Elizabeth Arden's classic new fragrance

THE INVITE

THE VENUE

There’s always a bit of a do when a renowned cosmetic house launches a fragrance. At the unveiling of Elizabeth Arden’s new signature fragrance Untold, the beauty press were invited to mingle at The Gherkin. As well as enjoying the amazing panoramic views, flutes of champagne and dancing disco girls, the fragrance got everybody talking with their ‘untold stories’ that define and inspire.

THE JUICE

The Gherkin was a smart booking,. The faceted glass bottle isn’t too dissimilar in design to the London landmark, making the juice  look chic and thoroughly modern. As for the scent, it’s a sensual floral that manages to be both feminine and grown-up – think sweetly womanly, rather than saccharine girly. Notes include sparkling pink pepper, pear, blackcurrant bud, Egyptian jasmine and patchouli heart. Mmm, sounds sumptuous  as well as smelling delicious. By-the-way, what’s your untold story?

Untold Eau De Parfum costs from £35 for 30ml and is available from 1^st September

Holiday have-musts!

Although not exactly my desert island essentials – I went to mainland Turkey! These two newly discovered beauty goodies are already on my list for my next getaway in September.

In the past, when travelling I was a slave to my styling brush and hairdryer. No more. Oh yes, Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray has transformed my holiday hair. It’s so liberating just to wash, condition, spray and ruffle dry with fingers. It’s like skinny dipping! My humidity besieged hair would normally frizz if not groomed and glossed, but with this it took on a whole new beach vibe. All Kate Moss textured waves and mermaid ripples and body. Totally a hair rescue!

My second saviour was Suti’s Peppermint Water Organic Facial Toner. With a couple of quick sprays, it gave my fatigued and hot skin a sparkling wake-up moment. The peppermint was a tonic to weary senses and skin wasn’t left feeling wet then Sahara desert dry like it can with water sprays. The only downside is it’s in a glass bottle so you have to be careful when slinging it around in your beach bag.  So, summing up, if I was stranded on a desert island these would guarantee I would have sexy beach-strewn hair and fresh looking skin when my SOS flare was finally spotted!

Toni&Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray, £7.99 available from Boots

Suti Peppermint Water, £18.50 available from www.suti.co.uk

Clarins golden touch

Summer skin demands a light touch. And that lightness of being should be just enough to up-swing naturally sun kissed tones without being over-powering. Clinging onto popping shades you wore when skies were dark and skin a little pasty can look a little clownish under strong sunlight.

Clarins new Face & Blush Powder from their Graphic Expressions collection is just perfect to add a wholesome sexiness to cheeks. An ultra-lightweight powder, it’s made up of three suits-all-skin-shades. The light beige illuminates, the darker beige evens skin tone, the coral pink blush sculpts whilst the flash of gold adds a beam of light. When swirled over with a soft brush and dusted on, the whole effect is actually quite angelic. Skin looks prettily illuminated. It's a smart combination too see your skin through those last hazy days of summer too. Just heavenly!

Clarins Face & Blush Powder costs £30 and is available from August.

www.clarins.com

 

Behind the mask

I love hiding behind a mask. Pick the right one and it can be like yoga for the skin leaving the complexion feeling relaxed and looking rejuvenated. I have several on the go at once depending on how my skin feels, and to me they’re the cornerstone of a good skincare regime.

Reading about Clayspray Glow a red clay mask with cacao piqued my interest, and although I have memories of clay masks drying very hard on my face when I was a teenager, I reminded myself formulations have come a long way since then. Unusual for a masque it’s a spray, and goodness does it spray. All over my bathroom! Not putting me in the best of beauty moods, after I mopped up the mess, I began to smooth onto my face. The texture was creamy, but personally the smell was off-putting. I was told it smelt like chocolate, but not to me! By now I had a love/hate relationship with this masque, but the pay-off was how it left my skin. The minerals, cacao, vitamins and magnesium all conspired to leave pores looking perky. Tiredness had evaporated and my skin looking rebooted and yes, glowing. It recommends a weekly skin treatment, so if I master the spraying action along with attuning my nose to the smell my skin can look forward to getting its glow on!

 

Clayspray Glow Red Clay with Cacaco Masque retails for £44.50 available from

www.clayspray.com and www.feelunique.om

Bourjois nail it!

A few years ago the most edgy nails would get was wearing a French manicure, today polish is an art in itself. It’s not just the nail bars that are getting creative either, the latest formulations and tools available on counter allow everybody to be their own nail technician.

At the (finger) tip of such innovation is Bourjois. Their nail enamels have consistently kept up with trends and this season they’ve topped it with Manucure Toppings! Disco-tastic in all of their sparkly lovely-ness, these are fine, brightly coloured pearls to dress the nails. Choose from three colours with luminous golden accents and silver tints that you sprinkle onto your wet nail enamel. The effect is one of glittery wonder that gives nails a 3D dimension. Finish off with a thin layer of transparent top coat for a lasting funky finish.

For super nail enthusiasts look out for their new Nail Art Dotting Tool. A double ended pen offering two dot sizes, simply dip into your nail polish du jour and dot and colour like crazy! For nailspiration go to Bourjois Facebook page to see some nail art tutorials.

Mancure Toppings £6.99

Dotting Tool £3.99 from www.amazon.co.uk and www.very.co.uk

Kiehl's lighten up

 

For those of you who are playing catch- up with sun damage – and let’s face it, those brown Jackson Pollock type splodges can emerge and take us by surprise on even the best protected skins, then Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Deep Moisture Clarifying Cream can help balance out uneven skin tone.

Its weapon of mass destruction is their activated vitamin C formulation that helps reduce the appearance of dark spots and even out discolouration. White birch and peony extracts make good at readdressing the problem too, and hydration is super-charged – 24 hours super charged! Use before sun protection and bag it as your new clever correction cream.

 Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Deep Moisture Clarifying Cream, £41

Available in August nationwide.

www.kiehls.co.uk

Aveda's head start

Summer is fraught with many potential hair disasters. I’ve seen green hued hair from when bleach meets chlorine and a tear inducing cut from a local hairdresser. But for most of us it’s the humidity, where hair width can increase ten fold, and the very thing that makes the summer – the sun.  Yes, we love basking in it, but just like the skin, hair is open to abuse from UV rays, and once the holidays are over, if hair has been neglected, your barnet can look bleached out, dried up and frazzled. Not a good look.

One protector I will be chucking into my beach bag this holiday is Aveda’s Sun Care Protective Hair Veil. In the past I’ve used hair protectors and they’ve been way too greasy and stubborn, making it a chore to wash out in the evening. This one is super light and spritzs on an invisible screen lasting up to 16 hours. It makes for a slick look too, so frizz is kept at its minimum. Water resistance, taking a dip in the pool isn’t a threat and helps protect from colour fade. Most of us have our hair colour done before we go away, so how annoying to see those expensive highlights lose their punch. UVA and UVB filters are derived from wintergreen and cinnamon bark oils and there’s an anti-oxidizing blend of green tea extract too. It smells gorgeous with organic essential oil extracts of neroli and ylang-ylang. So even if you’re not holidaying tropical, your hair will smell like it is!  

Aveda Sun Care Protection Hair Veil costs £21.50

www.aveda.co.uk