Tuesday 29 November 2011

The Campaign for Slow Scent












As we're always saying, scent-shopping shouldn't be rushed.  Ever.  You need time to stop, relax, explore.  And then maybe even go away again, before making up your mind.  (It's the enduring base notes in a fragrance which you really live with, and those don't unfurl for a few hours.)
     At Beauty Bible, we support the idea of Slow Food.  And Slow Travel.  And now we'd like to launch a Campaign for Slow Scent, inspired by the new Les Senteurs boutique, in Marylebone - because we cannot think of a nicer place for leisurely scent exploration.
     It's getting on for thirty years since Michael and Betty Hawksley opened their first shop, in Pimlico - and now the baton has been passed to their daughter Claire, who's heading up a truly knowledgeable team at this new temple to scent, tucked away behind Marble Arch.
     There are fabulous niche and independent fragrances showcased there, cleverly categorised - think:  chypre, floral, leather/tobacco, etc. - to help you take a short-cut to 'possibles'.  Fragrance houses include Frederic Malle, Mona di Orio, Juliette Has A Gun, Lorenzo Villoresi (the legendary Florentine perfumer), Parfumerie Générale, Serge Lutens, Annick Goutal...
     Oh, we could go on - but instead, we're going to urge you to find a decent window of time to make a scent pilgrimage of your own, just as soon as you can.
     Then enjoy taking it s-l-o-w, when you get there.  Because when it comes to finding a new fragrance, you really can't hurry love.

Les Senteurs store and Scent Salon, 2 Seymour Place, Marylebone, London W1H 7NS
020-7138 5842

Monday 28 November 2011

Liz Earle bottles it!























Most fragrances are as divisive as Marmite.  But we haven't met a woman yet who doesn't fall for Liz Earle Botanical Essence No. 1.  (And that includes most beauty editors.)
     So if you're looking for a goof-proof scent choice for a friend/relative this Christmas, this uplifting creation - which is 98% natural - is an excellent place to start.
    But to make it even more alluring, Liz Earle is offering a complimentary engraving service (initials on the cap, words on the side - within reason!) at various locations.  (That's Liz Earle the brand, not Liz Earle the person. She may be the living embodiment of Superwoman as far as we're concerned, but she's sensibly leaving this to the professionals.)
     The dates and times are below (click on the locations for the full addresses).  Just engrave them in your diary, and pop along.

Liz Earle flagship store - Saturday 3rd December, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
     Sunday 4th December, 11 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.

Liz Earle store, Leeds - Saturday 10th December, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
     Sunday 11th December, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Fenwick of Bond Street - Thursday 1st December, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
     

Friday 25 November 2011

Vanity vignette























There are upsides and downsides to sharing life with a partner.
     A downside:  his grooming stuff, which often makes a takeover bid for the the shelf over the basin.
     So, for Friday (when we like to peek inside a beautiful bathroom on your behalf), a solution.  (With thanks to Sacramento Street, an American interiors blog.)
     Take one mirrored tray.  Place on back of cistern.  Neatly arrange all his lotions, potions, unguents (plus a framed photo and maybe something butch and botanical).
     Be generous, while you're at it, and give the whole darned lot a good wipe.
     Saves on 'bathroom rage', we promise.  And if it all migrates back again?
     Repeat the process.
     And file under:  'Love is... tidying his moisturisers.'

www.sacramentostreet.com

Thursday 24 November 2011

Pale and very interesting









Suddenly, we're all about Christmas.  (Well, Sarah's not:  she's jetting off to Australia tomorrow on hols.  For which those of us left behind will try, grudgingly, to forgive her.)
     Since mirrors, however, come under the beauty 'umbrella' (er, try putting on your make-up without one), we're showcasing some rather stunning examples here from another new website, Pale & Interesting.
    In fact, it's the website of a glorious new shop in Rye (but a mascara wand's throw from Jo, actually) which has been opened by uberstylist Atlanta Bartlett.  Atlanta has written many a glorious interiors book that we're sure you've seen.  (Think:  The Relaxed Home, At Home With White - and Pale & Interesting.  Which means this is actually the website of the book of the shop...)
     Pale & Interesting (the site) has really lovely things.  Even with our powers of description, we can't put it much better than that:  sparkly tealights, divine cushions, glasses we have our eye on for the Christmas table - and the aforementioned mirrors.  Everything, in general, is pale (white, dove grey, with splashes of colour).  And yes, interesting.
     We cannot recommend a cyber-mooch too highly.
     Or better still, a visit to the real-world shop.

www.paleandinteresting.com, 96 The High Street, Rye,
TN29 9TL/01797-344077
www.atlantabartlett.com

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Once upon a time...

... Long, long ago in the dim and distant early days of Beauty Bible, we used to take brainstorming speed-walks together, around Notting Hill.
     And stop to basically lick the windows of The Cross, which was one of the first 'lifestyle' boutiques to mix interiors and clothes and jewellery and beauty in what was/is basically a completely irresistible way.
     For whatever reason, it's taken them till now to enter the wonderful world of the web.
     But we say:  better late than never.  And if - like us - you've already vowed not to face the madness of Oxford Street* again before Christmas (*substitute name of local shopping centre/high street/mall as required), you'll have fun checking this site out for pressies.
     We're loving the cashmere embroidered eye mask, among other treats.
     So if Christmas shopping gets you all cross...  Just log on, and get thee to The Cross!

www.thecrossshop.co.uk

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Get a whiff of this...























We may seem slightly candletastic at the moment.  But it's that time of year.  (Who has tealights flickering in July...?  Except for weddings.)
     So:  always on the lookout for great sources for great smells, we were pleased to stumble into the new home fragrance department at the seriously spraunced-up Peter Jones on Sloane Square yesterday:  a dozen or so delectable (and fairly accessibly-priced) brands (think Max Benjamin, Votivo, Compagnie de Provence, Archipelago etc.)
     If you're searching for scented candles for gifts, we encourage you to have a sniff around here:  they're displayed beneath glass domes (à la Cire Trudon), which you lift - and then insert nostrils into the dome, to give a much better idea of the candles' scent than smelling the wax itself.
     It's home fragrance heaven.

Peter Jones, Sloane Square, London SW1 8EL (enter via Symons Street for the Home Fragrance department)

Monday 21 November 2011

All the fun of the Midwinter Fair


We’re going to let you in on one of Jo’s little secrets.
      For the past few years, she’s done much of her gift-shopping at a Christmas fair organized by a local Kent-and-Sussex glossy called The Wealden Times.
     Why?  Because in several (heated) marquees, erected in a walled garden at Bedgebury Pinetum (just off the A21), you’ll find all manner of covetable goodies:  antique, vintage, hand-made – but all super-stylish.  Basically, it’s like the Country Living Fair used to be, in its early days, before so many well-known names muscled in.
     The only challenge, in fact, is not buying one gift for yourself for every present you snap up for someone on your list.  (Ahem.  This is a challenge Jo has so far failed to rise to…)
     There are some delectable beauty stands, including a ‘pop-up’ of beauty editor Karena Callen’s Violetta boutique, which is worth a visit in itself.  
     Of course, on our own site right now you’ll find a run-down of all the beauty goodies we’re coveting ourselves.  (Find it here.)  But we do know that (strange as it seems) not everyone thrills to a bath oil, or a body cream, or a lipgloss trio – and would instead prefer a worthy-of-Mr. McGregor garden trowel, a ‘pre’-loved’ book, a crisp white nightie, a gourmet indulgence or a cuddlesome cushion.  (Plus:  there’s always something very heart-warming about supporting local producers and ‘makers’.)
     So if the Weald’s local to you, make a date:  from the 24th-26th November.
     Just be prepared to wrangle Jo for the silver dessert spoons she’s got her eye on.

The Wealden Times Midwinter Fair - admission £7.50 on the gate or £6.50 via advanced booking (see website below or call 0800-294 9011 to book)

Thursday 24th November – 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Friday 25th November – 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday 26th November – 9.30 – 4.30 p.m.




Friday 18 November 2011

Gray chic for a Friday























It might seem weird to feature a grey bathroom when it's been pretty grey outside.  (Or as novelist friend Maggie Alderson puts it:  'The lid's on').
     But grey is eternally chic and we've rather fallen in love with this bathroom.  (It came to us from Elle Decor, via a blog we enjoy called Sacramento Street.)
     Just shows that you don't have to go for 'contrast', for a great look. We're loving the velvet-covered chair, on which to pat oneself dry.  The botanical paintings and the giant sprig of greenery.  The crackle-framed mirror.  (Though yes, we'd appreciate stepping out onto a squidgy white bath mat, rather than a slate floor...)
     It probably belongs to a chap, we think.
     But one we'd like to get to know better.
     So:  wherever you're wallowing, have a great weekend from all of us at Beauty Bible...

Thursday 17 November 2011

Do you believe in beauty from within...?






















Then do you fancy becoming a 'face' for Imedeen...?
     We're pleased to spread the word about their model search because Imedeen is the skin supplement that first showed us:  these really work.
          Just click here for more info about how to enter, which includes coming up with 100 words about how you embody the spirit of 'Beauty From Within'. The prizes include a year's supply of Imedeen, a set of stunning professional photos and - the juicy bit - a trip to Copenhagen.  You don't need to have taken Imedeen before (though we'd say:  if you do, you've probably got a head start on the skin front).  No need for previous modelling experience, either.
     In all, they're looking for three new 'faces' - one each in their 30s, 40s and 50s - to represent the range in 2012.  And after nine finalists have been selected, there's a public vote.
     Very 'X Factor', that.
     Without the public humiliation, of course...
       
www.imedeen20.com
  
  
  

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Enjoy a day of good scents


















Some of you may know that Jo is somewhat 'scent obsessed'.  And even writes a perfume blog, The Scent Critic.          
     So if you're as much of a 'fragranceaholic' as Jo is, you might want to know about a special day being organised by The School of Life (the rather wonderful venue/college set up by philospher Alain de Botton near Gray's Inn, in Central London).  A Day of Good Scents includes a little scent 'walkabout' led by futurologist Dr. Morgaine Gaye, and sessions with Dr. George Dodd (a fascinating 'smell scientist'), Sissel Tolaas - an internationally-renowned 'odor theorist and smell missionary'...  (Click on the tinted words to read more about each of them.)
     Oh, and Jo herself will be hosting an afternoon session, leading you on an olfactory exploration that uses scent to help you delve deep into your memory and imagination.  Her session will also explain how a very simple daily exercise, carried out for a few weeks, can actually help turbo-charge your sense of smell permanently!
     Ticket prices are £150 for the whole day to include all activities, catering and getting from A to B during the 'scented walkabout'.  It all adds up to a truly fascinating, sense-drenching day, and Jo hopes to see you there.
     And maybe smell you...!

www.theschooloflife.com 

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Farewell to a wonderful woman























Can we tell you how very, very sad we are to hear that Evelyn Lauder has passed away...?
     She is one of our all-time beauty heroes.  It may have been her mother-in-law's name on the Estée Lauder packaging, but Evelyn - wife of Estée's son Leonard - played a hugely influential role within the Lauder empire, from dreaming up the name 'Clinique' to having a say on just about every fragrance and skincare product launched.  (When we'd visit her office, she'd get us to dip, dab and spritz and tell her what we thought of new creations.  Such fun!)
     What's more, Evelyn came up with the idea for Pink Ribbon Week, to promote breast cancer awareness, which has become one of the beauty world's all-time phenomenons.
     A more gracious woman it's hard to imagine.  Despite her hectic schedule (she once told Jo she and Leonard had eaten at home on Fifth Avenue about five times in the last decade, because every night was a business dinner), Evelyn never failed to drop a hand-written line to thank us for something we'd written, or a book we'd sent.  When we think we're too darned frantic to dash off a thank-you letter, we always think of Evelyn - and reach for that fountain pen.
     She had that knack of making everyone - family, co-workers, beauty editors - feel special.
     And did we add that she was a spectacular photographer, too?  As she once told us, 'It's the single thing in my life that gives me the most creative satisfaction.'  You can see a blog posting here that we did about 'The Beauties', Evelyn's collection of vintage ceramic lady head vases, or see more of her exquisite photographs here, on her website.
     The (pink) lights in beautyland are a little dimmer, today.  We'll really, really miss you, Evelyn.

www.evelynlauder.com
     

Monday 14 November 2011

Our flickering fancies...





















Mostly, the candles you'll find flickering in Beauty Bible's offices are the brilliant mood-shifters from NEOM.  (Fact:  we believe that offices should be as nice to work in as your home, and provided all the Health and Flipping Safety guidelines are met, why not light a candle or two...?)
     But we have to admit to falling just a little in love with Dior's new candle:  perfect for now, with a smouldering, smoky, fireside fragrance that conjures up bonfires and crackling logs and roasting chestnuts. Basically, autumn/winter in wax form.  (Exclusively available in person from their Maison de Parfums in Selfridges).
     Just add a faux fur blanket. a complete series of Freesat recordings of Downton Abbey, a mug of Green & Black's Hot Chocolate - and suddenly, the fact it now gets dark at teatime doesn't seem nearly so depressing...

PS  Even more cheering:  don't forget NEOM's candles are now available to you at a 5% discount via Victoria Health, provided you click through from our main www.beautybible.com website (discount will be deducted at checkot automatically).  Even we can't wangle a discount at Dior, malheureusement...!

Friday 11 November 2011

More big ideas for the small room























We'd love to open a loo door and find this (which comes to you via
A Punch of Color, one of our fave interiors blogs).
      Geometric-print gilded paper, and an etched Venetian mirror.  A Chinese desk that's been converted into a basin.  (A good plumber/
carpenter can insert pipework and sanitaryware into all manner of furniture finds, if you just ask.)
     Liking the Chinoiserie embroidery on the hand towels, too.
     The flowers.  We adore flowers in a loo.
     And oh, that jaunty horse...!
     Beauty Bible would simply add a divine soap and hand cream, for the perfect powder room.
     So, could this be the weekend you ditch the pile of old Grazias, the Giles Annuals and the wellies from your downstairs lav, and go
glam, too...?
    
    




Thursday 10 November 2011

Meet Bloggy Brown!
















We’re sure you can imagine how much we’re looking forward to having breakfast tomorrow with one of our all-time make-up heroes, 
Bobbi Brown, on a rare visit to the UK.
     But as a consolation for the fact that sightings of Bobbi on these fair shores are so infrequent, we’ve basically been stalking her every move on her new blog, Everything Bobbi (which we’ve also added to our ‘blogroll’ of fave sites, right).
     It has tips.  And wisdom.  (Which Bobbi has in spades.)  And showcases real, inspiring women that Bobbi encounters;  Bobbi shares our philosophy that you don’t have to be a supermodel to be 
fah-bu-lous.  So we especially love her inspiring ‘Diverse Beauty’ section, spotlighting women of all shapes/sizes/races/ages.
(Because my, do we wish there was more of that around...)  
     She calls it:  'A blog based on truth, beauty and being amazing' - and it feels almost like sitting next to her over a latte and a muffin
     Though we’ll report back after tomorrow when we’ve done just that, of course...

Wednesday 9 November 2011

A Pukka way to massage your face











Yesterday, we told you about a rather fab festival of facials.
     But if you're anything like us, with a too-busy life, a salon facial is generally relegated to the realms of:  Dream.  On.  Darling.
     But to celebrate the launch of their rather fab, chic-packaged skincare, Pukka Ayurveda (famed for their herbal remedies and delicious teas) told us about a super-effective facial massage that's easy to do.  Right now.  At your desk.
     Click here and you'll be taken to the page with full instructions on how massaging different points on the face can have a (trust us) near-miraculous effect at restoring vibrancy and glow, relieving stress or getting you back into balance when life feels out of whack.
     We've said this before - and we'll say it again - but facial massage really is a key anti-ageing secret, too.  (Probably our No. 1 age-defying beauty tip, actually.)  And this is as clear a guide as we've ever seen.
     Meanwhile, do click around to check out the skincare, while you're there.
     You can get to the home page, here, too.
     (Only shouldn't that be the 'Om' page...?)

For Pukka Herbs skincare, click here

Tuesday 8 November 2011

It's a Festival of Facials!














We love a good facial.
     Note:  we love a good facial.
     What we at Beauty Bible don't love at all are superficial facials (where the therapist's hands do little more than tickle the skin), which have us wanting to leap off the couch, throw off our origami-ed towels and head screaming for the door.
     So, the challenge:  how to find a good facialist...?
     You could go by word of mouth.
     Or you could go by the rollcall of fabulous therapists currently starring in Urban Retreat's Festival of Facials, on the 5th Floor at Harrods.
     There are treatments from NuBo, Carol Joy, Beauty Lab and Omorovicza all taking place over various weeks up to 24th December. (Hmmm:  quite who has time for a facial on 24th December, we're not sure;  we're rather more likely to be steaming our faces over pans of red cabbage, as per usual.)
     But perhaps the cameo appearance on the facialist roster that we're most excited about is the uber-gifted Antonia Burrell (you can read about Jo's facial with her here), who'll be in residence from 21st - 28th November.
     To book, call below.
     And maybe this will the year you arrive at the office party looking radiant and glowing, rather than ravaged and washed out...

To book, call 020-7893 8333 or visit www.urbanretreat.co.uk

Monday 7 November 2011

Make-up’s last chance saloon












Longing for a lost Lauder lipstick…?  Sobbing over a discontinued shade from Estée’s signature brand…?  Thinking wistfully of a foundation from the aforementioned make-up line that you basically can’t live without…?  Or wondering what on earth you’re going to do now that the skincare you’ve relied on has been trumped by a new ‘improved’ version…?
     Well, before you go into a total decline, we’ve one last suggestion that might just help you track down a much-loved product/shade/skin treat that’s disappeared into the ether.  Don’t tell a soul, but Estée Lauder has a Gone But Not Forgotten service, which scours their warehouses for Lauder stock. 
     Just call, and the Estée elves get busy sleuthing down any remaining items they may have tucked away after a product’s been withdrawn.
     We’re not making any promises.  And we’d hate you to be disappointed.  Plus:  the chances are obviously higher with products that have only recently disappeared from the Lauder counter, rather than those from dim and distant make-up history.
     But really, what have you got to lose by calling them – except your pallor/stubby lashes/fine lines…?

Estée Lauder Gone But Not Forgotten – call Customer Service on 0800-074 6905

Friday 4 November 2011

A warming winter wallow

We actually know someone with a bath like this, in a painstakingly-restored and decidedly wonky 14th century house.  (He's a stylist, FYI.) He has discreet taps that fill the metal tub - although even so, we're not sure how comfy a soak it offers.  (Found this on Slices of Beauty, meanwhile.)
     What we do like here, though - our latest BF (Bathroom Friday) offering to you - is the crackling log fire.  Long for one of those, to keep us all toasty, post-bathing.
     And the stool.  Ideal to keep a book, a tub of scrub, even a glass of wine within reach.
     Something to plan, for the weekend?
     Have a lovely one...

To visit Slices of Beauty, click here




Thursday 3 November 2011

Did you oversleep this morning...?
























Well, if you overslept on Monday, you had a great excuse:  it was National Sleep-in Day.  (Who knew...?)  But with the clocks going back, there's really no excuse not to be a little brighter and chirpier in the a.m., at the moment.
     However, a good night's sleep always helps.  In fact, there is, as we constantly witter on, no better beauty aid than shut-eye - so we are indebted to our mate Kathy Phillips (Vogue beauty guru extraordinaire) for making it just a little easier to catch those zzzzzs with her new This Works Sleep range.
     Infused with aromatherapeutic lavender - the classic waft-you-sleepwards herb - and vetiver (a wonderfully grounding essential oil, a.k.a. 'oil of tranquility') - there are four slumber-inducing products: Deep Sleep Bath Soak, a Sleep Balm, Pillow Spray and the beyond-divine Deep Sleep Heavenly Candle.
     What price a good night's sleep?  Beyond pearls, naturally, but since there's nothing over £22, we think it's pretty dreamily-priced.
     In fact - sorry, were we yawning there...? -  we simply can't wait for bedtime, ourselves.

www.thisworks.com