June Newness

with focus on skin, lips and one of the most beautiful and uplifting books on gardening that I have ever read

Earlier I was catching up on news summaries on Semafor - highly recommend this digital news platform for quick, twice daily summaries of world events without aggravation or unnecessary noise - and one piece of news caught my attention. It mentioned that more and more young Americans were taking up the hobbies often associated with the elders in an effort to find fun, off screen activities. Well, I think more and more humans are starting to wake up to the fact that social media platforms are truly negatively impacting our bodies, minds and behaviour and armed with that revelation, they are starting to direct their time elsewhere. Some take up sports, some take creative courses and learn new skills, some read books in print, while others meet with friends in nature or walk their dogs in green spaces, breathing deeper. We need this more than being glued to our phones and laptops, which zap our energy and make our minds, already overwhelmed by information overload, sadder, angrier and more sieve-like. And this brings me perfectly to a very special book that was gifted to me by someone truly special, who also has the most beautiful hand-writing as well - see what I mean about time off screen .)

Note: this post is a longread, so please download the e-mail fully or read the post in the Substack app.

Marian Boswall is a landscape architect with a difference - her focus is on regenerative design, on the soil, on the human connection with nature and even if you haven’t met her in person, you will feel her beautiful energy flowing through every page of her book “The Kindest Garden: a practical guide to regenerative farming”. Marian and I connected through social media (a big positive that was the superpower of Instagram at the beginning, which gave way to changed algorithms and endless marketing under Zuckerberg’s leadership) and while I didn’t know it initially, we have a very strong and special bond that I learned about while reading her book.

This book is unlike any other book in the ‘Gardening’ section of a bookstore and it has taken me on a fascinating journey that I am yet far from completing. With gentleness and warmth Marion shares her own story and teaches you about regenerative gardening, which we can all become part of, irrespective whether we have out own gardens or not.

“A regenerative garden isn’t just a place, or a method, to grow plants. it’s a mindset. It includes and goes beyond sustainability, focussing on making healthier land and people, and particularly healthier soil, which feeds all other ecosystems.” Marian Boswall

In the introduction Marian shares her insights and outlines the importance of kindness - we often want it, but forget to practise it, while desperately needing it from others in good moments and especially bad ones - and the best way to use her book. You then move to part one, Relationships: the elements of the garden that covers water, soil, ecosystems, materials, energy and plants resilience.

Part two spotlights the importance of measuring our own impact through our gardens and part three is focussed on the very human need of connection. Close to where I live there are several garden collectives and while reading Marian’s book my mind often wondered to people who I often glimpse working on their plots as I get on with my life and tasks at hand. The people vary in ages, some prefer to work by themselves, others coming on the weekend and working, then chatting over cups or tea or whatever thermos flasks contain. The laughter and worldly vignettes permeating the air and drawing attention in the most charming of ways. We crave this, we need this, we thrive in those spaces, I kept thinking and then diving back into the next chapter, fully immersed in the comfort of Marian’s writing, images and drawings.

“The word kind and kin both come from the old English cynd or gecynde, meaning natural, native, of the natural order of things, with a nuance of taking care of one’s own. Being kind is naturally helpful to our survival.” Marian Boswall

Whether you are an experienced gardner or a novice, or just curious about plants, gardens and soil, this book will be a helpful & gentle guide that will satisfy curiosity. It will inspire your eyes and uplift the soul. It will heal, reassure and nurture. To me it has become a tonic and a balm that I reach out for when I feel tired or stressed and crave a gentle reassurance that all is not lost in our frantic world full of worry. I have also started implementing some of Marion’s advice and while I am not making my own compost, I am certainly looking at weeds from a different perspective, which in many cases includes benefits and medicinal properties which are ripe for human use. And let’s not forget the water in our gardens, especially in the light of the changing weather patters and climate, with increasing temperatures impacting the plants and trees all around us, no matter where we live and the energy that we are and that is also all around us, sometimes without us realising it.

“The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our sense to grow sharper” W.B. Yeats

“The Kindest Garden” by Marian Boswall & photography by Jason Ingram published by Frances Lincoln, 240 pages, £25

Now my dear reader, on to something new from Absolution, a French brand that I dearly love, but which has become nearly impossible to get in the UK, unless you ship it from Europe - worth the expense, might I add it, as a long-term fan of the beauty brand.

Absolution “Tinted Love” plumping lip gloss with radish

A 100% natural, 75% organic and vegan brand that plumps and tints your lips and harnesses the vibrancy of fresh radishes through its formula - quite a crunch punch, wouldn’t you say?

This unique formula marries plant actives with a sensorial, non-sticky texture that melts into the lips, offering comfort, care, vibrancy and non-sticky feel. “Our vision was to turn lip care into a full beauty ritual,” according to Isabelle Carron, founder of Absolution. “With Tinted Love, we offer a natural plumping effect, intense hydration, and a soft tint that adapts to your skin tone — all in one simple, graceful sweep.”

Unlike many lip glosses that rely on ingredients like capsaicin or mustard, which can provoke a temporary swelling, often at the cost of long-term lip health — Tinted Love takes a gentler approach. With the help of Kalpariane, an extract of wakame seaweed from Brittany, which is scientifically recognised for its ability to stimulate skin’s natural production of collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin. Again, a kinder, gentler approach, this time in skincare formulation. Tinted Love natural colour tint comes from red radish pigment, rich in anthocyanins, known also to have UV-protective properties - when we apply SPF to our faces we often forget lips, which have more delicate skin, similar to skin around the eyes, which requires not less, but possibly more care & gentle nurture. Another much appreciated bonus is that the colour subtly adapts to your unique lip tone for a truly personalised finish, so your lips feel nourished and look kissed and kissable!

Tinted Love gloss formula is also enriched with a blend of shea, castor, organ, jojoba, macadamia and raspberry oils — call it a lip feast or lip cocktail - which nourish and protect, while bisabolol and calendula extract soothe even the most sensitive lips. Carnauba wax forms a natural shield against environmental stress and gives an appearance of natural polish, so lips feel truly indulgent in the most thoughtful and natural of ways. I adore the feel of it on my lips and the ‘personalised’ colour that is always individual to the wearer. J’adore and it’s not Dior, but Absolution!

Ipsum Nutrient-Rich Moisturising Cream with kangaroo paw flower and lilly pilly

This is the latest launch from an Australian brand that has been winning over the luxury spas around the world, including that of Claridge’s and Emory in London and The Maybourne Riviera in the south of France. Janet Hayward, Ipsum founder and well-respected journalist and author doesn’t launch products for launching sake, each new Ipsum product is the result of scientific research, innovation and response to what brand’s customers are needing in order to keep their skin in the best individual state.

Nutrient-rcih moisturising cream comes in brand’s sleek black packaging and the airless pump helps to keep the product fresh, without oxidising the formula. A calming and soothing botanical formulation it offers bio-active potency of Australia’s unique and diverse native botanicals. Interestingly, more and more international beauty brands seem to be keeping an eye on Australian plants, with many now using Kakadu plum, lemon myrtle, none fruit and lime caviar in their own products.

This cream is both for morning and evening use and it has a beautifully lightweight texture, which at the same time offers the feeling of smoothness and comfort to the skin upon application, sinking in very quickly and effortlessly. It blends together organic plant extracts and butters in a complex formulation that is the testament to the experience of the team behind the brand, which also marries skin loving peptides with ceramides. This cream is also an ideal ‘primer’ before make-up application and works well with the SPF, depending on the formula that you use.

This cream is concentrated in order to restore, comfort and protect the skin. Inclusion of ceramides helps to moisturise, hydrate and strengthen the skin barrier, while peptides boost collagen and elastin production - something that is increasingly appreciated by us, as we move upwards on the ageing scale. Janet made sure that this cream is a rich source of antioxidant powerhouse that are polyphenols and has included the following ingredients in the synergistic dance of skin benefits:

• Australian Kangaroo Paw Flower extract: to improve skin cell renewal, hydration, firmness and strengthening of the skin

• Australian Lilly Pilly: rich in anti-inflammatories and Vitamin C

• Squalane: inflammation reduction, moisturising and re-hydration of the skin

• Macadamia Seed oil: contains fatty acids and anti-inflammatory phytosterols to help restore healthy skin texture

• Mango seed butter: nourishing and rich in triglycerides, oleic acid & vitamin E, which is one of the most skin loving vitamins for the skin. Facialists love and praise it regularly!

• Jojoba & Seabuckthorn: joint infusion of omega fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidative polyphenols that nurture and replenish the skin

• Radish root ferment (remember Absolution formula above .) and Green tea: help maintain skin’s microbiome balance and protect skin barrier function

• Natural fragrance of Neroli & Honeysuckle: gentle, light and fresh it helps to destress and calm the mind

While I am not immune to the charm of scent-free beauty products, this Ipsum face cream, both comforting & restorative, is also a great example of getting the texture and scent right, so it enhances the experience of the product from the sensorial point of view, while the skin gets support from ingredients that work for its long-term benefit, with subtle, but visible results - I don’t expect miracles from beauty products and luckily for those who are fans of Ipsum, Janet is a realist, who never over promises and under delivers. With Ipsum you get exactly what is promised - a face cream to turn to when your skin needs extra natural support.

The little, but meaningful things

When I recently caught up with Sophie Maisant, Bastille Paris natural parfume founder, she very sweetly gifted me this petit scarf and a 15ml bottle of 14 Juillet eau de perfume that I adore to the moon and back. The little scarf is perfectly French and now adds a chic touch to my outfits - or I wear it over my head to protect it from the heat. As to the 15ml bottle, Bastille Paris is very smart to offer different sizes to customers. Order a sample set, which contains eight perfumes for you to try & find your perfect match, then redeem the cost when you buy a full size 100 ml bottle of natural perfume. This offer also applies to a 50ml bottle, but not the 15ml one. Not sure you want a 100ml size just yet? Buy a 50ml OR 15ml one, both of which are also perfect for travel, to carry in the work or gym bag or to take on short breaks/vacations when packing place is limited. Helpful genius and very customer facing - merci Sophie xx

You can explore & learn more about Bastille Paris natural perfumes here

The pleasure of NUORI skincare

Recently I hosted an IG Live (yes, yes, I know, I still haven’t tried doing a Live video here - if anyone wants to do it with me on Substack, please let me know, I am nervous, but open to trying it) with Jasmi Bonnen, Finnish founder of a Danish skincare brand NUORI that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. A year in beauty business is now worth three, so any niche beauty brand that not only survives beyond five years, but thrives, deserves all the praise and a business study on doing things right. Jasmi is a confident and accomplished businesswoman, but she wears all the accolades lightly and is a fantastically engaging speaker - you can listen to our conversation via my Instagram grid. I have been using NUORI skincare on and off for about ten years as well, but was lucky to try more recent launches lately and wanted to share my thoughts on them with you. And by the way NUORI Vital Foaming Cleanser is to this day one of the only foaming cleansers that I use because of its non-stripping, revitalising and smoothing effect. You feel and see a difference after a single use and it clearly stands the test of time too, as it remains one of brand’s best-selling products. Use it regularly and you might not need a face scrub as well, as it really does have a gently exfoliating effect that is cumulative, but non-stripping nor skin aggravating.

NUORI Protect+ Facial Cream, 30ml

I have tried this fragrance-free calming cream in the past, but have been using it recently, after I decided to strip down my skincare routine for a few weeks and see how my skin feels and looks with just a few products, namely cleanser/serum and/or moisturiser/spf. This face cream is technically perfect for hyper sensitive skin, which mine is not, but I do like comforting textures and the fragrance-free creams on occasion to help me simplify things when it comes to my senses and this cream is quite perfect in that respect.

It targets reactive skin, dryness and dehydration, while also helping to age-proof the skin and help support skin’s barrier function. There are bio-activated lipids, which also support skin collagen synthesis, squalene to support moisture retention, jojoba oil to address redness & skin repair, niacinamide to improve skin tone and pore size and rosehip oil rich in fatty acids. This cream is like a comforting, gentle cocoon for any time of the year, which makes skin feel almost like that of a baby - just without diminishing the wrinkles, which babies don’t have, but grown-up women do .) Applying it feels like a mini meditation for the skin that reintroduces a little bit of calm and reassurance back into your life.

NUORI THE ONE face cream

Now, this is one of those multi-tasking creams that doesn’t scream about its achievements, yet admirably delivers on a multitude of fronts. Inspired by Jasmi’s sister-in-law who likes a minimalist skincare routine and finds skincare quite confusing - aren’t most women nowadays ? - this really is the cream that can replace several skincare bottles on your bathroom shelves.

Targeting dehydration, dullness, uneven skin tone, fine line and wrinkles the cream helps to balance the skin, make skin texture more even and adds a more toned appearance to your face and neck. It quietly whispers about its goodness to you, as it has a natural fragrance, which is free from 26 fragrance allergens identified by the EU.

small side note: Frankly I am appalled by how many young adults spray themselves with all kinds of perfumes and body sprays because brands market product layering to them, while actually overwhelming the body and the skin with the onslaught of questionable chemicals. While I love perfume, I have been consciously moving to more natural scents in the last decade and can’t recommend doing it highly enough for long-term health and skin benefit. I already mentioned Bastille Paris in this post, you can also read about Annick Goutal’s daughter Camille natural perfume brand Voyages Imaginaires here and about Nouri’s natural perfumes here

Whoever formulated the formula of this face cream is truly impressive because it combines a whole list of ‘skin hero ingredients’ into one powerful complex. There is niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, bakuchiol (natural retinol alternative, which supports skin cells renewal & collagen synthesis), ceramides (for skin barrier protection), peptides (potent antioxidants that improve the firmness of the skin), vitamins C & E, as well as panthenol (pro-vitamin B5 for barrier protection and skin hydration support). While it’s not an elixir of youth, it certainly helps to keep skin in shape and improves its visual appearance within a few weeks of regular use. One cream that multitasks perfectly, unlike humans.

NUORI Bio-Infusion A+ Serum

This potent face serum is the next frontier of scientific advances in skincare. Gently, but effectively it helps to reduce lines and firm and brighten the skin surface with bio-engineered actives. This is NUORI’s more advanced, latest skincare innovation line for more mature skin that also includes an eye serum and night cream. The serum will help to firm up the skin that looks like it has diminished firmness, address de-hydration (do remember to drink at least 1,5 litres of water a day - it might sound simple, but it really does help our body and our skin cells to stay healthier and more energised too!) and visibly make pores smaller, while targeting pigmentation as well. While I do believe that skincare should be affordable, as we age our skin does require more support, so price point does reflect that, but it is still reasonably priced compared to some luxury skincare brands that set the pricing around £400 and upward, making it accessible to select few. From my own personal experience I can confidently say that you don’t have to spend that much on face care in order to see the difference in your skin appearance. With this cream you most definitely do.

This line-reducing, firming & brightening formula contains 1.0% of Sytenol® A, natural retinol alternative which won’t irritate the skin (do a patch test first though) and won’t increase or make skin more photosensitive, unlike many retinol containing products, so the serum can be used both day and night.

The serum also provides visible dermo-filling and plumping effect to the skin that subtly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles - but won’t make them disappear. It also, like most of NUORi products, supports both the renewal and strengthening of the skin's natural protective barrier and helps even out skin tone for a brighter and firmer-looking skin - something that it particularly important to those of us beyond the age of 40, when skin does start to look more lacklustre and requires more help to look radiant and glowing. In addition to Sytenol A, there is also novhyal (a hyaluronic acid booster with the derma-filling effect), beautifirm lift (derived from pacha ferment lysate that supports pro-collagen synthesis), skin-identical ceramides and Vitamin C. It is a mighty impressive age-proofing formula!

In a world full of negative news it’s difficult to stay calm, centered and kind, but at the end of the day this is what makes the world and our lives better. We are all human and we all need the same things to make us feel happy - to be loved, to be needed, to be appreciated, to be true to who we are and to be able to express ourselves and to put our talents and knowledge to good use personally and professionally. Summer allows us to re-charge our batteries, to enjoy time with those we love and to hopefully have new experiences when and if we travel. This is what I believe in and practise myself and I hope this is what also connected me with you, my dear reader. Thank you for reading my Substack and for getting to the end of this post. I send you my sincere appreciation!