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It is lovely to burn a scented candle at home or to eat dinner by candlelight. Unfortunately most candles bought are made from paraffin wax and studies have shown that there are health risks of burning paraffin wax candles. Paraffin is a by-product of the petroleum industry and when burnt it releases some of the same toxins produced when petrol is burnt running a car. It also releases black soot, which may contain toxic chemicals such as naphthalene, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene and benzene and goes into the air you breathe as well as settling on the walls of your home.

The risks don’t end there. Even the wicks of some candles can cause issues in that they may contain a lead or metal core that again, releases toxic emissions when burnt. In addition, many scented candles contain artificial fragrances, which may release phthalates when burnt.

Fortunately there are good alternatives including soy and beeswax. Soy wax is considered the most environmentally friendly candle because it is made from a renewable resource. It is cleaner burning with little soot and no pollutants released from burning. Soy also tends to be longer burning (up to 50% longer than the equivalent paraffin wax candle) due to its cooler burning temperature. However, due to the lower melting temperature, soy wax is mainly used in container candles such as glass jars (one of the benefits is that you can reuse the containers for tea lights after you have burnt the original candle).

Unfortunately many soy candles are still made using metal wicks and artificial fragrances however, if you choose your candles wisely, you can easily avoid both and burn candles with cotton wicks and naturally scented with essential oils.

In addition if your soy candle doesn’t come in a container, check the wax composition as it may be blended with paraffin to make it harder which means it stands alone (ie doesn’t need a container).

At Vitale we have just discovered Eco Aroma candles. Naturally these candles are made from soy wax instead of paraffin. Even better, the fragrances are from natural essential oils and are just divine. Ambience is our current favorite in the shop and we are burning the candle or using the corresponding essential oil.

Sometimes it feels like the whole world is toxic – just living is toxic! Of course I exaggerate but I have found that it is about being aware and making better choices and choosing soy, vegetable or beeswax candles one of those little changes that you can make that all add up to a cleaner home and body.

All that shimmers

If you are used to wearing bold and bright colours then maybe it is time to try something new such as a lipstick with shimmer. While I love bold colours, a subtle sheen creates a shimmery finish on the lips when applied and also fuller looking lips. This kind of lipstick can be deep in color but have a shimmering finish, or it can be a rather nude color that uses the shimmer alone to play up the lips.

I was doing a makeover the other day and we tried the gorgeous new shimmery Lavera lipsticks. They also have a subtle metallic look. It made me want to be a bit adventurous. The 3 shades are:

• Brown Sugar which is a light cool brown with shimmery copper undertones
• Rosewood is a warm pink with golden shimmer – it is just so pretty
• Golden Kiss is a warm rose gold (rather than yellow) with gold shimmer

These tones are perfect for daytime use but will also create a gorgeous nighttime look particularly if you match it with some shimmery metallic eyeshadow such as Minerelle Joy (soft gold), Kiss (watermelon shimmer pink) or Elusive (pewter).

I love a new look!

As we move into the cooler months I checked in with the Vitale Team about their favorite products. Basically they had nothing to do with drier, cooler weather and we all about individual skin type or needs:

• Jodie (our aromatherapy guru) loves the Devita Aloe Cleanser. She has combination skin and says it cleanses well without leaving her skin feel stripped.Jodie is getting married soon (hurrah) and so in her words “as a special honeymoon treat” she has the Remedica Monoi Body Oil and Bath Milk to take away with her.
• Tamzin (our centre coordinator) loves the Third Stone Botanicals Mango Belly Balm. Tamzin who is due to have her baby at any moment says she doesn’t have one stretch mark. She did show us and while her skin is taught, it is smooth and clear of any marks. Tamzin noted that she stared using this product from the very beginning to prepare her skin for stretching in advance…looks like it worked!
  

  Mango Belly Balm

• Roechelle (our marketing gal) chose the Lavera Sunless Tanner. Coming into the cooler months, she wanted a bit of colour and said it gives an even colour without being orange. We get positive feedback about this product all the time which is great.
• Karen (fitness guru) is quite amazed by the Lavera My Age Cooling Eye Gel. Karen swims a lot and often ends up with puffy eyes from the goggles. To test this product the first few times Karen only used it on one eye then asked all her friends if they could see the difference. They could and now she uses it on both eyes every morning. She is addicted!
• Mary (our beauty therapist) can’t go past the Devita Solar Protect Moisturiser which is also a customer favorite. Mary said she likes this product be
  

  Lavera My Age Cooling Eye Gel

  cause it is natural but doesn’t leave a white cast to the skin like other mineral sun protection products. In a minor concession to my question about Autumn skincare, she added that sun protection is important all year round and looking at her skin, which is gorgeous, you can tell she means it!

• Me (Ananda). After summer I am moving back from gel based serums to oil sermus at night again. My skin is drinking up moisture and loving it. Remedica Regenerate Visage is my favorite night-time serum as it sinks in quickly without leaving a heavy film on the skin.

We would love to know what your favorite product is!

Covering up redness

A question from a customer struck home for me this month. It was about red skin, not rosacea rather a red or pink tone to the skin. This is more common in pale skins like myself and I have always tended to a slightly pink nose and red cheeks. Ironically now that my skin tone has evened out, I use blush!

This question from Nadia: I am a 39 year old redhead with freckly skin (from the sun!) and fairly red skin on my chin and cheeks, other than that, my skin is in good condition, with no wrinkles and I am regularly told I look late 20’s.   I have had the redness for many years (I have had two try at expensive laser treatment twice, (its not rosacea ), though it hasn’t worked and I was very disappointed.

My skin doesn’t appear to be sensitive at all.  I wear a lot of foundation to cover the redness (I don’t have any freckles on my face).  I would love to get away from wearing foundation all the time, though it is quite a sensitive topic for me, as it stops me doing many outdoor activities, sports etc, as I am always touching up my make up, as I am so self conscious about my skin.

My response to Nadia was: Thank you for your e-mail. Based on what you have written below I have a couple of suggestions. Firstly it is great that your skin looks so good – it shows you have looked after it.

With regard to redness…the cause may be internal. I have attached a link to an article I wrote recently about Facial Diagnosis which looks at the internal causes of skin issues including red skin. The thing that makes my redness worse is when I drink too much coffee, alcohol or eat sugary, processed foods. These foods are pro-inflammatory and so can cause redness in the skin. For me, minimising these foods helps a great deal.

Topically I find that vitamin C products help reduce redness. They increase the antioxidant network in the skin and improve skin immunity all which seem to dampen down redness. Personally, as one with red cheeks, I have used Devita C Accelerate to great effect with redness. I have also used antioxidants internally (vitamins A, C, E and zinc along with grapeseed) and this markedly decreased the redness in my cheeks. The grapeseed works by strengthening the capillary network reducing reactivity and “blushing”.

In addition, while it may not be obvious, sun exposure can contribute to redness over time so wearing sunscreen on your face is important. Where the damage is permanent and long lasting Devita Sun Damage Repair Gel may help as it promotes repair of damaged skin and helps lighten spots. To cover redness, I recommend and use Mineral Makeup (my savior on many occasions). Minerelle, the brand we stock is a professional range and the cover is excellent. I only need to apply once a day for great long-lasting cover.

Ed note: I did go onto to discuss feelings of self-consciousness with Nadia because on a personal note, I do understand the feeling of being self-conscious about my skin. It took me a long time to feel ok about going without makeup and even now sometimes I look in the mirror and think that my skin looks terrible. However, I finally realised that the more I focused on it, the more of an issue it became and I was making myself miserable. These days I am far more accepting of how I look and it is quite frankly, a relief.

I would love to read your comments, how you feel about your skin and what helps you feel better.