Cire Trudon lights up Marylebone

Once upon a time, long, long ago, Beauty Bible stumbled dreamily into a shop in Paris’s Saint-Sulpice – and found we’d gone to candle heaven.  Since then we’ve been devotees of Cire Trudon:  an extraordinary, historic brand, which illuminated the court of Louis XIV, and still produces its vegetable-based candles in an artisan way.

     Today, they’re mostly scented. Catholic church-y Spiritus Sancti.  Moroccan mint tea Abd el Kader.  Dada, which is a compelling infusion of black tea and vetiver.  Or Trianon, with its white flowers, which always makes us feel a bit reincarnation-of-Marie-Antoinette-in-her-shepherdess-days.

      Eurostar’s loss is Marylebone’s gain, then, now that Cire Trudon has opened its first London store, on Chiltern Street – instantly making it a shopping-boulevard-to-watch.  (And BTW, André Balazs is converting the fire station opposite into his first London hotel, so it’s poised to become very hip indeed.)

     Can we suggest you give your senses a treat and set aside a half-hour to breathe your way through almost 20 intriguing Cire Trudon candles in this beautiful yet quirky space, which are showcased (as per usual) beneath glass domes in which you’re invited to bury your nose. 

     It’s a little bit of Paris perfection, come to Paddington…

Cire Trudon, 36 Chiltern Street, London W1U 7QL/020-7486 7590
www.ciretrudon.com

The new superfacialist on the block

‘A life-changing experience.’  That's how Anne Hathaway put it.

      ‘Pilates for the face:  very lucky is the person who can experience a treatment in her hands.’  So said Joely Richardson. 

      ‘She does these facials that keep your face alive, so it doesn’t fall down dead!’  And that, you might like to know, was Juliette Binoche.

     To this roll-call of rave reviews for facialist and holistically-trained therapist Su-Man Hsu, Beauty Bible would like to add our own:  ‘This woman is the real deal.  A truly outstanding, face-waking treatment in which her hands do all the talking, through firming, massaging, contour-lifting strokes.  We wafted out of Su-Man’s studio – a retreat at the bottom of her North London garden – and simply glowed.’

     Our prediction is that Su-Man’s going to find herself in the Facials Hall of Fame before you can say ‘extraction’, taking her rightful place alongside Eve Lom, Amanda Lacey, Sarah Chapman and Emma Hardie.

     The catch?  You’ll have to make a pilgrimage to Holloway - though for special clients, Su-Man pays housecalls. 

     But never mind hopping on the Piccadilly Line (to Finsbury Park).  Frankly, we’d walk on hot coals to get to her...

To contact Sue-Man Hsu:  su-man@blueyonder.co.uk (no phone number, alas)

Aromatherapy's new epicentre

We've said it before.  And we'll probably say it again.  (And again.) When it comes to mood-shifting, no oils have the power of Aromatherapy Associates to lift us up or waft us off to the land of Nod. (Fact:  Beauty Bible's No. 1 Desert Island Must-Have is Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil.)
     Their treatments, of course, are widely available - but now there's a new mecca for the stressed-out:  a flagship store and treatment destination in Knightsbridge.  
     Upstairs, you'll find the whole range of oils, skincare and bodycare, beautifully showcased.  You can experience mini-treatments, or learn by smelling the essential oils in their 'raw' form.
     But downstairs, heaven truly beckons:  boutique-hotel-style treatment rooms where you can enjoy facials or body treatments.
     And the ultimate luxury:  for £450, you can have a personalised oil blend created by AA's founder Geraldine Howard, which will be dispatched in an engraved botttle, and can be replenished with your customised oil at any time.
     What's ours?  We've called it 'Even Deeper Relax'.  We didn't think it was possible (and nor did Geraldine!), but it does just what it says on the (gold-lettered) bottle.
     Cue sound of gentle snoring, from the Beauty Bible office...

Aromatherapy Associates Boutique & Treatment Rooms, 5 Montpelier Street, London SW7 1EZ/020-7838 1117

The bathroom-cum-bedroom...

Have you noticed the trend for installing bathrooms in bedrooms? Honestly, everyone's doing it.  How practical it is, we're not sure.  (Though as long as the loo still has a lock, maybe that's fine.)
     Anyway, here's a rather splendid example of a hybrid bathroom/bedroom.  It nicely fills the spot we've specifically created on a Friday, to inspire all you bloghounds to give yourselves some pampering TLC over the weekend.  Found it on Greige Design, a new blog discovery of ours that anyone who's fond of Scandinavian or neutral interiors will probably hyperventilate over.    
     We like the idea you could almost roll right out of this silvered bath and into bed.  Or vice versa.  In fact, the only thing that would make this more inviting, as far as we're concerned, is if there was a massage couch set up in the foreground.  With a strong-armed female masseuse just out of shot.
     We like to think of it as creative visualisation, actually.
     But whatever you've planned, have a beautiful weekend...

For Greige Design's blog, click here

Love clothes, hate shopping...?

The title of this blog posting certainly applies to us.
     Department store fashion departments and high street stores in general can be the seventh level of Hades, as far as we're concerned.  As for fashion websites?  Who's got time to trawl them all...?
     So when we can, we both escape to small towns and boutiques where the collections have been edited for us.
     But now there's another option:  Dress Me Daisy.  They put in the footwork, so we don't have to.
     First of all, you can input your requirements on their THE HIGH STREET section:  item (dresses/shoes/swimwear etc.), budget and colours, and it comes up with dozens of options across 200 brands.  (Jo did this and immediately ended up buying a Junk Food t-shirt from Harrods.)
     Or use YOUR PERSONAL STYLIST to find a local Dress Me Daisy fashion-hound who'll provide solutions within 24 hours.
     Last but by absolutely no means least, you can ASK DAISY a fashion conundrum, or follow the site's HOW TO WEAR advice, which deconstructs current looks and tells you how to put them together.
     So prepare to save a lot of shoe leather.  And time.
     And (most importantly) your sanity.
  
www.dressmedaisy.com

It's Love Your Body Day!

We thought you'd like to know.
     Especially because so few women we know do love their bodies - and we'd like to see that change.
     We salute the efforts of the Dove Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to break the stereotypes that pervade advertising, and their work to boost the self-esteem of every girl, growing up.  And Psychologies magazine, too, whose Positive Beauty manifesto we wrote about here.
     We slap the wrists of advertisers who airbrush women's faces to erase wrinkles, or their bodies to sleek silhouettes.
     And yes, we'd like to see a much wider range of ages and skintones, throughout the media.  (We've always made an effort to do that, in our Beauty Bible books.)
     Love Your Body Day is the brainchild of the National Organization for Women Foundation, in the States.  (Wish there was something similar in the UK.)
     We're not saying you have to strip down to your skimpies to join the celebration.  But we invite you to feel good about your body, today. About the fact it works so amazingly.  About your 'good points'.  Even about your so-called 'flaws'.
     Because if you don't love your body, how can you expect anyone else to...?
     It's a good place to start, we'd say.

For more info about Love Your Body Day, click here
For more about Dove's ongoing campaign, click here

Soap & (even more) Glorious

Our friend Marcia Kilgore could be forgiven, occasionally, for putting her feet up.
     First she created Bliss Spas (and products), bringing us the Oxygen Facial.  Then Remède skincare.  Next up:  Soap & Glory.  Oh, and FitFlops.  (Maybe they're why she never has to put her feet up, come to think of it.)
     Now, launching into many Boots stores nationwide (the roll-out starts this week) is Soap & Glory Cosmetics:  a collection of high-performance make-up at ludicrously low prices, considering the quality of the products.  Beauty Bible (cue rubbing of fingernails on lapel) was literally first to tweet about the range last week, having nipped into the preview ahead of the pack.
     We already have some favourite products.  Smoulder Kohl, for instantly smokey eyes.  Glow All Out, an ever-so-slightly shimmering universally flattering shade of soft pink blush, which promises to enliven even the most hungover pallor.  And Super Colour Fabulipstick, which we'd love for the name alone, but have also been seduced by the soft shea butter and monoi texture, and the so-wearable trio of shades.
     As usual, the packaging's fab - and fun - and the names, as ever, put a smile on our lips.
     Keep up the good work, Marcia.  It's glorious stuff.  
  
www.soapandglory.com
For hot-off-the-press beauty news, follow Beauty Bible on Twitter:  @beauty_bible

Beautiful thoughts for a beautiful Monday...

Nice typography is everywhere, at the moment.
     We like that.  Makes it easy to surround yourself with positive messages, like these.
     This is actually available from Red Direct, that magazine's very stylish on-line boutique.  However, we found it (via the circuitous tennis-elbow-foot game that is blog exploration) on Slices of Beauty. (Nice blog, if somewhat erratically updated.)
     In the hope of enriching your morning - if not your life - we'll leave you to muse on this, meanwhile.

PS  The canvas also comes in pink.  And blue.  All equally beautiful...

Find the Slices of Beauty blog here
To find the canvas at www.reddirect.co.uk, click here

Tray chic, for a Friday

Something we've noticed, with our Friday fetish for beautiful bathrooms:  very often, there's a silver tray in the featured photos.  (Like this one, sighted on Everything Fab's beautiful blog.)
     We think they're a rather lovely way to tidily showcase your cosmetics.  (And we like the way the Q-Tips and cotton pads are tucked inside cut glass jars here, too.)
     Fab silver trays aren't hard to find.  They often turn up at boot fairs (have them re-plated if one of Lakeland's miracle-working Cape Cod Metal Polishing Cloths doesn't do the trick).  And we're very fond of the silver trays you find at Brissi (click here to find them).
     Just add a vase of flowers - like these late-season dahlias - for pampering perfection.

www.everythingfab.com
www.lakeland.co.uk
www.brissi.co.uk

Now it's websites at dawn!

Chanel started it, with their fan-flipping-tastic Make-up Confidential website.
      But since then, other make-up brands have been upping their video game with fun-to-watch mini-movies that we really enjoy tuning into with a biccie and a cuppa around now, in a busy day.
     The latest stylish salvo in the 'video wars' comes from Dior, with this playful film showcasing their new shades, Tetris and pinball-style.
     But game over...?
     Not by a long shot, we'd say.
     (And we can't wait to see what the make-up videomeisters come up with next.)

Click here to enjoy the fun (and to view other favourite mini-films of ours, type the word 'VIDEO' in the SEARCH THIS BLOG box, right.)

A great new website. Naturally.

We are longstanding fans of Neal's Yard Remedies.
     For more years than we're going to admit to, actually.
     But we're new devotees to their brilliant new Neal's Yard Remedies Natural News website:  a fount of wisdom about natural wellbeing, featuring fascinating studies into emotional and physical health, worthwhile campaigns to support, and a handful of really interesting videos to watch.
     There's also an invaluable Learn More section which gives excellent, easy-to-understand descriptions of many different therapies - from Acupressure to Zero Balancing - which are offered in their therapy rooms nationwide.
     Nice to have some good news for a change, isn't it?

www.nyrnaturalnews.com
     

Celebrate 'Feel Gorgeous Week'!

We concede:  it's already Tuesday of Wahanda Feel Gorgeous Week, but we just had to mention World Porridge Day yesterday.  (Er, like it or lump it...?)
     But Wahanda's celebration of health, beauty and wellbeing lasts till Sunday, so there's lots of time to take advantage.
     Wahanda specialise in special offers on hairdos, massages, mani/pedis and day packages at spas, fitness centres and hairdressers around the country (and there really is a wide selection).  A taster:  right now, you can get 50% off a one-night spa break at the Titanic Spa, one of the country's only eco spas, and somewhere that's been on Beauty Bible's must-visit list for ages.
     Many of them are '2 for 1' deals, so you can either split with a friend or make your own pampering budget stretch that bit further.  
    With all the financial doom and gloom right now, that could be handy.  After all, just because the world's poised on the brink of a meltdown, does that mean we have to feel (not to mention look) less gorgeous?
     Here's proof to the contrary.  

www.wahanda.com


          

A berry interesting interview with Dr. Perricone

Mouthwatering, eh...?
     The good news:  these are among the skin superfoods recommended by Dr. Nicholas Perricone, whose beauty-from-within philosophy chimes with Beauty Bible's.
     And we're featuring this juicy morsel to alert you to rather an interesting interview with the skin doc about the best complexion-boosting foods on Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop website.
     Yes, that Gwyneth Paltrow, who - when she isn't making movies or sending mothers into a decline with her Yummy Mummy outfits worn to pick up Moses and Apple at the school gates - finds time to put together rather a good weekly newsletter about places/shops/people she loves. (Quite often, we find that we love them, too.)
     Dr. Perricone's useful run-down of superfoods then segues neatly into some scrummy skin-saving recipes.  Since today also happens to be World Porridge Day (what do you mean you didn't know?), you may want to know this includes Old-fashioned Oatmeal topped with Apples, Cinnamon and Walnuts.  Superfoods every one...
     As we always say:  eat your anti-wrinkle products, as well as apply them.

PS  You might also like to know that Dr. Nicholas Perricone's Super+ Skincare just launched in the UK at www.boots.com, if you click here
World Porridge Day is a celebration of this favourite breakfast created to help feed needy children in some of the world's poorest countries - click here for more info

Orangetastic! Our favourite bathroom yet...

We are in lurve.  Lurve, lurve, LURVE, we tell you.
     For this is just about the sexiest bathroom we've ever seen.  Quite where they got the giant Hermès logo and the Napoleonic shower stand, we can't say.  (Paris's Marché aux Puces seems a fair bet, though.)
     Meanwhile, forget dog-eared copies of Sunday colour supplements beside the loo: this is what we call bathroom reading matter.  (We are as we write transporting armfuls of coffee table books to the smallest room, having been inspired...)
     But it's the colour combo which really sends this rocketing up the bathroom charts, for us.  Those punches of Hermès orange really bring the white-tiled room, with its black ceiling, alive.  (Trust A Punch of Color, one of our fave blogs, to have showcased this.)
     Orange.  Doesn't it just look juicy, in a bathroom...?

Find A Punch of Color here

Serious specs appeal

These are real 'Take a letter, Miss Hepburn' spectacles.
     Now, at Beauty Bible we think of glasses as an important weapon in the beauty arsenal.  Fact:  squinting leads to wrinkles, which leads to angst about ageing.  (And Botox.  Not for us, but fr some women.)
     However, the new collection from Rock Optika features some of the sexiest, most elegant frames we've seen in a long, long while.  Designed by Tom Herrington, they're haute-quality French specs in 10 different styles, with appropriately glamorous names:  Antibes, Gstaad, Palm Springs, San Remo.  What's more, they can be fitted with sunglass lenses.  This gets more 'Audrey' by the minute...
     Find them down the road from Jo in Hastings at The Optical Lounge, and in Covent Garden at McClintock Eyewear.  Check out the website for future stockists, because we predict these will go global.
     Honestly, we just see it.  Rather clearly, as it happens.

Rock Optika - click here for more info
The Optical Lounge is at 36-37 George Street, Hastings Old Town, TN34 3EA or click here for the website
McClintock Eyewear is at 29 Floral Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DP or click here for the website
     

Take a (scented) journey round the world...

Maybe you just love fragrance.  Or you've been wanting an excuse to get away for a weekend.  Or perhaps you've been carrying around a dog-eared cutting about Violetta, the swoonworthy little beautique opened by beauty editor Karena Callen in Rye, East Sussex.
     Whichever's your story, here's a date for your diary:  Friday 14th October, at 7.30 p.m., at the fabulous George Hotel in Rye.  Because Odette Toilette - the nom de parfum of a very knowledgable fragrance expert, Lizzie Ostrom, founder of Scratch+Sniff events - will be leading you by the hand on a voyage of fragrant discovery.
     Maybe to the Egyptian desert.
     Or a cool, dark Alpine forest.
     Or the jasmine fields of Grasse...
     As Karena herself puts it, 'For those of you who have yet to attend a Scratch+Sniff event, conjure in your mind an intoxicating blend of literary soirée and luxurious perfume sampling.  An evening where you will leave smelling fragrant, and perhaps with a few fragrance vials in hand.'
     It's going to be a magical evening.  And as a scent junkie from way back, Jo wouldn't miss it for the (scented) world, herself...

Tickets are priced £12 each or £20 for two, from:

Violetta, 110 High Street, Rye, TN31 7JY/01797-227232
Or e-mail Nick@violetta-boutique.co.uk

  

The ultimate gift-with-purchase. Truly...

We could devote an entire blog to gifts-with-purchase - there are so many out there.  But to make it to this page, a gift has to be Very, Very Special Indeed.
     And this so is.
     You have to spend a fair whack to get it - £90, in Liberty's stunning new beauty hall.  But with brands ranging from Nars to REN to ESPA and Trish McEvoy, it's not hard to do that just replenishing supplies, never mind trying new treats.
     The gift itself features all the beauty treasures showcased above (generous travel sizes, too), in a covetable Liberty print cosmetics bag, worth over £150 in all.
     The Ultimate Beauty Kit (and it is, isn't it?) is available while stocks last, in the store or on-line.
     Better be quick, because you may find yourself in the queue
behind us...!

PS  We do quite often tweet about gifts-with-purchase that we like (among lots of other hot-off-the-press insider news), however, so be sure to follow us @beauty_bible!