To end what proved to be a packed week of trade shows and work, I visited the second day of the Natural and Organic Products Europe Show (NPE) at Olympia.
A trade-only event, NPE is jam packed with natural and organic food, healthcare and beauty products, I was so excited at the prospect of visiting this show - I missed out last year as I was heavily pregnant but this time (unlike at UMAE two days earlier) I was child free - Mind you this didn't stop me picking up more things for her than I did for me!
Ever on the lookout for new and exciting products, my first port of call was of course the beauty and spa section. The myriad of natural and organic Skincare lines was interspersed with make-up brands and in amongst them were old favourites such as Madara, BWC and Lavera and some new finds, including a lovely looking range of matte lipsticks from The Organic Skin Co.
First stop was the Pravera stand where I had a play with the whole range of products from Terra d'Oc. I am a huge fan of the Kohl crayons and lipsticks but hadn't had a chance to see what the other products were like; my favourite was definitely a beautiful black loose pigment that contained tiny gold flecks - it reminded me of coal dust and would be a great twist on a classic smokey eye!
New to the UK this month and to the Pravera stable and making its show debut was German make-up brand Benecos. A great looking line of pocket money priced products that are aimed at the teenage market; a fantastic and affordable way to introduce natural products to the next generation of beauty addicts.
Benecos were handing out little goodie bags which included a black kohl pencil and a hand cream - I can't wait to give them a go!
As I was a little pressed for time I didn't have a chance to go to any of the seminars, which is a shame as I would've loved to have listened to keynote speaker Horst Rechelbacher, founder of AVEDA and Intelligent Nutrients, who discussed the importance of choosing organic products. I did manage to catch the end of the discussion on animal testing by Cruelty Free International CEO Michelle Thew and along with fellow Make-up Artist Lou Dartford, was lucky enough to have a brief (and informative) chat with her after the talk concluded.
Tearing myself away from the beauty stands I headed into the food arena for a nose around - with an empty stomach! Fatal mistake. Within seconds I had surcomed to the many sweet and savory delights that were being offered to passers by, how could I refuse? Ice cream, kale chips, cat food (obviously not for myself but it was a suitable breakfast for another member of the household) and fruit bars, by the time I left I was no longer hungry and may possibly have eaten my body weight in Booja Booja vegan truffles!
I am so glad that I was able to make this years show, It was nice to have the opportunity to say hello to some of the suppliers and producers that I have met via email and twitter over the past couple of years and put a face to the name so to speak. I will definitely be going next year, hopefully on both days - In the mean time I may have to invest in a slightly bigger belt...
Images Courtesy of: Laura Jane Sessions - Organic Make-up Artist
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