Beauty Shopping in Covent Garden

This is a collaborative blog post.

Covent Garden is a pretty special corner of London; not only are there brilliant museums, incredible restaurants and great hotels in Covent Garden, but it's also a fantastic shopping destination for beauty enthusiasts such as myself. If you've not visited in recent years, you might be surprised to know that Covent Garden has emerged as one of London's favourite destinations for beauty shopping and the eclectic vibe of the area extends to the plethora of beauty stores on offer. There's a brilliant mix of designer beauty destinations, niche skincare and makeup shops and pop up stores so virtually every taste and budget is catered for.

It had been a while since I'd properly explored all that Covent Garden has to offer so I recently   ventured to the West End to have a little explore, with my mum and toddler along for the ride.

It's not often I find myself in a designer beauty boutique so the lure of Dior, Tom Ford and Chanel's dedicated beauty spaces were kind of hard to resist. To be honest, this first stop was pretty much just about immersing myself in a little luxury, plus I needed to inspect Chanel's Baume Essentiel (in Transparent) in the flesh since basically falling in love with it via a few blogger's reviews. Let's just say it didn't disappoint and may well be one for the birthday/ Christmas wish list.

Next stop was Charlotte Tilbury, which I'll start by saying is a totally different experience to visiting a CT concession in a department store. This place is called a Beauty Boudoir for a reason; it's all red velvet chairs and light-framed mirrors, very glamorous and vintage and gorgeous. A definite must-visit if you're in Covent Garden (I repurchased my beloved Hollywood Glow, one of the most impressive bits of makeup I've tried in recent years).

All this beauty browsing had us working up an appetite pretty quickly so we opted for an early lunch. There are so many places to grab a quick bite (and an array of lovely restaurants perfect for long, lazy lunches) but I've always wanted to visit the iconic Shake Shack so we indulged in a quick burger and fries. I had the mushroom burger, which was much tastier than it sounds, while mum enjoyed the chicken burger and all three of us partook in a generous portion of cheesy crinkley fries, which were particularly appreciated by my little boy.

After lunch we followed our noses to some classic fragrance retailers including Molton Brown, Floral Street and Penhaligon's (which you can smell in the air long before it comes into view!).

Africology is a brand and store I hadn't actually heard of before but the spa-like scent wafting from the shop definitely had us interested.

The small but perfectly formed shop has shelves of natural skincare, bath, body and wellness products and I felt we couldn't leave without a souvenir or two so picked up some incredibly scented bath salts and a pillow spray.

Of course our excursion to Covent Garden wouldn't be complete without visiting the amazing new Boots concept store. Opened in June this year, the revamped Boots stocks all the usual brands as well as newer offerings including Fenty and Urban Decay and has a strong focus on wellness and sustainability. The new flagship features a whole host of exciting innovations and even has a Rehydration Station to refill your water bottle. I really loved exploring in here and picked up a few bits I hadn't come across before including a shampoo bar and an eco-friendly toothbrush for my son.

It's worth mentioning the Boots is open until 11pm every night (except Sunday where it closes at 6pm) so most evenings you can browse till your heart's content well after the sun has gone down.

It was really lovely to spend a few hours wandering around Covent Garden and we finished our day with a caffeine fix via seriously delicious iced lattes from Abuelo, a small, hip cafe on Southampton St that serves Aussie coffee.

Even though we packed so much into the day, we only scratched the surface of all that Covent Garden has to offer- not just in terms of beauty retailers, I'm talking things to see and do too! If you are a lover of all things beauty though, it might be worth knowing that Covent Garden is hosting the first ever London Beauty Week next month. Coinciding with Fashion Week, London Beauty Week is in partnership with the British Beauty Council and will take over Covent Garden's Piazza with a variety of special events. Special events aside, my visit to Covent Garden has reminded me what a special part of London it is and I'll leave this post here with one piece of advice- if you've never been, go!

The spending money for this blog post was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views and words are my own.

MBotanicals Rejuvenating Facial Elixir

Products that combine natural ingredients with a touch of luxury are right up my street and the Rejuvenating Facial Elixir from London brand MBotanicals is no exception.

Brimming with gorgeous skin loving oils including Prickly Pear, amino acid rich Blackseed, Rosehip and Watermelon Seed, the Elixir was designed to nourish and protect skin exposed to the pollutants and free radicals that come with living in the city. 

The prickly pear based facial oil is beautifully multifunctional and can be used as it is, under your moisturizer for an extra boost or as a luxurious night treatment. I've experimented with the Elixir in a few ways, in the methods mentioned above and also mixed in with my foundation which creates a really lovely glowing, dewy look. 

Just worn as it is, the oil absorbs quickly and beautifully yet creates a pretty, healthy looking glow that is absolutely perfect for wintery skin that could do with a pep-up.

If you tend to judge a facial product by its scent, I imagine the Rejuvenating Facial Elixir will impress- this stuff smells utterly beautiful. To me, it smells botanical and comforting, a bit like a flower bed after it rains, if you want to get poetic. Equally, if you are a visual person, the Elixir (and the brand as a whole) will appeal as the entire MBotanicals range features beautiful apothecary-style labels and packaging that make the various lotions and potions totally worthy of taking pride of place on your dressing table.
To use the elxir/ facial oil, you just dispense a couple of drops (the bottle has a pump which is slightly more convenient than a dropper) and massage gently into your face. The result? Glowy, dewy gorgeousness that feels light and fresh rather than heavy and greasy. I like.

A couple of drops is all I need for my whole face, so the bottle should see me through the spring at least.
As well as face and body care products (including some amazing sounding French clay soaps), MBotanicals also do Soy Wax Candles in fragrances such as Vanilla Bean, Rose Oud, Citrus Basil and Gardenia. Safe to say these are going straight on my wish list.

MBotanicals Facial Rejuvenating Serum is £32 at MBotanicals.

Fern Skin Clinic

I love discovering beauty destinations and I really love indulging in a good facial treatment or massage so Fern Skin Clinic has piqued my interest. Located in Belsize Park, North West London, Fern Skin Clinic offer a range of treatments to suit pretty much everyone.

Fern Skin Clinic was founded just over 10 years ago by friends Lisa Collins and Nicki Giles - two women who share an extreme passion for all things skincare. Together, they have created a beauty destination that is not only beautifully relaxing and pampering, but results-driven and effective. The clinic has also been recently renovated to make it an even more appealing escape from urban life.

Treatments at the clinic combine state of the art aesthetic technology with traditional techniques to create a bespoke experience that's quickly earning Fern Skin Clinic a very good reputation.
Highlights include Facials, Tui Na Massage, Acupuncture, Waxing (apparently they do a fantastic Brazilian!) and Glycolic Peels.

The Acupuncture on offer at Fern Skin Clinic is performed by Jurgita Misiute - a fully qualified and registered member of the British Acupuncture Council. Jurgita offers both traditional acupuncture for wellbeing and contemporary beauty-led facial acupuncture. The facial beauty acupuncture works by using tiny strategically placed needles to increase blood circulation, detox and promote lymphatic drainage. Jurgita also practices Cupping and Tui Na Massage - an ancient Chinese technique to rebalance the body and treat chronic pain.

The latest addition to the menu at the clinic is the revolutionary ALMA Harmony system. This is a technology that combines fractional non-ablative laser and infrared to treat a range of skincare concerns. ALMA helps to clear acne, rectify textural issues and pigmentation problems as well as reduce lines and wrinkles. This is a system I'm definitely keen to at least look at - it sounds like a seriously hardcore piece of technology!

Fern Skin Clinic isn't just about acupuncture and lasers though - they offer customised facials using products from SkinCeuticals, Suti and Glo-Therapeautics - three brands I am yet to try myself but I have heard great things.

If I visit Fern Skin Clinic in the near future I'll obviously be writing about it here - I have high hopes for great things so we'll see!

You can find out more about Fernskinclinic by visiting them here.

Fern Skin Clinic is located at 18 Englands Lane, London, NW3 4TG.

*I was not compensated in any way for this blog post

Fresh Beauty in London + Wishlist

Fresh is such a covetable beauty brand and for very good reason! For years I've been so keen to get my hands on one of the iconic original lip balms but didn't want to pay through the nose to have one shipped from the U.S. You can imagine my delight then when I came across a blog post detailing the fact that a Fresh store had opened right here in London, meaning all I had to do was jump on the underground and make my way to Baker Street to finally call one of these luscious lip balms my own!

Located on Marlybone High Street, the Fresh store is small yet absolutely packed full of products and smells of zesty warm sugar.  In other words, it's bliss.
The shop has a real apothecary vibe with attentive, knowledgeable staff who seemed to really know their stuff. 

There were many, many lip balms to choose from but I went for the original and it's now taken pride of place in my jacket pocket. That's where my favourite lip balms live you see... 

I also picked up a travel sized Soy Face Cleanser which will be getting its own review soon. 

There were so many scrumptious smelling skincare and body care products on show, just willing me to buy them, but I exercised great restraint! To get my Fresh fix I thought I'd make a little wish list of some bits I'd like to pick up next time I'm near Marlybone High St. (You can't yet order Fresh online in the UK just yet).

1. Sugar Lip Polish
2. Sugar Ultra-Nourishing Body Oil
3.Crème Ancienne Ultimate Nourishing Honey Mask
4.Rose Face Mask
5. Fig Apricot Ea de Parfum (fig!!!)
6. Sugar Face Polish

This is a very edited wishlist. Truth be told, if I could I would gladly have one of everything. It's just that kind of shop, ok?
It's worth mentioning that a few weeks after I'd visited the Fresh store I received a lovely card from the staff, just saying that they hoped I enjoyed my visit! How sweet is that, seriously?

If you live in or around London you can find Fresh at 92 Marylebone High St, Marylebone, London, W1U 4RD and they are open from 10am - 7pm Monday to Saturday and 11am - 5pm Sundays.
P.S - Images used in wishlist taken from the US Fresh site here. 

BareMinerals Complexion Rescue - Colour Match at Selfridges

When your boyfriend announces that your makeup looks 'really natural' and 'has a nice glow actually' you know that you're onto a good thing. Especially when said boyfriend is one of the most bluntly honest people on the planet. That's what happened last weekend when we visited Selfridges so I could try out BareMinerals' latest offering, Complexion Rescue.

A few different shades were tried out before it was agreed that no. 3 (Buttercream) was my match and it was blended seamlessly onto my skin while the very helpful sales assistant filled me in on what exactly makes Complexion Rescue so special. Essentially a BB, CC and Tinted Moisturiser in one (!) Complexion Rescue features a composition with pigment on the inside and water on the outside. 'Traditional' tinted moisturisers have pigment on the 'outside' and water on the 'inside'.
This sounds a little bit odd and confusing but basically, the way that Complexion Rescue is formulated means the water in the formula reaches your skin first, before the colour, giving it an instant hit of hydration. This is explained in more detail here.

Whatever the science behind it, I can declare that this stuff delivers. The finish is dewy, fresh and above all very natural. It's quite sheer so if you have freckles and you aint afraid to show them, this is the Spring base for you. If you have a little redness or minor blemishes that you'd like corrected or just want your complexion to look more even, you need to give it a go. If however you're after a heavier base, this won't cut the mustard, though I was told that Complexion Rescue can absolutely be worn under foundation for additional coverage and a dose of hydration.

Complexion Rescue has an RRP of £26 though I have found it on Look Fantastic where it is available for pre-order (released on April 22nd) for £20.50. I'm going to be creating a look using the Complexion Rescue sometime soon so keep an eye out for that!
What's your favourite BareMinerals product?
Images: Rich Godden

Experience: Acupuncture at Anamaya & New Meditation App

I visited Anamaya last year for Facial Reflexology and was so excited to be invited back to experience some Acupuncture with Dr Cheng.

As I've mentioned before, Anamaya is a sanctuary of relaxation and healing, located just off bustling Kensington High Street. Once you're off the street and through the doors, you're met with a serene, blissful atmosphere and the aroma-therapeutic scents of Neom candles.

Anamaya offer a carefully edited selection of practitioners who specialise in Homeopathy, Massage, Craniosacral therapy, Osteopathy, Dietetics, Energy Healing, Pilates, Psychotherapy, Mind, Body and Spirit therapies and of course Acupuncture.

Now, I'd had Acupuncture before in an effort to relieve my fear of flying before I moved over the the UK (obviously it had some effect because I'm here aren't I?) so I went into the experience at Anamaya with confidence and feeling as if I knew what to expect.

What I perhaps underestimated however, was the sheer kindness, humorous spirit and incredibly comforting nature of the Acupuncturist Dr Cheng.

Dr Cheng is one of those people who makes you feel comfortable and safe and I was made to feel totally at ease as he went through my concerns with me (namely stress and headaches). After examining my tongue (you'll be surprised what your tongue can tell you about yourself!), posture and ability to bend my neck in various ways, Dr Cheng was able to assess my concerns and decide the best course of action. In my case this involved 19 needles placed in various points on my back, legs, arms, neck and head and being left to relax for about 20 minutes before Dr Cheng returned to the room to check on me and 'wiggle' the needles.

I'm not needle shy (though I do feel a bit funny having blood taken) so having 19 of the little blighters stuck in me didn't concern me at all and if you're wondering if acupuncture is painful, it really isn't. The needles are so fine and tiny that you can barely feel them at all, though I have to say the points felt a bit 'achy' when Dr Cheng wiggled them slightly halfway through the session.

Then that was it, I was all done. Within an hour, I'd had a very enlightening consultation and an Acupuncture session that left me feeling oddly relaxed and energised all at the same time. If that makes any sense at all? I went for a stroll through Kensington High Street and felt at peace - despite the fact that it was a busy Saturday afternoon and it was very, very rainy.

Dr Cheng is a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, a Governing Board Member of the British Acupuncture Council and the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as a Principal Lecturer and Postgraduate Course Leader of Traditional Chinese Medicine here in London. I felt extremely fortunate to have him treat me and certainly recommend him - it's worth mentioning that Dr Cheng is very highly regarded for treating chronic illnesses and pain, hormonal issues and migraines and is popular among people trying to conceive.

He is available at Anamaya on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm and also consults on Chinese Medicine and Chinese Herb Treatments. A session with Dr Cheng ranges from £95-155 depending on conditions and length of sessions.

Anamaya have also recently launched a very in depth Meditation App.  Developed for those of us who struggle to fit in meditation classes, the app features over 360 guided meditations complete with visualisations, mindfulness exercises and learning resources as well as tips for getting the most out of your meditation session. Priced at £15 and available through iTunes, the Anamaya Meditation App is the first of its kind and features 11 distinct focuses, meaning it accommodates to everyone, whatever their age, sex or profession.

The focuses include:

• General Meditation 
• Relax
• Loud Brain
• Concentrate
• Worry
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Anger
• Pain 
• Pregnancy
• Sport

The Anamaya Meditation App

Though I haven't tried the app for myself as yet, I think it's a fantastic concept that will especially benefit busy city dwellers who might not have time to actually attend classes.

If you'd like to know more about Anamaya, visit the website and check out the range of therapies on offer - you won't regret it.
You can call Anamaya on 0203 011 0355  or email them at info@anamaya.co.uk

The Acupuncture was provided for me for review purposes. All opinions my own.

The Brazilian at Ministry of Waxing -a Brazilian Waxing Review

Last weekend I tentatively entered the doors of Ministry Of Waxing in Covent Garden with no clue on what to expect. I was booked in for a Brazilian wax - a bold choice for someone who had never had any part of their body waxed before, let alone that most private area!
I needn't have been too worried though - Ministry of Waxing are known for making the whole process as painless as possible and I must say that even though there was still an ouch factor, these ladies certainly know what they're doing.

After freely growing my hair-down-there for a few weeks and with nether regions that looked remarkably like someone who'd been lost in the wilderness for a year or so, I turned up at Ministry of Waxing's Floral St branch in Covent Garden to find out if these guys really did live up to their reputation.
After filling out a quick pre-treatment form, my therapist came and fetched me and led me down the stairs to one of the treatment rooms. The rooms aren't too dissimilar to what you'll find in a modern beauty salon decked out with cool contemporary décor. On the treatment bed there is a little information card explaining the high level of hygiene that is standard at Ministry of Waxing, a towel, a sealed PH balanced wipe so you can prep the area before the treatment and a little squeezy stress toy (I had a hippo). I was advised to remove everything from the waist down (yep, that includes knickers), use the PH wipe and lay down on the bed with the towel covering my modesty. The therapist leaves the room for this bit so don't worry about having to strip off in front of a stranger.

Once I was all set, my therapist came back into the room and it was time to get down to business. She asked if I wanted everything off and I said yes because I wanted the full experience!
The therapist explained that they use a vacuum sealed wax pack for each customer and never double dip. They also use a special wax formulation (no strip wax here!) designed to only grab the hairs and not your skin. My therapist used hard chocolate wax on me and mentioned that their waxes change with the seasons and the wax of choice for Summer was strawberry, which I think is a nice touch.
The actual treatment involved me putting my legs in a couple of different positions so she could reach the right parts of my girly bits. I'm not going to lie and say that the experience was completely pain free - after all it was my first time - but it certainly hurt a lot less than I had anticipated. If you're a woman, you'll probably guess which parts stung a little - the closer to the pink bits, the more it's going to hurt, sorry! That said, like most things in life, waxing is most painful when it's your first time and the more you wax, the less pain you experience. In fact, my therapist told me that many women experience no pain at all.
I do have to add that even though the waxing wasn't entirely pain free for me, as soon as the wax was removed, the sting was gone in an instant. In other words, it didn't feel tender or sensitive immediately afterwards, which is a massive bonus when you have to put your trousers back on and venture out onto the streets of London when you're finished.
Something I neglected to research was exactly what a Brazilian wax treatment entails so it took me by surprise when I was asked to roll onto my stomach and found it extremely difficult to curb my laughter (so I didn't). There's no point skirting the issue here - we all have hair between our butt cheeks. It's a fact of life and when Ministry of Waxing say you'll walk out of there totally fuzz free they mean it! I'll point out that this part was very quick and didn't hurt at all. The bottom is a resilient creature it seems. Even though I was essentially having my pubic hair ripped out from the roots, I was made to feel comfortable and at ease by my therapist who was very reassuring and told me that she averages on 16 waxes a day. Just remember, if you're worried about exposing your woman-parts, these people are professionally trained and have seen a plethora of lady gardens and vagines before yours. I'm no nudist and I have hangups like everyone else but I didn't once feel uneasy about the treatment, so that's got to tell you something!
The whole waxing process was done in just over 20 minutes, which was an extremely pleasant revelation as I expected to be in there for at least an hour.

Overall, Ministry of Waxing* lived up to their reputation of being total Waxperts and I really recommend you pay them a visit for a pruning. Whether you're a wax virgin or veteran, book in for a visit and experience the Ministry of Waxing way - they don't just do Brazilians and you can choose a simple bikini wax if that's more up your street or even add a cheeky shape to your wax. They also cater for men and I'm told that 'Boyzillians' are big business these days ;). To find out more about Ministry of Waxing and find your nearest location visit them online here.

Giveaway!

Want to bag yourself a Ministry of Waxing experience? Well stop beating around the bush and enter via the Rafflecopter below! UK and 16 + only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Glossy Hair Treatment at Martyn Maxey Hairdressing

Martyn Maxey is a pretty big deal. Having opened his salon way back in 1991 and tending to the tresses of A-Listers such as Elle Macpherson, Nigella Lawson, Robbie Williams and Naomi Campbell (to name a few), Mr Maxey has earned a reputation as one of the best hairdressers around.

The salon has recently relocated to Wigmore Street (just behind Selfridges) and I went along on the weekend to check out the new space and experience a treatment designed to add gloss and shine to the hair.
The best way I can describe the Martyn Maxey salon is this; Upmarket and classy without the pretentious factor. In fact, the salon has a lovely, warm atmosphere and the staff are professional, friendly and accommodating.
They even serve pots of tea and coffee instead of cups, which I thought was a nice touch.

Before the Treatment

I'm not going to lie and say that my hair looked completely awful before the gloss treatment, but it was definitely dry, my ends were frizzing and things were looking a tad dull.

After a consultation with Martyn, we decided the best way to achieve a healthy, glossy look was with clear Sebastian Cellophane treatment customised with a little veg colour to add a bit of pigment. The Sebastian Cellophane gloss treatment is kind of like 'gel nails for the hair' - it's your hair, just better! The treatment works by infusing each strand with botanical-rich goodness that makes it glossy and gorgeous for up to 6 weeks- sort of like a supercharged semi-permanent hair colour.

The Treatment

 I headed over to the basin where my hair was cleansed twice with Sebastian shampoo and conditioner.

After a towel dry, it was time to apply the treatment. My hair was divided into sections and the treatment was painted on.

My head was then wrapped in a stunning plastic cap.

And heat was applied to help the treatment along. This took about 20 minutes.

Once the heaters had worked their magic, the treatment was rinsed out and I was ready for a (much needed) trim and style from Martyn.

I wanted to keep the length, so Martyn trimmed my ends and added some layers for extra body and movement.
My hair was then blow-dried with a round brush and a curling iron was used to create some loose curls.

The Result

Shiny, glossy, bouncy and lightweight hair. I think the pictures speak for themselves really.

 Look at the glossy goodness!

The whole experience began at 3pm and I was done just after 5pm - not bad for a wash, treatment, cut and blowdry! My Martyn Maxey Hairdressing trip was definitely among my favourite salon experiences to date - not only were the results amazing, but Martyn himself is a genuinely lovely person and this obviously has a positive effect on the staff at his salon.

Want to get glossy? The treatment I had is £36 - this includes consultation, advice and cellophane plus colour application, processing, rinsing and conditioning.

The blowdry is from £34.50 - £74

and cuts start from £52.50

You can find Martyn Maxey Hairdressing at 104 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 3RN.

Visit the website Here 

*My Martyn Maxey Experience was gifted to me for consideration