GOSPE L
GOSPEL I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
00: A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Introductions and house keeping
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First of all, I’d like to thank you for picking up Issue A of Gospel. Whether you hunted us down or we fell in your lap, we’re glad to meet you, and we hope this is the start of a fruitful relationship. While I’ve got you here, I’d like to tell you a story. Rewind 12 months and I was stood exactly where you are. Peeling back the front cover of a magazine, like a Pandora’s Box of dreams and promise. Only to be bombarded with yet another clutch of insulting papers boasting trivial content, dumbed-down language and reviews of ‘wonder’ products that left you ‘wondering’ if the writer had ever even seen them. Granted, the blogging community was hard at work providing somewhat impartial reviews and tried and tested advice, but as my eyes scanned the newsstand, I couldn’t help but think, where is the magazine for me?
an oath. We promise to provide you with 100% the truth: the Gospel truth. Issue A is a snapshot in time: what is beauty in summer 2014. Read it, love it, learn from it, share it and keep it. Amongst these pages we set the mood for the trends of the season, we identify The Holy Grail products: the ones we ourselves have bought and loved, and on page 27, I uncover the beauty heirlooms we’ve been holding on to in Mother Knows Best. Enjoy, and we hope you’ll grace us with your presence in the Autumn. If patience isn’t quite your forte, we’d love to keep in touch in a less tangible form. Find us on Twitter and Instagram (@gospelbeauty) where we seed out our words of wisdom on a daily basis.
Fast forward and here we are. Issue A. Whether you have a lipstick collection to rival that of your local Boots, a penchant for perfume or you just want some advice you can trust, you’ve come to the right place. Gospel is the honest beauty guide for the modern woman. And we’ve signed
The Editor
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00: CONTRIBUTERS In the interest of full disclosure, we like to give you a little insight into who is behind these pages.
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This season’s contributers:
Kate Rooney, aka @StyleCoke is a fashion girl turned beauty buff, who loves Diptyque candles and losing afternoons to the beauty hall in Selfridges. She reveals her latest lipstick love on page 10.
Hollie Furniss, aka @holliefur who can usually be found blogging at givememoreblog. com shares her Holy Grail of soap on page 37.
Ann Cathrine Rino & Karina Noa, aka @ac_and_noa both have backgrounds in hair and make-up and on page 20 they teach us how to get beachy waves whilst remaining firmly on dry land.
Enjoy the read
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00: CONTENTS This season’s beauty bounty
_ Picking Flowers The Holy Grail Summer Sundaes Pick’n’mix Lips
MAK EU P
Trend Report Making Waves Hair Illustrated The Holy Grail
HAIR
Mother Knows Best Learning to Love Seaweed The Holy Grail
SK INCAR E
The Holy Grail One Product, Four Problems
BO DY
The Fragrance Lab @ Selfridges The Holy Grail
F R AG R ANC E
WELLBEING
Food from the ‘feed
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01: MAKEUP TREND
For our summer makeup palettes, we’re taking inspiration from the flowerbed.
The Gospel According to Shannon
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Photos: Shannon Peter
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F U SCHI A
LAV E NDE R
BU T T E R C U P
02: THE HOLY GRAIL The Gospel According to Kate
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Kate Rooney
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I’m going to let you in on a little something... My infatuation with Tom Ford lipsticks has existed since well, forever. Call it nostalgia, but there is something pretty special about your first “high end” beauty splurge. Up until this point I was never that into make up; I was a true fashion foal and the thought of blowing my money on things to apply to my face, when all I could think about was my Mulberry Lily fund seemed somewhat ridiculous at that moment in my life. But the Tom Ford lip launches got me. They got me hard. I couldn’t resist the slick white and gold packaging and uh, the click. (Please, if you’ve never opened and closed one, go do it. It will bring you pure joy, trust me.) So in Autumn 2011, the first one landed into my life and I’m pleased to say, it was worthy of the investment. Although I’m
clearly a sucker for pretty packaging, if a product doesn’t deliver then a repurchase is out of the question. Thankfully for both Mr Ford and I, I’ve never looked back. My debut shade was Pink Dusk. A nude with strong pink hues which is incredibly flattering on the lip, especially for a blonde like me. Admittedly, it’s a little battered around the edges now, but still going strong. But now there’s a newbie on the block. Vanilla Suede. A true nude, satin and creamy in texture with ever such slight pink undertones. A lipstick as special as this deserves a bronzed up complexion and a full on copper/Olsen style eye, aka my staple summer combination.
Kate Rooney
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Summer is the best time to get experimental with your nail colour. We hunt out the best ice cream shades to liven up your fingertips.
03: SUMMER SUNDAES The Gospel According to Shannon
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Shannon Peter
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Why wear just one lipstick when it’s now perfectly acceptable (and downright beautiful) to wear two? Play around with the dual-tone trend.
04: PICK’N’MIX LIPS The Gospel According to Shannon
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Shannon Peter
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HAIR DIVIDER
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Not sure what to do with your hair this summer? Here’s three ideas to try on for size. Photographs: Shannon Peter
01: TREND REPORT The Gospel According to Shannon
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02: DIY HAIR PRODUCT The Gospel According to AC & NOA
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The beach does amazing things to your head. The sun adds gloss, the sand adds volume, the suncream adds scent and most importantly, the salt adds texture. It’s a look of laid-back ease that no amount of product, combing, heating or teasing can recreate. That’s why sea salt products fly off the shelves every summer. Unless you live by the sea, Boots is always a lot easier to reach than the beach. But now, thanks to beauty bloggers AC and NOA, you no longer need to even leave your house to bring the beachy vibes to your hair. Try out their recipe for DIY salt spray. RECIPE: In an empty spray bottle, mix a pinch of sea salt flakes and half a teaspoon of conditioner with a few drops of your favorite hair oil (coconut, almond or even olive oil make great natural substitutes). Fill the bottle with luke warm water and shake it until it’s all mixed. For textured beachy waves, spray this mixture onto dry hair and massage to create volume and define curls. Or spritzing from root to ends pre-blowdry will lock the texture in place.
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With the help of talented illustrator Samantha Hahn, hairstylist Rubie Jones brings you three step-by-step hair tutorials: Glamorous 40s Waves, The Crown Braid and a Mad Men-inspired Chignon
03: HAIR ILLUSTRATED The Gospel According to Rubie
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04: THE HOLY GRAIL The Gospel According to Shannon
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Shannon Peter
Don’t you just hate it when your hair looks perfect? Strange question, but hear me out, and I’m sure you’ll agree. While glossy, preened locks have their place in society, that place is not on top of my head. There’s something a little too forced about a poker-straight style or a little too glam about perfectly coiffed curls. In my book, done-up is out and undone is in. As the great queen Beyonce once said (yes I take all my life lessons from her wise teachings) “I woke up like this”. Individually placed hairs in the neatest formation are evidently not the makings of head-onpillow action. You’re not fooling anyone. And Beyonce is definitely not impressed.
Every morning after I labourously straighten the curly locks I inherited from my Antiguan grandfather, I blast my hair in a halo formation over the crown of my head. It’s as if by magic, my efforts are disguised, my work undone and my hair looks a whole lot more lived in. You don’t even need to brush or touch or fix, with one quick spray it zaps away the try-hard finish, replacing it with the perfect amount of texture. Like backcomb-in-abottle, its the little helping of grunge your hair has been waiting for. May you never look perfect again.
Shannon Peter
This right here is why a girl and her Redken Quick Tease should never be apart. 24
SKINCARE DIVIDER
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01: MOTHER KNOWS BEST The Gospel According to Motherhood
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Although we’re constantly bombarded with messages about the importance of good skincare, it seems like the warnings that come from a little closer to home are the ones we really pay attention to. We owe our mothers a lot for passing their pearls of wisdom down to us. Gospel asks five women about the lessons in skincare that have become family heirlooms.
Georgie and Miranda, 1998
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Shannon and Jane, 1994
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Lauren and Nicola Jane, 1996
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Cara, Marnie and Andrea, 1995
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Addie, Philippa and Suzie, 1993
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02: SKINCARE INGREDIENT The Gospel According to Shannon
_ I think it’s a universally agreed notion that seaweed is gross. Really gross. Personally, the thought sends shivers down my spine as I flashback to summer days ruined by unfortunate underwater encounters with the slippery, slimy plant. Seaweed and I were never meant to be friends. Or so I thought. Despite my irrational fear, a new wave of seaweed infused skincare products is tempting me to give the poor plant a second chance. Hailed for its protective benefits, the advantages of seaweed are channelling their way to the mainstream, thanks to clever products from aquatically-inclined brands. I’ve put some hot favourites to the test to find out if seaweed is good for something after all... The closest I will ever get to actively touching the stuff is Phytomer’s seaweed soap. Although an unnerving reminder of their existence, the flecks of seaweed add extra scrubbing power to the bar, but if it wasn’t for the beautiful aquamarine blue shade of the soap, I sure as hell wouldn’t have even tried rubbing it on my body. A less visual use of the ingredient appears in Bumble and Bumble’s seaweed mild marine shampoo and conditioner. In my eyes, the brand can do no wrong, and I’ve been trusting
them with my life (aka my hair) for many years now. This latest incarnation proves just as efficaceous. My hair feels clean. Not uncomfortably squeaky clean, not clogged with product, just the perfect amount of clean. If you wash your hair more times than you have hot dinners, it’s gentle enough to maintain hair strength. And what does it smell like? Well, the sea of course. Perhaps most unexepected, Chantecaille have found a way to encorporate red seaweed extract into their False Cils mascara. Yes, my lashes were lengthened, and they did look great (err, they better for the £60 price tag) but I can’t say it was purely down to the seaweed. Not overly impressed. My favourite of the seaweed stock comes in the form of Ren’s Seaweed and Sage shower gel. For some reason, citris smells have never been my bag, and I find florals too pretty-pretty to smother all over my body. I much prefer herby notes, straight from the garden, and so the natural sage scent eases the transition between escaping my bed and getting ready for the day. As seaweed becomes the ingredient of the hour, the list of algae-infused products is only going to get longer. See below for a glossary of the varying benefits seaweed holds.
Shannon Peter
GLOSSARY For the hair The ultimate antidote to flyaways, algae’s moisturising properties decrease electrostatic charge and weigh down stray hairs.
For ailments In Ancient Polynesia, seaweed, which has detoxifying properties, was used to treat wounds, bruises and swelling.
For the skin High in anti-oxidants, seaweed protects against damage from free-radicals found in the atmosphere.
For the body Seaweed can improve the suppleness and elasticity of skin, meaning it is perfect for reducing cellulite.
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03: THE HOLY GRAIL The Gospel According to Shannon
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Shannon Peterr
As a longtime sufferer of dry skin, my plight for a cure has seen my bathroom cabinets becoming gradually overflowing, with products that promised me they’d have my cheeks as soft as a baby’s bottom in no time. They lied. It wasn’t until I met Mr Origin’s Drink Up Mask that I started to rebuild my faith in humanity. On those evenings my skin looks a little greyscale, I whip off my makeup, cleanse and exfoliate before settling down to an episode of Eastenders, face adorned in this creamy, citrus-smelling lotion. Gloopier than cream but thinner than butter, it’s easy to brush on with your
fingertips. And the best part? I don’t even have to take it off. The tube advertises 10 minutes, but always one to push the boundaries, I kept mine on all night. Come morning it had been sucked up by my skin no problem (either that, or my pillows will be feeling suitably hydrated) and now I can’t stop touching my face. I now use this once a week, unless my skin is excessively dehydrated, in which case we have nightly affairs. And when it comes to holidays, I can’t leave the UK without a tube - it doubles up as the most skin-tingling-cool, soothing aftersun. Trust me, try it.
Shannon Peter
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01: THE HOLY GRAIL The Gospel According to Hollie
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Hollie Furniss
Is it a little sad to get so excited about soap? Maybe but when it is soap as beautifully packaged and scented as these I think it’s only natural to get a little over the top. I treated my hands to Punk Bouquet hand wash which for some reason just makes me think of Keeping Up Appearances; it is pronounced Mrs Bucket darling, the t is silent. No, only me? Okay then. The smell is a concoction of - and I quote - ‘Tiger orchid and dewy lotus flower entwined with nutty almond and sweet tonka beans, overgrown by tree moss and topped with a splash of tangerine’. Funnily enough, it didn’t disappoint on this promise. Not only does it look the part sat atop my Mother’s new bathroom sink and gifts washing customers with a rather luxurious hand cleaning experience, but it is super gentle and doesn’t leave your hands feeling stripped.
With such a hardworking hand wash, I knew the shower gel would be a no brainer. Secret Haven Body Wash. Like Punk Bouquet, the fragrance delivered: ‘Tangy peach and dreamy coconut meet a garden of peonies, lilacs, and dewy violets, with base notes of relaxed sandalwood, vanilla, and soft musk.’ Sigh. If I could only wash myself in one thing all my life it would be this. Perfect for winding down in the evening, the aroma is relaxing and warming and I am seriously digging the hand written print label - it beats Imperial Leather anyday. With a bath and body range as delightful as these, &othestories have already earned themselves a dedicated spot in my bathroom, but I’m just praying they launch bath oils and candles too.
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The reign of coconut oil has been hard to ignore. Four coconut converts share their experiences with the tropical substance.
02: ONE PRODUCT, FOUR PROBLEMS The Gospel According to Shannon, Talilla Addie and Georgie
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FOR DRY LIMBS
FOR HAIR
Longer days call for shorter dresses, and as leg baring weather always seems to creep up on me, I need quick-fix solutions to less-than-desirable legs. A long term fan of The Body Shop’s coconut body butter, I was excited to try the stuff in a purer form. I slathered up at night and when I awoke my skin looked brighter and a whole lot healthier.
Me and my straighteners have a love hate relationship. I dote on them with endless attention and in return, they give me head full of frazzled hairs and split ends. I rubbed a small amount of the oil into the lengths of my hair and later washed it out to find tropical smelling, softer locks. If I keep this up, I’m sure I’ll be able to rescue my hair and rekindle my GHD romance.
Shannon Peter
Talilla Henchoz
FOR TIRED SKIN
FOR HEALTH
I’m a massive advocate for natural skincare products, but I never thought I’d take to rubbing oil into my skin. I like to massage a pea sized amount onto my cheeks, pushing from the centre of my face out towards my hairline, to keep my skin hydrated and circulation flowing. Plus, it smells delightful.
I’ve been cooking with coconut oil for a while now and I’m a complete convert. Proven to fire up the metabolism, it has helped with a recent health kick and I love putting a tiny dollop in my morning smoothies. And it’s a much healthier alternative to butter when baking.
Addie Goodson
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FRAGRANCE DIVIDER
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01: THE FRAGRANCE LAB @ SELFRIDGES
Photographs: Emily Valentine
The Gospel According to Emily Valentine
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I keep thinking back to earlier this week when I was sat in a white room, on a white chair, surrounded by perfume professionals in white lab coats, with a pair of white leather head phones crowning my head, feeling the most excited and stimulated I have been by beauty for a while. As the ethereal voice prompted me to walk up the flight of white steps at the Selfridges Fragrance Lab I felt like I was ascending into the unknown. Only to be greeted on the other side by a stranger who knew me better than I knew myself‌ The Fragrance lab is the love child of The Future Laboratory and Selfridges, currently residing in Selfridges Wonder Room. It challenges us to look at fragrance differently, offering its customers a chance to fully immerse themselves in the beautiful and evocative world that is perfume. There is a pleasant mood that hangs in the air at this stark white, but truly chic lab space. Is it satisfaction? It’s definitely not smugness,
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>> but the lab-people are kind and clearly quite excited about what I am about to experience. They look at me with knowing gazes, their kind, happiness is contagious. My journey begins by answering a series of psychometric questions on a, you guessed it, white iPad. This 20 minute exercise will profile everything from my likes, dislikes, way of thinking, actions and reactions. I choose from several pictures tending to go with my snap instinct for the most accurate results. After being setup with my headphones, I am guided through a series of 5 unique spaces; some cramped, some light and airy some dark and melancholy. The voice guide challenges me with scents that evoke memories and the choice of over 100 objects to choose from. It is no surprise I am drawn to the Tom Ford lipstick. After this sensory and stimulating journey I am greeted by young Barnaby who is smiling openly. By this point I felt like I have accidentally died and walked into heaven and Barnaby was my god. The room was a wash of smoke wisps and copper piping that ended in semispheres filled with odd, white objects. Barnaby begins to tell me who I am, how I think and react to things and that he has 2 fragrances that he thinks will “fit”. I am then taken to a further antechamber and presented with my “prescription”. I am rather enjoying how seriously everyone takes this exercise, including myself. What baffles me is they already have the prescription printed before they meet me and I have finished my journey!? Barnaby tells me that the fragrance I am to be given is the scent of my truest self. He goes on to say that many people initially don’t like what they smell, many people don’t like themselves and want to be someone different, “so we always offer a
close alternative”. I concur, where would the beauty industry be today if it couldn’t sell consumers an aspirational dream of becoming someone better, greater, prettier, sexier… I am taken to Check In and am presented a pink bottle with a spherical perspex lid. For me, perfume has always been a very nostalgic and comforting thing however, my results show that I am much more forward and futurist thinking that I believed. It is this dominating streak in my personality which prompted them to present me with the scent marked 169. It is like no other I have smelt. It is the antithesis of commercial, floral or sweet. It has movement, it is zingy and complex with oriental notes but there is a true musk smell that is dirty, raw and dare I say it, bad. It almost feels like it is cloying out for activities, meetings, kisses and adventures that have yet to come. A little like my futuristic self then. Harry Gordon Selfridge, the store founder, was the first to introduce beauty and fragrance halls to the ground floor of a department store, providing customers with a new way to experience beauty products and scent, enthralling them in the process. The Fragrance Lab is 2014′s answer to this. I am sure Harry would have been very pleased. This is experience is now open to the public and would make a wonderful gift for yourself or a loved one. £65. _
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02: THE HOLY GRAIL The Gospel According to Shannon
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Shannon Peter
On paper, Jo Malone’s Earl Grey and Cucumber seems like the quintessential British fragrance. It’s the sort of thing you’d imagine non-Brits believe all Brits smell like. Along with personally knowing the queen and living off a diet that solely consists of fish and chips. But that’s on paper. A whiff of the stuff tells a completely different story. Like nothing I’ve smelt before, I instantly fell in love. This, right here, is the one. That one fragrance I know (/hope) will be with me on those hot summer afternoons for years to come. In fact, I love it so much, it’s the sort of fragrance I would want to introduce my future daughter to. The top notes of cucumber keep the perfume light and fresh, like fresh air or
watery melon, it’s a smell that’s almost not there, if you know what I mean. But then it hits you. Rich, comforting Earl Grey tea that gives the fragrance its substance: it’s heart. Unfortunately it’s not the most economical of scent choices. Costing £78 for 100ml, and struggling to last much longer than a few hours, it doesn’t really scream value for money. But we all deserve a little whimsical splurge now and again don’t we? It’s the point at which quintessential meets extraordinary, so deliciously unusual I had no choice but to claim it as my signature scent.
Shannon Peter
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WELLBEING DIVIDER
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01: FOOD FROM THE ‘FEED The Gospel According to Shannon
_ Where diet once meant extreme cut backs, intense cravings and the search for a skinnier waist, thankfully it seems a new wave of nutritional eating is encouraging us to take our overall health more seriously. Reckless dieting is off the menu and throughful eating is in. Not convinced? Add these accounts to your Instagram feed and then tell us healthy clean food doesn’t make you salivate all over your iPhone.
@thehealthypsychologist
@thewholefooddiary
Best for: A side order of therapy
Best for: Minimal effort
A registered psychologist and nutrition enthusiast, Kate swaps sofa talk for social media to bring a feed of beautifully styled healthy dishes, interspersed with pep talk quotes for good measure.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be a lone venture, as The Whole Food Diary prove. Husband-and-wife Instagram duo, Kezia and Jared use their feed to share their ‘journey in loving [their] bodies” but it’s not as hippy-boho-loving as it sounds.
Although her meal ideas range from superfod salads, to courgette pasta (has to be tasted to be believed), her particulr forte is most definitely breakfast. Smoothies, macadamia museli, acai bowls, poached eggs... Will the morning come quicker if I go to bed earlier?
Their focus is on quality and simplicity, meaning their recipes are easy to follow and almost fool-proof to recreate (if I can do it, so can you). The best part? They still get to have pancakes.
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@honestlyhealthy
@healthkitchen
Best for: Alkaline-free
Best for: Eat clean
A by-product of her insanely popular website (honestlyhealthfood.com) Natasha Corrett’s instagram feed features mouth-wateringly rustic images of the latest alkaline free dishes she’s managed to conjour up.
With a penchant for healthy eating and exercise, Lauren started sharing her journey to good nutrition through her instagram feed. Her recipes (that are sinfree at every opportunity) never scrimp on desirability. And she posts the instructions straight into the captions, meaning you don’t even need to leave your instagram feed to get cooking.
As if having a following in excess of 37.500 wasn’t enough to prove her credibility, she’s also the author of two books, just in case the digital format doesn’t quite satisfy your appetite.
She deserves a follow, even if only for the fact she’s brought a healthy version of a fry up into our lives. We owe you, Lauren.
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@deliciouslyella
@rawveganblonde
Best for: Sugar-free
Best for: Well, raw, vegan food
It’s bad news for sweet shops: apparently everyone with even a minor health conscience is banishing sugar from their diet.
Inspired by supermodel Valentina Zelyaeva’s intensely healthy lifestyle as reported on vogue.co.uk, Amber’s eyes were opened to the world of raw eating. And with the endless possibilities fruit and veg present, it’s no wonder she’s never looked back.
Like most health trips, this is harder than it sounds. But thankfully, Deliciously Ella, a smoothie-loving foodie blogger is on hand to share her advice and surprisingly appetising recipes. Oh, and they are gluten-free too. Genius at turning typically unhealthy dishes into guilt free treats, this is no rabbit food.
Documenting her journey through her Instagram feed, if nothing else, her vibrant images offer a slightly more interesting interlude to the countless selfies we’re otherwise faced with.
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@sproutedkitchen
@nutritionstripped
Best for: Creativity
Best for: Expert advice
Sarah Forte’s Sprouted Kitchen is a selfproclaimed “tastier take on whole foods” and with pictures as delicious as these, I don’t think that’s one word of a lie.
After suffering from migraines through her high school years, and growing accustomed to the heavily processed ‘health foods’ of the time, McKel interest in the importance of nutrition grew.
She treats her culinary creations as art, not science, meaning she rarely measures but rather makes educated guesses. You might think this would make her meals difficult to replicate, but she encourages adapting them to your own tastes and preferences. My recommendation? Well, her maple chocolate chip museli bars have seen me through many-a-long morning (and afternoon, and evening...)
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Now a dietician and wellness coach, McKel preaches the importance of natural, healthy eating and taking full responsibility for what goes into your body. Granted, that is no easy feat, so to help us mere mortals along the way, her Instagram feed is packed full of recipes, tips and advice.
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00: NEXT ISSUE Gospel will return in the Autumn with Issue B, where we promise...
Our AW trend reports will give you inspiration for the season; we have all the skincare advice you need to make the transition to colder climbs; our exercise plans will help you stay active without even having to go outside.; and we fast forward to the future of fragrance, reporting back on what the world of scent has in store.
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Thank you for reading.
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HIGH SUMMER 2014 £12