Kristy shares her expert advice on natural and
effective skincare that works in harmony with you.

Balancing Act

When I first started Elemental Herbology it was all about passion for beautiful skincare and authentic spa treatments but it is amazing how quickly running a rapidly growing business can completely take over. For me so much of my day is now about operations, finances and logistics as it is about product development, branding and marketing. The strange thing is I actually love both sides of the business. I think it helps to keep my left and right side of my brain in balance. Sad to say, there is nothing like a good spreadsheet! There is something so satisfying in making our figures and sums work from which I get a wonderful sense of achievement. Signing off a new product after months and often years of work is always so incredibly satisfying and I feel very lucky that I can balance both the creative and analytical sides of the process to be a part of every inch of our development from start to finish. Unfortunately, all the excitement and amazing highs of running a skincare brand can also contrast with an incredibly demanding schedule and some pretty high stress. However, that is when I find the sensory nature of our products really comes into play. Something as simple as an evening cleanse with Purify and Soothe Cleansing Balm and steaming my face with a hot cloth while soaking in a warm bath infused with our Detox Bath Oil can totally transport me away from the dramas of my day and make me feel balanced again.

I am avid believer in home facials – performing once a week a good exfoliation, followed by a detox mask and hydration and repair mask really is one of the pillars of healthy skin – which is why I was so delighted to launch our Weekend Facial this month. We have been receiving some fab press for this little kit which contains everything you need for a home facial once a week. They have been selling like hot cakes and I am thrilled our customers will now be taking time out to help their skin find its natural rhythm. Trust me – it will be your secret weapon through autumn and winter.

Finally, my tip for autumn. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) this is the season in which dryness related symptoms become prevalent, so it is key that the foods we eat nourishes dryness. TCM also believes that autumn correlates with the Lung which dominates the skin and excessive dry air and wind can cause an itchy throat, chapped lips and rough flaky skin. While using products such as Cell Plumping facial Moisturiser and Wind and Cold therapy will go a long way, eating foods that nourish dryness is also key. Such foods include pumpkin, nuts, seeds, soya, pear, honey and dairy products. It is also a Chinese tradition to start to eat porridge in autumn and continue throughout winter as it keeps your ‘middle jiao’ or digestive centre warm and healthy.

Kristy x

Biomedic Centre

It was wonderful to be on the receiving end of a treatment with Dr Shakambet at the Biomedic Centre (www.biomedic.co.uk) for a change.

Dr Shakambet, is a medical doctor who rightly believes that allopathic (pharmacological) medicine and the concept of optimal health are mutually exclusive. He thus embarked on a journey to develop preventative health strategies to help the body and mind achieve an optimum state of health and well-being.

A true holistic practitioner in every sense of the word, and through his practice of bio-regulatory medicine, Dr Shakambet works at a vigorous pace over the body, palpating, massaging, needling and applying moxa to physical and energetic blockages.

While my liver was a little stagnant and my kidneys needed a little tonifying. I was fortunately given a bill of good health and told my body was strong, healthy and vital, and that I only needed to come occasionally for a top up.

Nonetheless I was given a liver detox to follow and told to take some magnesium for the muscle tension in my back and shoulders. He advised that I eat more iron rich foods – chard, artichokes, onions, parsley, parsnips, brown rice and watercress, and also an anti-oxidant supplement to support the collagen in my skin. These are small preventative changes to my diet and lifestyle that I believe everyone can benefit from and incorporate into their lifestyle in order to optimise our health.

The treatment has given me release in my mid-back that has been feeling tense for some time. I feel clear and energised yet balanced and calm. A really nice space to be.

Interestingly Dr Shakambet also practices a biofacelift by using energetic techniques to rejuvenate the skin and reduce the formation of wrinkles, cellulite, pigmentation, swelling and inflammations. By activating homeostasis,the body’s natural regulatory mechanism, the biofacelift achieves combined botox-like and surgical facelift like effects in a safe and non-invasive way. The treatment combines acupuncture, mesotherapy, massage of the facial musculo-connective tissue and lymphatic drainage.

Kristy x

My Most Important Skin Care Tip

I am frequently asked what I think is the most important thing to do regularly for healthy skin and without hesitation I have to say CLEANSING!

If you are not big on cleansing and rarely exfoliate you really aren’t doing your skin justice. Without a good daily cleanse the skin becomes blocked, dead skin cells build up on the surface and your skin becomes dull, lacklustre and congested. To make matters worse, your skin will not absorb all the wonderful serums and tonics you are applying, resulting in dry skin with underlying congestion.

This unfortunately becomes increasingly prevalent as we age. Our skin metabolism slows down and cellular turnover is diminished as we grow older, so if you don’t make cleansing and exfoliation key elements of your daily and weekly routine your skin will become increasingly problematic. Sadly, it is a myth that a revolutionary new serum or cream will remedy dry skin if the underlying issue of congestion is not addressed first.

Whilst cleansing is the ONE thing that you shouldn’t leave out of your skin care regime, it’s also really important to ensure that you are using the right cleanser for your skin. Our skin changes with the seasons, our environment and our hormones, so the cleanser you use should change as your skin does.

We are often led to believe that our skin must be vigorously scrubbed and left feeling tight to be clean. This couldn’t be further from the truth. A cleanser should gently remove impurities and dead skin cells whilst nourishing the skin with healthy botanicals.

One of the things that inspired me to create the Elemental Herbology range was the lack of products that felt good, were kind to the environment and, most importantly, were really effective.

So many cleansers on the market are far too harsh and aggressive, stripping the skin all of its natural oils and assaulting its barrier function leaving it dry, uncomfortable and more prone to pre-mature ageing.

We have two fabulous cleansers in our range that gently cleanse the skin: Cool & Clear is light, cooling and foaming; and Purify & Soothe is an oil-based cleansing balm that is rich in Essential Fatty Acids. The former is great for summer time, in a humid environment or if your skin is prone to frequent breakouts and congestion. It contains Green Tea, Aloe, Calendula, Water Lilly and Lavender Flower to deliver a really fresh and invigorating cleanse.

However, if you are 40 years plus, spend a lot of time in central heating, it is wintertime or you are a frequent traveller, using an oil-based cleanser rich in Essential Fatty Acids is a must. Our Purify & Soothe contains Sacha Inchi and Argan Oil. Sacha Inchi is one of the richest sources of Omega 3, 6 and 9 in any botanical oil and Argan Oil is the richest source of Vitamin E.

For best results you should warm the balm in the palms of your hands and then massage into the skin in small circular movements, from forehead to décolleté. It is essential to clean your skin for as long as you spend cleaning your teeth. By massaging the balm into the skin it will bring all the blood to the surface thereby helping improve circulation, removal of metabolic waste and ultimately resolve congestion.

Essential Fatty Acids also nourish the skin and improve the barrier function, making it less prone to sensitivities and assault from the environment.

Enjoy your cleanse,

Kristy x

Time out in Andalucía

I have just returned from a wonderful two weeks in Andalucía. We stayed in the Alpujarras at Cortijo Prado Toro , a beautiful rural house that is surrounded by fragrant gardens and stunning views over the magnificent rugged peaks of Spain’s highest mountain range, the Sierra Nevada. An area famed by the book ‘Driving over Lemons’, and if you haven’t already visited the Sierra Nevada after reading this book you will be on your way!

After such a hectic six months, it was so lovely to withdraw from London life and bask in the Spanish solitude and sunshine with my family, eating wonderful food, drinking great wine and finally making my way through a pile of novels.

Having time out from the office is a great way to get my creative energy flowing and conceptualise new products and spa treatments. I am frequently inspired to create products while travelling, especially in the mountains or basking by the sea. I like to keep my hand in every area of the business so it is really nice to step away from it all for a while and look from the outside, in.

Being up in the mountains with beautiful water on tap and surrounded by lush, clean air was a great opportunity to allow my skin to breathe. Away from the impact of a polluted city, I really didn’t feel the need to do my weekly Facial Detox mask, nor layer up with lots of product but loved having the time to indulge in a few home-spa body treatments using our wonderful scrubs and body oils.

In an urban environment products rich in anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids are essential but in a pure, unadulterated environment, your skin tends to find its natural balance and is far less high maintenance. Just a nice cleanser, serum and hydrator do the trick.

So what was in my travel bag?

Cool and Clear Facial Cleanser - Such a lovely cleanser for summer, light, refreshing and leaves my skin feeling clean and balanced.
Moisture Milk Ultra Light Facial Hydrator – The perfect hydrator  for a really hot climate when you want something that is barely there, balances sebum production and keeps your skin feeling cool, clear and radiant.
Cell Food Protection and Repair Facial Serum – I simply don’t go ANYWHERE without this product. It keeps me looking fresh-faced day and night.
Beach Prep Radiance Body Polish – When you are going to bare your legs, this product is a must. It sheds dead skin and leaves my body feeling super soft and hydrated.
Skin Drink Summer Body Hydrator - The perfect summertime body hydrator – ultra light, silky and cooling with an aroma that emulates the essence of summer.
Botanical Body Repair Nourishing Body Oil – Ideal for night time after a day out and about. Reparative, hydrating and with an infusion of Jasmine and Mandarin what’s not to love.

A fabulous line up of seasonal must haves, if I do say so myself!

Wishing you a wonderful summer holiday.

Kristy

A Whirlwind Week in NYC

I have just returned from a fabulous week in NYC meeting with our new distributor, buyers and press.   We are very excited to have partnered with who we feel is the best beauty distributor in the market. Mary Leber and her wonderful team at Beauty Prophet will be exclusively managing Elemental Herbology distribution in the US and given their extraordinary market knowledge and enthusiasm, expect to see EH popping up at all the hip spas and apothecaries around town.

One of the favourite parts of my trip was visiting a number of the SpaceNK stores in Manhattan. It is always great to receive direct feedback from the staff and lovely to hear we have so many fans – both staff and customers alike.  While in-store I also did a number of personal appearances and one-on-one consultations and prescriptions for customers. New Yorkers definitely have different skincare requirements to the British. They like hydrators in summertime to be as light or as barely there as possible so I am sure our Moisture Milk will be a huge success stateside. I also noticed that customers were really concerned about sun damage, so spfs and reparative serums that reduce pigmentation are big business. Be sure to look out for Lighten and Brighten launching in September, rich in bio-actives that have been clinically tested to reduce dark spots and pigmentation.

I also had the pleasure of meeting with China Paradelo, the Spa Manager at the Shibui Spa at the beautiful Greenwich Hotel where Elemental Herbology launched as the exclusive brand last year. It is such an amazing hideaway. The carefully selected handcrafted interiors make the setting feel so tactile, warm and indulgent.  So many western spas try desperately to emulate an Asianesque spa experience but this spa really hits the mark. First of all, it isn’t tacky in any way. It feels authentic and real, you could almost be slipping into an Onsen or traditional spa in the heart of Tokyo. Robert DeNiro is one of the co-owners and has taken his hand to personally selecting so many of the design features… clearly this man has some serious style to boot!

I received the Enzyme Glow Facial by Elemental Herbology but under an alias so I could offer China my feedback without prejudice. The treatment was amazing and very nice to be told by the therapist that my skin was so good I was definitely looking after my skin in the right way and using good skincare!  Clearly Elemental Herbology has been doing what it says on the front of the box.

I also met with the girls at Beautybar.com. If you haven’t already checked out this site, I urge you to take a look as this company, which is the real deal.  Having only launched last year they are on a mission to become America’s largest and most exclusive beauty site and with amazing concepts in development where you can upload a picture of yourself and try on make- up, robots doing their picking in their DC, a new partnership with Allure Magazine and recently acquired by Amazon they are on their way to world domination!

And then there were my press visits. When we were launching Elemental Herbology in 2008, I found my first visit to the Conde Nast building just off Times Square, home to the world’s most famous publications – Vogue, Allure, GQ, Glamour, Vanity Fair – a little daunting. This time however, having already done the rounds of desk-side interviews many times over and forged some great relationships with press who are now very familiar with Elemental Herbology, it was a lot of fun. There is also something wonderfully glamorous about visiting Vogue offices in NYC!

I was there to introduce editors to our new solutions for summer skin and post-sun repair. Moisture Milk is the first in the line up and is the ideal hydrator for anyone living in a hot polluted city. Perfect Clarity then goes hand in hand with this hydrator. It is a blemish minimiser that comes in a super slick and stylish click pen to keep in your handbag and apply any time you feel a spot may be on its way. We also have Lighten & Brighten launching in September which already has a waiting list!  It is Elemental Herbology’s long awaited solution for sun damaged skin. In typical EH fashion, it is super rich in efficacious botanical actives that have demonstrated clinical results, while also smelling amazing and feeling beautiful on the skin.  It will help to profoundly reduce dark spots, age spots, and pigmentation. Apply for at least 30 days morning and night and you will see the results as the skin becomes more luminous, nourished and balanced.

Fortunately the trip wasn’t all work and no play and I also had an amazing meal at Nobu (Black Cod with Miso is defiantly to die for), a good frolic in Central Park with my little girl Bianca, lots of amazing Mexican food (which is always one of the highlights of NYC) and a few windows of opportunity here and there to explore some of the fabulous boutiques in Tribeca and Greenwich Village, only to inevitably return with a significantly heavier suitcase!