Jessa Blades gives Liva some top tips

 

Hanging around red carpets and very beautiful, famous actresses can give you a deluded sense that you are one of them. I believe this delusion even has its own clinical description: Red Carpet Fever or Syndrome. Well the symptom of RCF/S that I have developed is a sense of entitlement to the endless hours of beauty preparations that take place before taking a turn on the red - or, in our case, green - carpet. I may even be addicted.

 

The process takes an average of two hours, at the end of which I look like I am 10 years younger and flawless. It's heaven and extraordinary. But typically I began to worry about all those potentially toxic ingredients hidden in the products necessary to affect this transformation.

 

I wondered what else was out there that represented, to put it bluntly, less of a toxic slick. Jessa Blades is a natural beauty expert, make-up artist and women's health advocate. I first met her in New York when The King's Speech premiered there (that's us above).

 

Having worked for ten years both in the fashion industry and with private clients, Jessa claims to have a deep understanding of what is truly beneficial and naturally beautiful for each woman. Certainly her business card is one of the most impressive I have ever seen: it unfurls to offer a full "menu" of tips and useful information to keep in your bag and use if you need to buy make-up or any beauty products, including sun screens.

Her first tip? "Be curious about what is in your make-up and skincare," she says. "Research what products are safe by reading ingredient labels and learning about the companies- www.safecosmetics.org is a wonderful resource for tips and information."

 

I also asked her for some additional top tips just for us:

 

In the morning

 

 

Facewash: Wash your face with organic raw coconut oil (Jessa swears by it) which you can buy at any health food store or use Tata Harper Rejuvinating Cleanser. 

Eye cream: Naturopathica Vitamin K Brightening Eye Serum. 

Face cream: Argan oil by Kahina Giving Beauty. 

 

Make-up 

Face: Toned Day Cream by Dr Hauskha or RMS Beauty Concealer at Cult Beauty and then apply bronzer by Couleur Caramel or Organic Glam Blusher from The Organic Pharmacy. 

Eyes: Mascara by Couleur Caramel, eye shadow by Jane Iredale and eye liner by Zosimos Botanicals. 

Lips: Lipstick by Primitive or gloss by Revolution Organics.

 

 

Evening cleansing and preparation for night

 

 

Facewash: Wash your face with organic raw coconut oil as in the morning (apparently, it works miracles and it does not irritate eyes either), or organic sweet almond oil. 

Eye cream: Kahina Giving Beauty eye cream.

Face: Argan oil, as in the morning.

 

 

If you can't be bothered to buy all the different make up products or can't access some of the brands, Jessa's recommendation for the best and most complete green make-up line is Jane Iredale.

 

So let's cut to the chase here. Will I have the courage to actually swap my chemical-loaded face creams and cosmetic that I have become dependent on for years and embrace a truly green beauty regime?

 

If anybody reading is generous enough to open up their green make-up bag and supply any more tips, they will be very gratefully received! Remember: courtesy of Divine chocolates, we send out sumptuous boxes of Divine Chocolate to the winners of the best ethical style tip and I'm extending this to include beauty tips too!

Livia prepares herself for the red carpet

Twelve nominations isn’t bad!!!!! Now the search for a super-glamorous ethical dress for the Oscars begins…

 

Stay tuned for the nominations for the designer of the Oscars gown!

Get your hands on some chocolate!

 

For all those who, like me, are chocolate and sustainable style addicts, I bring you the Green Carpet Challenge/Divine competition.

 

The other day I asked followers of this blog for tips on preserving what’s left of my wardrobe from moths. There were so many great, eco solutions that I thought we should invite more green wardrobe suggestions and reward the best with a fabulous assortment of Divine chocolates (these are really good!).

 

So if you’ve got any tips for the Green Carpet Challenge wardrobe please post them on the blog - any of the posts will do! We’re looking for any tips that help our wardrobes to be more ethical. It might be the way you customise your jeans, preserve your vintage knitwear, how you’ve embraced clothes swapping or a direct piece of advice for the Green Carpet Challenge, who knows what you’ll come up with!

 

Every week I’ll choose the strongest suggestion or piece of advice and we’ll send you an assortment of Divine chocolate worth £40.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This blog is sponsored by Divine Chocolate 
Click here to get find out more about Divine UK or Divine USA

What Livia wore this weekend

What a busy weekend! Aside from the Globes on Sunday - which you already know about - this is what else I wore...

 

For Friday night's Critics' Choice Awards, I wore a Nina Skarra Peace Silk dress with the necklace that I designed exclusively for Made (which is available at Eco Age), with Roger Vivier shoes and clutch - see the picture above.

 

 

On Saturday Night I went to the LA Film Critics’ Awards, at which Colin won the Best Actor Award. I wore this stunning blue dress from Karen Caldwell with a Roger Vivier clutch.

 

Livia wears Prophetik to the Golden Globes

Photo by Fairlight

 

It was the moment of truth. At around 4pm (our time) designer Jeff Garner of Prophetik brought the finished dress to our hotel. I must also add that he brought me some beautiful flowers too, which only endears him to me more.

 

Anyway, I am happy to report that the dress fitted really well and I thought the romance and elegance that I'd originally spotted in Jeff's design translated beautifully into this Peace Silk gown (see previous post for details of its eco credentials). You, of course will be the final arbiter! I hope you loved it as much as I did.

 

Photo by Fairlight

 

 

My Roger Vivier clutch and jewellery from Karen Caldwell's grandmother. I wore them to the LA Film Critics Awards with my stunning blue dress from Karen, which was made from vegetable dyed Peace Silk.

 

 

The Roger Vivier shoes and clutch that I had planned to wear to the Globes. I ended up swapping the clutch for the cream one above as it looked more appropriate. The necklace is the one that I designed for Made and I wore it to the Critics' Choice Awards with those stunning shoes with the bees.... I love them!

 

Our ticket to the Globes with jewellery by Anna Loucah jewellery

 

A Golden Globe chocolate sculpture with a sugar poster of The Kings Speech!

 

After that, it all becomes a bit of a whirl. I'll fill in more details later (as my brain processes them!), but as a quick aside, I thought Angelina Jolie looked insanely beautiful - hardly an original observation - and, in my opinion, she was the night's best dressed.

 

And then it was time for the Best Actor Award. When Colin won I thought we were in a dream. I'll bring you a round-up of the parties later too. I'm Cinderella in hand dyed indigo peace silk from Tenesssee and I'm definitely at the ball!