Amelia’s Magazine | Beautifully Green – a round up of ethical beauty brands for Christmas!


Andrea Garland, capsule illustrated by Cat Palairet

If you’re struggling for Christmas gift ideas, sales or just sick of giving and receiving those dreaded ‘smellies’ gift sets produced by high street chains (which are then consigned to live out their days in the ‘present drawer’) then check out several green beauty brands that are lovingly made with natural ingredients, are adept at soothing parched winter skin and – most importantly – care for the planet.

Andrea Garland
Handmade in her Hackney home, aromatherapist Andrea Garland’s organic beauty balms are presented in gorgeous vintage tins and compacts which she sources from all over the world (and are cleaned and sterilised before the balm is poured in.) Her Rosy Beauty Balm for the face contains shea butter, sweet almond oil, vitamin E and rose geranium – making it perfect to slap on during the winter months (expect many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ when the pretty compact emerges from your handbag!) All ingredients are ethically sourced and Garland even offers to re-fill the vintage compacts once they are emptied at a fraction of the price, resulting in no excess packaging and a pretty keepsake.
Rosy Beauty Balm is £32 for a medium-sized compact (refill £12) available from AndreaGarland.co.uk

Moa – The Green Balm

Illustration by Karolina Burdon

This gorgeous green gloop was created by Icelandic herbalist Thury Gudmundsdóttir from a recipe handed down by her grandmother, who used to concoct her beauty remedies by boiling herbs in a pan over her stove. Made with 100% natural and organic ingredients which include tea tree oil, beeswax, coconut and sweet almond oil, not only does it keep skin on both the face and body renewed and radiant but it can also be used as an aftershave balm, a baby massage and a barrier to protect the skin in extreme cold weather. A very little of this balm (which melts instantly on contact) goes a very long way, making it an essential winter handbag staple.
Available at £5 for 20ml at Lovelula.com

Balm Balm

Illustration by Darren Fletcher

With numerous endorsements from celebrities to The Soil Association, Balm Balm has gained somewhat of a cult following since its creation five years ago. Founded by aromatherapist and perfumer Glenda Taylor, the 100% organic balms come in recyclable packaging and target sensitive and irritated skin types. The shining star of the range has to be their much-hyped lip balm – which contains jojoba oil, beeswax and shea butter for super soft lips, and can be used on other dry areas too. They come in rose geranium, tea tree and fragrance free flavours (the last of which won a Green Beauty Bible award) and make perfect little stocking fillers.
Lip Balm is £2.99 for 7ml from Bath and Unwind

Burt’s Bees

Illustration by Leeay Aikawa

One of the more well-known brands, Burt’s Bees haven’t abandoned their environmental commitments despite their global success – their products contain on average 99% natural ingredients and all use recyclable packaging. Starting out in 1984 selling honey from his beehive and wondering what to do with the leftover wax, Burt Shavitz teamed up with Roxanne Quimby and began selling it in the form of candles at local craft fairs in Maine, USA. Through word of mouth, the brand grew and the now famous beauty range was born after Roxanne stumbled across a 19th century book on homemade beauty remedies. An ideal hand treat is their 100% natural Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme packed with lemon oil perfect for nourishing brittle fingernails, and with its kitsch little tin how could anyone resist?
Lemon Butter Cuticle Crème is £5.99 from burtsbees.co.uk

RMS Beauty

Illustration by Joana Faria

Created by celebrity make-up artist Rose- Marie Swift, this is the first make-up range made from natural raw ingredients that interact and ‘create a dialogue’ with the skin. Her reasoning behind the range is that unlike other ingredients contained in many ‘natural’ cosmetic brands, hers aren’t heated to high temperatures and therefore retain their beneficial nutrients which are so great for the skin. The Mineral Cream Eye Shadows contain natural mineral pigments and also double up as an eye-cream to nourish the delicate skin around the eyes. These cute little pots come in a variety of warm, earthy colours, and use recyclable glass and metal packaging. A perfect way to revamp your make-up bag for the New Year and treat your skin at the same time.
RMS Beauty Mineral Cream Eyeshadows are £18 each, available from CultBeauty.co.uk

Categories ,andrea garland, ,balm, ,balm balm, ,burt’s bees, ,Christmas, ,compacts, ,Cream, ,Darren Fletcher, ,Gift, ,hackney, ,High Street, ,Karolina Burdon, ,maine, ,miss ballantyne, ,moa green balm, ,Natural, ,organic, ,rose-marie swift, ,Skin, ,Soap, ,stocking, ,tins, ,usa, ,vintage

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Amelia’s Magazine | Beautifully Green – a round up of ethical beauty brands for Christmas!


Andrea Garland, capsule illustrated by Cat Palairet

If you’re struggling for Christmas gift ideas, sales or just sick of giving and receiving those dreaded ‘smellies’ gift sets produced by high street chains (which are then consigned to live out their days in the ‘present drawer’) then check out several green beauty brands that are lovingly made with natural ingredients, are adept at soothing parched winter skin and – most importantly – care for the planet.

Andrea Garland
Handmade in her Hackney home, aromatherapist Andrea Garland’s organic beauty balms are presented in gorgeous vintage tins and compacts which she sources from all over the world (and are cleaned and sterilised before the balm is poured in.) Her Rosy Beauty Balm for the face contains shea butter, sweet almond oil, vitamin E and rose geranium – making it perfect to slap on during the winter months (expect many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ when the pretty compact emerges from your handbag!) All ingredients are ethically sourced and Garland even offers to re-fill the vintage compacts once they are emptied at a fraction of the price, resulting in no excess packaging and a pretty keepsake.
Rosy Beauty Balm is £32 for a medium-sized compact (refill £12) available from AndreaGarland.co.uk

Moa – The Green Balm

Illustration by Karolina Burdon

This gorgeous green gloop was created by Icelandic herbalist Thury Gudmundsdóttir from a recipe handed down by her grandmother, who used to concoct her beauty remedies by boiling herbs in a pan over her stove. Made with 100% natural and organic ingredients which include tea tree oil, beeswax, coconut and sweet almond oil, not only does it keep skin on both the face and body renewed and radiant but it can also be used as an aftershave balm, a baby massage and a barrier to protect the skin in extreme cold weather. A very little of this balm (which melts instantly on contact) goes a very long way, making it an essential winter handbag staple.
Available at £5 for 20ml at Lovelula.com

Balm Balm

Illustration by Darren Fletcher

With numerous endorsements from celebrities to The Soil Association, Balm Balm has gained somewhat of a cult following since its creation five years ago. Founded by aromatherapist and perfumer Glenda Taylor, the 100% organic balms come in recyclable packaging and target sensitive and irritated skin types. The shining star of the range has to be their much-hyped lip balm – which contains jojoba oil, beeswax and shea butter for super soft lips, and can be used on other dry areas too. They come in rose geranium, tea tree and fragrance free flavours (the last of which won a Green Beauty Bible award) and make perfect little stocking fillers.
Lip Balm is £2.99 for 7ml from Bath and Unwind

Burt’s Bees

Illustration by Leeay Aikawa

One of the more well-known brands, Burt’s Bees haven’t abandoned their environmental commitments despite their global success – their products contain on average 99% natural ingredients and all use recyclable packaging. Starting out in 1984 selling honey from his beehive and wondering what to do with the leftover wax, Burt Shavitz teamed up with Roxanne Quimby and began selling it in the form of candles at local craft fairs in Maine, USA. Through word of mouth, the brand grew and the now famous beauty range was born after Roxanne stumbled across a 19th century book on homemade beauty remedies. An ideal hand treat is their 100% natural Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme packed with lemon oil perfect for nourishing brittle fingernails, and with its kitsch little tin how could anyone resist?
Lemon Butter Cuticle Crème is £5.99 from burtsbees.co.uk

RMS Beauty

Illustration by Joana Faria

Created by celebrity make-up artist Rose- Marie Swift, this is the first make-up range made from natural raw ingredients that interact and ‘create a dialogue’ with the skin. Her reasoning behind the range is that unlike other ingredients contained in many ‘natural’ cosmetic brands, hers aren’t heated to high temperatures and therefore retain their beneficial nutrients which are so great for the skin. The Mineral Cream Eye Shadows contain natural mineral pigments and also double up as an eye-cream to nourish the delicate skin around the eyes. These cute little pots come in a variety of warm, earthy colours, and use recyclable glass and metal packaging. A perfect way to revamp your make-up bag for the New Year and treat your skin at the same time.
RMS Beauty Mineral Cream Eyeshadows are £18 each, available from CultBeauty.co.uk

Categories ,andrea garland, ,balm, ,balm balm, ,burt’s bees, ,Christmas, ,compacts, ,Cream, ,Darren Fletcher, ,Gift, ,hackney, ,High Street, ,Karolina Burdon, ,maine, ,miss ballantyne, ,moa green balm, ,Natural, ,organic, ,rose-marie swift, ,Skin, ,Soap, ,stocking, ,tins, ,usa, ,vintage

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Amelia’s Magazine | The Best of Bust Magazine Christmas Craftacular, London 2010

Bust Craftacular
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

My ability to get out and about has been seriously curtailed over the past few weeks by the need to get my new book finished, ambulance but last weekend (but one) I was pretty determined to make it along to the Bust Craftacular at Bethnal Green’s York Hall, page if only for a mad dash around the stalls.

Bust Craftacular-Bethnal Green

Inside the old Victorian hall it was absolutely heaving with craft enthusiasts – mainly women (many with small children in tow) but also a small peppering of arty looking boys. It was like entering a multi coloured kaleidoscopic alternative universe where crafting & handmade reigns supreme – bright things everywhere vying for my attention amidst a frantic din enhanced by a backdrop of very loud music.

So, buy I whipped around the regimented rows of stalls as quick as I could, taking notes of the best stuff I found so that if you didn’t manage to make it along you’ll be able to sniff out the best stuff online. Keep in mind those last minute Christmas gifts you might need to buy as you take a gander through this little lot:

Vic Lee

Vic Lee makes printed scenes of well known hipster (can I say that in the UK?) London districts such as Broadway Market and Kingsland Road. Perfect for the East End man in your life – because let’s face it, most of them feature East London. The limited edition prints are produced on cotton paper and screen printed with environmentally friendly water based acrylic inks. They look really stunning up close, and also caught the eye of Jessica Furseth when she visited the East London Design Show.

Bust Craftacular-Xiang Zeng

Xiang Zeng is a textile designer who has produced a range of lovely printed cushions and make your own soft toy bear kits. Really cute, they look pretty easy to make so would also be perfect for and a crafty friend or even a handy older kid.

Bust Craftacular-seaside sisters owls
Bust Craftacular-fabric nation

I picked up a business card for Seaside Sisters at the Fabric Nation stall… so I am not entirely sure who to credit these wonderful owls and cushions to. Their stall was a brilliantly over the top feast for the eyes in an already overwhelming place. Loved the stuff they make from old vintage fabrics.

Bust Craftacular-andrea garland

Andrea Garland fills old tins with natural skincare goodies: what an amazing idea but no doubt a huge amount of hard work to find all those fab tins. She’s a trained aromatherapist who makes all her products from scratch in Hackney with as many organic and fairtrade ingredients as possible and I am very pleased to learn that none are tested on animals – but I guess that scenario is far less likely when using these kind of ingredients anyway – just one more reason to buy natural beauty brands. She sells at Liberty, Urban Outfitters and at Tatty Devine, and Viola Levy also gives her a mention in her run down of top natural beauty brands earlier this week. What a find – it goes without saying that her stall was very busy.

Bust Craftacular-shop jill

Looking for a nice little purse, or perhaps a unique oyster card holder? Jill makes the perfect thing: I was utterly transfixed by her beautifully laid out stall, featuring an array of charming goodies with graphic printed animal designs that would suit a man too. She also did a nice line in limited edition screen prints.

Bust Craftacular-Dot your Teas and Cross your Eyes

Dot your Teas and Cross your Eyes is a fashion and accessories designer by the name of Chloe. Her bold spotted print designs embellished fabulous silky dresses and she also makes some fabulous recycled fabric pom pom fascinators.

Bust Craftacular-urban cross stitch

Now for the craft loving man in your life: Urban Cross Stitch create cross stitch Star Wars kits. A wonderful meeting of 80s pop culture and the noughties crafting craze: what better way to inspire a bloke to get into this most relaxing of traditional techniques.

Bust Craftacular-James Ward plates

Last but very much not least, just as I was rounding the corner to leave I chanced upon James Ward’s plates, featuring an assortment of friendly animal characters accompanied by immortal phrases such as ‘I eat my cake in my pants’. Perfect for the parents who have everything but would nevertheless quite like to add to their piles of amusing kitchen ware.

Bust Craftacular cakes
Gratuitous cake photo…. yum yum. Now what are you waiting for? Step away from the High Street and support these talented artists and makers this Christmas… they are only a click away.

Categories ,andrea garland, ,Beauty, ,Bethnal Green, ,Broadway Market, ,Bust Craftacular, ,craft, ,Dot your Teas and Cross your Eyes, ,East London Design Show, ,Fabric Nation, ,fairtrade, ,James Ward, ,Kingsland Road, ,liberty, ,organic, ,owls, ,Seaside Sisters, ,Shop Jill, ,Skincare, ,Star Wars, ,Tatty Devine, ,Urban Cross Stitch, ,Urban Outfitters, ,Vic Lee, ,vintage, ,Xiang Zeng, ,York Hall

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Amelia’s Magazine | The Best of Bust Magazine Christmas Craftacular, London 2010

Bust Craftacular
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

My ability to get out and about has been seriously curtailed over the past few weeks by the need to get my new book finished, ambulance but last weekend (but one) I was pretty determined to make it along to the Bust Craftacular at Bethnal Green’s York Hall, page if only for a mad dash around the stalls.

Bust Craftacular-Bethnal Green

Inside the old Victorian hall it was absolutely heaving with craft enthusiasts – mainly women (many with small children in tow) but also a small peppering of arty looking boys. It was like entering a multi coloured kaleidoscopic alternative universe where crafting & handmade reigns supreme – bright things everywhere vying for my attention amidst a frantic din enhanced by a backdrop of very loud music.

So, buy I whipped around the regimented rows of stalls as quick as I could, taking notes of the best stuff I found so that if you didn’t manage to make it along you’ll be able to sniff out the best stuff online. Keep in mind those last minute Christmas gifts you might need to buy as you take a gander through this little lot:

Vic Lee

Vic Lee makes printed scenes of well known hipster (can I say that in the UK?) London districts such as Broadway Market and Kingsland Road. Perfect for the East End man in your life – because let’s face it, most of them feature East London. The limited edition prints are produced on cotton paper and screen printed with environmentally friendly water based acrylic inks. They look really stunning up close, and also caught the eye of Jessica Furseth when she visited the East London Design Show.

Bust Craftacular-Xiang Zeng

Xiang Zeng is a textile designer who has produced a range of lovely printed cushions and make your own soft toy bear kits. Really cute, they look pretty easy to make so would also be perfect for and a crafty friend or even a handy older kid.

Bust Craftacular-seaside sisters owls
Bust Craftacular-fabric nation

I picked up a business card for Seaside Sisters at the Fabric Nation stall… so I am not entirely sure who to credit these wonderful owls and cushions to. Their stall was a brilliantly over the top feast for the eyes in an already overwhelming place. Loved the stuff they make from old vintage fabrics.

Bust Craftacular-andrea garland

Andrea Garland fills old tins with natural skincare goodies: what an amazing idea but no doubt a huge amount of hard work to find all those fab tins. She’s a trained aromatherapist who makes all her products from scratch in Hackney with as many organic and fairtrade ingredients as possible and I am very pleased to learn that none are tested on animals – but I guess that scenario is far less likely when using these kind of ingredients anyway – just one more reason to buy natural beauty brands. She sells at Liberty, Urban Outfitters and at Tatty Devine, and Viola Levy also gives her a mention in her run down of top natural beauty brands earlier this week. What a find – it goes without saying that her stall was very busy.

Bust Craftacular-shop jill

Looking for a nice little purse, or perhaps a unique oyster card holder? Jill makes the perfect thing: I was utterly transfixed by her beautifully laid out stall, featuring an array of charming goodies with graphic printed animal designs that would suit a man too. She also did a nice line in limited edition screen prints.

Bust Craftacular-Dot your Teas and Cross your Eyes

Dot your Teas and Cross your Eyes is a fashion and accessories designer by the name of Chloe. Her bold spotted print designs embellished fabulous silky dresses and she also makes some fabulous recycled fabric pom pom fascinators.

Bust Craftacular-urban cross stitch

Now for the craft loving man in your life: Urban Cross Stitch create cross stitch Star Wars kits. A wonderful meeting of 80s pop culture and the noughties crafting craze: what better way to inspire a bloke to get into this most relaxing of traditional techniques.

Bust Craftacular-James Ward plates

Last but very much not least, just as I was rounding the corner to leave I chanced upon James Ward’s plates, featuring an assortment of friendly animal characters accompanied by immortal phrases such as ‘I eat my cake in my pants’. Perfect for the parents who have everything but would nevertheless quite like to add to their piles of amusing kitchen ware.

Bust Craftacular cakes
Gratuitous cake photo…. yum yum. Now what are you waiting for? Step away from the High Street and support these talented artists and makers this Christmas… they are only a click away.

Categories ,andrea garland, ,Beauty, ,Bethnal Green, ,Broadway Market, ,Bust Craftacular, ,craft, ,Dot your Teas and Cross your Eyes, ,East London Design Show, ,Fabric Nation, ,fairtrade, ,James Ward, ,Kingsland Road, ,liberty, ,organic, ,owls, ,Seaside Sisters, ,Shop Jill, ,Skincare, ,Star Wars, ,Tatty Devine, ,Urban Cross Stitch, ,Urban Outfitters, ,Vic Lee, ,vintage, ,Xiang Zeng, ,York Hall

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