On The Trendmill
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday December 24, 2002
Alix Johnson asks those in the know for their summer health and beauty tips.
Surviving the Christmas/ New Year binge - while looking and feeling your best - needn't be as hard as you think. We ask those with their fingers on the pulse in fashion, beauty and lifestyle what they'll be relying on to keep their cool.
Terry Biviano, shoe designer, Terry Biviano "Alex [Dimitriades] brought me back this unreal stuff from a shop in L.A. called Eliz'r. It is called Eco-balance by Ecologics and it is a body scrub that rebalances the skin. It is amazing. I use it in the shower before I go to the beach. After the beach I like to use Aesop's Geranium Leaf Hydrating Body Treatment [$24.20]." Aesop: (03) 9347 3422.
Fleur Wood, designer, Fleur Wood Fabrics and Designs "When on a buying trip to India I don't do anything beauty-wise - wish I had the time. But back home over summer I like to get a high-performance gloss treatment every six weeks to protect my hair from the sun and wind. It's like a tint without the colour and it makes your hair glossier, shinier and thicker-looking [from $20, depending on length]. I go to Brad Ngata Hair Direction, Surry Hills [9281 1220]."
Lucy Baldock, make-up artist, Lucy B. Cosmetics "My summer must is Emergency Essence [$14.50] in the Australian Bush Flower Essences [9450 1388] range. It is important to take time off and enjoy it. I will also be road-testing my own Manuka Honey Lip Balm for the ultimate in summer lip protection - part of our Lucy B. Stung Lips range that will launch with Lucy B. Cosmetics in spring 2003."
Jo Horgan, director, Mecca Cosmetica "I would have to say the Aurora Spa retreat in Melbourne [03 9536 1130] for their signature indigenous massage [Kaitya Karmu, $120] that is done in the steam room. The therapist uses desert salts to exfoliate and wattle-seed polish and stones to massage. It's invigorating and smells nose-bogglingly beautiful."
Megan Morton, Interiors writer/stylist "A Sydney summer demands a firm pony. Tidy, tight and together. I get my hair elastics - stripey thick ones - in bulk from H & M in the UK [www.hm.com] and always wish I'd bought more. I also love a chrysanthemum sunhat by Lulu Guiness. It is part-bowler, part-sunshade with the print giving a token nod to gardening. [Available at Arte Flowers, Woollahra, 9328 0402.] And, of course, summer means a pedicure and polish. Jane Wales has been a friend to my feet for years." (Wales is the head manicurist at Miss Frou Frou, Paddington, 9360 2444).
Sarah-Jane Clarke, designer, Sass & Bide "Sleep is my beauty tip."
Heidi Middleton, designer, Sass & Bide "I love going for soft sand runs in the late evening. And it is good for the legs. I used to be a sun-worshipper but now, instead, I love Lancome Flash Bronzer Magic Mousse [$48]. Before I go out I top it up with Lancome Flash Bronzer Leg Gel [$46], which gives skin a slight shimmer."
Paul O'Byrne, yoga teacher/director, Karma Yoga "In summer I like to try something I've never done before; it makes me feel alive. This year it's getting to as many ocean swims as I can. Challenging, terrifying, exhilarating and just a bit foolish, all at the same time [www.oceanswims.com]. For natural remedies, I always buy from Australia's oldest pharmacy, Hatton & Laws in Launceston [www .hattonandlaws.com.au]. It's a great place that specialises in providing natural/homeopathic tinctures and creams for anything from bruises to sunburn. In Sydney I stock up at the Sydney Essential Oil Company in St Peters [9565 2828], which has everything you need from the uplifting to the downright soporific. And the prices are good, too."
Eva Galambos, boutique owner, Parlour X "In summer I love the fruits of the season for their natural sugars - that gives me an energy lift. They are the best alternative to junk food and snacking. I also swear by Alpha Keri Oil. People always tell me how soft my skin is and it's because I soak in a bath with Alpha Keri Oil and afterwards put Alpha Keri Lotion on my body and face. It doesn't matter how much you have baked, your skin feels completely soft."
Eliza O'Hare, editor, B Magazine "I have two essentials. The first is Becca Pressed Bronzing Powder [$45]. My friend Nicky wears it and it looks amazing on her, so she took me to Mecca Cosmetica and made me invest in some. It's a combo of pressed powder and bronzer. My second favourite is Weleda Body Oil [$34.65]. This comes from Macro Wholefoods [9389 7611] so I feel incredibly righteous about using a 'natural' and 'good' product that's so gorgeous. It's a great body oil, but the thing that I love the most is that it smells so delicious that when it gets hot, I prefer to skip fragrance."
Dennis Paphitis, director, Aesop "I'm spending the summer holidays in Antwerp and Paris, but it's actually not a holiday; it's work. I always travel with a pack of our Fresh Tea Infusion [$25] and one of our Three To Go Kits [$61.80], which covers me for the month. Familiar and comforting textures, smells and substances are what we all find relaxing and make being away from home a little more bearable."
Stephanie Darling, beauty director/executive editor, Harper's Bazaar "My summertime essential is a monthly pedicure with Johanna at Smyth and Fitzgerald [9326 1385] with Christina [Fitzgerald's] Rachel polish [$23] on my toes."
Kevin Murphy, hair stylist, Kevin Murphy hair care: "I was in New Caledonia and found this product for hair that I am in love with. It is called Phytologie Phytomist [$27] and it is made with white lotus flower. It is an instant conditioner that takes out frizz and smells fantastic, but there is no oil in it." (Available at Mecca Cosmetica, 03 9827 9822)
George Gorrow, Ben and Dan Single, designers, Tsubi: "Daiquiris and hammocks. That's the perfect relaxation. And kisses for pretty girls."
Nicky Zimmermann, designer, Zimmermann and Zimmermann Swim: "I like to spoil myself with a facial at Skin & Tonic as often as possible." (Skin & Tonic, Paddington, 9331 1016.)
© 2002 Sydney Morning Herald