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AUTHENTICITY

Date: July 24, 2010  Author: Karen Leave a comment

I have the good fortune to hang out once a month on a Friday with a fabulous group of women  The Creation Team

Yesterday was our monthly meeting and summer BBQ which was hosted by the fabulous Judith Morgan and included a blessing of her garden office which is now officially known as the Abundance Shed.  After saying a few words we were asked to pick an angel card for ourselves, if you don’t know these are little cards with just one word on them.

I picked Authenticity.

This was quite appropriate as I have been having a huge number of conversations recentlywith friends and colleagues about my need to be authentic in everything I do.

Authenticity to me is being the real you, whoever that is, and sticking to your guns about it. For me its about being authentic to yourself and not  to how you think you should be. Let me clarify:

Sometimes we have to make compromises in our business and personal lives which leads us to feel that we are not being “real”. We sometimes feel we have to put on a persona to fit in with our business profile or niche of what we think people expect us to be. For example I am teaching people about making natural beauty products but I have bright pink hair (which is obviously not natural)- does that mean I am not being authentic? I don’t think so.

In being yourself you will attract those to you who find you interesting and like you. Those who make judgements based on you not fitting into a perceived stereotype will fall away or not find you in the first place.

Be Authentic, Be Real , Be Yourself

HONEY ROSE BEAUTY BALM RECIPE

Date: July 11, 2010  Author: Karen Leave a comment

This luxurious balm can be used as a hot cloth cleanser, a massage treatment or as an intense, rich moisturising treatment for dry or ageing skin.

INGREDIENTS

10g Jojoba Oil
10g Almond Oil
10g Rosehip Seed Oil
10g Hemp Seed Oil
10g Borage Oil
Note – You could use different oils to the above as long as the total adds up to 50g
20g Beeswax
30g Shea Butter
10g Manuka Honey
6 drops Rose Otto
4 drops Patchouli

METHOD

Melt the Beeswax and Shea Butter in a bain-marie or bowl over a pan of hot water on the hob. Add the remaining ingredients except for the essential oils and stir gently until everything is liquid. Remove from the heat and add the essential oils. Keep stirring the mixture gently as it cools to mix in the Manuka Honey as this may not totally dissolve with heating. As you mix you will notice the mixture getting thicker and the honey will start to blend in. Once it is a thick but pourable consistency, pour into a clean 100ml jar to set. If you want to make less then just halve all ingredients. Please note that measurements are weighed on a scale in grammes as this is more accurate than measuring out in millilitres.

LAVENDER & WITCHAZEL CLEANSER

Date: July 11, 2010  Author: Karen Leave a comment

Ingredients

10g Cocoa Butter

10g Shea Butter

15g Coconut Oil (solid)

5g Jojoba Wax

10g Witchazel

a few drops lavender oil

Method

Melt the Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil & Jojoba Wax in a bain-marie or a bowl over a pan of hot water. Once everything has melted, remove from heat and leave to cool slightly. Gradually stir in the witchhazel (or if you are making a bigger batch use a stick blender), continue to stir while the mixture cools. You can put it in the fridge for a few minutes, then stir some more until all of the witchazel is mixed in.  Once its a thick but pourable consistency add the essential oils and pour into a clean glass jar. Refridgerate to set it completely.

To use, massage a small amount over the face to dissolve make up and remove with a muslin cloth or face flannel that has been soaked in (not too) hot water.

WORKSHOPS

Date: July 11, 2010  Author: Karen Leave a comment

Over the years I have designed and facilitated many workshops in natural health and beauty, aromatherapy and perfumery both for adults, children and teenagers.  As well as running my own workshops I am available to design and deliver fun and informative courses, workshops or one off events tailored to your requirements.

If you would like me to run a workshop for you please email me here karen@karengilbert.co.uk

Perfumery Classes

Date: July 11, 2010  Author: Karen 2 Comments

I have been interested in fragrance and perfumery for as long as I can remember and found my niche in the early 90′s when I ended up working for International Flavours & Fragrances (IFF) totally by accident.

I trained my nose and learned lots about commercial perfumery whilst working as a fragrance evaluator for several years. Whilst at IFF I ran fragrance training days for our clients who were buyers for some of the biggest personal care brands in the world.

As well as studying perfumery I trained in aromatherapy and decided to join the product development team at Neal’s Yard Remedies in order to increase my knowledge of natural materials. During my time at NYR I helped to create many of their award winning products and ran training courses for members of the public and developed a training programme for their retail staff.

I have a brand new date for my one day beginners perfumery workshop in London.

An Introduction to Perfumery

Date: 15th October 2011
Time: 10am-5pm
Venue: Imperial College South Kensington
Cost: £150

Booking Options

This workshop in natural perfumery will give you the opportunity to gain a basic understanding of the history of perfumery and then work with a variety of materials to design your own natural fragrances.

You will have plenty of hands on experience in blending and creating your own accords and finished fragrances.

All materials and equipment are provided and no previous experience is necessary. All you need is imagination and a love of perfumery.

Topics Covered

  • The History of Perfume
  • Where Do Fragrance Ingredients Come From and How Are They Made
  • The Sense of Smell and What it Means To Us
  • The Beginners Guide to Training your Nose
  • Top, Middle and Base notes and Why They Are Important
  • Practical Blending Techniques

By the end of this 1 day course you will:

  • Have an understanding of the historical significance of fragrance
  • Have learned about the different natural ingredients used in perfumery
  • Easily be able to classify natural aromatic ingredients into the different fragrance families
  • Have practised blending top middle and base notes to create simple fragrances
Booking Options

I am also running perfumery classes at Neal’s Yard Remedies in Covent Garden a few times a year, so please check their courses page for booking.

Current Perfumery Classes

I  run perfumery classes in London and around the UK, please check THE FRAGRANT ALCHEMIST blog for my current perfumery training schedule.

 

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