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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

In 1966, The Temptations had a hit single with ‘Beauty Is Only Skin Deep.’ Unfortunately, I was 24 years too late to bust a groove to this funky number but their message that beauty comes from within continues to be fitting as centuries pass. Indeed, I blub during Utterly Butterly adverts, my heart melts when I see a dad give his son a high five, and the little old ladies at the zebra crossing get me every time; I am, it seems, a sensitive soul. I therefore channel my innermost being to my outer beauty regime, by using Senzimi’s range of natural skin and haircare products formulated for sensitive, irritable skin.

Morning and night, I am religious about cleansing my skin using gentle products so as not to disrupt my skin’s balance. Senzimi’s Sensitive Cleanser is thus the perfect product to wipe away surface dirt and impurities without stripping skin of its natural oils. Its Jojoba Oil unclogs pores and helps restore the skin’s pH balance, leaving it soft plump and supple, while the hydrating aloe vera and soothing chamomile calms inflamed skin. In using this facial formula, my skin feels caressed, cleansed and confident.

Moisturising is of course, a fundamental procedure when you’re a sensitive sista like me. Senzimi’s Sensitive Moisturiser is both light and easily absorbed, and contains aloe vera, cucumber, rosehip, oat extract and argan oil to protect and refine. Its soothing anti-inflammatory and anti-irritating herbal extracts encourage skin-rehydration.

My mane is made up of strands of sensitivity; Senzimi’s Sensitive Shampoo and Conditioner therefore tend to my tresses and soothe my sensitive scalp. Enriched with vitamin B12 and wheat protein, both help repair dry and damaged hair, whilst natural active ingredients derived from meadowfoam oil improves sheen and the feel of hair, leaving it untangled and smooth.  Neem oil is active in helping heal various dry skin conditions.

In 1968, The Temptations had another hit single with ‘Cloud Nine’. Unfortunately, I was 22 years too late to bop to this anthem, but, I regularly join the Emperors of Soul on said cloud, because that’s where I am transported to everytime I use Senzimi.

Sensitive Cleanser - £13.99

Sensitive Moisturiser - £15.99

Sensitive Shampoo - £11.99

Sensitive Conditioner - £11.99

www.senzimi-skincare.com

Its 7.16pm, I’ve commuted out of London town, returned to my Surrey abode and slipped into an M&S number; the optimum in comfort loungewear, my cotton PJs. Its 11.05 pm, after nursing a couple of 2 for 1 tipples at All Bar One and caught up with the girls, I’ve rock n’ rolled back to KT19 and my boudoir. Its 3.49am, having frequented a few of London’s questionably classy haunts, I’m back in bed and ready to slumber.  After a long day in the office, a cocktail evening or a night out on the tiles, sadly for my skin, make-up removal is not number one on my to do list.

I’ve often wandered past Clinque counters across the nation and admired their products, but, with Chanel often in my eye line, I quickly regain my poise, finding it too difficult to cheat on my ever so loving other half. However, it came to be that I was gifted with Clinque’s ingenious Take The Day Off Cleansing Milk; and with that, I decided to give it a whirl. Envisioning primped and preened Clinque girls up and down the country, I thought about how they’d burst out of their white laboratory coats with cosmetic brand pride that I’d signed on the dotted line with Clinque.

So, at 7.16pm, 11.05pm and 3.49am, armed with some cotton pads, I take my day (or night!) off with Clinque. This milky make-up dissolver feels like silk laden upon my skin, leaving it feeling soft and well moisturised.  Quick and easy to use, Take The Day Off Cleansing Milk is a simple step to skin heaven. 

£16.50

www.clinique.co.uk

Nelsons Purifying Daily Face Wipes are quite simply a must-have in the make-up bag of any gal about town. Suitable for all skin types, they cleanse away impurities and both calm and moisturise the skin by using an effective blend of natural plant extracts.

For those busy, beautiful ladies keen to maintain a cleansing regime, Nelsons Purifying Daily Facial Wipes leave the skin feeling refreshed and rejuvenated without the hassle of a cleanser, toner and moisturiser application. I use them morning and night to get that all important facial cleanse and they’ve even made their way into my handbag as a beauty essential that I just can’t live without. Nelsons Pure & Clear is available in the complementary healthcare section of selected Boots stores nationwide, at Holland and Barrett and in selected independent health food stores and pharmacies.

Price: £5.45

www.nelsonsnaturalworld.com

Eve Lom Cleanser is considered a classic which is why it wins countless beauty awards.

Dubbed ‘the best cleanser in the world’ by Vogue, the solid cleanser has a blend of four aromatherapy oils which is massaged into the skin and is easily removed with one of their muslin cloths.

As well as removing every trace of make-up and city grime, the muslin cloth also acts as an exfoliator.

From £30 for 50 ml and comes with one muslin cloth

www.spacenk.co.uk

I recently discovered a new addition to add to my cleansing routine but it almost seems too simple – a sponge? The Konjac Sponge has excellent absorbant qualities, it absorbs dirt, oil and bacteria, while gently cleansing the pores.

The unique net-like structure of the sponge gently massages the skin and stimulates blood flow and new growth of skin cells, leaving the skin extremely clean and refreshed. You can add cleanser to the sponge if you wish but it can do without if you like. 

There is a range to choose from, all specifically suited to skin types whether that is mature skin or oily, problematic skin.

From £5.25 each

www.zuneta.com

Excitingly, Benefit has branched out with their new b.right! Radiant Skincare range.

It includes all those skincare essentials like cleansers, toners and moisturisers all beautifully wrapped up in their trademark pretty packaging.

Prices start from £16.50

Available now from Benefit counters nationwide or online at www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk

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