Beyond The Pale

I’ve spoken about my love of Illamasqua Skin Base before.

Love…

Rihanna, Vogue Brasil, June 2014

Rihanna does a double take with one of two Brazilian Vogue covers that has got us contemplating a pixi crop and searching for our gold hoops.

Love… Beyonce, Time, May 2014 Beyonce gets another trophy to add to her already groaning cabinet: this time she's topping Time magazine's 'Most Influential People In The World ' list and Sheryl Sandberg who penned the copy to go alongside the cover had  this to say about Mrs Carter:

Beyoncé doesn't just sit at the table. She builds a better one.

Beyoncé has insisted that girls "run the world" and declared, "I'm not bossy, I'm the boss." She raises her voice both on- and offstage to urge women to be independent and lead.

'Sunshine on a rainy day, makes my soul, makes my soul trip trip trip away...'

Photo: Miller Harris

My bottle of Miller Harris Le Pamplemousse has been hibernating since its winter press launch; patiently lying in wait for the perfect sunshine and daffodils quota, candy toned crop-top and and suitably breezy social occasion befitting a spring fragrance debut.

Photo: Teen Vogue

My love affair with roses began decades ago when myself and my cousin would plunder our Grandmother's rose bushes to fuel our fledgling perfume business.  Petals were squashed, jam jars recycled & the  products of our cottage industry would  generally remained untouched.

Insomnia and nostalgia led to me research the right way to make rose water- the beauty-boosted H20 which soothes and heals skin making it the perfect balancing toner whilst its conditioning, moisturising and apparently growth-stimulating properties (it promotes blood flow and nutrients delivered to the scalp) makes it a hero for afro hair.

Photo: Business of Fashion

Its more established counterparts may have been treading the runway for considerably longer, but that hasn’t stopped Australian Indigenous Fashion Week celebrating the success of its first foray into the global fashion calendar. The schedule of shows from designers such as Wild Barra, Mimi Designs and Ticia showcased traditional inspired batik prints, woven fabrics, hand-printed silks and street wear featuring feathers and shells alongside textures and tones which mirrored their Aboriginal and Torres Island ancestor’s native surroundings.

Coco Mangāi Barbadian Sunrise Face Scrub & Mask, £19 (www.cocomangai.co.uk)

Photo: neverunderdressed.com

Oils: There’s really not that much to get our heads around anymore, not now, not as over the last 5 years these decadent formulas that were once the preserve of day spas, health food stores and J-Lo videos have trickled their way into the mainstream.  Of course our ancestors didn’t need hype and marketing to persuade them of the insanely soothing, hydrating and healing properties of these golden potions which have been used for centuries to treat everything from the ashy skin to dehydrated strands that are problematic amongst women of colour. Thanks to their lipophilic status- ‘fat loving’ in layman terms- oils pass through the lipid layer of the skin faster than other hydrators, preventing water loss and plumping skin with moisture on the way. It’s these beautifying properties which continue to be mined by modern beauty brands who have teamed nourishing ingredients lists with sophisticated delivery systems and luxe formulas designed to soften and soothe from head to toe.

Here’s a round-up of the latest oil-based beauty products that I’ve been pampering with this week:

1. Garnier Oil Beauty Oil-Infused Nourishing Lotion, £4.99 (feelunique.com) Garnier have done it again with a budget buy containing nourishing argan, macademia, almond and rose oil teamed with a cushiony texture and barely-there aroma which delivers the thrills (think silky skin, indulgent slathering etc) without the spills of splashing about with traditional body oil. Perfect for those who, like me, like to pile on beauty products without worrying about the pounds or the threat to their bed linen.

2. Murad Renewing Cleansing Oil, £29 (murad.co.uk)

Murad Renewing Cleansing Oil may have been with me for just seven days, but my skin’s already showing the benefits with my complexion looking brighter and feeling softer than it has for absolutely ages. I’d forgotten how effective cleansing oils are at melting away impurities like dirt, grime and even last night’s mascara whilst leaving your skin’s natural oil reserves uncompromised and therefore your face feeling perfectly balanced. Murad Renewing Cleansing oil contains a purifying and moisturising blend of grape seed, pomegranate seed, sunflower seed oils and fruit extracts and its liquid silk texture has transformed my cleansing routine from a chore to an indulgent ritual. How? By encouraging me to ditch my Clarisonic and connect and pamper every nook and cranny of my face with a melee of massage movements half-remembered from my beauty school drop out days.

3. Sally Hansen Cuticle Rehab, £6.95 (johnlewis.com)