# 132 Coming Up Roses

Yep, baby Malcontent is officically here. But, as irony would have it, she is anything but malcontent. She is dinky and darling and already sleeping & eating well [well, she must get that from her mama]. We're all a flutter with love, and also finding ways to stay sitting pretty while getting used to this new mum malarkey. a good friend suggested a simple trick for staying positive [even if little one's been bawling since sundown] - 'whatever you do, upon waking, wash your face and get dressed.' nothing depresses more than a greasy mush and stinky PJs. so, each morning, after the first feeding session is over, baby spends time with daddy while mummy sorts out hair, face, brows and body. I've already got my routine down to a neat 20 mins - and feel like a new woman afterwards. Here are the essentials that are saving my post-baby bacon: the organic pharmacy miracle nipple cream [this stuff heals like you wouldn't believe - I've already begged the PR for more!]; liz earle cleanse & polish [post-birth skin is back to it's normalised, oilier state. The eucalyptus in this cleans wonderfully, while also leaving things soft and clear]; the new TIGI sleek mystique range - i used the fast fixx style prep spray and blow out balm yesterday, to lovely, shiny & speedy effect; and, my new flavour-fave of the month: aromatherapy associates rose renew body oil. I read in one of my mama tomes, that rose otto oil is wonderful for warding off the baby blues, but also for bonding the baby with mama. now, new age stuff aside [i'll try my hardest not to spout anymore in future], this stuff smells utterly dreamy, really soothes & calms, and I'm convinced, means while baby suckles she also slips into a deep dreamy sleep too. Talk about multi-tasking. Pat on the back [one for baby: BURP!; and one for me: smile].

#130 Pharmacy Fresh

A few months back I popped into The Organic Pharmacy for a Health Assessment. I'd had one several years back while feeling less than my best and was impressed with the various things it pinpointed. Talking about how & why it works is guaranteed to get eyes a-rolling, because, well, you're strapped up to a bio-energetic device which scans the body, detecting & picking up on various vitamin and mineral deficiencies, food intolerances, toxicity, organ function, hormone balance, viruses, bacteria, fungus, parasites, digestive disorders and stress. The read-out is immensely detailed and often very amusing - not least of all because it also tends to pinpoint the foods you've eaten a lot of just prior to the scan, and if you've been eating said food morning and night [i.e. overdoing it], it'll flag up the possibility of developing a future allergy to said fare. For me it was, ahem, cucumbers - which thanks to bizarre pregnant cravings, I'd been eating whole, and several times a week, just because I really couldn't not - just wanted them SO badly! The homeopath and I had a good giggle at that one though - I mean, who ever heard of anyone being allergic to cucumbers?! I was also, it seemed, at risk of developing intolerances to:

Curry powder [no! no!]

Brewer’s yeast [huh? never had a beer in my life...]

Spinach [yes, too true. makes me sicky inside]

Pineapple [sob. but probably because I'd eaten an entire one in a single sitting the night before]

Lime [again, huh?]

Mushroom [just don't like them, so no great loss]

Casein [of course. always knew that]

Sesame [once again - because of the inordinately huge amount of hummus I consume each & every week, which contains tahini AKA sesame paste]

Carrot [almost as prevalent within my diet as cucumbers... yes, I know I'm odd]

Other things were clearer & less comical. I am absolutely undeniably bad with lactose. No shit Sherlock. Can't even sip cow's milk anymore without gagging. And despite popping those awful pregnancy horse-pills, I was still seriously deficient in several minerals. I was also in the middle of an appalling eczema flare-up which had gotten progressively worse over those 5 pregnant months. I listened, took notes, we chatted & the homeopath [a fab & insightful lady called Sofia], made lists of things I needed to start supplementing my diet with. I've never been a big believer in supplements, but let me say now, it's 4 months later, and am I grateful to her for loading me up that day. I now consider myself a bit of a pregnancy nutrition pro - and can list all the 'premium' supplements that caused nothing but nausea and constipation [both Pregnacare & Solgar really disagreed with me - I noticed the different in my 'sluggish' system within a day or two of swallowing them]. On the other hand, The Organic Pharmacy Pre & Post Natal Vitamins caused me no bother at all & made a marked difference to my mood & wellbeing. Since they ran out [on Monday], I've really felt it - and will be stocking up at the Great Marlborough St store tomorrow. Other impressive supplements were the Omega 3-6-7-9 oil which though not the most delicious thing in the world, is on par with the Udo's Choice Oil. Both have really really helped my eczema calm down - along with teeny amounts of the steroid cream Diprosone & regular rubs with Oilatum Ointment... at last, those red patches have all but disappeared! I was also prescribed Calcium & Magnesium Complex, to aid stress & get extra important minerals to the baby - and, I have to say, I felt pretty darn good about 1 week after I started to swallow them, at night, and just as Sofia said, they also helped aid more restful sleep [I might be one of the few heavily pregnant ladies left who has actually snoozed deeply all the way through her 35/almost 36 weeks - despite a baby who has really learned to produce a spectacular series of almighty KICKS and PUNCHES as soon as her mummy falls asleep. Yowzer].

So, all in all, a mightily productive 90 minutes - and all for £150 [oh, supplements cost extra. Sorry. Good health don't come cheap, right?]

To soften the blow, my dear friends, you might be interested to learn the following:

From 14th – 21st June, The Organic Pharmacy are offering their unique Health Assessment for £100 instead of £150. The offer will be until the end of August for any bookings made between the 14th and the 21^st. Visit www.theorganicpharmacy.com for more information.

Would I recommend it? Heartily. Is it worth it? Well, I guess you'll have to see for yourself....

# 129 Go Balmy [and get 15% off!]

Right, so, following my last post which talked up the benefits of the new Darphin Cleansing Balm, I've had some emails from readers asking which cleansing balm I rate most highly - whether it's the ESPA one I often chat about, or the Omorovicza one which I used to use religiously but get through a bit too quickly, or the Oskia, Darphin or Organic Pharmacy options...

There are many others I have used and loved for a short time - Vaishaly, for instance, was great until I began to feel it was just too rich for my shine-prone skin (and then it began to cause a few too many breakouts...)

The Organic Pharmacy softened skin beautifully, but because it doesn't emulsify (neither does Saaf's balm), I found I wasn't getting quite as 'clean' as I wanted, and after a few days, I'd notice some blocked pores where the cleanser just wasn't coming away as neatly as I'd have liked it to. Oskia, too, produce a fine cleanser - and it has the edge on the aforementioned two, because it emulsifies beautifully, but once again, I feel it's better for ageing skin in need of nourishment than younger complexions seeking balance and purity.

With this in mind, here are the two that I shall always return to:

ESPA is an absolute staple. The formula just seems nice & easy for me - never stings, never causes excessive oiliness, not too 'nourishing', emulsifies very well & rinses clean away. Lovely, lovely. Oh, and the pot's a generous size too, so this one tends to last me about 3 months.

Omorovicza is another favourite, but for a different reason. If ESPA were the staple, then OM would be the special occasion cleanser (the pot is, unfortunately, on the small side), but it does have a really fab knack of hoovering out those pores and making everything look that bit clearer. I'd recommend it to people prone to impurities and breakouts as the mineral mud infused within the oil-based cleanser has an obvious purifying effect (without ever having caused me to wake up to a spotty complexion the next morning). I also like the melty texture, the fresh salty-clean scent and how soft the skin feels afterwards. It's good, good stuff this.

So, it's a facial flit between Om and ESPA - and should the deciding factor be some money off (hey, who doesn't love a discount!) then Omorovicza might just take the balm biscuit, because they're offering all Miss Malcontent readers a 15% discount on the Thermal Cleansing Balm up to the 30th June 2010, when purchased online at www.omorovicza.com. The code is missmalcontent_3853

For those who are already sold, enjoy! And for those who are not... sure you can't be tempted?

#125 Forget Paris

When travelling I like to pack a bag of untried goodies which get a trial in the hotel bathroom. I always seem to have more time to test, and also the inclination, thanks to more nights out and days spent meeting-and-greeting as opposed to working from home (which is what I do 80% of the time in Londres). On holiday I'll always try at least one new lip colour and something tinted, ordinarily with SPF, to see how coverage fares in other climes.

In the bag that spent 2 weeks with me in Paris were the following:

Dior Hydra Life Pro Youth Skin Tint - my companion tested this on my behalf & used it everyday for 2 weeks. It was imperceptible, feather-light and felt very comfortable on her sensitive skin. It did a great job of covering imperfections & I noticed a real difference in her skin pre- and post-application. I'd try it myself but she went home with it. Cheeky. But surely the surest sign of a top skin treat?

Ellis Faas Creamy Lips - wow. I love lippy - YSL, Chanel, NARS, MAC, Revlon - but this stuff felt too good to be true. I twisted up the pen to get a teeny blob of colour through the firm sponge applicator and it went on like poster paint - utterly faithful to the colour in the tube, incredibly smooth, deeply pigmented but entirely comfortable and light feeling. Heck, it even felt hydrating. And it stayed put. Just not possible to fault this one! I used shade L103 - and loved it - a geranium red that really perked up my face.

And to add to the eternal lip balm quest - I snapped up Caudalie in Paris - just 3euros at the local pharmacy - and it's doing a lovely job too. Wish I'd bought a couple more.

Venus Embrace Razor - okay, so has anyone ever seen that hilarious comedy sketch about the marketing team behind a fictional toothbrush company who are brainstorming the various ways they can get people to buy a new model? They're talking about adding MORE BRISTLES, SQUIDGIER HANDLE, DIFFERENT COLOURS - and then one of them says, 'I know! A tongue cleaner! I bet you we can get people to brush their tongues!' - and you suddenly realise how ridiculous it is that existing companies have in fact made toothbrushes with tongue scrapers attached [ick]. Well, sometimes the razor market seems the most bonkers of all - driven by tireless 'bigger betterdom' - and MOISTURISING STRIPS, SPRUNG HANDLES, AERODYNAMIC DESIGN, RUBBER FINS... and the continual boost in blades seems increasingly comical. I mean - where will the line be drawn? 8? 10? Wasn't 1 enough? Really? Well, I'm biting my sarcastic tongue, because I used the Embrace while away [yep, the new Gilette offering which serves up 5 blades], and it gave me the closest, smoothest shave of my life. It was also remarkably speedy - a single swipe caught every single hair, so both legs & underarms were dealt with in about 2 minutes flat. This one's definitely earned its non-ironic place in my arsenal.

Unfortunately I also had a close shave of a less pleasant kind. Namely after a facial which left me red & blotchy - my eczema being the current bane of my life since becoming pregnant [oh to be one of those pregnant women whose eczema disappears entirely!]. I woke up the next day with the sort of painfully tight skin that has never been my lot in life (grainy and with the fine-lined texture of tissue paper across the cheeks and under the eyes), and completely freaked out. How had my skin gone from perfect to patchy in just 24 hours! I knew I had to bring the allergic reaction back down - felt like my face was on fire, and the redness around my brows, eyes and cheeks was glaring. The first thing I tried was Weleda Skin Food, but discovered it's rather better in smaller doses and not as grand spread all over the face when said face is burning up - that bit too thick & sticky. Inspecting my face again I noticed just how dehydrated the skin seemed, so I layered on ESPA's Floral Water with the Cellular Hydrating Complex. This made a marked improvement - skin drinking it up and cooling down. I also purchased Bioderma Make-Up Remover which worked a treat around my sore eyes [it's a backstage favourite], and tapped some of The Organic Pharmacy Ultra Hydrating Cream onto the driest sorest patches throughout the day. Thankfully [and after a few days of anti-histamine help too], things are almost back to normal. I've also traded out Emma Hardie's Cleansing Balm for the time-being [I have an inkling that the mandarin & orange essential oils have been causing a sting upon my sensitized skin], and returned to ESPA once more for what my skin seems to tolerate as a gentler, less irritating cleanse. Although, I must note that prior to the flare-up Emma H was doing a divine job of making my complexion bright, soft and very very comfy, so this one will be back on the shelf as soon as skin's back up to scratch.

# 116 Hot Shots

Guilt, immense guilt, at the gap in blogging leads me to scribble a list of the things I’ve loved in the interim. Well, they’ve put a smile on my face at any rate…

Neal’s Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm
I began using this when my beloved ESPA Deep Cleansing Balm ran out (again), and because my skin felt drier than normal thanks to the Big Freeze we’re all bored of hearing about. The main point of difference between this and ESPA is that the NYR product does not emulsify, so it doesn’t rinse away cleanly in the same way that several other oil-based cleansers do (including Sarah Chapman and Vaishaly). For some reason, however, this hasn’t seemed to matter and after a good buff and steam with a muslin cloth, my skin is left feeling soft but not sticky or greasy. Of course it’s possible that this extra layer of nourishment is just what my skin happens to need at the moment – but the fact that I’ve not broken out in the three months that I’ve used it is also encouraging and when I do have blocked pores it’s easier than ever to ‘evacuate’ them, partly I think, because the balm seems to have made my skin that bit more pliable. As a winter staple, it’s a very good one – though not cheap (around £35). But I’ve been using it morning & night for 12 weeks & have a month’s use left in the pot. So… worth it.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Oil
I like the smell of this – and I’ve noticed that when I get the odd dry patch, this helps a great deal. I’ve been adding two drops to my ESPA Balancing Face Treatment Oil, mainly at night, but some mornings too, and it’s kept my reaction-prone skin feeling very very comfortable, even on the coldest days of the year. I also like patting a tiny bit around the eyes at night… it seems to hydrate nicely. Now, I’ve not tried the Ila Radiance Face Glowing Oil yet… and have heard that nothing compares (any opinions?) – but as far as inexpensive treats go, this is a winner.

The Organic Pharmacy Lipstick in Dark Pink
The best thing is the creamy formula – very balmy, without being sticky. It isn’t long-lasting, but because pigment’s so intense the colour does have a way of seemingly staining lips for the better part of the day. This is not a ‘waxy’ lipstick. The other thing I like is the colour – it’s a rather vivid raspberry, which looks brighter on lips (well, mine at any rate) than it does in the tube. It’s nice for an instant perk-up and great for sore winter lips too.

Yes to Carrots Deliciously Rich Body Butter
Just want to amend a prior posting. I liked this, then I didn’t so much (I felt it wasn’t great for those prone to back-of-arm bumps). Well, I got caught out without a body cream last week and have been using this for seven days straight, and I have to say that it really is bloody good stuff. You put it on in the morning and can still, quite palpably, feel the softness of your skin throughout the course of the day. Even as I type this, in an overly-heated office, enveloped in woollen jumper-dress, I’m stroking my lovely spongy soft arms. I just don’t get this sort of all-day softness from body oils. I’m also rather addicted to the baby-bottom-lotion scent. Mmmmmm. Reinstated.

#53 Mid-Week Delivery

Oh lord. Head. Ache. Muscles. Ouch. Soles. Sore.

So what does it take to get back on track? To obey the morning alarm call? Well, I couldn’t even muster the energy to shampoo my hair when I got in – gross but true – but last night’s hairspray had given it atypical thickness and the morning-after matte look was sort of working for me. So I went with it – just slapped a thick headband across the front – and focused on the face instead. Two slices of very cold cucumber helped take my eyes down a bit. Skin washed with Jurlique Replenishing Foaming Cleanser – which I’m using because the postal strike has meant that my Liz Earle goodies are being held at ransom at the local depot. In fact, the strike might have had an odd upside. It’s forced me to dig into the drawers again and, thankfully, skin is still looking as good as it has been and this non-drying, effective foaming cleanser hasn’t scuppered the spot-free run that I’ve had for over a month. I also recommend Jurlique’s Herbal Recovery Eye Gel – lovely, light, full of hydrating botanicals with none of the residual stickiness that lesser gels are prone to creating. Then a quick facial massage with Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and a hop into the shower with a super thick layer of Laura Mercier Hydra Soothing Gel Mask still on skin (my current replacement for Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque, which is once again, still ‘in transit’) but which does pretty much the same job. A freezing water splash, a spray of Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic, a little pat of Darphin’s camomile oil and then a dab of Organic Glam’s new Antioxidant Foundation to even out the odd red patch and I was feeling not too bad. Until I turned around, lost my balance and head-butted the jutting partition wall in my bedroom. Cocktail complexions you can conceal. Heavy heads you cannot. Note to self: Tuesday nights are not the new Friday.