Coming Up Roses
You may think that roses should only ever be found in the perfume your granny wears or delivered by a loving boyfriend, but here at Belle we know that there is so much more to roses. From rose fragranced products to rose coloured make-up and rose as an active ingredient, beauty counters are positively blooming with the romantic flower.
The fragrance is great for your mind too as it not only smells gorgeous but is said to ease depression and stress. And rose colour flatters almost every skin tone and can be worn during the day and night without looking overly made up.
MAKE-UP
Wearing rose coloured eye shadow on pale skin tones will inject warmth and radiance, instantly making you look more awake and flushed with colour. On darker skin tones rose coloured eye shadow will look seriously funky worn all over the eyelid with just a flick of black eyeliner. Rosy lips give you a polished yet understated look while a blush of rose across the cheeks can warm any complexion.
M.A.C has a brilliant pigment loose colour powder in rose (£15 from MAC) that can be used to create a subtle wash of colour or an intense effect.
Bourjois Rose Exclusif Lip Gloss (£6.99 from Boots) self adjusts to a unique and personalised pink when applied to lips so you are guaranteed to get a colour that suits you.
Posietint by Benefit (£23.50 from Boots) can be used on cheeks and lips for a slight flush to make you look like a true English rose and once it is applied, it stays put too.
Chanel’s latest range of lipsticks – Rouge Coco (£21.50 from Debenhams) – has a range of beautiful pink shades but our favourite has to be Organdi Rose, a colour that suits all lip and skin tones.
SKIN CARE
Rose water has an astringent effect on the capillaries, which reduces redness and improves their general appearance. It also soothes skin conditions, calms irritated skin and is great for mature or dry skin.
Lush’s Turkish Delight Body Smoothie (£15 from Lush) packs 20,000 rose petals in every pot along with almond oil and cocoa butter, meaning your skin will feel touchingly soft and smell divine too.
Purity Organic skincare Anti-Aging Serum and Mask (£8.99 from Superdrug) also uses rose water to tone the skin. Apply a thick layer on the face, avoiding the eyes, leave on for 10 minutes for a moisture boost and glowing skin.
Balm Balm’s Rose Geranium Face Balm (£5.99) soothes, moisturises and nourishes skin with a delicate feminine rose fragrance.
Aromatherapy Associates have harnessed the delicate rose fragrance in their Rose Exfoliating Cleanser (£19.50 from aromatherapyassociates.com). Skin is left looking beautifully radiant and smooth, it’s gentle enough to use everyday and on skin that’s been overly exposed to the sun.
Oskia bedtime Beauty Boost (£74 from Oskiaskincare.com) uses rosehip seed in an amazingly luxurious night cream that will give you a radiant, soft and regenerated glow with a perfume of Bulgarian rose and rose lychee.
FRAGRANCE
The fragrance of rose is naturally euphoric so can uplift your mood with just a subtle scent. It also alleviates stress and depression. Fragrance expert Geraldine Biles says that rose scented perfumes do not have to be old fashioned.
While Jean Patou’s perfume Joy is one of the most expensive retail perfumes in the world and uses 336 Bulgarian roses in every ounce, because of it’s prestige and the fact that it has been around since the twenties, it does seem to be the choice of older ladies. Instead Geraldine recommends choosing one of the more contemporary rose fragrances. Stella McCartney’s scent Stella Rose Absolute Eau de Parfum (from £36 from Debenhams) is a heavy, intense fragrance – a perfect winter scent to add some mystery and intrigue. If you prefer something a little lighter and fresher, she suggests Paul Smith Rose (from £16.50 from Amazon).
If you are looking for something truly special and unique try Givenchy Harvest 2009 Very Irrestitible Centifolia Rose (£65 exclusively from Harrods). “It is an annual vintage, just like a fine wine,” says Geraldine.
