037_39 Beauty
7/11/08
13:07
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Beauty
A NATURAL BEAUTY
We’re thrilled at the introduction of the Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare range at John Lewis this month. Try it, and you will be too, says David Lloyd. He talks to the range’s co-founder, Liz Earle herself…
IT’S great news that you're opening a concession in Liverpool - what can we expect? Liz: I have always believed in the phenomenal power of plant extracts and botanicals to make a difference to your skin so the Liz Earle range uses the finest quality naturally active ingredients in gentle formulations which deliver outstanding results no matter what your age or skin type. My good friend and business partner, Kim Buckland and I set up the company in 1995. We wanted to create botanical skincare that was effective, as well as a pampering experience for the customer. Our new outlet will be a chance for our customers to have face to face contact with our advisors and learn more about their own skincare needs. You seem to specifically avoid using the term 'anti-aging' in your products. Why is this? We don’t use the term ‘antiaging’ because we believe that aging is natural part of life, not a disease requiring treatment! There are three simple measures that may be taken to keep our skin looking its best for as long as possible. Firstly, follow an effective skincare regime based on plant oils rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants, secondly, enrich your diet with vitamins, oils and antioxidants and thirdly always use a high factor sun protection cream all year long. All skin types, no matter what their age, will benefit from intensive moisturising to plump the upper levels of the skin. There are so many ‘miracle creams’ on the market at the moment, and although most moisturisers are able to replenish moisturise levels, ours are specifically enriched with premium-quality plant oils, such as the precious argan oil, to dramatically soften and smooth the skin. Your range is refreshing in that it seems very 'straightforward', with one 'toner', one 'cleanser' etc. Why? When Kim (my business partner) and I first developed our Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser neither of us thought the other would like it, as we have such opposite skin types. I have very dry eczema prone skin, and Kim has oily problem skin so when we both got great results we couldn’t
believe that one cleanser could work so effectively on such different skin types, it really was a light bulb moment! Keeping it simple was vital -there are so many choices in women’s lives today and as working mothers, (Kim and I have 7 children between us) we understand that women need things such as looking after your skin to be simple, with products that are effective and affordable so it becomes a part of your daily routine that you don’t ever have to worry about it. Your passion for natural oils is evident - why are these so important? Natural oils possess amazing therapeutic properties and are amongst the most versatile health and beauty healers. From plant oils in the diet, such as avocado and olive to strengthen the skin and fish oil supplements to improve mental agility and lift depression, to the divinely aromatic essential oils. These fragrant bath time mood-enhancers are my favourite way to ease away the stress of a busy day. Always look for pure essential oils (not synthetic fragrances) as these have the power to revive both the mind and body, as well as being gently purifying on the skin. It’s not just the fragrant essential oils that are so wonderful in skincare, the ‘fixed’ seed oils are also exceptionally good for the skin and I have a passion for plant oils as they are highly compatible with skin’s own natural oils. They bring some of the best skincare benefits as they are naturally rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients, which is why we use them in many of the products in the Naturally Active Skin range. Plant oils are superior to mineral oils as they are closer in structure to the natural oils within our skin. They also contain other beneficial nutrients, such as vitamin E, and help to reduce moisture loss. This in turn improves tone, firmness and skin elasticity. All plant and vegetable derived oils come from renewable and sustainable sources and support vital agriculture, often in developing countries. Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare, John Lewis, South John Street
THE MEN’S ROOM GIVING Q A RUN FOR HIS MONEY THIS CHRISTMAS We love a gadget, don’t we? And we love it when we think our £50 impulse purchase wasn’t a reckless investment but, honestly, was done for the good of our health. Well, at last, we’ve got all the excuses we need to splash out on some cutting edge hardware to keep our squidgy software in full working order. There’s a whole range of gizmos out there aimed at keeping us on our toes... The fitbit is our current favourite – for around £70, this tiny powerhouse lets you know how many calories you burn each day, how good the quality of your sleep is, how many steps you’ve walked – and it stores all the information on your PC, so that you can keep track of all those promises you made.
Check it out at www.fitbit.com). On the website, you’ll even get motivational messages to keep you (literally) moving forward with your health goals. Simple, but effective. Don’t want to carry another piece of kit along with you? Nokia has an application which works with most new phones – The Sports Tracker- download it for free and it tracks your movements throughout the day. Trust us, it’s quite sobering to see all those flat-lines when you’re as mooching around on Facebook. (www.nokia.com) Heart rate monitors are often so expensive they can set off alarms just by looking at the price tag. The Oregon Scientific, at just £25 is a real steal – and uses a
wireless
chest strap to precisely monitor the loneliness – and breathlessness - of the long distance runner. (www.menkind.co.uk) Prefer cycling? The Garmin Edge 305 GPS (£194) with heart rate or cadence sensors (to track your speed) will even tell you how high you’ve climbed on those Snowdonia mountain roads. It’ll also measure calories burned. The perfect touring companion? Yes. Does it make cycling more fun? No. But it will make your workouts work harder. (www.wiggle.co.uk)
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