Fresh Prinx of Romford

Back on the #GreenBBlogger bandwagon, with a #greenbeauty review. 

I bumped into Green People again over Organic September, and I remembered how much I (and beauty editors across the UK) had enjoyed its launch of Age Defy+. A note to my pal in the PR team duly dispatched to see what was new, and a parcel of mouth-watering samples arrived the next day.*

Neatly timed for a dash to Barcelona for a long, lazy weekend in the city's achingly hipster quarter of Gracia, I rummaged around for travel essentials. I pride myself on my exceptional no-checked-luggage-for-this-gal packing skills, and this trip would be no different.

From a pragmatic point of view, the 100ml Quinoa & Artichoke shampoo and conditioner are perfect for carry-on luggage. From a I've-just-been-travelling-all-afternoon-and-now-I-need-to-freshen-up-before-I-spend-the-night-eating-tapas-on-the-placé point of view, they made for a reviving shower, moments after dropping my clobber inside my Airbnb apartment.

Three things I found very pleasing: 1. The quinoa's volume boost wasn't a hyperbolic claim. 2. The artichoke leaf extract did a cracking job taming frizz, and smoothing down my leaving-it-slightly-too-long-for-a-trim ends. 3. I was reminded how much I liked artichoke, and scoffed down an artichoke and avocado salad that evening for dinner. Like Green People's organic haircare, it didn't disappoint.

Returning from a recent trip to Denmark (and following some gripe of mine about the unseasonably crap weather), my mother smugly informed me over her newly-purchased, Danish-design tea cup, “there is no bad weather, just bad clothing.” 

Enter stage left: designer Lisbeth Løvbak Berg (L-L-B) back with a new season of Sheltered. On inspection, it’s exactly what you’d expect of the Nordic approach to Slow Fashion - aesthetically clean, crisp lines, and multi-functional. 

Taking inspiration from the wind and the rain (surely the best opening conversational gambit for the Scandinavian and British alike), Berg describes her collection as a “textile shelter,” an “urban camouflage.” I’m seriously taken with this dress (above) and these trousers (below). Able to stare down a British autumn’s infuriating indecisiveness over the temperature and/or wind speed? Yes. Speedy transformation from daywear to evening? Bingo. 

No more excuses - there is no bad weather, just bad clothing.

Photo credit: Matthieu Bégel | www.matthieubegel.com