Showing posts with label Spotlight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spotlight. Show all posts

Friday, July 22, 2011

Spotlight on: Belinda Brown

Belinda Brown
Belinda Brown, originally from Nigeria, but now living in England teamed up with celebrated perfumer Roja Dove to create bespoke fragrance Blessings.

It’s not everyday we come across someone who has their own fragrance, so we asked a few questions to find out about the partnership and what exactly is involved in coming up with your own perfume.

Afro Boudoir (AB): Why did you decide to make this fragrance?
Belinda Brown (BB):  I have always loved fragrance. When I was a little girl my mother would buy a body cream called Stella Pomade. To me the smell of this body cream was lovely and that’s when my passion for perfume was born. Perfume is extremely important to me; I even wear fragrance when I go to bed. At first it confused my husband, but now he just loves it. When my children kiss me and say goodnight, they all tell me how nice I smell.

AB: What is involved in coming up with a scent – how did you decide what to include in this one?
BB: First of all you must love fragrance, flowers, lotions, oils - in short, all the beautiful things God has created around us. That’s my way of thinking but everyone is different. By working with Perfumer Roja Dove, deciding what ingredients to use in the process of creating Blessings was made all the more easier.

AB: How did you meet Roja Dove?
BB: I met Roja Dove through a mutual friend and approached him with regards to working with me to create my very own fragrance. I was so delighted that one of the top perfumers in the industry believed in me and wanted to work with me. After looking into my ideas he agreed to work with me and help create my desired perfume range. It was an honour to have the worlds’ one and only Professeur de Parfums and bespoke fragrance creator work with me on such an exciting project  and believe in Blessings.

AB: Why do you have two prices for the fragrances? What is the difference?
BB: Blessings Parfum is like a beautiful couture ball gown, whilst Blessings Eau de Parfum is your everyday dress. The couture Parfum and the everyday Eau de Parfum is currently sold at the Urban Retreat, Harrods. Both Blessings bottles are also available online at www.blessings-perfume.com.

While we are in no way perfume experts, we got the chance to try Blessings Eau de Parfum and it really is unlike any other perfume out there. It is a very nice smell, not too overpowering; smells a bit like flowers with a hint of vanilla and a lot of lovely.

100ml Eau de Parfum - £75
100ml Parfum - £675

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Spotlight On: Annie Ilonzeh

Annie Ngasi Illonzeh is a 28 year old Nigerian American actress who until recently has had pretty minor acting roles (save a stint on US soap General Hospital) – she was credited as Hot Girl in He’s Just Not That Into You. Not exactly a career high but we all start somewhere.







































She was the first confirmed cast member in the new series of Charlie’s Angels which is due to be on American screens in the autumn.

She will play Kate Prince - a Miami cop who fell from grace, losing both her career and her fiancé. She’s a noteworthy addition to the cast (Minka Kelly and Rachael Taylor) as the line up of the original 70’s show was Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, very big haired, all-American beauties.

On set in Miami Beach



























We think it’s interesting that they have included a brown skinned woman in this remake – a nod to the diversity of America and the changing definitions of beauty perhaps. The only notable non-whites we remember in the original Charlie’s Angels were criminals!

Watch the preview of the show and let us know what you think.



Monday, July 4, 2011

Spotlight On: Antonia Burrell

Anonia Burrell is an experienced Facialist with over 18 years experience. She is an accredited member of BABTAC (British Association for Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology) and has been an Associate Lecturer at The London College of Fashion for the last seven years. More recently she has been teaching postgraduates The Natural Face Lift Facial, which incorporates an advanced massage technique designed by Burrell and accredited by BABTAC.

























After working at numerous luxury salons and spas, Antonia launched her own holistic skincare collection to reflect her expertise and passion in helping troublesome skin suffers achieve radiant, flawless skin through 100% natural, potent plant-based remedies that really work and help to harmonise body and mind.

Antonia’s products have featured in Tatler, Grazia, Woman and Home and Telegraph Magazine and were Editor’s Pick in the Natural Beauty Yearbook 2011.

We put some of your questions to her:

How can I deal with combination skin?
Generally a combination skin is an oilier t-zone in comparison to the rest of the face. When cleansing ensure that you focus on these areas as they tend to get clogged up quicker because there are more sweat and sebaceous glands present. Use light moisturisers and if needed just add more moisturiser to the cheek areas which tend to be slightly drier.

Products recommended:  Natural Glow Cleansing Oil, Forest Dew Skin Tonic, Pure Therapy Facial Serum and Cream Supreme

How can I deal with dark patches?
You need regular exfoliation and good quality skincare products that address hyper-pigmentation. Use as natural a product as possible. Microdermabrasion as a professional treatment can help with dark patches too. If the dark patches are occurring as a result of blemishes, it is advisable to treat the blemishes first and get them under control before dealing with the post-inflammatory pigmentation.

Products recommended:   Natural Glow Cleansing Oil, Forest Dew Skin Tonic, Radiant Light Facial Serum and Cream Supreme

How can I manage oily skin?
Let me just say that an oily skin type is the best skin type to have; managing it is where you get the best of both worlds.

My first tip: do not over cleanse and ensure you are using the right type of cleanser for your skin. One way to work out if your cleanser agrees with your skin is whether your skin feels dry after cleansing. If it does, it is being stripped of its natural oils which will cause your sebaceous glands to go into overdrive to replace the loss. Do not over cleanse your skin! Secondly, try to avoid using products that contain mineral oil or liquid paraffin as these ingredients block the pores.

Products recommended:   Natural Glow Cleansing Oil, Forest Dew Skin Tonic, Pure Therapy Facial Serum and Cream Supreme

How can I prevent breakouts, particularly in the chin area?
Sudden breakouts in the chin area are typically caused by a hormonal imbalance. This is because hormones play a role in the skin's production of oil. When the hormones produce excess oil, breakouts can develop. Things like the monthly cycle, contraception and pregnancy can all disrupt the delicate balance of hormones.

When a woman's progesterone levels increase, the oil glands are over stimulated causing them to produce excess oil. This is turn can lead to breakouts. Unfortunately for women hormonal break outs can be quite obvious because they frequently appear as papules on the skins surface. Papules are solid raised pimples which do not contain pus; therefore no amount of squeezing will reduce them.

The good news, however is that hormonal breakouts are not usually manifest across the whole face. Hormonal breakouts typically only occur on the lower half of the face especially around the chin, mouth and jaw line. During the first few months of pregnancy progesterone levels also increase causing many 'mums to be' to suffer from breakouts. The good news is that this tends to subside after the first trimester.

Hormonal acne affects women of all ages. During a woman's normal cycle progesterone levels increase after ovulation which is why many women get break outs the week or so before their period. So it’s a good idea to monitor your cycle so that you are aware when you are ovulating and use clay based, deep cleansing masks to help to control the excess oil being produced.

You may want to think about doing an extra cleanse at this time too. Generally though, try to avoid using products that contain mineral oil or liquid paraffin, opt for high quality natural products. 100% natural where possible!

Products recommended:   Natural Glow Cleansing Oil, Forest Dew Skin Tonic, Pure Therapy Facial Serum and Cream Supreme



What products can even out my skin tone (without resorting to bleaching products)?
Antonia Burrell Radiant Light Facial Serum - a specialist product for pigmentation and uneven skintone, uses Frankincense, Sea Buckthorn Extract, Galbanum, Carrot Seed and Myrrh.

Antonia Burrell Natural Glow Cleansing Oil – contains Castor Seed, Lemon, Bitter Orange, Tea Tree and Tuscan Cypress to deeply purify and even out skin tone to leave your skin with a 'natural glow'.

Antonia Burrell Cream Supreme Moistuiser helps to reduce breakouts, pigmentation and even out skin tone while repsecting the skins natural integrity.

Antonia will be Guest Facialist at Urban Retreat, Harrods from July 11 – 22 where a 60 minute facial costs £95 or 120 mins (which sounds like heaven) is £120. We heartily recommend!

www.antoniaburrell.com