Pantone: Colours of the Year 2016

For the first time in it's 16 year history, Pantone have for the first time chosen two shades to carry the accolade of being named PANTONE Colour of the Year 2016; Rose Quartz and Serenity...  

A harmonious pairing of inviting shades that embody a mindset of tranquility and inner peace.

Top Five: Products of 2015

I can't believe this post has come Round again so quickly! My mother always says that time seems to speed up as you get older and I think she's right - but 2015 has really flown by! I am ending the year as I have done for the last two or three with a round-up of my favourite products; an eclectic mixture of nails, skin and make-up.

Muse by Intensae

If you follow my other Instagram feed @eyeslikepandas (general life and make-up pics rather than organic specific ones) then you will have had a sneak preview of my new found nail love a couple of weeks ago. If you don't then here we go...

Top Five: 5 free Navy (ish) Nails

Autumn (gulp) welcomes the return of darker, richer shades of nail polish and this year is no exception. A number of the shows were sporting navy nails in varying finishes from mattes to metallics. Whether worn neat or incorporated into an elaborate display of nail art, it was navy all the way in the Autumn/Winter 15 shows of Karen Walker, Marissa Webb and Houghton.

Top five: Products I'm Loving - Summer 2015

After nearly four years of writing this little blog, I have yet to actually write a seasonal favourites post. After mulling over what I have been using both in my kit and on myself over the past couple of months, here we go...

Fresh Therapies Nourishing Nail Elixir

When it comes to my own nails I am more than a little naughty. I don't have an established routine for keeping them neatly manicured - in fact they are rarely manicured at all! I am hard on my hands and apart from the odd slathering of hand cream, nail trim and coating of polish, they get pretty much left alone to withstand the abuse...

Love: Zoya Spring 2015 Collection

I am not usually one for pastel nails (more often than not I am spotted rockin' a variation on black, purple, blue or green), however this Spring one collection that I love is Delight; the Spring 2015 collection from 5-free Zoya.

Top Five: Products of 2014

This year seems to have passed within a blink of an eye. It seems only a couple of months ago I was compiling this list for 2013. So what were my thoughts on clean beauty in 2014? Can my Top Five top last years compilation which consisted of an utterly amazing assortment of products)? We shall see...

HJ Manicure Launch

Last week I attended the launch of HJ Manicure, a new boutique nail collection from nail technician and manicurist Helen J. Held at Orico London's flagship store on the Kings Road, the event was hosted by Helen and Rebecca Goodyear PR and also previewed the new autumn/winter '14 collection.

Organic Glam Red Nail Polish

A couple of weeks ago I was kindly (and somewhat unexpedly) sent a little bag of goodies from Organic Glam, the make-up arm of The Organic Pharmacy; anyone who follows me on Instagram will have been aware of the arrival of an early evening bike courier on our street that day... In amongst the array of products was a couple of nail polishes; one of which was a bright red.

Love: Snails 2014 Collection

You may remember a couple of months ago I wrote about my quest for a good non-toxic water based polish. I discovered Snails. Last month I came across their new 2014 collection and I Love it!

Fresh Therapies Natural Nail Polish Remover

One of the things that can be most off putting things about a product is the scent. How many times have you carried on scouring the shelves for a more fragrant smelling alternative once you've encountered a whiff of something unpleasant? For me it's anything even vaguely banana-y. From smoothies to body lotion; If it has even been in the same county as a banana I run a mile!

Behind The Brand: Kure Bazaar

Question: What do have potato, cotton and wood pulp have in common?

The answer? They are all found in a bottle of Kure bazaar nail polish...

Snails

You may remember a couple of weeks ago I wrote about my desire to find a totally safe (well, as safe as it gets) nail polish. Initially a quest to find a non-toxic polish, safe enough for my daughter to use in the future, I have discovered there are certainly some benefits to a water-based polish...

Watercolours

Two years ago I wrote a post about non-toxic nail polish and my decision to use only polishes that were '3, 4 or preferably 5-free'; in other words free from the most harmful ingredients commonly found in conventional nail polishes. Now I'm taking it to the next level...

Top Five: Blacks

Like a bad penny it keeps coming back. From solid blocks of colour and inverse half moons to chequer board effects and fine typography; Black nail polish has been seen everywhere this season. I personally (and I can almost hear my Mother groaning when I say this) am a big fan of black polish, the blacker the better in my mind - although I am partial to a little metallic infusion from time to time...

Love: Zoya Zenith Winter Collection

Zenith

noun

1. an imaginary point on a celestial sphere directly above an  observer.

2. the time at which something is most powerful or successful.

I love this Holiday / Winter collection from 5-free nail gurus Zoya. 

Top Five: Gifts For Them

The teen beauty market is an ever growing one but sadly many of the products on the market aimed at this age group are packed full of toxic and potentially harmful ingredients. Thankfully there are now some great toxin-free teen offerings from some of the natural companies, so when you are looking for some beauty bits to add to their stocking, why not take a peek to see if your favoured brand has anything suitable..?

Love: Fragmented Alice

From a beauty perspective one of the disadvantages of living in the UK is that some products or brands are just not available over here. It's very frustrating to see amazing products that are on the market; in the US for instance, that are simply unobtainable without shelling out a small fortune for a plane ticket (I don't suppose it's a one way street either).

One of the collections that caught my eye towards the end of the summer and one I have utterly fallen in Love with is this; Fragmented Alice from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC).

Pantone: Colour of 2013 - Emerald

I'm possibly a little late to the party here - we are over three quarters of the way through the year after all, but in case it had escaped your notice, Emerald is the Pantone Colour of The Year 2013.