Cooking for Family and Friends the latest recipe book from Joe Wicks The Body Coach.

The smiles on their faces say it all about the eve we all spent on this roof top bar in Central London. The evening weather was spectacular and the best of the year yet. Nothing like cooking for family and friends and this recipe book certainly has something for everyone. Learning to cook really does make a difference to your life and helps control your diet a lot better. Knowing the ingredients and adding them together fully engages you in the creative process so helping to calm the mind.  Joe Wicks is an online fitness phenomenon who’s approach is warm, friendly, approachable and very focused when it comes to health and fitness.  I really get it why he’s so popular by making health and well being very accessible.  This book certainly adds to my kitchen collection.  There are many recipes here that are familiar and simple to make. Cooking for Family and Friends makes health and well being an easy option in your everyday life. Meaning it doesn’t exclude any of those treats you love to eat.  Take a look.. JOEWICKS 

Ethical and sustainable NEW PALMER’S COCONUT OIL FORMULA helps keep you in that holiday frame of mind.

It feels as if I’m on a permanent holiday when using Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula body products. Completely Paraben free without a trace of Phthalates, Gluten, Sulfates, Dyes and mineral oils in their formulations.

I won’t use products that haven’t got some kind of ethical or sustainable angle nowadays so ruling out as much as possible any added chemicals onto my skin.

Palmer’s Body Lotion RRP £4.00 / 250ml,   Coconut Oil Formula Body Cream RRP £5.00 / 125g, Coconut Oil Formula Body Oil.

I’m a fan of the SPF 50 high sun factor and wear one all year round whatever the season. It keeps the skin healthy and reduces any potential skin damage in the long term. I just love the oil consistency with a high sun block and add over a moisturizer for added hydration daily avoiding the immediate eye area.

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Eventone® Suncare Lotions SPF30 and SPF 50 RRP £9.99 / 250ml and EVENTONE Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Eventone® Suncare Spray Lotion SPF 30 and SPF 50 RRP £12.99 / 150g

Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Hand Cream RRP £2.40 / 60g.  The most important factor of a hand cream is how hydrated and soft it leaves the hands.  Protecting the hands is just as important as the face, neck and body.  Find out more from Palmer’s  available from Boots, Sainsbury’s, Superdrug, Feel Unique and Amazon.

Just to add they’re a part of the promoting sustainable Shea Butter production and a member of the Global Shea Alliance. 

They say Eat it.. Wear It.. Swear By It..Vita Coco Coconut Oil 100% Raw, Organic & Extra Virgin Cold Pressed..

The first time i found Extra Virgin 100% Cold Pressed Organic Vita Coco Coconut Oil happened to be in a goodie bag given out at Kinky Octopus press event in Soho around the corner from Berwick Street Market London  .  In true Brasilian party style we were offered Caipirinha’s,  Pão de queijo, some of my favourite Brasilian food & drink… On display were beautiful colourful wrist bands  “Lembrança do Senhor do Bonfim da Bahia”   which refers to the good life…these wrist bands are very synonymous with Bahia Brasil and is the backdrop of a place that’s full of culture, creativity and immense colour.

I finally got round to opening the jar and instinctively applied it to my face before reading the label, and then felt horrified when i discovered it was used for cooking, baking & frying. Thankfully  it went on to say, “Goes beyond the call of beauty as a moisturizer and hair conditioner,” and spread it on your toast! Really! 🙂

Lots of people around the world have used coconut oil for many years, countries such as Indonesia, Australia, Philippines, Caribbean, India…. It can be used to soothe, calm and hydrate the skin & hair all in one go including offering an anti – bacterial agent for wounds and sunburn. Massage into the hair & scalp helping those affected by a dry scalp & dandruff. As an insect repellent just add a little peppermint oil which keeps away the bugs.  Then there’s the cooking element to add to the endless list of benefits…There’s only one precaution to using this product and that’s NOT to sit directly in the sun without any UV sun protection. You will burn no matter how much melanin pigment you have in your skin. Protecting yourself from direct sunlight is very important to very healthy skin long-term.

I really enjoy using this product and know many people who love it too….as the saying goes ( sent to me by the PR) Eat it. Wear It. Swear By It.

Have a look online Vita Coco Coconut Oil..

Vita Coco Coconut Oil is available at Amazon, Boots, Holland & Barrett, Ocado.com, Selfridges, Tesco, Urban Outfitters & Wholefoods.

Available in three sizes: 250ml & 500ml glass jars, 750ml PET jar. RRPs:  250ml from £5.99,  500ml from £9.99 & 750ml from £14.50

My favourite skin care products for very sensitive skins from Holland & Barrett.

There’s never been a better time for home grown UK based skin care companies for the most sensitive of skins. It was almost impossible to find products back in the day that really worked on your skin unless you made your own.  I know a lot about eczema and about the skin in general as i trained as a beauty therapist and also suffered skin problems for many years. I had the good fortune of being introduced to an amazing homeopath who totally removed all my allergies and eczema and even made his own very hydrating moisturizer. That’s another story for another time. If you have babies, children, parents, siblings who suffer real issues with their skins on the face and body then i would completely vote for these products. I have a very sensitive skin that itches easily and with these products i felt a sense of comfort, soothing and real hydration when applied to skin that is red, angry, extremely dry, sore and very itchy all at the same time. These products can be found in your local Holland & Barrett.

PurePotions Skin Salvation Intensive Moisturizing Ointment – A complete skin saver as it comforts, soothes sore very dry skin, highly hydrating and feels soft and smooth. I really love this product and had the chance to try it out for myself. Highly recommended for Eczema & Psoriasis without a doubt.

Beauty Kitchen’s Abyssinian Oil  Aroma Facial Concentrate – This has to be one of the most moisturizing skin oils i have ever used on my skin. It feels and smells delicious. Just add a little bit to your daily moisturizer or night cream to add an extra boost.

Saaf Pure Organic Skincare – I tried the Pure Face Cleanser and comes with an Organic cotton face cloth. This feels and smells absolutely delicious and would imagine the extended product range would be as comforting, protecting and moisturizing.

Through my experience the creams that doctors offer will not have the same effect on skins that need a lot of tender loving care especially for babies and children. So hopefully you will choose some of these products above and try them for yourself. It’s only with trail and error that you ever make the right choices.

Holland & Barrett Twitter @holland_barrett

Careway Pharmacies offering free skin analysis to help you choose the right skincare.

It was an interesting & fun evening with health/beauty press & bloggers finding out the latest news from Careway Pharmacies.

My background is in skincare so i found this event particularly interesting. The focus was on skin analysis by testing the well being of your skin & what it needs at any stage of your life for men & women.  It’s really important to know your type of skin as it’s the largest organ of the human body and needs caring & protecting for the long term future from outside influences including sun protection.  It takes around 2omin for this FREE advice ( it’s possible to have a shorter test if you’re very busy) & you will receive a print out of the analysis on hydration levels, collagen & other skin concerns. I saw it in action and it offers an independent shortcut to knowing more about your current skin’s condition without having to see a Dermatologist, Doctor (unless you feel it’s more serious ), a Beauty Therapist for a facial & then sold products they happen to stock. There’s no pressure to buy anything on the spot and gives you time to think about the independent advice given on skin & suncare.

Important advice from Dr Emma Wedgeworth, Consultant Dermatologist & British Skin Foundation Spokesperson,   ” So much skin disease we see is partly due to excessive sun exposure. We are now living longer and travelling more widely than ever before, so we need to make sure we keep our skin healthy for the duration. Get into the habit of using a daily sun protection on your face, some of the new formulations are so good that you can use them almost as a primer or bb cream. For your body, use a high protection, reapply regularly and don’t over expose your skin to sunlight.

It’s extremely important advice for your skin’s long-term health & wellbeing. The products below can be found in a Careway Pharmacy & will help to protect your skin’s health all year round.

Left to right Riemann P20 SPF50, protects from UVA & UVB up to 10 hours & has no parabens, preservatives or added fragrance. UV Buddy Bracelet  that will let you know when to apply your sun cream &  finally a Nivea Lip Balm with added sun protection. Keep Safe!