The beauty industry changes as fast as the fashion industry, store constantly updating in line with the latest trends. Fashion has taken an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, best epitomised in high profile clothing brands such as People Tree. Now earth-friendly beauty products are burgeoning too. Words such as Ethical, Natural and Organic have become common when it comes to the latest beauty products, but what do these actually mean, and is there a difference between them? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??
Ethical:
Ethical means being conscious of the efforts and conditions under which products are produced. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as Fair Trade. A good example of an ethical company is The Body Shop, which sources Fair Trade ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America. On the other end of the spectrum questions have been raised about the conditions of workers making Katie Price’s branded perfumes, which were withdrawn from the shelves of Superdrug earlier this year. Most ethical products are not tested on animals, but for this consumers must always check the packaging.
Natural:
?Natural is another confusing term when applied to beauty products. Brands which use this term include Lush, The Body Shop, Origins and many more. Natural can be applied to the state in which we are without intervention, i.e. no makeup or enhancements. However one may ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up. ?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. Lush aspires to make 100% natural products but they include this disclaimer: “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Which leads to the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
Organic:
Organic skincare means there is no chemicals, colourings, flavourings or additives in the production of ingredients or at the manufacturing stage. Brands which focus on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. Organic skincare naturally overlaps with natural skincare.
?It’s easy to get confused by these words, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, so which kind of products should you go for? The decision might be easier than you think… More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, The Body Shop adheres to both ethical and Fair Trade policies and sources natural ingredients for the majority of their products. But not all organic products are particularly ethical. Take the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox Organic Foundation which boasts 98% natural ingredients and 21% organic ingredients… how is it maunfactured?
Maybe it’s increasing awareness of how harmful chemicals can be to our skin or the ever increasing pressure to be kind to the environment; but the demand for more environmentally-friendly products has certainly inspired companies to seek profit from organic and natural products in growing numbers. As consumers, we are easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, but it’s important to consider how these products are made as well, so it could be argued that ethical production is by far the most important aspect of any purchase. Ethical production ensures that workers get fair pay and conditions, but there is also the very serious risk of over dependence on the huge markets of the capitalist west: forcing yet another kind of colonialism onto impoverished parts of the world.
In the meantime maybe it’s best to buy from small brands that strive to make things locally from 100% natural and organic ingredients. Coming next…
Written by Sarah Critchley on Monday October 25th, 2010 11:00 am
The beauty industry changes as fast as the fashion industry, store constantly updating in line with the latest trends. Fashion has taken an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, best epitomised in high profile clothing brands such as People Tree. Now earth-friendly beauty products are burgeoning too. Words such as Ethical, Natural and Organic have become common when it comes to the latest beauty products, but what do these actually mean, and is there a difference between them? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??
Ethical:
Ethical means being conscious of the efforts and conditions under which products are produced. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as Fair Trade. A good example of an ethical company is The Body Shop, which sources Fair Trade ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America. On the other end of the spectrum questions have been raised about the conditions of workers making Katie Price’s branded perfumes, which were withdrawn from the shelves of Superdrug earlier this year. Most ethical products are not tested on animals, but for this consumers must always check the packaging.
Natural:
?Natural is another confusing term when applied to beauty products. Brands which use this term include Lush, The Body Shop, Origins and many more. Natural can be applied to the state in which we are without intervention, i.e. no makeup or enhancements. However one may ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up. ?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. Lush aspires to make 100% natural products but they include this disclaimer: “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Which leads to the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.
Organic:
Organic skincare means there is no chemicals, colourings, flavourings or additives in the production of ingredients or at the manufacturing stage. Brands which focus on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. Organic skincare naturally overlaps with natural skincare.
?It’s easy to get confused by these words, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, so which kind of products should you go for? The decision might be easier than you think… More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, The Body Shop adheres to both ethical and Fair Trade policies and sources natural ingredients for the majority of their products. But not all organic products are particularly ethical. Take the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox Organic Foundation which boasts 98% natural ingredients and 21% organic ingredients… how is it maunfactured?
Maybe it’s increasing awareness of how harmful chemicals can be to our skin or the ever increasing pressure to be kind to the environment; but the demand for more environmentally-friendly products has certainly inspired companies to seek profit from organic and natural products in growing numbers. As consumers, we are easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, but it’s important to consider how these products are made as well, so it could be argued that ethical production is by far the most important aspect of any purchase. Ethical production ensures that workers get fair pay and conditions, but there is also the very serious risk of over dependence on the huge markets of the capitalist west: forcing yet another kind of colonialism onto impoverished parts of the world.
In the meantime maybe it’s best to buy from small brands that strive to make things locally from 100% natural and organic ingredients. Coming next…
Written by Sarah Critchley on Monday October 25th, 2010 11:00 am
Lush prides itself on in-house inventions such as the solid shampoo bar and the shower jelly – and Lush inventors like to have particular fun at Christmas. They provide products that make great gift baskets for women or even stocking stuffers. Here’s a round up of the most exciting new products coming out of Lush land in time for a bit of festive bath time fun:
LUSH Chilli Tingle lip tint by Barb Royal. Inspired by a trip to Mexico, this lip balm is guaranteed to give you hot lips in cold weather.
The Golden Wonder bath ballistic bears no relation to the well known crisp brand but instead looks like a miniature golden gift, and it’s even better in the water – as the bomb dissolves it sends out a shower of golden stars and the water turns blue. All this is accompanied by the sweet scents of sweet orange, cognac and lime. Bring on the party season!
The Northern Lights soap is reminiscent of the phenomenon in the sky, infused with the scents of a Nordic forest and shimmering in transparent stripes.
Magic Wand by Estelle Morris. Lay back, relax, and dabble your wand in the bath to produce the perfect amount of bubbles.
The Buche de Noel is a ‘cleansing roll’ that looks suspiciously like a giant slab of sushi, fitting then that it includes a nourishing sheet of Nori seaweed as it’s wrap.
LUSH Cinders Bath Bomb by Barb Royal. This Christmassy mix features popping candy for extra crackle when it hits the water.
The Jilted Elf shower jelly was inspired by a cocktail recipe from New York. It’s a zesty blend of grapefruit, vodka and ginger that should provide an uplifting start to the day.
I’ve always been partial to a bit of traditional Glogg, the traditional mulled drink of Scandinavian countries. Put the familiar ingredients of orange, lemon, red wine, brandy, cinnamon and clove together and you’ve got another very special shower gel.
Lil Lush Pud by Estelle Morris. Another festive bath bomb with a big personality – scented with marzipan, lemon peel powder, clove powder, aloe vera extract and rose.
I’ve always admired the ethos of Lush, putting planetary care at the top of the agenda – both in terms of the way they create products (ingredients are always carefully sourced and solids are favoured because they use less preservatives and packaging) and also for the support they give grassroots environmental activists. In fact, I even did a talk to introduce Lush employees to Climate Rush a few years ago (you might be able to spot me in the video above). Why not give a bit of Lush this Christmas? It’s the perfect way to indulge someone whilst adding a bit back too.
Lush prides itself on in-house inventions such as the solid shampoo bar and the shower jelly – and Lush inventors like to have particular fun at Christmas. They provide products that make great gift baskets for women or even stocking stuffers. Here’s a round up of the most exciting new products coming out of Lush land in time for a bit of festive bath time fun:
LUSH Chilli Tingle lip tint by Barb Royal. Inspired by a trip to Mexico, this lip balm is guaranteed to give you hot lips in cold weather.
The Golden Wonder bath ballistic bears no relation to the well known crisp brand but instead looks like a miniature golden gift, and it’s even better in the water – as the bomb dissolves it sends out a shower of golden stars and the water turns blue. All this is accompanied by the sweet scents of sweet orange, cognac and lime. Bring on the party season!
The Northern Lights soap is reminiscent of the phenomenon in the sky, infused with the scents of a Nordic forest and shimmering in transparent stripes.
Magic Wand by Estelle Morris. Lay back, relax, and dabble your wand in the bath to produce the perfect amount of bubbles.
The Buche de Noel is a ‘cleansing roll’ that looks suspiciously like a giant slab of sushi, fitting then that it includes a nourishing sheet of Nori seaweed as it’s wrap.
LUSH Cinders Bath Bomb by Barb Royal. This Christmassy mix features popping candy for extra crackle when it hits the water.
The Jilted Elf shower jelly was inspired by a cocktail recipe from New York. It’s a zesty blend of grapefruit, vodka and ginger that should provide an uplifting start to the day.
I’ve always been partial to a bit of traditional Glogg, the traditional mulled drink of Scandinavian countries. Put the familiar ingredients of orange, lemon, red wine, brandy, cinnamon and clove together and you’ve got another very special shower gel.
Lil Lush Pud by Estelle Morris. Another festive bath bomb with a big personality – scented with marzipan, lemon peel powder, clove powder, aloe vera extract and rose.
I’ve always admired the ethos of Lush, putting planetary care at the top of the agenda – both in terms of the way they create products (ingredients are always carefully sourced and solids are favoured because they use less preservatives and packaging) and also for the support they give grassroots environmental activists. In fact, I even did a talk to introduce Lush employees to Climate Rush a few years ago (you might be able to spot me in the video above). Why not give a bit of Lush this Christmas? It’s the perfect way to indulge someone whilst adding a bit back too.
Most music lovers have certain labels that they follow, information pillsprice awaiting releases, viagra 100mg excited by the new directions the people behind these labels have chosen to take. Warp and Planet Mu are two such labels for myself. Years of solid, this web progressive releases have meant I trust their taste – and once again, I think they may have succeeded.
Tim Exile‘s new album bends and shifts between tracks, layering genres from trip-hop to jungle with aspects of punishing techno all combined with stiffly melodic vocals hanging over the top of it all. Each track rolls around almost drunkenly, though perpetually rolling forward – something only possible through the albums astounding production.
There is something about the vocals that don’t strike me as truly necessary. They don’t reach out and suck you in enough and at times and you feel like they’re just sort of there, almost unnecessarily. The tracks speak for themselves; they don’t need Tim’s mutterings splashed across them – often just cheapening the melodies created by his impressive range of synth sounds.
What works much better can be seen in a youtube video of Tim Exile remixing Micachu live. Such an obscure combination that you just know that it could work perfectly, and it does. Well, kind of. It’s interesting.
My highpoint of the album surprisingly comes in the form of ‘Family Galaxy’. It springs from Exile’s past as a Drum and Bass producer (albeit a rather experimental one). On mass, I hate drum and bass. It really is quite ridiculous how much guff can be produced week after week, tirelessly, systematically presenting itself as the same thing. This track however just seems to play with your senses, drawing you in. Then you realise you’re listening to drum and bass and you just have to commend the man. ‘Carouselle’ is also well worth a listen. Truly uplifting experimentations with sounds and melodies it has a kind of dramatic theatricality to it.
This is an album fans of the obscure corners of electronica will enjoy, but not hold up as an album everyone should care about. Intelligent Dance Music is a genre I try to distance myself from (a recent evening spent in a room with Aphex Twin actually scared me away from the genre). This album however seems to bring quite a colorful and enjoyable feel to a genre that seems to thrive in the horrific side of music.
It has to be said I am still trying in vain to establish myself as savvy online shopper. A string of failed eBay purchases led me to become rather despondent about the whole word of online retailing. However recently I found a shop that wholeheartedly restored my faith in the otherwise online abyss.
Hip London based retailer Youreyeslie have emerged on the scene with a shed load of innovative new designers to get our online juices flowing. Branding themselves with the comical slogan “bad taste is better then no taste” its clear to see these guys are not ones for conventional clothing. Featuring everything from bake well tart rings to t-shirts brandishing Nuns with red noses. Their kitsch designs for men and women are sure to make you stand out amidst the city crowds.
The t-shirts feature an eclectic range of styles to suit all tastes from the grunge rockers, hospital the whimsical bohemians to the new rave eccentrics. The site are keen on promoting hand illustration so all t-shirts are beautifully intricate. My favourite has to be the delicate printed tiger oversized t-shirt, I think you will agree he is a handsome beast! I definitely want to take him home.
My Achilles’ heel of the entire website has to be the accessories. They got the entire Amelia’s HQ resorting to excited childish giggles. Each of us tried to conjure plausible excuses to buy a whole bundle of their adorable pendants.The whimsical designs are brilliantly kitsch, taking you on an imaginative whirlwind tour through the fairground, with marching band and tambourine pendants. Then it’s on to the tropical jungle with exotic birds and butterflies and if that’s not enough excitement you’re then catapulted into the realms of outer space with a rocket pendant.
My favourite has to be this bird pendant of two Bluetits, (see a pastoral upbringing has its distinct advantages, well for bird classification at least!) Anyway as an avid bird fan myself these beautifully delicate feathered friends get the thumbs up from me, I happen to think they would be very content perched on my neck.
So give your wardrobe that new leash of life it craves, with free delivery over orders above £50 there is no excuse not to go mad, well that’s my reasoning anyway! Send us stuff by the barrel load, here at Amelia’s we are well and truly hooked on YEL!
I’m sure that all our our wonderful Amelia’s Magazine readers have got a viewpoint on animal testing being conducted for cosmetic products. And I would like to think that the viewpoint is that it is JUST PLAIN WRONG! (Seriously, page what other viewpoint is there?!) I don’t know about you, hospital but I have been under the illusion that we were all in agreement about this, and so were the suits behind all legislations that decided upon animal testing. Apparently I was wrong. Because R.E.A.C.H had got there first. Under this law ( also known as Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), many more animal tests are taking place as the scientists try to work out which chemicals can harm us. Alarmingly, these include chemicals found in cosmetics and toiletries.
Having found out that one of my favourite brands, Lush, have been campaigning heavily against this, I spoke with Andrew Butler, Lush’s Campaign Manager at Lush H.Q to find out more about this situation.
Andrew, I can’t get my head around this.
“This whole R.E.A.C.H thing is horribly convoluted situation, and a lot of people don’t know about it. R.E.A.C.H is already a reality, people have been fighting it for years, but it went through, largely because its something that people didn’t fully understand, It has been too complicated for the media to follow. R.E.A.C.H affects all products. It is a piece of legislation that is about 10 years in the making, and here’s the backround: consumer and health organisations were concerned that there were chemicals on the market that were potentially harmful, either through direct contact or consumers, or via the environment, and concerned that things were getting into the soil or the water, and getting into food chain or affecting wildlife. The kind of concerns in question were if the substance was an irritant, or carcinogenic, or a endocrine disruptor, – i.e it upset the hormonal balance. and so R.E.A.C.H was designed to be a catch all, and pull together all the diverse different bodies that dealt with chemicals in Europe into one central body and pull together existing information and fill in any blanks that there may be, and this was why R.E.A.C.H came to pass.”
But it sounds laudable, in theory?
“Absolutely, we should be ensuring that dangerous chemicals are not in the marketplace, and anything that is either cancer causing or disruptive of hormone systems should be heavily restricted or banned. But it is the way that the data is collected, and the sorts of data is used to ascertain whether something is safe or not. . And that was something that was not asked of the people who proposed the legislation. The groups were concerned about the chemicals, but not necessarily how the safety would be assessed. Traditional toxicology and eco toxicology involves animal tests, and that has always been the case. Pretty much everything that you can imagine from the carpet under your feet to the painting on the walls has been tested on animals somewhere by someone. Almost everything has been through a lethal dose 50 test which is where a group of animals is force fed a substance until 50% of them die. Its something that is done for virtually everything.
Companies who are concerned with safety testing but also don’t want to use animals have been concerned with the ingredients so there are various mechanism that companies can put in place so animal testing is not used. They can set a cut off date after which ingredients are not tested on animals, or they won’t do business with companies that are testing on animals. There are grave questions about the validity of animal testing, not just the ethics. The animal testing data is not really applicable to people.
As R.E.A.C.H was being developed there was pressure to not rely on animal test data. We ran a campaign in our stores, we collected postcards to MEPS urging them to not rely on animal tests under R.E.A.C.H, we collected 85,000 of those and sent them to MEPS. Many groups, such as Animal Aid and PETA were also campaigning against R.E.A.C.H. In the six years that the legislation was being passed, there were provisions put in place. For example, if animal test data already existed for a particular ingredient, that should be used in place of any new data. So provisions were put in place to minimise it, but not do away with it entirely. ”
I’m sure we already know it, but what is Lush’s stand on animal testing?
Lush goes into the stocks
“For us as a company, we have an objection to animal testing – both because it isn’t ethical to inflict suffering and kill animals in order to assess safety, and we don’t believe that animal tests will result in accurate info, we feel that the animal test data is inconclusive. Generally speaking, animal tests offer an accuracy rate of 40%, whereas the non animal tests are accurate 70- 80%. We are opposed to animal tests being mandatory in R.E.A.C.H. We need to ensure safety without suffering, with modern, non animal testing methods that will give us much more accurate results. ”
When did R.E.A.C.H come into effect, and what kind of ingredients are being tested?
“The legislation passed in 2007, and it has been implemented over the last couple of years. R.E.A.C.H legislation presides over anything that has undergone a chemical process – so e.g. a lavender flower isn’t included, but lavender essential oil would be considered a chemical, because it has undergone a chemical process. Anyone manufacturing or importanting any material in Europe that is over a tone of materials have to register it to R.E.A.C.H, and collectively, almost everything comes under these guidelines. And the deadline for this was December 2008 and the European Chemicals Agency were meant to have sift through all of these registrations, come up with a final list and set deadlines for the testing to be done. 140,000 materials need to be tested and be given safety information. If the data doesn’t exist, animal testing needs to be done. There is a huge degree of uncertainty – how much of that data already exists? How much animal testing needs to be done? Potentially, millions of animal experiments will need to be done. And it tends to be the more natural substances, like essential oils that don’t have all of the data. They are the ones who are going to end up being having to have their products tested; this will be done against their will.”
This is all so bleak! Is there a possibility of a positive outcome?
“We are struggling at the moment, because of the degree of uncertainty. But there is a silver lining. There is the European Cosmetics Directive, which came into force on March 11th 2009, it is an amendment to the cosmetics directive. It says that you cannot test any ingredients for cosmetics on animals in Europe. You can’t even market a product in Europe containing ingredients that have been tested on animals anywhere in the world. So on the one hand you have this, and on the other, you have R.E.A.C.H. ”
Before the last draft of R.E.A.C.H was passed, Lush paid a visit with a manure truck
So which one gets the say so on testing?
“That is a good question! It’s something that has to be tested in court. The whole cosmetics industry sees that there is clearly a conflict. What we need is for more companies to stand up and start questioning this, and to get the British Government to stand up and say that we are questioning this. So our campaign right now is awareness raising. R.E.A.C.H spells the end to cruelty free cosmetics. So if you care about this, you need to be aware of this, you need to start talking about this, and you need to ask other companies what they are doing about this. What are the British Government doing about this? They stood up in 1998 and said no more animal testing. Well they have signed us up to the biggest animal testing programme in Europe’s history, what’s that all about? Lush can engage corporate disobedience, and refuse to toe the line but thats not enough, if everyone is complying with R.E.A.C.H then animal testing will still go ahead. It needs to be collective. And the British public need to get involved too!”
Is there information readily available in Lush stores about this?
“Until the end of Easter there is information in all the stores, it’s being run as an in store campaign. The aim after Easter is to get a more comprehensive leaflet that will be available if you ask for it. There is also always going to be information on our website (www.lush.co.uk/reachout/ ) We are hoping to produce letters to MP’s and other companies, specifically about this issue.”
How has the feedback been from your Lush customers?
“We have had a really strong response. We have run plenty of campaigns about packaging, shark finning, human rights in Guantanamo, all sorts of things and this is one of the strongest customer responses, people have been shocked – they had no idea that this was happening. A lot of the responses have been that this is contrary to my rights, this should be going through the European Human Rights Courts because it should be my right to say, no I am not going to be alright with animal testing.
Information booth outside Lush
R.E.A.C.H is a law, there is not one particular thing that you can do to stop it, but if we do lots of things; if we at least start talking about this, and get large companies to stand up and say that we are not happy about this situation, then we stand a chance.”
Written by Cari Steel on Thursday April 9th, 2009 4:24 pm
Triumph Inspiration Award Xu Yi
All photography by Amelia Gregory.
So, information pills you’re a sports celebrity, buy but your sporting career has long since ended. What to do to keep in the spotlight? Why, turn up to a fashion show. And watch pretty models parade around in their keks. Purfect! And so it was that I found myself sitting behind not only Nicky Hambleton-Jones (fabulous skin since you ask, and a forehead as smooth as a baby’s bottom) but that well known fan of underwear Linford Christie. Well, he’s a man isn’t he?
I got to the awards as people were being seated, so just had a chance to whisk past a clutch of uncomfortable looking models posing in underwear beneath coloured lights as guests blithely sipped vodka tonics in front of them, and men (only men, and me) snapped them for posterity.
Triumph Inspiration Award presented by someone I’ve never heard of.
And so I sat behind the celebs as they had a suitably celeb-y chit chat, and then we were subjected to a bombastic intro which involved a lengthy and dramatic collage of lady silhouettes and then some misogynistic words from a male dancer who I’ve never heard of, and then the judges arrived. Helena Christensen looked vaguely uncomfortable as she was introduced and Matthew Williamson, Rankin and her passed notes like giggly schoolkids. I wonder how much they all got paid for this little shindig? A pretty penny I shouldn’t wonder.
Triumph Inspiration Award judges.
In the goodie bags were the first of many hair products that I expect to receive this week, a pair of pants that might fit around my thigh if I’m lucky, and a very glossy brochure of Helena wearing the outfits designed by the 27 finalists chosen from 2300 students from countries all over the globe. And how old is Helena Christensen anyway? A cheese lover apparently, no less, she’s still outrageously good looking in the flesh, though of course she has been airbrushed to oblivion in the promo shots.
Luckily the actual show was short and sweet, and some of the designs – based on the theme Shape Sensation – were really rather good. It was all over very quickly as we finished with a nod to burlesque; a girl exploding balloons full of coloured paint powder all over the catwalk.
The winners were announced in a manner reminiscent of the Eurovision contest, Ludovico Loffreda of Italy, then Amaya Carcamo of Spain, both designs that I liked. Unsurprisingly the first prize went to a design that clearly had commercial potential, though I would have picked Amaya’s beautiful armoured contraption myself. The winner, Nikolay Bojilov of Bulgaria looked utterly dazed as he paraded down the catwalk with Helena Christensen on one arm.
Triumph Inspiration Award 2010 winner Nikolay Bojilov of Bulgaria.
Here then, are my favourites, from the sublime to the ridiculous.
The Sublime:
Suzanne Ferncombe.
Justin Singh.
Triumph Inspiration Award runner up Ludovico Loffreda of Italy.
Grace Eliana Sugiarto.
The winning design by Nikolay Bojilov.
Eugenia Dimopoulou.
Isolde Mayer.
Anette Boman.
Dennis Lyngso.
Benjamin Blarer.
Triumph Inspiration Award runner up Amaya Carcamo.
Manuel Marte.
Tovah Cottle.
Onward, London Fashion Week here I come. Look out for a live sketch blog from the awards from the wonderful Jenny Robins coming up soon.
All photography by Amelia Gregory.
So, visit you’re a sports celebrity, but your sporting career has long since ended. What to do to keep in the spotlight? Why, turn up to a fashion show. And watch pretty models parade around in their keks. Purfect! And so it was that I found myself sitting behind not only Nicky Hambleton-Jones (fabulous skin since you ask, and a forehead as smooth as a baby’s bottom) but that well known fan of underwear Linford Christie. Well, he’s a man isn’t he?
I got to the awards as people were being seated, so just had a chance to whisk past a clutch of uncomfortable looking models posing in underwear beneath coloured lights as guests blithely sipped vodka tonics in front of them, and men (only men, and me) snapped them for posterity.
Triumph Inspiration Award presented by someone I’ve never heard of.
And so I sat behind the celebs as they had a suitably celeb-y chit chat, and then we were subjected to a bombastic intro which involved a lengthy and dramatic collage of lady silhouettes and then some misogynistic words from a male dancer who I’ve never heard of, and then the judges arrived. Helena Christensen looked vaguely uncomfortable as she was introduced and Matthew Williamson, Rankin and her passed notes like giggly schoolkids. I wonder how much they all got paid for this little shindig? A pretty penny I shouldn’t wonder.
Triumph Inspiration Award judges.
In the goodie bags were the first of many hair products that I expect to receive this week, a pair of pants that might fit around my thigh if I’m lucky, and a very glossy brochure of Helena wearing the outfits designed by the 27 finalists chosen from 2300 students from countries all over the globe. And how old is Helena Christensen anyway? A cheese lover apparently, no less, she’s still outrageously good looking in the flesh, though of course she has been airbrushed to oblivion in the promo shots.
Luckily the actual show was short and sweet, and some of the designs – based on the theme Shape Sensation – were really rather good. It was all over very quickly as we finished with a nod to burlesque; a girl exploding balloons full of coloured paint powder all over the catwalk.
The winners were announced in a manner reminiscent of the Eurovision contest, Ludovico Loffreda of Italy, then Amaya Carcamo of Spain, both designs that I liked. Unsurprisingly the first prize went to a design that clearly had commercial potential, though I would have picked Amaya’s beautiful armoured contraption myself. The winner, Nikolay Bojilov of Bulgaria looked utterly dazed as he paraded down the catwalk with Helena Christensen on one arm.
Triumph Inspiration Award 2010 winner Nikolay Bojilov of Bulgaria.
Here then, are my favourites, from the sublime to the ridiculous.
The Sublime:
Suzanne Ferncombe.
Justin Singh.
Triumph Inspiration Award runner up Ludovico Loffreda of Italy.
Grace Eliana Sugiarto.
The winning design by Nikolay Bojilov.
Eugenia Dimopoulou.
Isolde Mayer.
Anette Boman.
Dennis Lyngso.
Benjamin Blarer.
Triumph Inspiration Award runner up Amaya Carcamo.
Manuel Marte.
Tovah Cottle.
The Ridiculous:
Da Da Tang Sze Man.
Peet Dullaert.
Pha Thi Cam Tu.
Karine Feldman.
Cristina Homen de Gouveia.
Caroline du Chastel.
Yadvi Aggarwal.
Ayumi Kawase.
Elin Engstrom.
Xu Yi.
Onward, London Fashion Week here I come. Look out for a live sketch blog from the awards from the wonderful Jenny Robins coming up soon.
Having been to each and every Sunrise festival since it started in 2006 I became one of the Sunrise Off Grid organising team this year. It’s only the second time this offshoot has happened but as I watched the site take shape with a mix of anxiety and hope I realised that of course it would be a wonderful event. Sunrise has never failed me, see so why would it now?
Us Brits we love to talk about the weather right? Well, Off Grid was WET and I saw this as a healthy test of how good the event really was; sunshine softens the edges but water is transparent. If people could leave the rainy site saying they had the best weekend ever then we had done it, and they did! An incredible display of enthusiasm and participation took place: people made soap under an umbrella over a fire with one of the guys from Lush, went for rainy walkabouts to find herbal remedies and hacked away at tin cans to make rocket stoves – there was a constant crowd of students at the Off Grid college in the Transition Towns Tin Village, all studying an alternative lifestyle.
There is nothing more gratifying after months of work than to know that something is going well. A momentous moment for me was dropping in on the Future Farming Conference and witnessing of key agriculturalists moving towards sustainability and co-operation in the South West. A Transition Towns phrase used by Sunrise was echoed by Tamsin Omond of Climate Rush, who gave an inspirational talk on the direct action side of things. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world – it’s the only thing that ever does.”
Not only did the event inspire me and many others in practical ways, but the emotional aspect was also huge. The Kindness Offensive gave a talk which further deepened my faith in human action, offering a simple insight into why doing good and being kind is infinitely powerful. Mark Boyle explained why living free doesn’t come at such a high cost as we sometimes think, and venues all over this tiny and manageable site gave forums to those with bright ideas and amazing initiatives into ‘Spiritual activism’ – ways to be happy, healthy, helping each other and the planet.
Obviously a festival wouldn’t be a festival without any music, and even though Off Grid is a small festival of 500 punters, the music played a large part, as tends to happen at Sunrise. The Zia Solar main stage, in the barn, was powered entirely by wind and sun (along with the rest of the festival) and had a great line up of local and distant musicians who gave performances as valued contributions to the event. Thursday started things off with a harmonica and the amazing vocal talents of Phillip Henry of The Roots Union (watch that one), followed by some Afrocelt treats from Simon Emmerson DJ-ing (after his talk on bird species and bird song, a pastime of his outside of AfroCelt Soundsystem). The weekend continued in the same exciting fashion with funky soul 10-piece, Glastonbury-based Gente, easy-skanking Avalon Roots, foot-stomping Celtech, circus-swinging, slightly spooky, theatrical showmen Spanner Jazz Punks (!), modern traditional folk from Forcenra, musical activsts, Seize The Day and many many more marvelous minstrels about whom I could ramble for hours!
Poetry didn’t miss a beat at Off Grid and dance workshops prepped people for the lively nights. However, all of this I know and trust will come from Sunrise each year. What really moved me, personally, was the display of determination to make something beautiful in the rain, to learn something essential and gather together to discuss and network over something truly important: our relationship with this planet. I work for Sunrise because I don’t think that a single person leaves either Sunrise Celebration in June (check out www.sunrisecelebration.com), or Off Grid (www.sunrise-offgrid.com), unaffected by the energy in the heart of the event, which drives us to reassess our lives, our actions, and to love it all just a little bit, even a lot, more.
On Thursday 15th November Lush held their inaugural Lush Prize at a warehouse venue in the heart of Shoreditch, and I was there. During the afternoon Mothers Meeting invited us to a tea party for kids, complete with luscious cakes by Lily Vanilli for the mummies and plates of healthy snack food for the kiddies.
The older ones were invited to make brilliant animal masks with Margot Bowman in celebration of the Lush#animalperson campaign, whilst our wee ones babbled at each other and noshed on each other’s heads.
Then it was home to put Snarfle to bed before heading out once more for the prize giving dinner, a delicious vegan affair catered for by Tom’s Feast, and made entirely out of food that would otherwise go to waste.
I particularly enjoyed a bright green foraged salad, complete with pineapple weed… aka wild chamomile. Take a look at Tom’s blog if you really want to make your mouth water.
By a stroke of luck I happened to sit next to the gorgeous Rowena Bird, co-founder of Lush, who we interviewed many a moon ago for the print version of Amelia’s Magazine. We talked about her new make up range for Lush, Emotional Brilliance, which is based on colour psychology: spin the wheel and find out what colours jump out at you. I also met an inspiring lady with an intriguing project, Lucy Gilliam and the New Dawn Traders. Her mission? To get tall ships back on the seas to transport large cargos in carbon free style. What an amazing idea and one I’d never thought about – apparently the technology is there and now it’s all about the will (as ever with these things). Also at my table was the film maker responsible for the viral ad campaign designed to promote the Lush Prize, Josef Valentino. Watch it here.
The space was conceived as a high tech homage to forward thinking science by Something & Son and Inition, and each table featured an iPad with which to view specially designed cards placed on our plates – through these we experienced augmented reality, as the chaotic graphic patterns took shape to make hearts, feet and lungs. Using fingers we were able to dismantle these, as if performing our very own human vivisections.
The Lush Prize is a dauntingly ambitious project designed to highlight the ongoing use of animals in cosmetics testing, with a total prize fund of £250,000. It aims to promote and support all the exciting new developments which will hopefully rid our world of this outdated mode of experimentation. As Lush says ‘In a parallel universe not very far away, some of the world’s leading scientists and engineers are working towards a future where computers and molecular biology have replaced animals in laboratory tests.‘ We reported on the new REACH act (which makes extensive animal testing mandatory by law) way back in 2009 but sadly this is a battle which still needs to be fought: thank god Lush have stepped back in to bring the spotlight back on animal testing.
“Ask experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: ‘because they are like us.’ Ask experimenters why it is morally okay to experiment on animals, and the answer is: ‘because the animals are not like us.’ Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction.”Charles R. Nagel.
But back to the Lush Prize – the winners had travelled from all over the world to receive one half of a boxing bronze hare (created by ceramist Nichola Theakston) and a large amount of cash, designed to aid them in their work putting an end to unnecessary animal testing. Prizes were awarded for Science, Training, Lobbying, Public Awareness and to post doctoral students. The recipients included Hiromi Kamekura from the Japan Anti-Vivisecton Association, which has been doggedly raising awareness of animal testing by cosmetics giant Shiseido. Winners also came from India, Italy, the USA, Canada and Russia, for this is a truly global fight. It’s brilliant that Mark and Mo Constantine of Lush are so passionate about the things they care about, regularly stumping up cash to help others create the better world they strive and wish for. If only wish more companies were as bold and principled in their decisions.
Don’t forget, gift buyers, that it’s always nice to feel a bit pampered on special occasions, nudge nudge wink wink. Which is why I’m going to share some great ideas for natural and ethical beauty and skincare gifts.
I first sampled the Trevarno Skincare brand a few years ago when I wrote about it in print, and I can’t praise their products highly enough: everything is handmade using organic ingredients that are sourced for their therapeutic uses as well as cosmetic benefits at the Trevarno Farm in South Cornwall. And the gorgeous jewel coloured glass packaging will look great in the bathroom, no wonder Vogue is a fan… This season I like the sound of the Luxury Hamper containing such delights as Crabwood and Lemongrass Soap and Grapefruit and Cocoa Butter Lip Balm.
You can always bank on Lush to produce something a little bit special for Christmas: this year I am particularly loving their Fairyshiki scarf wrap which can be matched with your bath bomb of choice for a great price. Better still is its provenance – the wraps are made from recycled glass bottles, saving 170,000 from landfill. Add one to your Lush order today!
CJ’s BUTTer is an American secret that is gradually finding it’s way over to these shores: I was recommended it by someone on Etsy as a great natural brand for using on babies and I use their products on Snarfle every day. The range comes in a vast range of yummy flavours such as the best selling Monkey Farts and best of all it’s great for mummies too: I love their lemon cheesecake lip balm.
Botanist Dr Paul Richards is the creative force behind Herbfarmacy, dreaming up wonderful products made from the herbs grown on his own farm. Another great brand that I’ve been using for some time – read my interview here. Why not check out some Herbfarmacy gift ideas?
Burt’s Bees really know how to package their goods in style: check out their gift section for a host of beautifully presented ideas. My favourite has to be For the Love of Lip Balm – an oversized lip balm tube (modelled with us in the photo above) containing a host of different lip balms for the serious addict to try. (Hands up, I am a lip balm addict.)
Speaking of… Figs & Rouge produce 100% organic and petroleum free lip balms in gorgeous tins.
And in fact a serious lip balm addict will delight in this Andrea Garland Pill Box Lip Balm decorated with a cute Squirrel from The Lollipop Shoppe, which contains natural lip balm made from 100% shea butter. Speaking of shea butter – why not check out the fab Shea Alchemy? All the products are ridiculously good value and your purchase will help fund Afrikids, a children’s rights organisation in Ghana.
Lastly, I’m seeing a lot of buzz online about NEOM Organics, who produce gorgeous pampering gift sets that include candles and beautiful scents such as Happiness (with White Neroli, Mimosa and Lemon)
Go on, there’s still time to treat that special someone this year…
Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday December 18th, 2012 3:40 pm
Don’t forget, gift buyers, that it’s always nice to feel a bit pampered on special occasions, nudge nudge wink wink. Which is why I’m going to share some great ideas for natural and ethical beauty and skincare gifts.
I first sampled the Trevarno Skincare brand a few years ago when I wrote about it in print, and I can’t praise their products highly enough: everything is handmade using organic ingredients that are sourced for their therapeutic uses as well as cosmetic benefits at the Trevarno Farm in South Cornwall. And the gorgeous jewel coloured glass packaging will look great in the bathroom, no wonder Vogue is a fan… This season I like the sound of the Luxury Hamper containing such delights as Crabwood and Lemongrass Soap and Grapefruit and Cocoa Butter Lip Balm.
You can always bank on Lush to produce something a little bit special for Christmas: this year I am particularly loving their Fairyshiki scarf wrap which can be matched with your bath bomb of choice for a great price. Better still is its provenance – the wraps are made from recycled glass bottles, saving 170,000 from landfill. Add one to your Lush order today!
CJ’s BUTTer is an American secret that is gradually finding it’s way over to these shores: I was recommended it by someone on Etsy as a great natural brand for using on babies and I use their products on Snarfle every day. The range comes in a vast range of yummy flavours such as the best selling Monkey Farts and best of all it’s great for mummies too: I love their lemon cheesecake lip balm.
Botanist Dr Paul Richards is the creative force behind Herbfarmacy, dreaming up wonderful products made from the herbs grown on his own farm. Another great brand that I’ve been using for some time – read my interview here. Why not check out some Herbfarmacy gift ideas?
Burt’s Bees really know how to package their goods in style: check out their gift section for a host of beautifully presented ideas. My favourite has to be For the Love of Lip Balm – an oversized lip balm tube (modelled with us in the photo above) containing a host of different lip balms for the serious addict to try. (Hands up, I am a lip balm addict.)
Speaking of… Figs & Rouge produce 100% organic and petroleum free lip balms in gorgeous tins.
And in fact a serious lip balm addict will delight in this Andrea Garland Pill Box Lip Balm decorated with a cute Squirrel from The Lollipop Shoppe, which contains natural lip balm made from 100% shea butter. Speaking of shea butter – why not check out the fab Shea Alchemy? All the products are ridiculously good value and your purchase will help fund Afrikids, a children’s rights organisation in Ghana.
Lastly, I’m seeing a lot of buzz online about NEOM Organics, who produce gorgeous pampering gift sets that include candles and beautiful scents such as Happiness (with White Neroli, Mimosa and Lemon)
Go on, there’s still time to treat that special someone this year…
Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday December 18th, 2012 3:40 pm
On Thursday the bath-time lovelies at Lush supported one of my great loves, by staging Climate Rush themed picnics outside all 89 of their UK stores.
As was detailed by Cari in a previous post, my local Lush store just happens to be in Liverpool Street Station. Chosen as the flagship store for this event the picnic was attended by Lush superstar campaigners Sean and Andrew, who have together helped us out in a very big way.
I sent the interns ahead on foot and arrived to find a fetching gingham tablecloth – bearing the timely ‘Climate Change is No Picnic’ slogan – being spread and upon it a yummy selection of vegan cake and cookies laid out for passersby to enjoy.
A trio of violins led by the Rush’s very own Deborah (her of sticky-fingers-in-parliament fame) struck up a tune as the lovely Lush girls, dressed in full Edwardian garb, handed out Trains Not Planes sashes to business men passing by and even managed to engage some climate change denialists in some productive conversation.
The police, as ever, were present. In fact I swear I recognised one of them from the “Riot Gate” at Kingsnorth during Climate Camp last year. Unlike then, they were eager to smell the soaps (all packaged in recyclable paper – Lush tries not to use excess packaging, just one of the reasons we love ‘em) and chat to the pretty shop girls. I wonder if they’ll be so nice to us on Monday…
As Tamsin did her best to butter up the passersby in those famous suffragette must-haves, fishnet tights and a miniskirt, we were pounced on by a person dressed up as a giant mobile phone.
A slightly surreal experience to say the least, as the Lush shop girls tried to dress the ungainly thing in some bright red sashes, whilst Sean did his best to engage the phone in conversation about how many times a year it flies. My interns finally arrived and proceeded to pose marvelously for the camera. We’ve been joking that Jonno and Roisin are evil twins – just check them out!
Over the weekend there has been a flurry of Climate Rush activity, both promotional and creative – we’ve flyered the South Bank twice, and approached friendly looking cyclists left, right and centre.
It seems that if you ride a bike you are generally a friendly soul, and all of them were happy to hear about Climate Rush bar a particularly unpleasant yuppie couple with a pair of fold out Bromptons that no doubt only see the light of day when the sun shines at the weekend. Fairweather cyclists, who’d have ‘em?!
In between accosting cyclists we have managed to print a mammoth amount of sexy sashes and flags to attach to the back of bikes.
I’ve discovered that I can still sew, and managed to knock up 5 pairs of fetching bloomers in record time (just don’t look too closely at the sewing, I was in a hurry okay?!) Made out of red and white striped fabric with lacey ruffles on the legs they look part clown and more than a little bit burlesque, but then whoever said we take the Edwardian theme too seriously?! I can’t wait to see what everyone else dons for out bike ride tomorrow.
Bring it on…. let’s show the government and big corporations that we won’t let them get away with business as usual when it comes to Climate Change. Collectively we can stop this beautiful world of ours from being buggered over, so make sure you come along and enjoy a stylish Bike Rush with a purpose. This is one cycle ride you’re sure to remember…
Read a past blog about this event here. What do you think about direct action over Climate Change? Let us know your views.
Written by Amelia on Sunday May 31st, 2009 11:38 pm
