Tuesday 31 January 2012

Enjoy a beautiful meal. Truly...














Scrumptious and good for you:  that's our kind of menu.
     At Beauty Bible, we've always believed that our skins are what we eat. And that beauty starts from within.  But for the first time (we think), a restaurant that shares our philosophy is putting its money where its mouth is.  Or rather, where ours are.
     Gilgamesh - the acclaimed pan-Asian restaurant in Camden - tomorrow unveils its Super Food Menu, which has been conceived around acknowledged health- and beauty-boosting foods.
     Think:  seaweed, in the Seaweed Moss Salad with Sesame Seed and Peanut Dressing (packed with trace elements and skin-friendly minerals).
     Think:  Black Rice with Shimeji Mushroom Risotto and Truffles: black rice is being hailed as a superfood, boasting more antioxidants than blueberries.
     Think:  Seared Salmon Sashimi Salad, Mixed Leaves and Linseed Oil Dressing (linseed being one of the most potent sources of Omega 3 fatty acids, which as you probably know we're always banging on about).
     And for pud...?  We recommend the Açai Berry Sorbet.
     Of course, a single lunch or dinner isn't going to change your skin.  But it could set you on the path to navigating restaurant menus for the skin-friendliest foods, which we advocate.
     Have a gorgeous time.  

Gilgamesh, Camden View, Camden Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8AH/020-7482 5757
www.gilgameshbar.com

Monday 30 January 2012

Forever Marilyn...












We love Lisa Eldridge.
     We also love Marilyn Monroe.
     So when this leading make-up artist creates a 'get-the-look' how-to video, inspired by My Week With Marilyn, what's not to love...?
     She's nailed all of the tips and tricks of Marilyn's signature look, and it's peppered with anecdotes and stories Lisa's collected about the screen goddess.  (Did you know that Monroe slathered her skin with Vaseline before having film make-up applied...?  Or that her eye make-up look was inspired by Garbo...?  Or that the 'flick' of eyeliner wasn't a black liquid, but a brown pencil...?)
     As you may know, we have our own Beauty Bible YouTube channel where we showcase more 'wearable' looks, having hand-picked the best of what's out there.  In general, it's all about real-life beauty - not recreating famous faces.
    But this is so darned genius, we had to share it with you.
    With a big, red, lipsticked kiss from us.

www.lisaeldridge.com
    

Friday 27 January 2012

His (and her) dark materials























Second time we've found ourselves inspired by the Everything Fab blog, this week.  (Because as blogs go, it jolly well lives up to its name.)
     This time, we bring you the corner of a beautiful bathroom - latest in our series.  Just goes to show that they don't always have to be light and airy:  inky blue tongue-and-groove can work, too, if you add sconces and mirrors.
     Love the black-and-white photo propped on the shelf.  The bamboo table (bamboo's suddenly so hot, and you can still find it in junk shops for a song). Most of all, we like the rustic basket in place of a boring wastepaper bin.  Easy to copy, that.
     The overall effect is very Ralph Lauren, no?  And definitely somewhere we'd like to pamper ourselves.
     Wherever you wallow, this weekend, have a wonderful one.

www.everythingfab.com

Thursday 26 January 2012

20 years of iconic beauty products




























Did you miss Jo's run-down in Sunday's YOU Magazine of beauty's all-time greats:  the iconic beauty products that have changed our lives, in the past 20 years...?  (It was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Cosmetic Executive Women, the beauty industry's networking and talent-nurturing organisation.)
     If you were digging the garden or having a duvet day, then you might like to know:  you can still read it at Mail Online, if you click here.
     And just a reminder:  it's somewhere you can also catch up with Sarah's Health Notes - find them here - and the column that we write exclusively for YOU's website:  Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic, featuring tell-it-like-it-is beauty advice, plus a product that we've loving right at this moment.  (We also archive all of the Beauty Clinics on our own website, if you click here.)
     We can think of 20 good reasons to check it out.

www.cewuk.co.uk
  
     

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Spa Watch: One & Only Private Spa at The Palm


































There are (rather to Beauty Bible's surprise) lots of very good reasons to visit Dubai.
     The climate.  (Think:  perfect English summer's days - in January.) The shopping.  (From Jimmy Choo to Dean & Deluca via Bloomingdale's and Prada.)  And the food.  Yum, yum, yum...
     But should you ever find yourself in this new global hub, we also recommend you make a bee-line for the stunningly glamorous new ESPA spa, at the ultra-deluxe One & Only The Palm resort.
     And book yourself - and someone you love - in for The Palm Escape, which takes place in one of their super-discreet, two-person suites. First, you'll be scrubbed ultra-clean on heated marble hammam beds.  Then the two of you you can slather mineral-rich rhassoul mud all over each other, and swelter in steam for 20 pore-opening minutes.  After a cool cleansing shower, a soak:  each suite features two of these egg-shaped baths, so you can chat as you sink beneath the bubbles.
     The finale?  A blissful 60-minute ESPA massage by therapists that are truly, truly world-class.  (And we've kissed a few frogs, on the therapist front, so we know of what we write...)  Then you can hang out in the private relaxation area.  (Glimpse it through the doors, in Jo's photo, above.)
     Only that's not quite all, because afterwards, you'll unravel a little more over a two-course lunch on the hotel's terrace (included in the treatment price).
     It is pure spa heaven.  And we'll be back.
     Inshallah...
  
www.espaonline.com

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Quick! Grab your Chanel screensaver!


Have to be quick.
     We've a hunch this is disappearing off the Chanel Makeup Confidential website soon, 'cos it's on their (soon-to-be-removed) Christmas edition.  (Click on the 26th December 'window':  'A GIFT FOR YOU', and follow the simple instructions.)
     But we downloaded this for our Beauty Bible Macs and it's really smile-making:  whenever your screen's 'resting', the screensaver transforms it into a cascade of make-up tumbling from the sky.
     Sexiest screensaver ever, we'd say.  Just find it here - but get your skates on!
     (And yes, we know this is our second Chanel item in two days.  Vous avez une problème avec ça...?)

Monday 23 January 2012

Chez Chanel



















It's destined to be a big year for Chanel.
     There's a new fragrance in the Coco family launching with a top secret new 'face'.  (Watch this space, later this year.)
     The 'Chanelworld' exhibition which first popped up in Harrods is on a bit of a world tour.  (Latest pitstop:  The Wynn, in Vegas.  But be fast:  it's only there for another week).
     On the skincare front, we're already loving the long skin drink that their new Hydra Beauty creams delivers.  (Though you'll have to wait till 18th May to get your paws - or should it be pores...? - on these.)
     And tomorrow (Wednesday) their couture catwalk show happens, in Paris.  Always a visual treat.
     But as a glorious reminder of where the legend really began, we thought you'd like this little glimpse of Mademoiselle Chanel's apartment, on Rue Cambon.  (For more - almost a virtual guided tour, actually - see the Everything Fabulous blog, where we stumbled across this little sliver of interior heaven.)
     Beauty Bible has been to the hallowed sanctum of the apartment ourselves, a few (privileged) times.  Frankly, it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't be inspired to create exquisite fragrances, couture and make-up, in that gilded, quilted, Coromandel-screened environment.
     We'd move in tomorrow, if we could.  (Maybe we could just sneak in with a moving van, while everyone's distracted by the couture...?)

www.everythingfab.com
For regularly-updated Chanel news, click here

Friday 20 January 2012

Small room, big impact

Oooh.
     Ooooooooooh!!!!!!
     We're crazy about the latest in our series of Friday pampering spaces (spotted in Rue's on-line mag).
     Navy walls.  Vintage marble basin.  (Nose around good reclamation yards and you'll quite likely stumble across similar.)  Glittering sconces.      
     And one thing's for sure:  not a Giles annual or a dog-eared Private Eye in sight.
     Time to come out of the (water) closet about your redecorating dreams...?

www.ruemag.com

Wednesday 18 January 2012

The queen of smokey eyes...













So we're twiddling our thumbs.
    Surfin', as you do, of a morning.
    And we come across this glorious little film of Liz Taylor making up her eyes.
     SORT OF.  Adding layer upon layer of smokiness, in reality.  To a vampy backing track.
     Proof that it's almost impossible to overdo a smokey eye.
     And the bit we love the most...?  The sunglasses.
     My, she was glamorous.  Beauty Bible will be channelling Liz, next time we reach for a khol pencil.  (And for slightly more practical VIDEOS?  Do check out the hand-picked selection on our own site...)
    
www.youtube.com - click here for the mini-movie
Our own BeautyBibleUK YouTube channel - click here
     

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Seriously colourful hair. (Naturally.)























Don't call the men in white coats.
     We haven't lost it.
     And we're not suggesting that you really go for bright blue and yellow stripes.  (Though it would brighten up January enormously, no...?)
     We just wanted to illustrate the extraordinary range of shades that are now available with Aveda's new Full Spectrum permanent hair colour, which just launched nationwide.
      From chocolate-y brown to Jean Harlow blonde via va-va-voom reds (fire engine to Titian), there are endless options available at Aveda spas and hair salons.
     This revolutionary new colourant is 96% natural, packed with luscious hair-friendly ingredients like sunflower, castor, jojoba, coconut and babassu oils (for serious shine). The cartons are made of 100% recycled fibre.  And let's never forget that the whole Aveda range is 100% wind-powered.  (So whatever shade you choose, it's really green.)
     However:  if you really have fallen for the blue-and-yellow, we'd definitely recommend a cooling-off period, before you commit.
     Because although precious little in life may be permanent,                  Full Spectrum truly is...

www.aveda.co.uk
Stockists:  0870-034 2380

Monday 16 January 2012

Tamper-proofing. Buttoned-up...















Full of surprises, cosmetics law.
     Like:  did you know that legally, scent must be sold in tamper-proof packaging...?  (Hence those acres of cellophane we wastefully discard each year.)
     So we very much like this eco-solution from Aesop.  Instead of origami-ed plastic, we noticed they seal each fragrance with a safety pin and a button.
     Useful, as well as beautiful.  (Which happens to be our favourite combination.)

www.aesop.com

Friday 13 January 2012

The bee's knees in bathrooms


































Like Guerlain (who long ago adopted it as their symbol), we love a bee motif.
     And so, clearly, do the folk at on-line Rue magazine.
     For this Friday's beautiful bathroom shot, we bring you this tablescape - which, if you're anything like us, will have you clearing off your own cluttered surfaces, and following down the path of mirrored minimalism.
     Leaving just a delicious potion or two to drizzle into warm water, and a fresh cake of soap.  (One of life's simplest and yummiest pleasures, a new cake of soap, wouldn't you agree...?)
     Enjoy your downtime.    

www.ruemag.com

Thursday 12 January 2012

Calling would-be models...













'Face of' competitions.
     A lot ping into our inboxes.
     We're never quite sure whether to hit the 'Delete' button, or spread the word.  But it's January, it's quiet out there, and who knows:  one of our readers (or their daughters) might get a serious thrill out of this.
     So:  here goes.
     Hairdressers Haringtons - who've created looks for Pixie Lott, Lily Cole, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Billie Piper - are looking for a new 'face'. (Er, so your hair's got to show promise, even though it'll get a total makeover.)  Or even a head-start on a modelling career.
     Would-be contenders simply upload a photo to the salon group's Facebook page and then - gulp - get voted on.  (It's fine to enlist friends and family.)  The six 'winners' will then be narrowed down by Haringtons' Art Directors, and reposted on Facebook.  Then more voting.  More nail-chewing.
     Until - ta-dah! - those Art Directors put their heads together again. And the winner will join a line-up of professional models at an all-expenses paid shoot in May.  In a tough industry, with lots of unscrupulous people promising would-be models the earth, it's certainly a bona fide first step on the modelling ladder.
     Oh, and you've got to be 15+.  And under 30.
     And boys can enter, too.
     Many more of these competitions, and we're going to be renaming it Face-OF-book.

Click here for Haringtons Facebook entry page
www.haringtons.com

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Pearls of wisdom























'Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you.'
     A Beauty Bible 'Thought for the Day', from Elsie de Wolfe.
     A legendary interior designer/style icon.
     Dog-lover - it would appear.
     And definitely a follower of another favourite piece of advice of ours, about pearls.
     We just liked this, and hope you do too.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Germ warfare goes all fruity













Colds.  'Flu.  Germs.  Lurgies.
     Anyone can be forgiven for coming over all germ-phobic at this time of year.
     But hand sanitisers...?  Yawn.
     Until now.  Body Shop have freshened up the whole category with this fruity selection:  Coconut, Satsuma, Strawberry, Mango, Sweet Lemon and Pink Grapefruit.  (What, no Dewberry...?  There's a mercy, actually.)
     Neatly hand-bag-sized, from just £2.50 (so pocket-friendly in every way) - and free from Triclosan (an ingredient we just don't like.  Sorry, but we don't).
     Oh, if only Howard Hughes was still with us...

Click here to find them at www.thebodyshop.co.uk

Monday 9 January 2012

Aloha Aloka!













'One-stop wellbeing destination'.  Don't we all need one of those in our lives...? Well, truth to tell, anyone within striking distance of Brighton has exactly that, in Aloka, which really is entitled to call itself a 'quality of life centre'...
     On the ground floor:  a truly mouthwateringly delicious veggie/vegan/raw food café.  (We'd eat there every darned day, if we could.)  Oh, and a shop selling natural wonders of the beauty and health world, such as AEOS:  Aura-Soma's organic skincare.  (We're liking.  Liking v-e-r-y much.)
     Upstairs:  an airy Studio, offering a range of Yoga and Pilates classes and workshops for mind/body/spirit.
     Plus:  a Day Spa with amazingly restful treatment rooms, offering therapies based on the Aura-Soma range.  You pick the coloured oils that seem to call your name (they really do) and then magically, somehow, don't ask us how, they translate into a treatment so relaxing and escapist that - well, Jo would report more if she could just remember what happened, but it's all a blissful blank.  (And isn't just the way a perfect spa treatment should be...?)
     We'll be back for seconds.  And thirds.  (And not just of the amazing lentil bake.)
    
Aloka - call 01273-823178 or click here
For more info about the Aura-Soma Colour-Care-System, click here.

Friday 6 January 2012

Double (Friday) delight
























No, this isn't Mariella Frostrup's bathroom:  if you remember, she got into a little trouble for placing two pampas grass plants on her balcony, allegedly - and unwittingly - an 'invitation to swingers...'!  (Who knew...?)
     In fact, we're generally a bit pampas-grass-phobic at Beauty Bible ourselves - but could just be converted by the pop of colour they deliver in this beautiful bathroom (which comes to us via A Punch of Color's blog - always visually inspiring...)
     Love the double basins, as always.  Those big baskets.
     So:  happy pampering, this weekend.  And pampas-ing, as it happens.

www.apunchofcolor.com

Thursday 5 January 2012

More Mary Greenwell marvellousness










You wouldn't be the first woman to look in the mirror in early 2012 and silently scream 'I need make-up H-E-L-P'.
     And it's certainly a great time to learn a few new tricks.  (Not least because if you're anything like us, it's all looking a bit 'blah' right now.)
     So we're pleased to be able to point you in the direction of expert advice, via the two latest how-to videos that Jo made with make-up guru Mary Greenwell for High50.
    There's one for eyes (the eternal bug-bear of the mid-aged woman), promising an 'instant lift' - and one on cheeks.  (Including the art of contouring.  Without looking like Pocohontas.)
    They follow the earlier videos on brows, and foundation.
    Almost as good as having Mary in your front room.

www.high50.com

    

Wednesday 4 January 2012

Urban retreat at home

After yesterday's weather - seemingly courtesy of Noah - we can be forgiven for not wanting to poke our noses outside the door, today.
     Might just be the perfect moment to experience the new Urban Retreat at Home's menu of beauty services, actually.  Yes, brought to you by the same folk who have that swanky spot on the Fifth Floor of Harrods, in Knightsbridge.  And with Urban Retreat's reputation for excellence, you can be confident of  A-list treatment.
     Ferried via a sleek Urban Retreat-mobile, expert therapists will pitch up at your door and perform pampering miracles - facials, body treatments, waxing, hand and feet treats, self-tanning.  Hen parties catered to...?  Absolutely.
     Prices aren't over the top:  £55 an hour outside London (though not all regions are covered, yet), £70 within the M25 and £95 within Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and the City.  (Blame the parking.)
     And the bonus, always, with treatments at home:  you can roll right off the massage table and into bed.
     Where, at this rate, we may stay till February.
    
Urban Retreat at Home - book on 0844-793 8344
  
     

Tuesday 3 January 2012

A happy, healthy (vitamin-powered) New Year!














As you may know, we're a pair of pill-poppers.
     Vitamin pill-poppers, that is.
     Our eternal conundrum?  Finding a container that's nice enough to produce at a swanky Claridges breakfast launch, so we can take our must-have Sun Chlorella, Femergy, Ideal Omega 3 et al.
     Just found one.  (Thanks to US Daily Candy.)  It's from a site over there called House & Hold.  Comes in white, too - though we love the cheery, fire-engine, find-it-easily-in-your-handbag scarlet, ourselves.
     They do ship internationally (and it clearly doesn't weigh a ton).
     2012 just got off to a rather healthy start, then.

www.houseandhold.com