A STILL MIND: Focusing on your breathing can be a great stress-buster.

Just concentrating on your breathing can help you feel centred and calm.

You can try this very simple breathing exercise while you are at your desk or if you feel yourself stressed at work or home:

Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of 7. Make sure you breathe deep down to the diaphragm, expanding your tummy.

Exhale slowly through your mouth to the count of eleven, allowing the muscles to relax as you do so.

Repeat 10 times

A lot of us ‘shallow breathe’ or hold our breath when we are stressed,  anxious or depressed.

This deprives the body and brain of oxygen and can  cause  poor concentration and lethargy. It also sends signals to the brain that your environment isn’t safe and causes the body to release more fight or flight stress hormones.

Concentrating on your breathing can even be a form of meditation; it involves concentrating on the present moment and frees it from worrying or fixating on future or past events.

Emily.

Taking a moment to focus on you.r breathing can be a great stress buster and calm the mind

Weleda Pregnancy Oil

I can’t believe nearly 9 months has passed – Oscar’s been out of my tummy nearly as long as he was in it! I’ve lost the 3 stones I put on too – I put that down to breastfeeding, and a baby who not only eats a lot but is giving me a good workout as he’s so large!
Before I got pregnant I started to use organic skincare products. I was very aware that what I put on my skin could make its way into my unborn child which seemed a bit frightening so I started to use mineral makeup and avoided parabans and other nasty chemicals in the products I used.

Weleda Seabuckthorn Body Oil

The few stretchmarks I do have have nearly faded – I used a combination of Weleda Seabuckthorn Body Oil & Weleda Pregnancy Oil, both of which went a long way on my huge stomach – in fact my stomach is stretch-mark free, it’s just my legs which aren’t (which is down to my silly fault of forgetting to use the oil there). Weleda Seabuckthorn Body Oil can also be used as a massage oil and is a great source of Omega 7, Beta Carotene and Vitamin C.

I now use organic baby skincare products on Oscar. So far he’s not really had much nappy rash and I think that’s down to using Weleda Calendula Lotion (£7.50 currently with free postage). The bottle has lasted ages, it smells great and my husband thinks it’s fab (great considering he hardly ever shaves, let alone moisturises!). Weleda Calendula Shampoo and Body wash (£9.95 currently with free postage) is also great – it’s nice to use in the bath (for adults as well) and even my sister who has very sensitive skin can use it. Oh and Coutney Cox loves Weleda’s Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash so a celeb endorsement is another reason to give it a try.

Weleda Skin Food - £8.50 with FREE DELIVERY

What Emily & I love about Weleda products are their affordability. Compare them to any highstreet brand and they really are great value – for instance Weleda Skin Food is only £8.50 (currently with free delivery) – much cheaper than most popular moisturisers, and they’re all natural so no need to worry about what is going in your body! Oh and did I mention Weleda Skin Food is also a favourite of a selection of celebrities including Erin O’Connor & Rihanna and we know how good their skin is (even if Erin dwarfed me once when I saw her in Covent Garden – sometimes I wish I was a foot taller!)

Green People Mum and Baby Gift Box

If you know someone who’s having a baby shower, a great gift would be Green People’s Mum and Baby Gift Box (I had some fab baby shower gifts but they were mainly for the baby not me!).

Face tan for oily skin

IT’S not easy finding a product that suits oily skin; often products can be too harsh and strip the skin of all its good oils as well.

Green People do a fantastic face tan which can also double as a moisturiser for oily or blemish-prone skin.

The Organic Young Soft Glow Gradual tan contains prebiotics to support the good bacteria on skin and naturally fight bacteria that can cause spots.

It also contains Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids from rosehip, sunflower and hemp oils help prevent blemishes and scarring and feed the skin some useful nutrients.

As an added bonus, this non-greasy product doesn’t leave a residue on your skin and as a subtle fake tan can lessen redness and even out skin tone.

Weleda produce products containing Iris root, which helps gently balance oils in the skin without drying. We stock Weleda’s Iris Cleansing Lotion, which is good for combination or slightly oily skin.

French Green Clay, also sometimes referred to as Sea Clay, is another fantastic natural product for oily skin.

It is very effective in removing impurities from the skin, refining pores or creating a weekly detoxing face mask for combination skin.

Real French Clay usually contains up to 9 important mineral oxides. It is quite easy to buy face masks or face treatments containing French Clay (we hope to stock some soon). But it is also possible to buy pure French Green Clay over the internet and add a little water to make your own cleansing mask.

You can also add a few essential oils such as lavender and carrier oils to create your own mask. (Essential oils can be powerful, so we’d recommend getting some advice from an aromatherapist first.)

FOUR GOLDEN STEPS TO A GREAT FAKE TAN:

1. EXFOLIATE

Get rid of dry or flaky skin; your skin will hold its tan for longer and you will get more even coverage.

Exfoliate with a body scrub or exfoliater in the bath or shower or try dry skin brushing:

2. DRY SKIN BRUSHING

As well as getting rid of flaky skin, body brushing can help improve its appearance  by increasing blood circulation and flow of lymph around the body. This gets rid of toxins and helps tackle cellulite.

You need a fairly soft-bristled skin brush which you use on dry skin before getting in the bath or shower.

Start from your feet and work up. Then work from your hands to your shoulders, always sweeping towards the heart. This helps the deoxygenated blood return to the heart and draws the lymph to the lymphatic nodes.

3. MOISTURISE.

To prevent tan streaking and help the tan last longer. Pay particular attention to elbows, knees and ankles. Once you have applied your self tan, moisturising every day helps it last.

4. APPLY

If you are using your hands to apply tanning lotion, make sure you wash your hands well afterwards. Or use an old bath sponge, flannel or mitt to prevent ‘tan hands’ and apply a more even coverage.

Many fake tans need to be left on a few hours and then the excess washed off. So if you want a sun-kissed look for a special event, apply a few days in advance, then top it up until you get the depth of tan you want.

TANS FOR SENSITIVE BODS.

Try out Green People’s Self Tan lotion; the first certified organic tan in the UK.

Great if you suffer from sensitive skin, eczema or psoriasis or are worried about over-loading your skin with chemical nasties.

But even with a natural tan, still try out a patch test on your first if you have any kind of allergies or skin sensitivities.

Recommended by the beauty director of Harpers Magazine and winner of Best Fake tan at the 2011 Natural Health Beauty Awards, it’s fast-drying and non-streaky.

Another good tan for sensitive, oily or blemish-prone skin is their Organic Young Gradual Face Tan. Provides a light, natural-looking tan with omega 3 & 6 oils and prebiotics to feed the skin. It also doubles as a great moisturiser for oily or problem skin.

Visit our shop for other organic skincare products at http://www.naturalboutique.co.uk/

Gardenia flower; the flower's delicate scent makes it ideal for perfumes

After being ambivalent about the Royal Wedding, I was one of those who then experienced a complete 180 degree change in attitude.

I watched the entire event live, all the television news highlights for the next 48 hours, read four newspaper’s worth of coverage, yet still wanted more! More cartwheeling priests! More dresses! More surpressed smiles between Will and Kate during the serious bits! More Aston Martins!

Anyway, the last note from us on the wedding goes to Kate’s perfume.

She allegedly wore White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum, which has been flying off shelves worldwide ever since.

It’s a small-produced perfume by British perfumer Michael Boadi and contains top notes of gardenia with ylang ylang, muguet and jasmine.

Gardenia is commonly used in perfumes.

In many cultures the flower symbolises grace, feminity, love and purity.

But interestingingly, the essential oil from the small white Gardenia flowers is used to treat anxiety, nervous tension, insomnia, irritability or agitation. In Chinese medicine the flower is known as zhi zi and is used for its antibacterial and antifungal properties, but also is used to cool the blood, clear way heat from the body and generally calm agitatation.

So ideal for wedding day nerves, especially if your wedding involves a prince and an audience of nearly 2 billion!

We have two products containing the delicate scent of Gardenia flowers (which smells similar to jasmine.)

(Please note these products are sold for cosmetic use only; we cannot make any claims for the therapeutic benefits of the essential oils within any of the products we sell.)

Cream of Youth moisturiser, by Naturally Thinking, is a rich, daily face cream which contains  over 1,000 Gardenia flowers in every pot. The nourishing cream is good for plumping the skin and excellent for dry or sagging skin.

It naturally lifts and plumps the skin, making it good for older, dry or sagging skin.

Monoi de Tahiti body butter, also by Naturally Thinking, is also great for normal to dry skin, especially skin that has been exposed to the sun and needs extra moisture.

Monoi de Tahiti is created by adding gardenia flowers to coconut oil, a centuries old method used by the women of Polynesia for their cosmetics. It also contains cocoa and shea butter and anti-oxidant white tea.

Frankincense and Rose Bath Salts

While we love roses, romance and chocolate; are we alone in thinking Valentine’s a little bit exclusive? And surely someone telling you to be romantic at a specific given time is the least romantic concept in the world? (we suggested you make yourself feel alluring with rose products, not demand you be romantic by the way!)

That’s why I think next year at Natural Boutique we will have an inclusive Valentine’s Day!

A day to show some kindness to yourself. It should be a chance to embrace your eccentricities, bad moods and foibles and kick your feet up with a box of chocolates, or have a long soak in a nice, hot bath.

Give us your thoughts on the matter.

By the way, you still have until the end of today to purchase our rose skincare products at a reduced price!

Weleda Wild Rose Creamy Body Wash, Amphora Aromatics Frankincense and Rose Bath Salts, Amphora Aromatics Rose and Pomegranate Face Cream, Amphora Aromatics Rose and Pomegranate shower gel and body lotion (two-for-one deal.)

We have 3 competitions in Feb – enter them by the end of the month to be in with a chance of winning. Tell your friends!

Help us get to 1000 likes on our Facebook page in order to win a Naturallythinking Rose and Jasmine moisture lotion - anyone who likes our page is in with a chance of winning.

Win a Naturallythinking Rose and Jasmine moisture lotion

Natural Boutique’s Facebook page

Follow us on Twitter @natura1boutique for our competition comp & RT our competition tweet to win a Naturallythinking Lavender and Geranium body lotion

http://twitter.com/natura1boutique

win a Naturallythinking Lavender and Geranium body lotion

Sign up for our newsletter on www.naturalboutique.co.uk (put your email address into the form on the right) to win a Weleda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash

Win a Weleda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash

If we have a good response, we may even have extra goodies to give away!

Emily & Lucy x

A ROSE FOR A ROSE: The flower has long been associated with Aphrodite and love

In preparation for Valentine’s Day; how about creating an aura of allure and sensuality that leaves men bewitched in your trail? Or for those of us who aren’t Nigella Lawson, how about a trying out some sensuous rose oil products?Roses were sacred to Venus and Aphrodite, goddesses of love and romance and throughout the ages these delicate flowers have been associated with love, romance, beauty, innocence and sensuality.Rose oil has been used for its therapeutic benefits in promoting balance and well-being to the mind and body; it’s one of the most skin-beneficial essential oils around and especially good for ageing, tired or dry skin. If you haven’t come across real rose oil, it’s much more pleasant and subtle than its synthetic counterparts used to fragrance many high street products; the difference between Rome and  Slough. That’s partly because it’s notoriously difficult to replicate; natural rose oil contains more than 500 different chemicals. Plus it can take hundreds of blooms to create a few drops of oil, making rose oils one of the most luxurious. So we’ve reduced the price on all our rose products to celebrate all that’s beautiful and blooming (and hopeful; I do want to get a card despite one year ill-advisedly telling my other half I didn’t believe in Valentine’s Day. He took me at my word and I didn’t get anything for the next three years.)  Take your pick from this delicious bouquet of rose products: Amphora Aromatics Frankincense and Rose Bath Salts, Weleda Wild Rose Creamy Body Wash, Weleda Wild Rose 30ml Deodorant spray, Amphora Aromatic’s Organic Rose and Pomegranate Showergel (comes with a free Rose and Pomegranate body lotion!) and Amphora Aromatics Organic Rose and Pomegranate Face Cream.

NEED A last minute present? It’s not too late to order on-line; our last postage date is this Friday, December 18.

You can create your own pamper pack for anyone you know who needs a little down time.  Try Amphora Aromatic’s Lavender and Chamomile Bath Salts (containing therapeutic sea salt and relaxing essential oils of lavender and chamomile), or Amphora’s calming Frankincense and Rose Bath Salts (both frankincense and rose essential oils are commonly used for soothing and balancing emotions.)

Add a couple of  relaxing lavender candles and one of our ultra-pampering body lotions (from rose and jasmin and rose and pomegranate body lotions to Monoi de Tahiti body butter made from gardenia flowers) and you’ve created your own spa-in-a-box! We’ll even sort out the box! (you can now have your order sent out in an ivory gift box.)

Or if you’re in need of a thoughtful stocking filler, try Naturallythinking’s luxurious lavender nourishing hand cream.