Archive for the ‘Food For Thought’ Category

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) today launched its 2010 Scams Awareness campaign by highlighting how scammers are targeting unsuspecting people, using increasingly sophisticated and manipulative tactics. Apparently 73 per cent of adults have received an email scam (I would have thought it was more considering the amount of email effluence I receive daily!) in the last year, of which around 50% have been duped out of over £50.

The campaign calls on consumers to forward scam mailings they have received or dodgy website URLs to email address – sc@mnesty.net. This information will help them pinpoint gangs and gather vital evidence to help in fighting this growing crime.

Here are some tips to help avoid being scammed:

1. Stop, think and be sceptical. If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.

2.Do not be rushed into sending off money to someone you do not know, however plausible they might sound and even where an approach is personalised.

3. Ask yourself how likely it is that you have been especially chosen for this offer – thousands of other people will probably have received the same offer.

4. If you are unsure of an offer, speak to family or friends, check solid details like phone number etc actually exist and seek advice from Consumer Direct before giving out any banking or credit card details. alexia inge

It is all very easy to give in around wintertime when there is a lack of exciting seasonal food on offer in the UK, reaching guiltily for that packet of strawberries from Peru. But our friend, top acupuncturist Ross Barr has some suggestions to keep us happily munching great foods, where the only gaseous footprint we leave is one brought on by Jerusalem Artichokes!!

My default setting over the last couple of weeks has been a wonderfully enjoyable, ‘Oh go on then, it’s Christmas’, as is only right and good. But this has taken its toll on my skin, eyes and energy levels and it is plain to see that I am not the only one afflicted in this way…<<<

One of the first things to concentrate on is the inside.  Your face is a barometer for your body:  if you are looking flat it means the engine needs a service. Emergen-C (effervescent drink) and Orac Super 7 (liquid supplement shot or tablets) are both packed with anti-oxidants and B vitamins to help boost energy levels and cleanse the toxins. Another good tip to help your gut is to have a fresh lemon and ginger tea every morning before anything else:  this will clear your skin in no time.

There have probably been a a few, “I jdontsh nee choo take my makeup offffgrr…..snore” moments over the past weeks, so it is really important to get back into a good cleansing routine – the Neal’s Yard Organic Wild Rose Beauty Balm is one of the best ways to rebalance and remove dirt and make up from your skin leaving it blooming and able to breath again. Alpha H are geniuses at renewing and resurfacing the skin:  go to bed wearing Liquid Gold Night Treatment Serum and you will wake up a new woman.

The boys at 3 Custom Color have a brilliant little tool called a Clarifying Pencil, a flesh coloured eye pencil that you draw along the inner step of the bottom eye lid to counter tired, red eyes instantly, brightening the area and making you look years younger.

A great tip for dull skin is to mix a small squirt of BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector and a teeny bit of facial Fake Tan with your daily moisturiser to add that moisture-rich luminosity you get after having a facial – instantly.

Last but not least don’t forget your poor hair – pulled, fried, teased and trussed up – it has not had as much fun as you have! Treat your locks to some TLC Italian style with Davines:  according to your hair type they do products for Flyaway, Curly, Course and plain knackered hair types.

Time to reformat to, ‘I really shouldn’t’ and then move on to ‘not for me thanks’…alexia inge

We are in the midst of the party season, a time when a lot of women take risks, not only with their liver, but by wandering about town in a state of lowered awareness and in some cases careless abandon. Here are some tips to keep yourselves safe this party season, buying you time to escape if you are cornered:

1. Knee/Kick to the Groin: The easiest way to stop an attacker and buy your self some running time.

2. Key Punch: When walking somewhere on your own hold a key tightly between your thumb and forefinger and be prepared to puncture any soft flesh you can hit. This magnifies the effectiveness of any punch you can muster.

3. Ear Scream/Slap: The inner ear contains the sensory organs for hearing and balance. If you can cup your hands over the ear and scream or even slap your assailant’s ear like the old tango adverts, you can cause disorientation and no small amount of pain.

4. Foot Stamp: Put those Pradas to good use – jab that heel into the top of the baddie’s foot as hard as you can. This is helpful to use if you’re grabbed from behind and can’t use your arms. Lose the heels if you need to run away though.

5. Knee Kick: Another good one to use if you’re grabbed from behind. Pull your leg up, swing back with as much force as you can muster, connecting with their shin or knee.

6. Forearm to the Neck: There’s a lot of tender and important bits in the neck which will hurt like hell if bashed hard with a fast-moving forearm.

7. Eye Gouge: Your attacker may be stronger, but everyone’s eyes are vulnerable. Get your thumbs or fingers in those sockets and push as hard as you can.

8. Elbow to the Gut: The elbow is the hardest bone in the body and least likely to break on impact in a fight. Lift your arm as high above your head as you can and swing it down with a wicked vengeance, wherever you connect you will wind your attacker

9. Glaswegian Kiss or Head Butt: If your arms are pinned and you can’t get enough purchase to kick or stomp, consider using your head as a weapon. Reel back and slam your head into his face…with a little luck you’ll break his nose, or at the very least stun him enough to free your limbs for a bigger counter attack.

10. RUN: All these moves are meant to get whoever has you to let you go. Once you’re free, RUN. Put those spinning classes to good use and haul ass as fast as you can, as hard as you can, until you find help.

Perfume sales have not been good this year; although this can be hard to believe when out on the streets, embattled by the force-fields of over-enthusiastic Armani and cK supporters. In order to keep our attentions on all things fragrant, the perfume companies are falling back on their old friends the Stary-Army to convince us to keep the tide of bio at bay.

Faith Hill and Halle Berry have recently pledged their allegiance to the cause, as has Pamela Anderson who apparently spent more than the usual half day working on her Malibu scents, which hit stores in November.

Even though she has been battling demons of a rather different nature, Britney still apparently shifts the scents, launching her new Britney Spears’ Circus this month. Even Antonio Banderas is in on the act, rolling out his sixth scent called Seduction in Black.

With 40-50% of all perfume sales recorded in the months of November and December you can see why these slightly cynical, ‘buy me’ tactics are employed. But I can’t help feeling a little patronised by this. When cult scents like Shalimar by Guerlain, Farouche by Nina Ricci and Tabac Blond by Caron were created, the process took over 2 years and employed trained noses who had spent their lifetimes studying this art.

Is the general public really this gullible?

Maybe it is not the economy that ails this industry, but the quick-buck strategies of the board rooms that drive generic product creation and these unimaginative marketing strategies to try and sell them. A regression to the artisan processes of yesteryear might be just the ticket to create a new star in its own right – alexia inge

I just read this piece of beauty news and I’ve got to tell you, it annoyed me. A new survey has shown that three quarters of UK beauty consumers don’t check the ingredients list of products because they perceive there to be ‘no need’.

Why do we continue to bury our heads in the sand and allow the cosmetic giants to fill products with harsh/unnecessary/carsinogenic ingredients thanks to this unfortunate consumer condition, ‘brand loyalty’?

It’s naïve to assume that just because a product is made by a big name manufacturer its ingredients are actually good for you. Many nail varnishes, for example, contain formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate – three highly toxic chemicals that have a high hazard score of 10 on the Skin Deep database (the hazard score is on 0-10 scale, 10 corresponding to highest concern). All three ingredients are linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity and allergies, but  are totally unnecessary in nail varnish formulations. (Nubar is a fantastic cult nail brand that keeps all its products ‘3 free’.)

The survery, carried out by Mintel, also revealed that consumers are reassured by products that are labelled natural, believing such assertations leave no reason to check the ingredients. Yet there is currently no EU regulation on the term ‘natural’, meaning brands are free to use it on any product they like, regardless of what’s in it, just to jump on the green bandwagon. (At Cult Beauty we believe this is wrong, so when we say natural we mean products that use at least 50 per cent natural ingredients.)

This not only means that we’re parting with hard-earned cash for products that aren’t what they seem; we’re failing to spot the products with truly beneficial ingredients. Do your research on what you should be looking for in, for example, a shampoo, then study the label to see if your chosen product will deliver the results it claims to. (FYI, Cult Beauty expert James Corbett recommends looking out for ingredients like Sage, Rosemary, Peppermint and Zinc when choosing a shampoo). And watch out for that nasty formaldehyde, it’s a preservative that  crops up everywhere; in shampoo, conditioner, shower gel…even children’s bubble bath.

The label: it really is the key to beauty’s best kept secrets.

This is a feature I came across on the New York Times website that I wanted to share. So fascinating hearing black women talk about their hair. I don’t think people realise how much of an issue black hair is. Politically, historically, and otherwise. My sisters and I could have a conversation about hair for hours – seriously. Though that conversation tends to be more frivolous than anything else.

Anyway, have a listen. The lady with the Naomi Campbell do – can you believe her husband never knew her hair wasn’t her own until recently? Hilarious.

Famed for pioneering procedures including face lifts, tummy tucks, botox and skin peels, America’s obsession with youth is no secret. For people with a bit of nerve and a lot of cash it’s now considered the norm to do what it takes to claw back the last few years of their radiant youth. But how far is the average American willing to go? A few botox injections leads to liposuction, a face lift, and then where?

The latest craze to sweep the States is human growth hormone (hGH) injections. Going beyond simple external aesthetic enhancement, medical practitioners have claimed that a hGH regime can actually reverse the physical effects of ageing leaving subjects not only looking younger, but feeling it too.

Doctors advocating the use of hGH suggest getting older and fatter need no longer be inevitable. It’s the result of a glandular disorder that is caused, in part, by diminishing hormones. By replenishing hormone levels to that of a 20 or 30-year-old, it is possible to once again feel that young.

Growth hormones (which are naturally produced in the pituitary  gland of the brain) work by inducing the liver to produce inculin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which triggers the growth of bones and tissues. Levels of hGH and IGF-1 naturally decline after the age of 30, though the pituitary never stops producing them completely. Some small studies have shown that boosting these levels with hGH injections can lead to an increase in muscle mass, improved exercise capability and an increase in skin elasticity.

But of course, it comes at a price. Enterprising cosmetic doctors charge between $500 and $1,000 a month for hGH injections, but the real cost lies in the risk to an individual’s health. Studies have shown that high levels of hGH can lead to an increased likelihood of breast and prostate cancer. Scientists believe this could be because IGF-1 promotes the growth of cells and prevents them from dying – this is the same as with cancer cells which grow rapidly and don’t die.

Other risks (which can be seen in sufferers of acromegaly, a disease caused by a tumor that makes growth hormone) include swollen features, hypertension, heart disease and arthritis.

Aside from the glowing anecdotal testimonies, there is little scientific evidence to support the anti-ageing claims made by fans of hGH. In fact, a 2007 study of healthy elderly men and women showed that the positive effect of the hormone was comparable to what could be achieved by moderate weight training in the gym.

For now it seems we must continue to herald a diet rich in antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E), along with regular exercise, as our best weapon in the fight against ageing . It’s not the secret to eternal youth, but it may just help you grow old gracefully.

Not a massive surprise I am sure to Cult Beauty blog readers, but the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has just announced that they have reclassified UV-emitting tanning devices – sunbeds to you and I -  as “Carcinogenic to Humans”. Twenty independent studies have shown that the risk of cutaneous melanoma is increased by 75% in individuals who begin using tanning devices before the age of 30.

These results reinforce current recommendations by the World Health Organization to avoid sunlamps and tanning parlours, on top of the advice of every dermatologist and doctor in the land. With the quality of fake tans out there at such a high standard there is no excuse to continue with this madness.

For more information from the WHO click here.

Dutch scientists have proven that lower estrogen levels lead to dryer skin, this would go some way to explaining why a woman’s skin quality can change throughout the month. It is also known that smoking reduces your estrogen levels and therefore, in addition to cancer and wrinkles, those ciggies will make your skin positively arid!

During recessions we’re forever being fed little “gems” of information like how the length of a woman’s skirt is dependent on the economy. Yes, it was interesting the first time we read it, but this fact has been recycled over and over again by media outlets that just can’t get enough of the “r” word. 

Less obvious, and more interesting (for beauty junkies, at least) is how telling of the times the colour and shape of a woman’s lips are. According to prominent trend forecaster Li Edelkoort there is a definite link between lip trends and the celebrities of the time, societal emphasis on particular body parts, and, most importantly, the economic and financial status of society in general. 

During the first economic depression of the 30s women drew their lips outwards with square edges that emphasised the stern, perfectionist appearance of the era. Lip colour was a glossy reddish brown and reflected the sober mood that saw women opt for a steely, androgynous appearance. 

All in all a stark contrast to the plumped pouts of the 1960s, which wore only soft, discreet colours. The rejection of conventional beauty, prosperity and consumption, and the sudden shift in sexuality (which saw the most focused-upon body parts become boobs and bums) meant that mother-of-pearl and baby pinks, were chosen for their subtle effects throughout the hippie era. 

The 60s were followed by three decades of bold lips that made a statement, but now in the financial crisis of the noughties, it seems we’ve reverted to the more natural look of the flower power generation. The return of traditional family values and a quest for balance and happiness rather than material richness have paved the way for the return of natural beauty. On-trend lips are soft, natural, and slicked with a shimmering beige, pale pink or apricot shade. Perfect for channelling fresh-faced, radiant beauty.

A little break from the beauty industry, here are some paintings that are simply beautiful to the eye. Alex Asher Daniel’s work reminds us of Egon Schiele, straying almost into the world of fashion illustration (currently showing at Kate Robinson Fine Art Gallery in Soho, New York). Enjoy!

Ever thought about a life without moisturiser, mascara and lipgloss? Us neither, until news of the decline of the busy British bumblebee reached us. You see, if the bee dies out so too do almost 4,000 of Britain’s best loved beauty products. 

A must-have for the Ancients (Cleopatra was a fan), beeswax was used in the first generation of skin creams, lipsticks and nail varnishes.  And those Egyptians were onto as winner thanks to its composition of complex polysters and hydroxy fatty acids, which mean it’s a great thickening and binding agent, has fantastic waterproofing capabilities, and can provide a barrier against air and moisture. From a dermatological point of view, beeswax is suitable for sensitive skin and its natural antibacterial agents and antioxidants have ensured it’s still a cosmetic industry favourite more than 2,000 years on.

But worringly the British bee population has declined by 60 per cent since 1970, according to The Co-operative Group who recently launched its Plan Bee campaign, a 10-point plan to save the honeybee and prevent the decline in population.  

With the future of our Diorshow mascara in jeopardy, it’s time for us all to do our bit and save the bees. 

You can view The Co-operative’s 10-point plan at:
 http://www.co-operative.coop/ethicsinaction/takeaction/planbee/what-The-Co-operative-is-doing-for-bees/