So Paige Denim has landed here at Lovestretch and we were just wondering how to get across how seriously nice they are when we found this pic of the Duchess of Cambridge wearing her Skyline Ankle Peg jeans courtesy of Just Jared celebrity news. Enough said, really, except to add that they’re selling out fast. Skyline is the jeans style for classy lovers of classic five-pocket denim.

Browsing for some skincare advice the other day, I happened on this extract from a webchat on Mumsnet with Liz Earle. There lots of good tips in the piece for honing your beauty routine (click through at the bottom for more) but here a a few of them:

Keep it simple. As far as our skincare routine is concerned, keep it simple, as more is not necessarily better.

Feed your skin. I swear by natural-source Vitamin E as an internal and external natural beautifier as its the most important of all the antioxidant vitamins for helping to maintain a youthful glow.

Never ever use soap and water on your face! All soap is alkaline some soap very strongly so and our skin is naturally slightly acidic, so every time you wash with soap you upset the delicate pH balance.

Switch to plant power. Pure plant oils are naturally rich in essential fatty acids EFAs, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients and do more good for your skin than bland mineral oil or paraffin waxes.

For brighter, smoother skin on your body, I highly recommend body brushing. Its an easy and inexpensive way of keeping the skin smooth, especially on lumpy, bumpy areas such as upper arms, hips and thighs. Use a long-handled, natural bristle brush to literally brush she skin from top to toe working upwards from the soles of the feet, concentrating on hips and thighs to help shift cellulite.

via Webchat with Liz Earle, skincare expert | Mumsnet.

We’re always careful on the Lovestretch blog to give you the best info – especially when it comes to exercise and beauty. So we’re really pleased to introduce KORA Organics, the brainchild of supermodel Miranda Kerr and managed by her businesswoman mother Therese Kerr, to Lovestretchers. Over a couple of posts here on the Lovestretch blog they are describing their passion for Organic skin care and what goes into the the products.

Noni
Noni provides a potent anti-oxidant to protect from environmental damage and lifestyle. Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) is a tree native to Pacific Islands and Tahiti. It’s been used in Polynesia for over 2000 years for its beneficial properties and is thought to help a whole host of health issues plus boost energy and improve skin condition. It’s very high in Vitamin C, antioxidants and can help minimise free radical damage.

Noni is a macro nutrient and is also indigenous to Australia; grown wild it’s known by Aboriginal people as ‘bush tucker’. It was first introduced to Miranda as a drink by her grandparents when she was twelve. Miranda swears by Noni, which she uses everyday; and believes that its nutritional properties give her the energy she needs and helps keep her skin in fabulous condition.

Apart from drinking Noni, Miranda has incorporated the qualities of Noni into her KORA Organics skincare range so that you can enjoy its powerful benefits too.

Apart from drinking Noni, Miranda has incorporated the qualities of Noni into her KORA Organics skincare range so that you can enjoy its powerful benefits too.

Macrobiotic salts sourced from the Pacific Ocean
Free from any preservatives or additives, this pink-grey salt from the coast of North East Australia, is packed with minerals and trace elements. Delivering the full benefits of the pristine ocean where it is harvested.

Rose Quartz Crystal Energised Water
Rose quartz is pink coloured crystal gemstone believed to have heart-healing qualities. It is a natural remedy that is thought to carry a very gentle, soothing energy that encourages self-love. By using Rose Quartz Crystal Energised Water we hope to infuse a vibration of self-love into the KORA Organics skincare products.

Rose Hip Oil
Rich in Vitamin C, Rose Hip Oil (rosa mosqueta) is very nutritious and consists of 80 per cent essential fatty acids. Can be helpful to repair the skin and can reduce the appearance of sun damage, acne scars and may help the symptoms associated with dry skin and eczema.

Vitamins A, C and E complex
Known as Bio ACE, in combination these vitamins synergistically work as powerful anti-oxidants.

Vitamin E
Known as one of the most healing and effective anti-oxidants in the skincare world today, it protects the skin from everyday environmental exposure and damage caused by lifestyle.

In the next KORA blog, Miranda and Therese explain why the three-step beauty routine (cleanse, tone, moisturize) is the beauty standard.

Celebrity trainer Dee Thresher has the solution for keeping arms toned and trim for the rest of the summer. These push-ups are a great exercise for toning those hard-to-reach areas across the chest and down into the arms. With a daily dose of this quick and effective exercise, you will quickly see results.

Find a soft surface and place your hands on the floor wider than your shoulders. Angle the body in a diagonal line and keep you knees on the floor, your tummy pulled in tight and your back strong. Lower and lift by bending your arms and taking your chest down close to the floor. Complete a set or 12.

Now we’re into the hotter months, we thought we’d run our programme of top exercise tips by the celebrity trainer Dee Thresher. First up, banish those love handles:

There are many things a woman wants in her life but a muffin top is rarely, if ever, one of them. That pesky roll of female softness that spills out over the top of a low waistband can sometimes take quite a bit of work to smooth – never to eradicate, though, we need some of it for optimum health.

Exercise 1: Lie on your back on top of a soft surface and kee the shoulders on the floor. Place your fingers by your temples with your elbows wide. Drop your knees to one side then lift and lower the shoulders, targeting your waistline.  As you lift your shoulders advance this exercise by lifting and lowering the top leg as you raise your shoulders off the floor. Repeat 20 times. In the same position place your knee back down and drop the hand on the side of the feet and reach towards your feet by bending the spine downwards. Repeat 20 times, targeting the back of the waist.

Exercise 2: (You may use a hand weight with these exercises or a water bottle.) Lie on your back with a soft surface underneath. Lifting both legs off the floor and if possible your head also (resting on your shoulders), take one hand weight and start to “scissor” your legs. When you have the action of the scissors going, start passing the weight through your legs in a figure of 8 motion. Repeat 40 times in total and if required add a break half way through.

Dee Thresher wears a selection of Asquith London and Kelly Hoppen for Earth Couture.

We wanted to share this fascinating conversation between Sylvie Guillem and AnOther magazine. If you love your dance, it’s a great read (follow the link at the bottom for the entire interview).

The legendary one-time étoile ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet turned avant-garde dance master Sylvie Guillem has worked with some of the greatest choreographers of the modern age, and this week she appears in a unique collaboration with three of the most eminent: Mats Ek, William Forsythe and Jiří Kylián.

’6000 Miles Away’ is already being hailed as a masterpiece by insiders and it promises to be a transcendental masterclass in the language of dance from the 45-year-old dancer famed in her youth for a rebellious streak that earned her the industry nickname Mademoiselle Non.

In person the CBE-holding dancer is as formidable in character as her lean, toned muscular body, although her eyes and quick smile belie a profound depth of humility and humanity – after all, this is a woman who has shunned celebrity her entire life, despite being widely considered one of the greatest artists of her generation. In this rare interview with John-Paul Pryor the revered boundary-defying dancer and choreographer discusses her drive, her discipline and her penchant for saying non.

What would you say drives you to continually push yourself in your art form?

I think it comes from my personality. I’m still a kid trying to be astonished by things. I have kind of this curiosity to learn, and I’m always learning something new. It’s always about putting myself in danger – putting myself in an uncomfortable situation for a while – and that’s very rewarding because it’s always a step forward. I am used to a routine and discipline as well, of course, because that’s the base of what I do, but if I was not able to go out of that or to use it as a springboard then I would be bored. My problem with dance is that it can follow a recipe that is very efficient but it is only a recipe. In that instance, it will be good but it won’t be excellent – it won’t be exceptional, it won’t be extraordinary.

via Art Talks – Sylvie Guillem | AnOther.

At the risk of going on about just how versatile The Limitless Dress is, we wanted to share this pic with you. Pink, a new mummy of just 3 weeks standing, walks out in the LA sunshine with her husband Carey Hart and their little bundle of joy, Willow. We’re guessing Pink has already put her dress through its many and varied permutations as she blossomed through pregnancy and now she can enjoy trying out a few more while she nurses her new baby. Pregnancy and the early post-natal stages are the hardest for women style-wise, so thanks to The Limitless range by Emami for coming up with a seriously great and versatile option. Did we mention the dress is just £55 in the sale?

Picture: Rex Features

We’re huge fans of Miranda Kerr’s Organic skin care line KORA (available via mail order), discovered on a trip to her native Australia. Her blog is always a good read and it here we found her personal thoughts on how Organic skin care differs from the thousands of tempting non-Organic ranges. Intuitively it makes sense that the fewer chemicals we add to our routine the better but the science is unequivocal on the benefits of ditching the ‘nasties’. Here Miranda explains her range and her reasoning:

‘Most people aren’t aware of the damaging ingredients found in most skincare products.  Unfortunately unless a product is certified organic there are many ingredients that I personally refuse to put on my skin, let alone my face.  Most skincare products contain:  Sulfates, Parabens, Synthetic or Natural fragrance, Synthetic colours, T.E.A., D.E.A., Glycols, Silicones, PEGS. Ethoxylates and Formaldehyde or Formaldehyde derivatives.  I encourage you to read Bill Statham’s “The Chemical Maze”, I grew up with that book and am so grateful for having had access to the information Bill provides in relation to all the nasties in some of our most common products.

My mantra is:  ”What we put on our skin, soaks in – use organic” and I live by that for both my face and personal care products, hence why I created an entire range for both face and body.

If you are just starting your own journey in relation to organics and you are unsure what you should and shouldn’t get, I recommend you don’t try our organic products until such time as you finish your others (unless of course your range isn’t working for you and/or you are concerned as to the chemicals in your current range (if applicable).  Mixing organic and non-organic is not a good idea either. Ultimately when using organic skincare your body will go through a detox in trying to rid itself of any chemicals, if you are using an organic line and combining it with a non organic line, your results will be compromised as the detoxing process will not be able to occur.

When you are ready to try KORA Organics, I would recommend at the very least a SKIN TYPE PACK which basically is the age old adage of 3 steps: cleanse, tone, moisturise and if you want to give your skin an additional nourishing, revitalising and rejuvenating lift I would also recommend the KORA Organics Exfoliating Cream, the KORA Organics Luxurious Rosehip Oil and the Recovery Eye Gel.

The last thing you should also do in relation to your skin is apply a heavily-laden chemical foundation on the top of your organic skincare.  I honestly believe women are 3 times more toxic then men because of the amount of “chemically enhanced” makeup, body lotion, perfume, body washes they pour onto their precious bodies and I also believe the build up of toxins from such activities is partly responsible for cellulite – but that is a story for another day.  I recommend that you also try the KORA Organics Tinted Moisturiser – it is an incredible, healthy alternative to foundation and it has amazing coverage and leaves your skin feeling radiant.  See the other post on the Tinted Day Cream to find out how best to use it.’

via Foaming Cleanser without the nasty foaming agents so commonly found in skincare!! | KORA Organics Blog.

It may be an important national matter but we promise to make this the very last mention of a certain famous bottom.

There are countless Facebook pages devoted to Ms Middleton’s derriere and she has finally revealed the secret behind her perfect behind: Pilates.

It’s said that the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister attends classes at small studio in Parson’s Green near her London flat and has become devoted to her practice.

Pippa claims the exercise has helped improve her core stability and posture – which explains her elongated frame and natural poise on the big day and calls her daily date at the studio a ‘weekly necessity’.

This bombshell news is sure to boost Pilates attendances up and down the land and a very good thing too. For lots of different reasons.

Founder and CEO of Lovestretch, Gill Owen, has some sound advice on how to follow Pippa on the road to backside righteousness:

‘Firstly I’d always advise someone starting out on the Pilates road to do their homework and find a really good teacher – it can make all the difference. He or she needs to be able to communicate well and who properly understand the mechanics.

‘Pilates – and the very best bottom you can achieve – comes from a base level of the pelvic floor. The way to find that is to bring the sitz bones together (the ones you can feel against a chair when you sit up straight). These close the pelvic floor at the perineum, the strongest part of the pelvic floor.

‘When you bring those areas together the bottom lifts and if you do this often enough within your practice and often enough you will achieve a pert bottom. For best results this movement should be performed in all the main positions; prone, lying, sitting and standing.

‘With commitment and two or three classes a week great results can be achieved. After three months optimum strength should be reached. Then it’s simply a case of honoring that work and maintaining it!’

For any Pilates questions or advice, email Gill; gill@lovestretch.com.

 

It’s refreshing to note that the latest Forbes Supermodel List is peppered with women in their thirties. Gisele Bündchen (30), Kate Moss (37), Heidi Klum (37) and Carolyn Murphy (also 37 – 1973 must have been an especially beautiful year) are all top earners.

Their money comes not from the editorial pages they fill but the advertising ones that fatten magazines and decorate billboards. Why is this interesting? It means that advertisers have to pay more attention to the real age of their target audience than the mags themselves.

Age softens and matures a woman’s look in a way that’s attractive to younger as well as older women. It’s great to see that acknowledged by the advertising agencies.

Now the demographic is moving in the right direction we’re looking forward to the time when women over 40 regularly make the list alongside their beautiful counterparts who are 20 years their junior.