souksouk
little green magazine
April 2013 Issue #1
Green, clean and gorgeous
First Issue!
- Get lippy - What’s your dosha - Beat the bags - Skin primetime - Palm oil -
Welcome To the first issue of souksouk: the little green magazine! This is no ordinary beauty box company... You’ve joined a growing community of people who want to hear about better beauty brands. Brands that are creating certified organic products, turning away synthetic ingredients and potentially harmful chemicals, using sustainable business practises, refusing to test their products on animals and showering us in luxuriously nourishing loveliness. We’re here to tell you all about them. And we hope you find this a very nice place to be. Each month we’ll bring you beauty news and trends, make-up DIYs, skin SOS clinics, seasonal food know-how, Twitter feeds, apps and blogs we like, essential oil info and campaigns you can support with us. 02 / W e l c o m e
As some of our profits will be donated to some of those campaigns and charities, we want you to know what issues they’re tackling. Our mission is to introduce you to those amazing brands that are doing more for our planet. Help us by telling us what you think of our boxes and what you’d like to read about. Drop us a line via Facebook or Twitter or email us at: iwantbetterbeauty@souksouk.co.uk We can’t wait to hear from you!
Love, souksouk x For all our terms and conditions please visit our website www.souksouk.co.uk All photography Shutterstock unless otherwise stated Cover photo by Chris Brock
- Hot Hot Hot In April
Purple reigns Estelle & Thild
Shade of the month Butter London’s cutely named Molly Coddled nail lacquer £13. butterlondon.com
Work-out
Take a motivating trip down Memory Lane with Ministry of Sound’s Anthems 90’s. Altogether now, Everybody’s Freeeeee to feel good!
We’re smitten with these gorgeoussmelling, irresistibly packaged oils and lotions crammed full of natural and organic ingredients. They contain yummy essential oils such as bergamot, neroli and rose otto. Our current must-have is the Lily Detox Mask £35. estelleandthild.se
Shimmer powder In Varooka £12.99 bellapierre.co.uk
Chill-out
We are so super excited about the Fleetwood Mac reunion, we’ve got their classic album Rumours on rotate
#Blog Love
organicbeautytalk.com Make Organic Beauty Talk one of your daily reads. This Stateside blog by beauty editor Brandie Gilliam gives mouth-watering recipes and great natural beauty on a budget tips. Say goodbye to your lunch break!
Read up
We’re huge Gizzy fans already but her latest book Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts is our favourite yet! £19.99 Quadrille
Super serum
Perfect Pink If you haven’t yet checked out Dr Hauschka’s range of make-up, then head over to drhauschka. co.uk pronto! We love their mineral based rouge in Blushing Rose £20.45. Definitely one for our Spring/Summer palette...
A dewy complexion is this season’s look du jour. How to get it? Try Green People’s Hydrating Firming Facial Serum £11.95 greenpeople.co.uk. A whopping 96% of its ingredients (including chamomile, seaweed and rose) are certified organic. Use it as a skin primer or as a mask overnight. H o t H o t H o t / 03
Cool customer
The almost-neon slash of blue became a familiar sight on the SS13 catwalks. Get the look by liberally applying a thick line under the eye, above and below the lashes, leaving the top lid bare except for a slick of highlighter to accentuate the blue below. We like Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On eyeliner in Deviant Electric Blue £13 urbandecay.co.uk. And because Urban Decay are totally against animal testing, we LOVE them even more.
-Trending
now-
Beauty took a bold turn this Spring with models sporting ‘floating’ eye flicks, full-on Sixties black and nude features and unseasonably dark lips. We’ve seized upon two of the more wearable trends for a moment under the magnifying glass...
Get lippy
Lip worship is hot right now, and hotter still is the Big Pink and not much else. Get the look by keeping skin and eyes as nude as possible, letting the lip have total spotlight. Create a pencil outline, then apply several layers of lip crème in a sugary sweet bright pink shade. We’re head over heels for Dr Hauschka’s Inner Glow lipstick in pink topaz £19.99 drhauschka.co.uk
Watch our Get the Look vids at souksouk.co.uk 04 / T r e n d i n g
now
Photos GoRunway
5
minute masterclass
- Skin Priming -
Priming your skin before applying make-up helps to create a flawless base, so make-up is easier to apply and lasts longer. And the best news is you don’t need a shelf full of expensive products. Just a good cleanse, tone and moisturise routine and a few nutrient-packed products to nourish your skin.
1) Cleanse Cleanse with a light exfoliating scrub in the morning, and a cream or balm cleanser at night. Apply cleanser in a light circular motion. Hold a warm, damp flannel over the face and breathe deeply. Rinse and repeat two more times, then wipe away the cleanser and dirt. Hold a cool flannel to the face, to close up any lazy pores.
2) Tone Toning helps remove any last trace of cleanser or dirt. Also, some believe it stops the skin’s natural inclination to send moisture to the surface where it is caught until an opportunity arises to break out, such as during a stressful time or menstruation.
3) Moisturise If you have dry or mature skin, apply a serum before moisturising to help tighten and rehydrate the skin. We love Pukka Radiance Serum with Aloe Vera and Manuka Honey £32 pukkaherbs.com Try to use a moisturiser with built-in sunscreen. You could also consider using a BB cream or skin primer to help set the base for your foundation and concealer. We like Elysambre’s Organic Pre Makeup base £18.49 Finish by blotting away any excess moisture with a tissue and you’re ready to apply your flawless look!
Exfoliants Exfoliants can be anything from rice flour or apricot seed powder to jojoba beads and micro crystals. Practice with different consistencies to find a product and application that suits your skin. A good facial scrub will remove dead skin cells and kick start circulation. Spend more time on oily areas around the chin and nose. Skin
priming
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healthy ~ happy ~ healthy ~ happy ~ healthy ~ happy ~ healthy ~ happy ~ healthy ~ happy
Ayurveda
Can an ancient Eastern philosophy be the remedy for a modern Western disease?
S
tress is the single biggest cause of illness in the UK according to the Health & Safety Executive. But with so much pressure to work longer hours and juggle more things, it’s getting harder to fight stress on a daily basis. Not everyone can make time every couple of days to go for a run or take a yoga class, cook a hearty meal or take an hour out to meditate. So, if we can achieve some balance physically and emotionally by incorporating small lifestyle changes here and there, we’re more likely to be successful in the long run. Ayurveda might just be the ancient Eastern answer to this apparently common Western condition. Ayurveda is an Indian philosophy based on the belief that our bodies and therefore our minds can be ‘balanced’ for optimum health through the foods we consume and certain lifestyle choices we make. The word Ayurveda translates as ‘the knowledge for long life’ and is based on an understanding that every one of us was born
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with our own unique constitution. What we eat, how we exercise, and how we treat our minds influences our constitutions which are unique to us, and ultimately our wellbeing.
“We feel at our best when our dosha make-up is balanced” We are each made up of varying levels of three doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. We feel at our best when that unique dosha makeup is balanced. So, to ensure we remain balanced and in optimum health, we need to first understand our particular dosha make-up, and then learn to recognise the characteristics of imbalance (which often manifest in health issues and dis-ease.) Then we can correct them through our diet and lifestyle choices. In this issue we’ll be looking at the three doshas, and invite you to work out what your own dosha make-up is with our questionnaire.
healthy ~ happy ~ healthy ~ happy ~ healthy ~ happy ~ healthy ~ happy ~ healthy ~ happy
The Doshas
Understanding our doshas can help us determine which foods we like, the seasons and temperatures we are most suited to, the shapes our bodies have a tendency toward and what our general temperaments are.
Each dosha represents at least one of five elements. Vata represents air and space, Pitta represents fire and Kapha represents earth and water.
vata
Vata people tend to be visionary, imaginative and full of creative energy. They are quick learners but sometimes quick to forget. They have a tendency to worry and can suffer with anxietyrelated health issues. Their digestive systems can also be erratic, with bloating a gas a common problem.
pitta
Passionate, confident and organised workers, Pitta people are often perfectionists and can make effective leaders. The term ‘hot-headed’ may well have been coined with Pitta people in mind as they can display fiery tempers and in some cases they can suffer from overheating and heartburn.
kapha
Kapha is the dosha representing solidity, permanence and slow change. Kapha people are loyal, kindhearted and calm. They love to overindulge but can sometimes become lethargic and lack energy. Emotionally secure and affectionate, Kapha people tend to be earthy and stable.
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Christy Turlington developed her very own Ayurvedicinspired range of beauty products, Sundari. We love her Neem Night Cream. sundari.com
A y u r v e d a / 07
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Body frame and size Weight Skin condition/tendency Hair Appetite Digestive tendencies Stress Mind/mood Learning Decision-making Completing tasks Energy levels Exercise Sleep Climate preference Personality traits
Strong, sturdy, big-boned Heavier and has trouble losing weight Clear, radiant, occasionally oily Thick, oily, luxurious Low. No problems skipping meals Heaviness or slugishness Keeps cool, may occasionally withdraw Consistent, calm, stable Learn slowly but have a reliable memory Slow and methodical Slow and deliberate but thorough Steady with excellent endurance Prefers activities that aren’t too physical Deep and sound. Possible snoring Slightly warm or Doesn’t like humidity Reserved, laid-back
Average. Can gain or lose weight fairly easily Average to oily Thin, fine, straight Strong, don’t like to miss a meal Loose stools, especially with spicy food Frustration, short-tempered Sharp and analytical Learn quickly but generally retain information Relatively easy. Confident Focused, efficient. Important to have goals and purpose Average Healthy, goal oriented Average but sound Cooler Likes to be in control, can be intense, ambitious
Lower than average
Dry, susceptible to eczema
Dry, curly or wavy, slightly coarse
Variable. Like snacking but can easily forget to eat
Bloating, gas, constipation
Can worry and suffer from anxiety
Creative and active, variable
Learn quickly but forget quickly
Difficult
Quickly but not always accurately
Variable with tendency toward short bursts
Likes to be active, calms the mind
Light, broken, multiple dreams
Warm and moist
Vivacious, talkative, social
KAPHA
Average build
PITTA
Once you know your dosha make-up you can go on to read about how to spot imbalances and how to correct them, and what diets, exercise and lifestyle choices lend themselves well to your dosha make-up.
Small and petite or tall and thin
VATA
Take the test below to identify your dominant dosha. For each item, tick the dosha that most describes you. Add up the ticks to see which is the dominant dosha. It is common to have two dominant doshas and possible, but less common, to have three of equal weighting.
What’s your dosha?
The Essentials
Neroli
oil
- Sweet, richly coloured and highly therapeutic -
Produced from the blossoms of the Seville or ‘bitter’ orange trees, Neroli is often used in classic fragrances due to its surprisingly rich floral scent. It’s also rumoured to be an ingredient in the famously secret recipe for Coca Cola...
Orange tree blossoms are characterised by their five snow white petals and intoxicating smell. If left on the tree they develop into oranges. The oil is distilled from flowers freshly picked in the summer months, using water instead of steam to protect the flower’s delicate petals. The oil is named after Anne Marie Orsini, the 17th Century Princess of Nerola, Italy, who used it to fragrance her bath. If it’s good enough for a Princess, it’s good enough for us! Other uses
Orange blossom water can be used as a facial toner as it’s believed to promote the production of collagen and balances the skin’s natural acid. We love Pai’s Lotus and Orange Blossom Bioaffinity Toner. £30 paiskincare.com. It is also used in dessert foods like French Madeleine cakes and Turkish baklavas. And it’s a key ingredient of the Ramos Gin Fizz!
For something a little more nutritious, try Orange Blossom Honey which is widely available and tastes delicious spread on granary toast or added to chamomile tea.
Mix together orange blossom water, one egg white and a teaspoon of sugar with a shot of Juniper Green Organic Gin (around £17) and top with refreshing soda water. N e r o l i / 09
Use Neroli
Exhaustion, depression and nerves
Thought to have a soothing effect, Neroli can instantly relax and calm the nerves. Inhaling the vapors can also help with headaches, anxiety and mild depression. Just add 3-4 drops into a burner or diffuser. Or add 8-10 drops to your bath.
Insomnia
for
Skin regeneration
Neroli stimulates cell growth, so it can be used to treat dry or scarred skin, stretch marks and broken capillaries. Mix 2-3 drops with a carrier oil and massage into the face for an anti-aging treatment. Or add the oil to a cream and use nightly to encourage cell renewal.
Neroli is one of a few essential oils with sedative properties. To help relieve insomnia... Diffuse 3-4 drops in a burner. Or add 8-10 drops to the bath. Or mix three to four drops with a carrier oil such as almond and massage into the top half of your body, concentrating on the chest, shoulders, neck and temples.
Stomach cramps & diarrhoea
As an antispasmodic, neroli is great for calming anxiety-related stomach cramps and muscles. Just add 4-5 drops to a carrier oil or unscented cream and massage gently into the abdomen or affected muscle. Use half that amount for pregnant women or children.
Improve circulation
Treat yourself...
NEOM’s White neroli, mimosa & lemon wick candle makes a fabulously indulgent gift £39.50 neomorganics.com
It can also act as a stimulant, good for boosting circulation. Simply add 4-5 drops to a carrier oil and massage into the body, always working towards the heart. For the best results do this half an hour before your morning shower.
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Skin SOS
- Tired Eyes Everyone suffers from dark under-eye circles and bags occasionally. But don’t worry, there are things we can do to reduce and prevent them. We’ve rounded up some top tips to keep those heavy, tired eyes at bay. 1 Hydrate yourself
2 Fluid drainage exercise
Under eye bags can be caused by fluid retention. Strange as it sounds, our bodies often retain fluid in response to dehydration. Aim to drink around 8 glasses of water or herbal tea a day. Avoid caffeine as a diuretic, causing the body to expel fluid.
Place your two first fingers on each side of your nose an inch down from the centre of your eyes. Press gently, close your eyelids and cast your eyes up towards your forehead. Hold for 10 seconds and release. Repeat two more times to help drain fluid away from the eye area.
3 De-puff Try applying an eye toner, gel or serum twice a day to cool the eye area and reduce puffiness. We like Neal’s Yard’s White Tea Toning Eye Gel £23.75 nealsyardremedies. com and Liz Earle’s Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion £10.25 uk.lizearle.com. 4 Up your fats Increase your intake of essential fatty acids by eating good quality salmon, mackerel or other oily fish, and whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables. Hummus is great for getting a veggie dose of Omega 3. 5 Get some sleep
Getting plenty of sleep makes us feel better and look brighter. Try changing your sleep position by raising yourself up on pillows. Avoid watching or reading a tear-jerker before bed too – late night tears can make your eyes swell the next day.
Tired
eyes
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Supersize
this
W at e r c r e s s Looking for a handy, healthy, quick fix? This humble herby wonder could be just the ticket.
N
owadays, our time is so limited that only the Godliest of us are able to spend hours sourcing the best possible ingredients and toiling in the kitchen making a nightly nutritious feast. So when those in the know started talking about ‘Superfoods’, natural quick-fix foods abundant in vitamins and minerals, we sat up and paid some attention! Watercress is one of those foods, and a super-versatile one at that.
This wonder plant can be used to treat...
This peppery, pungent herb is packed with vital nutrients including vitamins C, E, A and D, calcium, iron and folic acid. Watercress boasts antibacterial properties and research suggests eating it can defend against some types of cancer, as it inhibits certain proteins which play a critical role in cancer development.
Poor digestion
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Urinary tract infection Watercress is high in potassium content so it helps the kidneys by increasing the production of urine, acting like a diuretic. This cleanses the urinary tract and eliminates bacteria. Eating fresh watercress or drinking an infusion of the herb can also help treat the liver, gallstones and bronchitis.
Watercess is a digestive stimulant containing mustard oil glycosides and essential oils which fortify the stomach. Drink two cups of watercress tea a day but for no longer than two weeks at a time due to its diuretic effect.
Fatigue
Watercress stimulates the formation of red blood cells, by supplying them with oxygen which can fight fatigue. To give yourself a quick boost, drink a few cups of watercress tea blended with fennel seeds, dried elderflowers and dandelion root.
Grow Your Own Watercress can be grown indoors in a container. Leaves can be harvested all year round.
1. Fill a shallow plant pot (with drainage holes) with a nutrient-rich compost such as peat moss.
2. Saturate the compost with water and
set the pot on a tray filled with water to keep it wet. Watercress loves lots of water.
3. Densely sow your seeds 1/4 inch deep. 4. Keep seeds wet until they sprout. Once each has a full set of leaves, space 8 inches apart.
5. Put the plant pot in a larger container filled
with 3 inches of water to ensure the roots stay submerged. Change the water once a week.
6. Fertilise the watercress with a good quality liquid. Then harvest the dark leaves year once grown by cutting or pinching them off.
How to make Watercress Tea Chop up two teaspoons of fresh, rinshed watercress, put them into a cup and pour hot water over. Brew for 15 minutes then strain. Try varying the recipe by adding other beneficial herbs and flavourings such as fresh mint, dried chamomile, fennel seeds, a stick of cinnamon or honey.
How to make a Watercress Detox Smoothie 1 bag of watercress 100ml carrot juice 100ml orange juice 100ml tomato juice Tabasco sauce Put the watercress into a food processor and blend it until liquidised. Add the carrot, orange and tomato juices, then season with Tabasco to taste. Watercress in beauty Watercress works wonders as an ingredient in natural skincare formulations. Our favourite is Korres Watercress Extra Moisturising Cream ay, £19 korres.com e 19th M
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W at e r c r e ss / 13
Issues
The
t h at g e t u n d e r o u r s k i n
problem with palm oil
You’re probably not aware of it, but it’s likely that you’re one of billions of people who are demanding cheap palm oil. Palm oil is the least expensive cooking oil in the world and an ingredient in hundreds of supermarket products, from chocolate and margarine to cosmetics and skincare.
B
ut while it’s a convenient ingredient for consumers here in the West, its production is responsible for the increasing destruction of tropical rainforests and valuable peatland in South East Asia. This is resulting in a vast loss of habitat for the world’s few remaining Orangutans, as well as the forced displacement of indigenous people. Not to mention climate change caused by greenhouse gases released during deforestation.
To confuse matters, palm oil is used increasingly in biodiesel, which is being pitted as the ‘green’ alternative to fossil fuel, yet production is unsustainable. In fact, according to Greenpeace,
If we don’t act, we are at risk of losing some of the planet’s most beautiful, exotic, intelligent and unique species. The disastrous impact of palm oil production is going largely unnoticed, due in part to a lack of media coverage.
Being typically high in saturated fats, palm oil is also at the heart of a very grave irony: we are destroying some of the world’s most valuable land in the East to do damage to our bodies in the West.
14 / I ss u e s
t hat g e t u n d e r o u r s k i n
“clearing forests and draining and burning peatlands to grow palm oil will release more carbon emissions than burning fossil fuels.”
So what can I do? There are a number of ways you can reduce your demand for palm oil and play your part in fighting for more sustainable practices in palm oil production.
Brands to support
To do list 1) 2)
3) 4)
5)
First things first, reduce your dependence on cars as much as you can. If you have to drive, try to use as efficient a vehicle as you can afford. Reduce your consumption of processed foods such as cereals, margarines and chocolate. Palm oil is rarely listed in ingredients as ‘palm oil.’ It is often categorised as a vegetable oil. So if in doubt, take it out of your trolley. Avoid cosmetics that use palm oil and support those that don’t.
Lavera • Weleda Green People • Neal’s Yard Remedies Faith in Nature • Caurnie Bentley Organics • Marks & Spencer The Body Shop • Lush Aubrey Organics • Essential Care
Check your label These ingredients are derived from palm oil. Try to avoid them if you can: Palm kernel oil Sodium palmate Sodium palm kernelate Elaeis guineensis
Visit souksouk.co.uk for links to sites giving further information about the palm oil issue
Keep an eye on the developments of campaigns by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. You don’t have to donate money; you could write to your favourite brands, to say you are boycotting them until they source a more sustainable alternative to palm oil. Tell your friends! I ss u e s
t hat g e t u n d e r o u r s k i n
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