Tag: natural skin care

14
Mar

I made a new book.

It’s called, ‘How To Write Intriguing, Interesting and Punchy Book Titles That Will Make People Immediately Want To Pick Up Your Book and Read It.’

Ha ha ha! As if. I would never use the word intrigiung because I can’t actually spell it. (See?)

But seriously, I am releasing a new book in June!

It’s called Amazinger Face, because, well, it is. In that it is the much-needed update to my beauty book, Amazing Facewhich I wrote back in 2010, and which is still glorious, but needed a makeover.

xamazing-face.jpg.pagespeed.ic.eqVow3wPwH

The cover. Still a total babe.

img_13731321 year-old me signing it back during the book tour.
And that’s Molly, from memory…

There are a few reasons I believe Amazing Face needed an update. (And yes, so does Textbook Romance probably, but guys, I’m so busy with my turnip farm and pet ferrets that there is just no time right now.)

1. My position on sun protection has changed. A lot.

I went for a facial last year and at the conclusion, the funny and extremely well-informed facialist presented her copy of Amazing Face with 400 post-it notes jammed in it regarding things she wanted to discuss or contest. Mostly regarding the stuff in there on skin care and sun protection, which I thoroughly agreed with her needed updating, because it was too brief for one, but mostly because since writing the book, I have made an evangelical, noisy switch from chemical sunscreens to physical, and I hated there being a book out there with my name on it that didn’t reflect my passion and education on and for properly applied sunscreen, and also, of course, physical sun protection.

 2. The beauty landscape has changed.

When I wrote Amazing Face, us beauty editors were the only ones really communicating trends, reviews, tips and technology to you, the beautiful public. Now there are countless vloggers, bloggers, makeup artists, derms and hair stylists with a shiny Youtube channel, a fat sack of Instagram followers and a pretty great technique with a foundation brush, actually.

Also, since the proliferation of online shopping, social media, and retailers like Sephora landing in Australia, we have access to around six billion more products and brands than when this book first went to print, and I wanted to include and honour these new kids on the block.

3. Products come and go.

Nothing like going to your favourite, best-ever beauty reference book (too much?) to see which nude nail polish you should buy, only to find the one recommended has been brutally yanked from shelves. War and famine aside, there might not be anything worse.

So, I went through every single product I mention in the book, and I checked if it was still:

A) Available

B) Relevant

C) The best I had tried in that category

D) Tasty on crumpets.

And look, some were still around, and some were still the best on offer, but many were not, or had been surpassed by a sexy new offering from another brand. You cannot believe how many new products I have jammed into Amazinger Face you guys. It’s friggen filthy with them.

4. I have written a lot of beauty content since then.

(And had a baby, so I know heaps more about stretch marks and pigmentation now. Lucky me.) It seemed silly to waste five years of pretty helpful beauty advice, and not fatten up and update a book that I adore and am so proud of, especially when cuteheads pop photos of it next to candles and other pretty tone-parallel books on their Instagram feed.

5. I made some of my own beauty products.

Since releasing Amazing Face I have launched a simple, effective, irritant-free skin care line, Go-To, because I felt there were gaps in the skin care industry that I knew how to fill, because yes, I really am that arrogant.

I wanted to include my products in my beauty book, because I believe in them, and of course I think they are the best in the category or why the frigdog would I bother making them. Don’t worry though, it’s subtle. I’m not that gross. Or AM I.

6. I have a phenomenal designer.

Allison Colpoys, her name is, though I refer to as Queen Magical Designypants. Al kind of created a whole new book design when Amazing Face came out; her work was (and always is) somewhere in the future, superfresh and unlike anything else out there. I’m SO LUCKY TO HAVE HER. When Amazing Face was finished neither of us could imagine a better, more delightful design.

But zoom in your spacemobile to 2016 and we have both grown up, and changed our style, and are inspired by new things, and so, in the same way I wanted to refresh all the copy and products within the book, Al wanted to overhaul the entire visual feast. Which she did. And it’s absolutely lush. Godammit she’s talented. (Buy her stationary range here! Her tear-inducing children’s book here!)

7. I get bored and need new projects.

And believe me when I say/write that even though it’s just an ‘update’, it has been quite the project.

 

Unknown-1

Proofing is terrific fun! Ask any author!

Anyway! All done now. Almost ready for you to get your mitts on. Here’s the new cover. Here’s the new look. Here’s my pretty, papery sweetypie.


Amazinger Face, Zoe Foster Blake

Amazinger Face is officially on sale June 27, but if you’re smart and cute and smart, you’ll pre-order now, here (and get almost 20% off.) That’s what a smart and cute and smart person would do.

And hey. Thank you to all of you for buying and reading Amazing Face. The feedback you have given me over the years on that book has brought me much joy, satisfaction, and many happy tears, not to mention acting as the catalyst for me to start Go-To.

I’m positive you will love her sophisticated younger sister just as much, even if she does borrow your leather jacket without telling you sometimes.

Fondest,

ZFB

Responses to this drivel: 25 Comments
20
Jan

A rosacea triumph + the Best Feedback Ever.

Occasionally I get real beautiful emails from sweet babes saying they’ve read my books or enjoyed my columns or used my skin care line and had a great time. This never ever gets tired, and always makes me very chuffed. Especially when it’s from Tina Fey or Beyonce or Michelle Obama or whatever.

But every now and again one REALLY stands out, and makes me cry and carry on like a pork chop and read it out to my husband and so on. The below is one such email, which I have reproduced below (with permission) not because it’s so kind towards myself and Go-To, as lovely as that is, but because it inspired me to dare hope that others with redness and rosacea – that wily, impossible wench! – might also get such results and find such joy and renewed confidence.

Hi Zoe and team,

Just wanted to tell you of my amazing life changing week I’ve had thanks to your awesome products. 

On Monday I took the plunge (after reading a few great reviews) and ordered three of your products (Properly Clean, Exfoliating Swipeys and Very Useful Face Cream), Tuesday the packaged arrived (brilliant turn around on postage BTW) which saw me nervously trying your products on Tuesday night.

Why you ask, did I say nervously!!

 My story goes back 15 years as I have long been a sufferer of rosacea which in the last 2 years has gotten worse with the stress of work and uni taking its toll where I have of late refused to go out and show my face and when I do have to go out (for work or uni) I agonisingly walk with my face down to not have so many people see my red face, it’s hard enough being a plus size gal these days but to be a plus size gal with a tomato coloured and shaped face I just seem to attract to many mean stares.   

Anyway so back to Tuesday night, I followed all your quirky instructions and cleansed, exfoliated and moisturised my face, yes the whole hog (I know you say to start slowly and build towards using all the products but I just couldn’t help myself as they smelt and felt so goodJ). By the time bedtime came around I looked at myself in the mirror and thought hmm that’s weird my face is a little tingly on the cheeks (that’s ok) but what I noticed was that I was considerably less red than I have been in years!!  Worried ever so slightly I said a little pray to my higher self and crossed my fingers that all would be ok in the morning and that I would have no reaction to what I have just done… 

Wednesday morning, I leapt out of bed cause I was curious to see what state my face was in, 5.50am turn on the bathroom light and opened my eyes and all that came out of my mouth was a whimper and a free flow of tears came running down my face. THERE WAS NO MORE REDNESS! NO ROSEASA! It was just my pale-skinned round face staring back at me. As you could imagine with the shock and disbelief I was in I called out to my mum to please come to the bathroom as I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. NORMAL SKIN! MY NORMAL SKIN! My mum in a total state of shock could barely speak but what she was able to say was “my darling you look beautiful”! Words I haven’t heard ANYONE say in years…

(This was the part where I cried – Zoe)

To say your products changed my life is just the start of it, since Wednesday morning I look and feel soooooooo different. I feel free and brave to look up and face the world, talk to people and even smile. I feel like I have come back to my old fun self and I can even say I feel beautiful again. No more redness, puffy irritated skin on my face means no more horrible questions like why are you so red?!

Thanks Zoe for doing the years of leg work to get to this point where the product you and your team have created; something so marvellous and wonderful for ones skin is changing not only peoples skin for the better but also (some persons life). From the bottom of my heart thank you.  

Renee 

I was as amazed at the fast turnaround as you, trust me. I of course replied to Renee and thanked her profusely for sharing, and then, cos I am a nosy creep, asked her what she had been using on her skin until this point.

I won’t name brands, but I was frustrated to learn that most of the products she was using were so called ‘sensitive’ or ‘natural’ skin care brands… except that when you dig just a little deeper, they are full of synthetics and chemicals that as her skin demonstrated for the past two years clearly inflame the skin. She had spent hundreds and hundreds and tried everything to no avail. How shit.

My advice: do your research on the ingredients if you’re in the irritated/sensitive skin zone, don’t just read  buzz words on the front of the box. I can only assume that Go-To worked for Renee’s skin because I stringently ensured that nothing in our products irritate the skin. That’s not to say ingredients from nature can’t piss off the skin, but it’s generally that the skin has a specific allergy or intolerance to something (such as citrus or a certain oil or nuts or a low tolerance for acids) rather than it causing the kind of red, angry inflammatory reaction of rosacea.

If you’ve had success with rosacea or redness-reducing products or treatments, share them below so we can make rosacea feel like a real shithead.

*After receiving this email, we have sent the same products Renee used to a group of women who had previously contacted us (we welcome all feedback for Go-To at info@gotoskincare.com) asking if Go-To was suitable for rosacea inflicted skin, to see how they go…  IMAGINE IF THE SAME THING HAPPENED FOR THEM OMG OMG OMG!!!!

 

 

Responses to this drivel: 43 Comments
14
Jan

Coming soon: the best face oil you’ve never tried.

Occasionally I have to stop nibbling caviar and patting my pet leopard Darren to make a new Go-To skin care product.

Yes, a range of five fabulous products is a tight, practical, meaningful edit, but there are other skin care items a lady might like to use, or as I like to say, should definitely use, in order to keep her skin authentically happy, healthy and very alluring.

It will come as exactly zero surprise to anyone who’s read any of my beauty writing in the last 10 years that my new product, on sale next month, contains rosehip oil.

I have been annoying innocent folk about its many marvellous attributes for a very long time, and my mother has been going on about it longer still. It’s deeply hydrating, it’s full of essential fatty acids, anti-oxidants and vitamins, it’s restorative, helps with scarring and irritation, sinks in quickly, and makes skin happy.

HOWEVER, as I wrote here, some rosehip oils for sale are off (rancid, oxidising rapidly when exposed to sunlight or air) by the time they reach the consumer, making them about as useful as a doona in Dubai. Rosehip oil needs to be complemented by anti-oxidants to stay useful, and retain its many benefits.

So I thought, why not make a rosehip oil… but then turbocharge it with nine other beautiful pure plant and nut oils to make it a super powerful, definitely not rancid, all-encompassing…. MEGA FACE OIL!!!!!!

And I did. It’s the brand new Go-To product, Face Hero.

FH-FRONT-STANDARD

It’s gonna be your best skin friend. Truly, it is. Boy are you gonna love it.

The star of Face Hero is the astonishing Buriti (say it with me, bur-ee-chee) oil, a vibrant orange elixir that gives Face Hero its lovely rich colour. Buriti oil is packed with essential fatty acids to rebuild and rehydrate and restore skin cells, anti-oxidants to scavenge free radicals, it replenishes skin damaged from UV or inflammation, PLUS it heals and calms irritated or upset skin. It’s phenomenal stuff.

Other oils invited to this exclusive party are Brazil nut oil and arnica oil and calendula oil and almond oil and Jojoba oil and macadamia oil and evening primrose oil and kiwi fruit seed oil and of course, rosehip oil, as well as vitamin E and other bonus anti-oxidants… all of which means Face Hero hydrates the god damn heck out of your skin, brightens it, thoroughly protects it from the signs of ageing and inflammation, and biffs away all the other nasty shit that visibly ages us.

It’s completely pure, deliciously lightweight, sinks in like a dream, smells of orange blossoms and magic, and keeps your skin in TOP form. I have been using it for six months and aside of being intensely proud of it, and wildly obsessive about it, I think my skin is in terrific shape, despite overseas trips, snow, wind, planes, sun etc etc thanks to Face Hero kicking so much arse.

Use it on clean skin, underneath your sunscreen or face cream, day and night. (It’s not a serum, it’s a face oil (different), so be sure to use it on top of any serums you’re using.)

It’s on sale FEBRUARY 26 exclusively from gotoskincare.com. There is a special pre-sale for Goconuts, so stay alert but not alarmed for a newsletter announcing those details soon.

Til then…..

FH-CAPE-BACK

 

Responses to this drivel: 18 Comments
07
Oct

Go-To available at Westfield!

If there’s one thing we here at Go-To skin care love to do, it’s only be available to buy online.

But then, one day, as I was walking my pet llama, Bananallama, I thought, why not release Go-To into the wild for a special little burst, and allow The People to see and try the products in Real Life?!

Why not indeed.

And so, I present to you, the dates of our highly-anticipated (by me, mostly) Go-To Westfield pop-up* stores!

A chance for those who’ve been keen to suss out the brand (and those who’ve never even heard of it) and test our much-loved cleanser, our genius exfoliating swipeys, our wildly gentle and popular face cream, our multi-purpose body oil, loved by many a make-up artist, and of course, our hero product, Lips!

We will have fun Go-To Captains manning the stand, and cute things for you to take home, and if all that fails, well, you can always just grab a donut and coffee and hit DJs.

SYDNEY

WESTFIELD BONDI JUNCTION [near Sunglass Hut]
THURSDAY OCT 9 – SUNDAY OCT 12

(I will be there Friday Oct 10 from 4-5 and Saturday Oct 11 from 2-3.30 should you want to come say hi/drill me on AHAs.)

MELBOURNE

WESTFIELD DONCASTER  [near Guess]
THURSDAY OCT 16 – SUNDAY OCT 19

(Again, I will be there Friday Oct 17 from 4-5 and Saturday Oct 18 from 2-3.30)

BRISBANE

WESTFIELD CARINDALE [near Lorna Jane]
THURSDAY OCT 23 – SUNDAY OCT 26 

(TBC on my popping by….)

I can’t dingin’ wait. See you there, shiny hair!

* My apologies to those in Perth/ACT/Adelaide/Dubbo. I would love to have done pop-ups nationwide, but this is just a wee experiment for us, and because we are so small and so busy working on new products/looking after gnarly teething five-month olds, we chose to limit our activity for now. For now. I love you no less, and apologise for being so eastern seaboard-centric. I shall stub my big toe thrice daily as penance.

 

Responses to this drivel: 4 Comments
01
Apr

Your new favourite skin care line.

… Has officially launched!

GoTo_YellowEO copy

 It’s called Go-To, and I created it.
You buy it exclusively from gotoskincare.com, which is now live, and a lot of fun.
We send prods to you fast.
You use and love.
We (telepathically) high-five.
And nearby, a small family of wombats huddle together for a nap.

To celebrate the launch today, I thought I would run you briefly through each of the five products, since I’ve been a bit cagey about them up until now. Knowledge is power, after all! So is money and political status, but that’s less relevant in this situation.

As I have previously pointed out previously, Go-To was designed to be uncomplicated, simple, effective and easy (and fun) to use. Each of these products are useful for all of us, whether we wear a shittonne of skin care and makeup each day, or we just slap on some BB cream and race out the door. Because we all need a cleanser. We all need a moisturiser that will protect our skin from free-radical damage. We all need to exfoliate. We all need a lip balm that actually works. And we all “need” (enjoy?) a multi-purpose oil that can be used everywhere from the heels to the elbows to the nails to the hair to the face.

 THE CLEANSER

Go--Properly-Clean-2995

It’s called Properly Clean, $29.95, because I was sick of cleansers that didn’t do a good enough job. Lazy cleansers. Naughty cleansers. Cleansers that couldn’t keep up with women who used many layers of skin serums and brighteners and primers and so on. They were either too thick and left residue, or they were too foamy and drying, or too scrubby and harsh, and they didn’t nearly remove all the primer/sunscreen/makeup I’d loaded onto my face that day. So, I made one that was as soft and smoothing and lovely on the skin (in use and after being rinsed off) which I think the face demands, but which, because of the Willow Bark Extract (a non-irritating cousin to salicylic acid that ever so gently removes grime and build-up), also actually gets the job DONE and takes care of BIZNEZ.

Fun fact: This was the first product we got right, and my husband loves the shit out of it. And he’s a BOY.

THE EXFOLIANT

Go--Exfoliating-Swipeys-50-wipes-4995

 

Called Exfoliating Swipeys, $45.95, because, well, that’s what they are, these single-use, zingy-smelling little cotton pads take the confusion and error out of exfoliating. Because there’s a lot of that! We either use too many exfoliating products, too often (I have friends who are essentially performing a mini chemical peel each night with all their strong cleansers and  toners and creams), or we don’t do enough, which makes our skin dull and congested and unhappy. The ideal way to exfoliate, in my mind, is softly, thoroughly and regularly. So, I made a solution of gentle AHAs (lactic acid) and hydrating essential oils, and dunked 50 textured pads in it, and now all YOU have to do is swipe one all over your face after cleansing 2-3 times a week, and you’re set.

Fun fact: I was least convinced we had the scent of this right, but have had more positive feedback on this scent than any of the products.

 

THE MOISTURISER

Go--Very-Useful-Face-Cream-3995

 

After a while as a beauty editor, you learn that are a few iconic face creams that remain steadily popular over time. They tend to be very nourishing, but lightweight and quick to sink in. And suitable for even sensitive skins (making them loved by makeup artists to use backstage at shows on models/shoots). I wanted to make one of these all-purpose, lovely creams, because I am arrogant enough to aim that high. BUT. I’m a firm believer that defending and protecting the skin from free radical damage (which come from UV rays, the environment etc), the cause of premature ageing (wrinkles, lines and sun damage), via powerful anti-oxidants is just as important as hydration and the perfect texture. So, I sourced the magical super anti-oxidant, Alma Berry, which has 30x more Vitamin C than oranges (and is anti-inflammatory and super soothing), and popped in some CoQ10, the grand dame of the anti-oxidant world, as well as Vitamin E, so that when you put on Go-To Very Useful Face Cream, $39.95, in the morning (under your physical sunscreen, obviously), you are protected throughout the day, and when you put it on at night, you are working to neutralise any free radical damage you accrued. I love this cream for MANY reasons, including it’s lovely silky texture, fig and rose scent and ability to be worn day, night or mid-flight, but that it’s guarding my skin so thoroughly, well, that’s the bloody clincher.

Fun fact: There is no sunscreen in Very Useful Face Cream because I wanted it to be all-purpose, day/night/flight. I wear a physical sunscreen over it during the day.

 

 THE LIP BALM 

Go--Lips-1495

 

I hardly keep my passion for lip balm under wraps. Am always banging on about how I can’t find the perfect one, or why the one you’re using isn’t working, (petrochemicals, usually) or applauding those that do help my lips… So when I got to make my own, you can bet your bronzer I took it seriously. IT HAS TO BE THE BEST LIP BALM EVER I said to my softly spoken, mild-mannered biochemist. OUR LIP BALM MUST WIN, I reiterated. So, we got to work. Adding all the ingredients I know to actually do something, and which make good lip balms more than just quick-fix barriers. And after just 20 versions, we got there with Lips!, $14.95. It features seven oils, ultra medical grade lanolin, anti-oxidants, butters and beeswax… all bundled up in the perfect formula of creaminess with a pretty sheen and the subtle flavour of pure pomegranate. It’s delicious and I swear by it. So there.

Fun fact: It’s called Lips! because I was so jubilant at having finally landed on the best possible lip balm formula. (In my eyes, anyway. My very bias eyes.)

 

THE MULTI-PURPOSE OIL

Go--Exceptionoil-4995

As a dame who travels quite a lot, and has had to master a smaller toiletries kit than any beauty editor should ever be forced to endure, I know the value of a solid do-it-all prod. Something that can be hauled out and quickly fix rough heels, elbows, cuticles, or soothe and heal little scratches and bites, or hydrate the body, or condition split ends, or add some sheen to foundation, or act as a potent serum (gently dabbed onto the face under face cream – better left to dry, not oily skins). Makes sense then, that I would want to have a crack at making my own… cue Exceptionoil, $49.95. It is SO PURE and so delicious, and with a blend of ten oils and almost as many butters and waxes, the skin bloody loves this balm-oil. (One beauty ed has even said it has sorted out her eczema, so maybe it’s even more magic than we know!) It sinks in fast, leaves no residue, and boasts certified Monoi di Tiare from Tahiti (gardenias macerated in coconut oil) for a – quite frankly – criminally pretty fragrance.

I need to say here that if you DO purchase Exceptionoil, please remember it is an OIL, and needs to be treated as such. In that it might be very runny when you open it, so please be careful. Also, just like that coconut oil you cook with, it will change solidity in accordance to the surrounding temps. (An hour in the fridge will help thicken it if it’s stupidly runny.) And if you travel with it? Like any oil, you should keep it in a plastic ziploc bag.

Fun fact: One customer has been adding a few drops to her bath with truly lovely results and very soft, scented skin. Clever!

… Of course, you can read (and watch) all about the prods in more depth at gotoskincare.com, and see all of the ingredients too, and also all of the things we DON’T put into the products (palm oil, petrochemicals, PEGs, mineral oils, parabens, sulfates, silicones, GMOs, synthetic colours or fragrances, animal testing of any kind).

To all of you who have already purchased your Go-To, and have been kind enough to take the time to let us know how much you are loving the products and packaging on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or Gruzzleplonk,  THANK YOU.

It’s scary launching a skin care line! You’re asking women to put things on their face and telling them their skin will like it, but skin can be so bitchy and so individual, and so you just make it as good as it can be, and you bloody hope for the best. Also! No store! No way for you guys to sniff and play and try the products before buying them – you are just putting blind faith into them and putting them into your virtual cart, and it is THAT leap of faith and trust that I am so deeply grateful for, and promise not to ever mess with.

You’re gorgeous dames, and I bloody adore you. I will shut up Go-To for a while now, promise. Just had to push her out to sea first.

Zo-To x

Ps Go-To and I were on A Current Affair last night!

Responses to this drivel: 64 Comments
27
Feb

Be the first to try Go-To!

As I mentioned last month, I wish for nothing more than to bathe in a tub of pure golden fairy floss each night before bed.

Actually, there is one more thing I wish for: that my loyal and lovely fruits are the first to sample my skin care line, Go-To!

I wish for this because since 2006 you have provided me with comments, questions and feedback on beauty, and so much of that amazing intel formed the foundation of this range, and the reason I created it at all.

You were confused about what to use on your skin so I made it uncomplicated!

You were annoyed at products that didn’t deliver, so I made sure my products were effective!

You were pissed off with nasties in your skin care, so I left every single one of them on the curb, crying for their mama!

You already have products you love and want to keep using, so Go-To slots in easily around them!

So, let’s get you using them, and before anyone else, care of the fruitybeauty/Go-To PRE-SALE EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!

That’s right viewers, from 10am Tuesday March 4 until 10am Thursday March 6, there will be a limited amount of select Go-To products that you can purchase, direct from the wonderful Go-To website, which is the the exclusive stockist of Go-To.

I am making it limited – in terms of stock, and the type of products available – because while I want you rascals to be able to try Go-To first, I still very much wish for April 1 to be the big, exciting, mega launch day. I guess you can think of the pre-sale as part sneak peek, part tease and part fodder for bragging rights to your mates, because we will be shipping you your first taste of Go-To the week before it goes on sale officially.

Real important things about the fruity/Go-To pre-sale extravaganza:

1. Wearing underpants is important, no matter what you hear.

2. While we do have limited stock allocated for this pre-order fun fest, we will be releasing that stock in bursts over the pre-sale period. This means that if you come to the site on Wednesday morning, instead of smack on 10am Tuesday, there will still be products available to purchase. This A) prevents a site meltdown, B) prevents a Zoe meltdown when the site melts down and C) and makes it all a bit more fair.

3. There are a total of five Go-To skin care products in the range. I will be releasing three of these for pre-sale, which you can read about in full glorious detail on the site. Should you try to buy the two remaining prods that are being reserved for April 1, you will be politely but firmly denied.

3. We ship to Aus, NZ and internationally. So, uh, everywhere.

3. The full Go-To site won’t be going live until April 1, but we have created a special pre-sale version, just for the fruits, which is live only between that 10 AM Tues – 10AM Thurs period. The link for that special fruitybeauty version of the site will be posted here early next Tuesday morning.

4. You CAN pass on that link to friends, there’s no way I will know if you have because the government asked me to return all of my surveillance cameras, but the more we just keep this whole affair something special just for the loyal fruits who read this blog, the better, I reckon… (Also, more chance of you getting some product, over ‘them’.)

5. Any questions? Comment below and I will clarify.

Guys, this is all TREMENDOUSLY exciting.

That sentence deserves way more of these: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 Go-To skin care logo

 Also, I hopefully will be seeing a cute bunch of you on my book tour for The Wrong Girl this and next week! What a blast.

 

 

Responses to this drivel: 40 Comments
20
Feb

Allow me to introduce you to my very own skin care line: Go-To.


Today I take immense joy in announcing the name of and first peek at my skin care line, Go-To.

Go-To skin care logo

Since we’re still a fair way off launch, this is really just me sharing the name and giving you a little snizz at what the products look like, care of the image below which features Lips! our lip wizard.

Why the name Go-To? Because Clinique was taken. Also, I found that during the creation and manufacturing process I was constantly describing the products in the following ways: “This is, like, the essential, foolproof, go-to moisturiser,” or “it needs to be girls’ go-to exfoliator” or “this is the perfect go-to travel product” or “I’m exhausted can I go-to the cafe and get a coffee now?”

GoTo_Lips_Purple

“I love this lip balm. So much.”
– Zoe’s lips.

 

As I explained in this initial blog last month, the products and range thereof have very much been formulated to act as your skin care basics. The simple, reliable foundation products you rely on and need to maintain healthy, happy, glowing skin. By all means bring inject those power serums and peels and masks and treatments that you love, but also feel a bit smug knowing Go-To has got your back when it comes to the necessities of daily skin maintenance.

And that’s my version of daily skin maintenance, by the way – a fussy beauty editor of 10 years who has a strong/educated/totally inflated opinion about what she knows works, what women feel comfortable using and what the modern woman’s skin actually needs. So, hydration, yes, but also protection from ageing and skin discolouration in the form of powerful anti-oxidants. Some gentle AHAs for foolproof, effective exfoliation. And a cleanser that will actually remove all that primer and sunscreen and long-wear makeup I keep telling you to use.

As well as being effective, I went to great (some might say “annoying”) lengths to ensure each product was perfectly natural. Zero nasties. No palm oil, (obviously) no petrochemicals, PEGs, mineral oils, parabens, sulfates, silicones, GMOs, synthetic colours or fragrances. There has been no animal testing of any kind, except on me. (And sometimes Meowbert cos he gets dry lips.)

So there you have it! Millions more details to come of course, but for now, this is Go-To skin care. Officially on sale April 1, a date that I am assured people take very seriously. You can start stalking us gently on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Plangscootch too, if you like.

(… Full details on our fun pre-order campaign coming early next week!)

 

Responses to this drivel: 48 Comments
14
Jan

I’m launching my own skin care line.

I am!

I really, really am. And HOLY SHIT IT’S EXCITING. I am so thrilled to even be writing this (admittedly cryptic and annoying) post about it, such has the level of secrecy been thus far.

I’ve been working on the range since 2012, and I can say with absolute certainty that it is the finest skin care in the entire world, which might sound like an arrogant, unqualified and completely outrageous claim, but that’s only because it is an arrogant, unqualified and completely outrageous claim.

Still, it’s very, very lovely, and I am almost certain you will like it, because, well I kind of created it with you in mind.

You being all of the gorgeous, enthusiastic, curious, feedbacky fruits I’ve had the pleasure of writing for and interacting with since I became a beauty editor a decade ago. You’ve been so beautifully honest about what you like, what you don’t like, what you use, what you think you should be using, what you know you should be using, and most vitally, just how confusing you find skin care to be.

And I agree. It IS confusing. There are so many dingin’ products out there, and so many different steps, and so many avenues and options to pursue, and so many big sciencey words and terrifying potential skin issues, it’s no wonder so many of us:

– just stick to whatever we’ve always used in the hope it’s doing something/anything

– buy whatever is new and shiny and popular because the ads make it sound so rad

– copy whatever our mum/sister/friends use

– resort to rubbing peanut butter on our faces before bed.

And look, I’m the first in line to try products with dazzling claims and fancy new ingredients. That’s my job. BUT, ultimately, and I say this as someone who can literally choose to use any skin care product she desires, and has given very many of them a good whack over the years, (and will continue to) simplicity is the backbone of my skin care routine. (Also, I travel a lot and have got my basics down to a fine art.)

All I really use is:

A great cleanser.

Something with AHAs to exfoliate.

Moisturiser.

Lip balm.

A physical sunscreen.

Targeted serums.

Stuff to keep the skin on my body nice.

And so I wondered…. would it be the craziest thing in the world to make a tight edit of really very useful, incredibly simple, extremely natural but very effective skin care products that combined my years of experience testing and using a wide range of them, with the ingredients I know work, with my desire for simplicity and my firsthand understanding of what women actually want (and need, whether they know it or not) from their skin care? And – gasp – make it all a bit fun, too?

No. It would not be the craziest thing in the world. (That would be smoking on a commercial airliner while announcing loudly that you are messenger from out of space here to expertly cull the population using planes as your weapon and caramel sauce as your sustenance.)

That said, it has been a BIG BIG undertaking. I now get why not many people start their own skin care lines. It’s hard. Stressful. Challenging. And even though I have an exceptional team around me, including overwhelmingly valuable guidance from my dear friend, Megan Larsen, founder of  superb organic skin care brand (and personal favourite) Sodashi, it’s been a huge, wild learning curve, one not helped by my insane levels of fussiness and perfectionism and endless demands of my brilliant biochemist for ‘less ingredient X’ and ‘half of a whisper more of ingredient Y,’ and questions regarding making something ‘less grabby but not too slippy, you know?’

Zoe Foster Blake Skin Care Samples
Some of my many many samples…

Here’s an example: This is VERSION 16 of my lip balm. And that’s not even the final one. No surprises there, though, you guys know how fucking pedantic I am about lip balm. Always have been. Never quite found the perfect one. So, if I am making my own, guess where all of that pedantic fury is going to be funnelled?

Zoe Foster Blake Skin Care Versions 2
Version 16. The almost final product. 

To say that I am impressed with this particular product is a violent and spectacular understatement. I don’t want to talk it up too much, but actually, wait a second, yes I do. It’s excellent. It is! Am I allowed to say that? Who cares. As you can imagine, it’s stupidly exciting finally getting the products to look, feel, smell and act just as I imagined them to, and use them and love them, and just be disgustingly proud of them like a gross stage mum. 

You cannot know how excited I am for you all to try them.

Speaking of which, this post is obviously just a frustrating teaser, but the range will officially launch April 1. (Yes, on April fools day. You know me).

Well before then, though, I will of course give you all the proper details about the range like, oh I don’t know, the name maybe? And the product breakdown, what they do, the long list of nasties we left out, the cool shit we definitely didn’t leave out, what they look like, smell like, where they like to eat lunch, where they were made, and where you can buy them.

AND! Hold on to your hand creams, because in February I am doing a special pre-order campaign just for my faithful fruits. Of course I am! You helped create the range, it’s only fair you get your silky paws on it first.

Yours in giddiness and perfectly nourished lips,

Zo

 

Responses to this drivel: 174 Comments
31
May

Leave the filter off your selfie today.

Just for one day.

Oh COME ON. I will if you will. In fact, I will anyway, as my Instagram and Twitter will prove.

It’s all part of #filterfreefriday (which of course you should hashtag your picture with, because otherwise you won’t feel part of the movement and no one wants to feel un-part of a movement.)

It’s not a big deal. After all, we used to not even have filters and effects for our photos! I know. Madness. Who can even remember those heady pre-2010 days.

What #filterfreefriday is about, is this: Trilogy skin care, who you will remember from my many thumbs-ups for their terrific Rosehip oil, have launched a 100% Unretouched campaign, to cement their love and preference for honest, natural beauty.

It started when they used an unretouched model in their advertising campaign recently, and received a Texan truckload’s worth of positive feedback because of that decision.

Trilogy

So, they’ve now made unretouching their thing, and promise to only use honest, natural images in all their campaigns. No, they’re not the first to forego the digital magic, or even the first to state a preference for ‘real beauty’, but what Trilogy’s move says to me is that there is a bigger movement at work. A backlash of sorts.

I was asked by the lovely ladybirds at Trilogy to support the 100% Unretouched campaign which I was thrilled to do, because A) I like their products and their philosophy, and B) It makes sense that a natural skin care brand promotes natural beauty in their advertising. Also, it’s skin care, not makeup: let’s see the dang skin.

It should be noted that I am not against retouching. I love slapping a filter on my Instagram. But I support Trilogy’s stance on not retouching in their campaigns, because they are taking responsibility for their own part in what the media portrays as “beautiful,” and I salute that.

And, you know, why shouldn’t we strip the filters for one day? Might be nice to see what we all look like without the aid of ’70s contrasting and mellow saturation for 24 hours.

To that effect, I got to pose (retouch-free, obviously) in their campaign imagery. Here I am. Yes, there was makeup, yes there was hair sassing, but there was no retouching.

ZoeTrilogy

And here’s the group shot. I am smiling happily alongside the wonderfully effevescent and funny Jenny, who is the Australian Biz Manager for Trilogy and quite a barrel of fun, and Amanda, the model from the original campaign. Here we are, having the time of our lives. (I kept the t-shirt. Quite love it. Makes me sing A Certain Song.)

TrilogyUnretouched

 

If you support Trilogy in their 100% Unretouched campaign, then for the love of Lo-Fi, snap a selfie and tag it #FilterfreeFriday today. And then maybe scarper over to the Trilogy Facebook page and upload that filter free pic on their special Facebook app, so you can get a 100% Unretouched badge on it, and maybe win a skin care pack, too.

If you don’t support the campaign and would in fact like to see MORE retouching, then here’s a treat, just for you:

Www.eroglamour.com-1-cb-retouching

Responses to this drivel: 5 Comments