his younger brother, Michael Van Clarke:  when Angelica Van Clarke was two days old, she needed a life-saving operation at GOSH - hence the family involvement.       Now, dozens of famous figures, artists and sculptors have created hare-inspired artworks which can be seen in an on-line gallery, below - and which you can bid for, in the on-line auction.  From Paul McKenna to Helena Bonham-Carter, Raymond Blanc to Maryam d'Abo, plus Jack Vettriano and a couple of 'Sirs':  Alex Ferguson and Beatles producer George Martin.  (Although the painting we've fallen for is Lady Amanda Harlech's dreamy, ethereal 'bride' hare, with its lace collage detail.)  And on the Harestyling blog, below, you can see many of the artists at work.

     The actual artworks are on display from Saturday at Marylebone's Heartbreak Gallery.  Oh, and there's also The Hare Ball, on 26th May 2011.  So if you're feeling super-flush and charitable and you fancy finding out more about this hopping event, click here. 

www.harestyling.com

Heartbreak Gallery, 17 Bulstrode Street, London W1U 2JH/020-3219 5170

www.heart-break.co.uk

An (unsung) nail star

Are you a fan of O.P.I. nail polishes?  At Beauty Bible, we are.  (Majorly.)  Duracell-bunny strength, super-shine, rocking colours and laugh-out-loud names.  (Think:  A Oui Bit of Red, Bastille My Heart and I'm Suzi and I'm a Chocoholic, a suitably fantastic brown, among hundreds of smiletastic shades.)
     They're based in Hollywood.  (That probably should be base-coated in Hollywood.)  But today, we want to salute an unsung British hero of O.P.I.:  Lena White, the woman who 28 years ago had the vision to introduce the range to the UK (their first export market), having been frustrated by the lack of quality polishes out there.  Astonishingly, Lena had to twist the founders' arms big-time to let her bring them to the UK, where she initially ran a home-based nail salon.  But the rest is history, and O.P.I. now graces the hands of well-groomed women around the world.
   And in case you're wondering, the brand name came from Odontorium Products Inc. Er, slightly less-than-catchy, that.  But a great bit of beauty trivia to have at your fingertips, this Wednesday morning.

www.lenawhite.co.uk

The buzz around Covent Garden...

... isn't just down to the new Apple Store.  It's from the bees newly installed on top of the Melvita Covent Garden Store.  This all-natural brand - France's biggest organic name (with several award-winning products in our new book) - will even be making honey on top of their flagship shop on St. Martin's Courtyard, doing their bit to help London's bee population to regenerate and thrive.
      There are many worthwhile bee campaigns to highlight the plight of the bumble bee right now (and even Boris is backing London beekeepers, with his Capital Bee scheme). But nice to see a beauty brand rolling up its sleeves - or rather, donning a full-length beekeeper's suit - and busying themselves this way.
      And there's a humming album of photos about the beehive installation on their Facebook page, if you click here.

Melvita, 19 Slingsby Place, St. Martin's Courtyard, London WC2E 9AB
www.melvita.co.uk

Beautiful words for Monday

As anyone who reads our books or website knows, we're not just about lotions and potions.  (Even if our life's mission is to introduce you to products that really and truly work.)  So today we're sharing with you an inspiring thought bubble that reflects our real feelings about beauty - which we stumbled upon on a rather sweet blog, Bits of Beauty.
     It's our way of saying:  have a beautiful week...

www.dailybitsofbeauty.com

Chanel's new wow of a website

Oooh, you're going to love this.  Because 'under the radar', Chanel has (unofficially) launched a new make-up website, and (who's surprised?) it's one of the most exciting we've seen.
     You can go backstage with Chanel's Creative Director of Makeup, Peter Phillips.  (On the current edition, he even gives you a guided tour of Mademoiselle Chanel's swoonworthy apartment.)
     Follow how-to tutorials from one of our favourite-favourite make-up artists, Lisa Eldridge, including a great smokey eye tutorial, in 'How to do the new season face'.  (Lisa's own videos feature, of course, on our Beauty Bible YouTube channel, if you click here.)
     Get a sneak peak of the upcoming colours and products.
     And as if that wasn't enough, listen to Vanessa Paradis performing the Kinks' 'Daydream', for the Rouge Coco ad...
    For all those reasons, Chanel Makeup Confidential has zoomed straight to the top of our website charts.  Fabuleux!

To find it, click here.

More than a must-read for the Botox brigade

We've always been upfront about the fact that nobody's coming near us with a syringe, let alone a scalpel.  But we think it's every woman's right to have a cosmetic 'tweak', or even surgery, if she chooses.  (Of her own free will, not because of any external pressure.)  So long, that is, as all the right questions are asked, to optimise chances of the best possible outcome.
     We consistently point women contemplating 'procedures' in the direction of the wondrous Wendy Lewis, who contributed a section on 'the questions to ask' to The Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible.
     But this new-ish quarterly glossy mag is well worth a read, too: nitty-gritty info about procedures, with a list of (carefuly-screened, so they tell us) doctors and practitioners, at the back.  It all seems very sensible and sound, to us - and even if you're not a Botox babe, there's plenty of other fascinating info about anti-ageing creams, non-surgical facelifts, and age-defiance generally.  (Including our own run-down of the best 'anti-ageing' haircare, in this latest issue.)
     Expert Beauty is on bookstands or via the link below.  With a cover price of £4.95, might be the best £4.95 you ever invest, if you're thinking about lasers/fillers/a facelift, etc.  But even better:  they're offering Beauty Bible readers a year's subscription (four issues) for just £5, if you follow the link below.
     Beautiful.
  
Click here for the special offer.
To find out more about Wendy Lewis, visit www.theknifecoach.com

A lipstick with an added smile factor

Your search for the perfect red is over.  But this is more than a brilliant, suits-everyone shade with a creamy, moisturising formula:  it's a gorgeously genius idea.  The Trust lipstick will raise funds for The Prince's Trust, the charity which helps so many young people kickstart their careers.  Think:  mentoring.  Think:  'seed' funding for projects. Think:  much-needed training, in a wide range of industries. (Including, now, the health and beauty world.)
     And they couldn't have chosen a more appropriate make-up artist to come up with the ultimate red.  A-lister Karen Alder (who's whisked her brushes across the faces of Kyle and Dannii Minogue, Anna Friel and Pixie Lott) got her very own start thanks to The Prince's Trust.  'I am so thankful for their support and look forward to giving something back.'
     All proceeds from the £8 price (except the VAT) go directly to The Prince's Trust.  To help put a grin on the face of many young people, who otherwise might not get much of a chance...

See Karen and celebrity supporters talk about the lipstick (and the charity) at the following times, on QVC (Freeview channel 16, Sky Digital 640, Virgin TV channel 740 or Freesat channel 800):

14th April at noon
26th April at 4 p.m.
29th April at 1 a.m. and 9 a.m.

Or find it on-line here.

     

Are you a bunny-lover? We sure are...

Naturally, we are completely against animal testing.  Of any kind.  Ever. And we're long-term supporters of the BUAV.  But bunnies, mice, guinea pigs and (yes, even) rats now need your help, please.
     Though there have been major victories in the campaign against animal testing in the EU, a 'marketing' ban due to come into force in March 2013 - which would prevent the sale of new, cruelly-tested cosmetics in the EU - is now at risk.  In other words, non-EU cosmetics sold here could still have involved three types of animal tests.
     So:  will you join us and add your signatures to the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments' petition (ECEAE), to ensure this doesn't happen?
     Pretty please...?

No Cruel Cosmetics petition here.

Call all Liz Earle Naturally Activists...

Look outside the window:  green everywhere.  Look at the Liz Earle Naturally Active site:  green there, too.  We wanted to alert you to their website's new 'Green Pages' - and give a pat on the back to Liz and her team for their sustainability initiatives, which you can keep track of here.

     You can check out everything from 'bee news' (about the beehive at The Green House, the company's Isle of Wight HQ) to their wildlife woodland, and the company's FSC-certified paper policy, from their Environmental Advisor, Geoff Day.  You can even tread a little more lightly on the planet by reading an on-line version of the latest 'botanically active' newsletter, with its list of eco things that the team at Liz Earle loves - from e-cloths to Liz's own favourite spring-cleansing juice recipe.

     Naturally, it's delicious.

For Liz Earle Green Pages, click here.

     

A portrait of luxury

As you've probably sussed by now, we're bonkers about beautiful bathrooms.  A bathroom is the sanctuary where you can lock the door, run the taps and truly r-e-l-a-x.  So we had to share this - from Rue magazine (a new American lifestyle mag we're enjoying), with its so-clever solution for keeping prying eyes at bay.  Perfect, we think, for a ground-floor/basement bathroom.  (Just add good lighting, so that you can apply your powders and paints impeccably.)