TrendLife Beauty

Aged ten and clad in Tammy’s latest glitzy number, during the millennium summer, I bopped along to Latino croner, Ricky Martin’s smash hit ‘She Bangs’.  Seemingly an up-tempo, salsa number about Martin’s infatuation with a woman, it later materialised that he was not in fact smitten by womankind.  With its chorus lyrics, ‘She bangs, she bangs, oh baby when she moves, she moves, cause she looks like a flower, but she stings like a bee, like every girl in history’ in severe jeopardy of a recipient, I had to understand where Ricky and his fellow advocate of bee sting’s, Muhammad Ali, found their love for the yellow and black striped flying insect. In a range of natural personal care products, I have found the answer that boxing pundits and Ricky Martin fan club members have been searching for, thanks to the Burt’s Bees range.

All their products are carefully crafted using ingredients that are the best nature has to offer: beeswax, botanical and essential oils, herbs, flowers and minerals. A central ethos to the brand is their belief that truly natural products are better for your body and the environment, of which both my own body and the borough of Epsom and Ewell can confirm to be true. The range caters for women, men and babies from top to toe, keeping the whole family smelling and feeling as sweet as the bee-produced honey in their kitchen cupboard.

A sweet-tasting moment on the lips doesn’t have to be a lifetime on the hips with the Honey Lip Balm. Moisturising and nourishing it’s packed with beeswax, shea butter, almond oil and cocoa butter to keep lips soft and healthy. A fantastic handbag must-have for the winter months, Honey Lip Balm is a sweet treat without the calories.

To keep skin well moisturised night and day, the Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion is a non-greasy, lightweight lotion for normal to dry skin. Coconut and grape seed oils also work their magic in the lotion by delivering beneficial nutrients to the skin. Whilst in keeping with the edible slant on Burt’s Bees, unfortunately you’ll have to eat elsewhere to fulfill your 5 a day. Nevertheless, I’m happy to trot down to Tesco’s and stock up on apples, bananas and broccoli and do so with softened skin that smells delightful.

Burt's Bees' Sensitive Facial Cleanser is another hero product from the sweetest of beauty brands. Scientifically proven to moisturize sensitive skin while gently cleansing away dirt, oil and make-up without over drying or causing redness, it has been distinctly formulated with softening Cotton Extract to help skin replenish its outer layer and minimize the effects of potential irritants. As I remove the day and start a new one, Burt’s Bees Sensitive Facial Cleanser is always firmly by my side.

This summer, another smash hit from across the pond swept across the nation. Thankfully I was no longer decked out in Tammy’s finest, but I partied like it was 1999 nonetheless. Mann and 50 Cent’s catchy track ‘Buzzin’, with its copious references to bee’s must of course be a heartfelt dedication to their favourite natural skin care range, Burt’s Bees. Good, because apart from finding us both ‘in da club’, I was beginning to wonder what 50 Cent and I had in common. 

Honey Lip Balm - £3.69

Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion - £5.99

Sensitive Facial Cleanser - £9.99

www.burtsbees.co.uk

For the perfect all-in-one wonder cream, look no further than the Dainty Doll Wonderbalm which is party of the Dainty Doll range by Nicola Roberts. This Wonderbalm can be used on lips, hands, knees, heels and anywhere that needs a beauty pick-me-up.

Packaged in a gorgeous little pot, this Wonderbalm contains mango seed oil to smooth and soften as well as natural plant extracts and beeswax to soothe the skin. As well as a moisturiser the Wonderbalm is perfect for adding a little sheen to your eyelids and cheekbones. Available in a gorgeous neutral pink shade called Working Girl.

Dainty Doll Wonderbalm - £20.46

Available from Harrods and Lookfantastic.com

Dr Bronner’s Liquid Soap is one of the hardest working multi-tasking products and is my travel essential for the summer. Loved by celebrites like Bobbi Brown, Drew Barrymore and Sandra Bullock, it claims to have up to eighteen uses in one bottle from cleaning clothes, hair, body, face and even teeth.

At a practical size of 59ml, Dr Bronner’s is a total travel essential – perfect for your summer escapes on holiday or at festivals, or just for those busy girls on the go and life’s little emergencies.

Dr. Bronner’s travel size liquid soap is £1.69 and comes in eight different scents including: citrus, rose, lavender, peppermint, almond, eucalyptus, tea tree and baby mild. All Dr Bronner’s products are fairtrade and organically sourced so you can clean your conscience as well as your skin!

Dr Bronner’s is available nationwide including at Liberty, select Waitrose stores and leading health shops including Fresh & Wild, Planet Organic and Whole Foods.

www.kinetic4health.co.uk

Egyptian Magic skin cream is a brand new must have product that has celebrity fans in Kate Hudson, Selma Blair and Brooke Shields.

A brilliant multi-purpose beauty balm that can be used to improve your complexion, heal scars and bruises and relieve chapped skin. It contains olive oil, bees wax and honey which not only helps to speed up healing but also softens and moisturises the skin.

Simply warm a small amount between your palms as it turns into an oil and watch as it melts into your skin leaving your skin moisturised and glowing.

If the celeb fan base is anything to go by, then it won’t be long before Egyptian Magic will be top of everyone’s beauty list.

Price: £32.99 for 118mls

Available from Revital stores nationwide, www.revital.co.uk or call Vital Life direct on 0207 720 1441