The Liner, The Clutch and The Wardrobe

These days almost every brand is finding some way to cash in on people's interest in environmental issues and remind us of how natural and ethical they are. Even petrol stations are doing it, and I am pretty sure no matter which way they twist it, there is nothing environmentally friendly about petrol!

It is easy to forget then that when The Body Shop launched back in 1976, ethical issues were at the forefront of their identity, particularly through their heavy campaigning against animal testing. In light of this, later this month they will reveal a re-vamped image that will emphasise this important part of their heritage. This will include more ingredient centered advertising campaigns as well as the launch of a mineral make up line in September.

While natural purists may quite rightly argue that this is merely a commercial decision by parent company L'Oreal to increase revenue, I think that at least the fundamental philosophies behind The Body Shop are being adhered to, whether the motives are cynical or not.

Watch this space for more news on The Body Shop's Mineral Make Up line.


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Have you ever felt like overhauling your beauty ways and going green but not known where to start? Look no further than The Green Beauty Bible by beauty experts, Sarah Stacey and Josephine Fairley.

This fully illustrated compendium tells you literally everything you need to know about eco-beauty from make-up, to diet, to skincare. Celebrities such as Jo Wood, Alicia Silverstone, Bobbi Brown, Liz Earle and many more offer pearls of wisdom on how to stay naturally beautiful in harmony with nature.

The book is broken up into easy to follow categories such as skin, hair, fragrance etc, each of which features 'Tried and Tested' chapters where Sarah and Josephine rate the best natural version of pretty much every staple cosmetic you can think of. Alongside this are masses of green beauty tips such as how to make your own scrubs, quick fixes for tired skin, and diet tips to make sure what you put into your body is as good as what you put on your skin.

The Green Beauty Bible is a truly wonderful book and an absolute must whether you want to go all out and make your own cleansers like Jo Wood, or just learn a little more about ways to be gorgeous and green.

Here at The Liner, The Clutch and The Wardrobe, we are big fans of products that use as few artificial and chemical ingredients as possible. Nail Varnish is probably one of the worst offenders when it comes to using artificial ingredients and cheaper products often contain Formaldehyde. Yep that's the same stuff Damien Hirst used to preserved his cut up cow, do you really want to put that on your nails?

Nail Varnish mongers Butter London, who believe 'in colour, not carcinogens' have come up with '3-Free' nail products which are free of the three worst chemical cosmetic culprits, Formaldehyde, Tolulene, and DPT (Dibutyl Phthalate). This however, is not to the detriment of the nail varnish which comes in 45 high fashion, long lasting, boldly coloured shades. They also offer a wide range of nail and hand care products that are '3-Free'.

Visit the ultra-cool 'Anglomania' style website and get yourself hold of some!

I know you all can't wait until the launch of Vaseline's Rosy Lips Lip Therapy, but I may just have found something else to tickle the fancy of all you lip balm fanatics out there!

Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare boats amongst their gorgeous line of natural cosmetics, Sheer Pink Lip Shimmer. The luxurious lip balm is made from the same formula as the classic Superbalm which is enriched with avocado oil, and vitamin E. Soothing Lavender and Chamomile soften lips and keep flaky skin at bay while hazelnut oil and shea butter thoroughly nourish lips and keep them free of painful cracks.

The essence of the Sheer Pink Lip shimmer though is the added tint and shimmer, allowing you to add a subtle amount of colour and shine to your look without having to go for a full on gloss. Perfect for that effortless 'no-make up' look we are all coveting this season! The product can also be used on cheeks as a subtle highlighter.

Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare are all about getting the best out of natural ingredients so the balm is free of petroleum and scented with fragrant neorli esscence. Perfect for all you chemical conscious beauty junkies out there!

While Jean Paul Gaultier opted for striking blood red lips, and Chanel worked sultry, smoky eyes, Givency went for a more natural look at the Autumn-Winter 2008/9 couture show last week.

Luigi Mureno smoothed models hair back into what he described to WWD as an immaculate, fine textured 'ponytail de luxe', which revealed pale peachy skin and barely there make up.

Now all of us must have spent hours trying to cultivate the 'natural' look with masses of make up no doubt, but I would say that the key is in using only a few carefully chosen products.

• First of all, prep skin with a good quality tinted moisturiser such as Laura Mercier's classic one, then focus on making individual features look flawless.

• Illuminate eyes with a highlighting pencil such as Benefit's Eye Bright which will give the same definition to the eyes as an eyeshadow whilst maintaining a natural look. A simple slick of mascara will add the final touch to your 'naturally beautiful' eyes.
  

• Frame your face by keeping eyebrows groomed and defined. I am a huge fan of Urban Decay's Brow Box which comes with brow colour as well as finishing wax to keep brows extra slick.

• Finally, add a natural, rosy glow to lips and cheeks with Benefit's rose tinted Benetint Lip Balm.

Products that are kind to the environment are a great idea. But what is an even better idea is products that care for the environment and its inhabitants such as David Babaii's new haircare range for Wild Aid.

The celebrity hair stylist has come up with a range of hair products fronted by Kate Hudson, that are not only formulated from natural ingredients, but that will generate money for wildlife chairty Wild Aid.

The range carries the tag line, 'It's Beautiful to be Good', and beautiful you will be after using the luxurious products. Highlights include Bohemian Beach Spray, a light and nourishing spray that contains Dead Sea salt to create natural texture, and rich Shea Butter, an ingredient that is popping up in a lot of hair products recently, to keep hair soft.

All David Babaii's products are free of petrochemicals, parabens and sulfates. Naturally, they are never tested on animals either.

Sadly, the products are not available in the UK at the moment, but then that's why us English Roses love to shop online!

We all spend plenty of time worrying about the artificial ingredients we put into our mouths, but how much time do we really spend worrying about what goes on our skin? Research shows that as much as sixty percent of what we slather onto our bodies can be absorbed into the blood stream, and with a multitude of natural beauty products available, there is now no excuse not to use products made from ingredients that nature invented.

In the first of a weekly series of posts celebrating natural cosmetics, it would seem only rude not to bow down to the King of natural beauty, Lush. Started back in 1995, Lush strive to make products that work in Harmony with both the environment and your body, minimising their use of non-biodegradable packaging and artificial ingredients. The best thing is, Lush never compromise on the high quality and sweet scents we have come to expect from traditional products.

One of my absolute favourite Lush products, has got to be Dream Cream. This rich cocoa butter and olive oil based body butter is both luxurious and extra nourishing for the skin. Enriched with Rose Absolute and Lavender Oil, Dream Cream leaves you smelling sweet and subtly floral all day.


Look out next week for more Naturally Beautiful products, and please comment to let me know your natural favourites.