To celebrate the launch of the new-look SOPHYTO Organics e-newsletter, we are giving you the chance to WIN a full set of lovely SOPHYTO products for free.

So, that means we’ll be sending you the Deep Pore Foaming Cleanser, the Ultra Mild Silken Cleanser, the Tone & Balance Super Bioactive, the Purify & Energise Super Bioactive, the Normalising Day Face Moisturiser, the Mega Omegas Day Face Moisturiser, the (ELLE award-winning btw) Polyphenol Skin Drops, the Dual Action Exfoliating Treatment AND the BRAND NEW Multivitamin Skin Drops AND Marine Peptide Brightening Treatment… so you can see how well the products work together. Not bad, huh?

To enter the competition, you just need to click here and enter email addresses for 3 of your friends. Then we will email them about the competition and enter you at the same time… Go on, it will only take a second.

If you haven’t signed up for the SOPHYTO Style e-news blast, just click here and enter your email address at the top.

Best of luck X

We are feeling very thankful for all the support we’ve received this year, so thank you, thank you.

We hope you and your skin are having a lovely day. And, if it’s not, you know what to do….!

Happy happy Thanksgiving one and all xxx

That’s right, we’ve finally joined the 21st Century and we’d love to you climb on board with us!

Click on the links below to join our happy flock… and hear about future organic skin care launches and other green stuff… not to mention competitions, before everyone else. Go on. You know you want to…

It’s holiday time in the US which hopefully means over-indulging with friends and family… but don’t forget that your skin could use a little indulgence too. Fresh Pumpkin and Cranberry are especially nutritious for the outside of your body as well as the inside. SOPHYTO Organics’ bioesthetician Ishtar Magally has come up with some delicious uses for your Thanksgiving fruit and veg to lift your skin and your mood before or after the festivities:

Facial 1: Antioxidant Treat

Ingredients:

• 4 Mandarin wedges (antioxidant; regenerating; stimulates circulation, clears impurities,          antidepressant; sedative)
• 2 Orange slices (antioxidant; regenerating; phlebotonic/flebotonic (strengthens veins, improves circulation); nourishing; enriching; antiseptic; anti-inflammatory; uplifting.)
• 1 tbsp Almond milk (nourishing; enriching; emollient; softening; revitalizing.)
• 1 Apple slice (antioxidant; antibiotic; regenerating; anti-inflammatory.)
• 1 tbsp fresh/canned pumpkin pulp (antioxidant; revitalizing; enriching; nourishing; regenerating.)
• 1 drop of pure vanilla extract (antioxidant; moisturising; adaptogenic; soothing; calming; relaxing.)
• 1 sachet of SOPHYTO Organics Marine Peptide Brightening Treatment (formerly Purifying Active Mask)

Step-by-step Applications:

1. Blend the almond milk, pumpkin, apple and vanilla with the Marine Peptide Brightening Treatment and set aside.
2. Cleanse skin thoroughly (with SOPHYTO cleanser and toner, if you have it).
3. With one mandarin wedge in each hand, gently massage the fruit over the face, neck and decollete. Do not rinse skin afterwards.
4. Apply the Marine Peptide Brightening Treatment facial mixture. Leave on the skin for 10-15 minutes. TIP: Apply 2 chilled orange slices to the eyes for an extra soothing treat.
5. Massage the skin with the remaining 2 mandarin wedges and gently wipe with steam towels or wipe skin clean with SOPHYTO Super Bioactive toner.
6. Moisturise skin with SOPHYTO Polyphenol Skin Drops, Multivitamin Skin Drops or your favourite organic skin moisturiser.

Facial No.2: J’AIME LES POLYPHENOLS!

A true treat to the eye and the skin, this recipe is a blend of colourful fresh ingredients - packed with the most potent antioxidants known today. Get ready to see your skin at its best.

Ingredients

• 2 seeded red globe grapes - cut in half (rich in anti-ageing polyphenols/antioxidants; anti-inflammatory; detoxifying; hydrating; toning; revitalizing; gently exfoliating.)
• 1tsp Cranberry Juice (high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, phospholipids (good fats), and natural AHAs; antibacterial; conditioning; protective.)
• 1tsp mashed Blackcurrants (powerful antioxidant; high levels of Vitamin C and AHAs; effective tissue drainers; conditioning; anti-inflammatory due to high GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid) content; contains prebiotics which nourish good skin bacteria.)
• 1 tsp mashed Strawberries (full of Vitamin C, potassium, sodium and iron; mildly astringent; purifying; gently exfoliating; excellent source of Vitamin K, Manganese, Riboflavin, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Copper, Magnesium, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids; soothing for blemishes and sunburn.)
• 2 sets of thin (European-style) Cucumber discs - chilled (Cucumber: Soothing; cooling; astringent; toning; hydrating; revitalising.)
• SOPHYTO Marine Peptide Brightening Treatment

Step-by-step application

1. Blend cranberry juice, mashed blackcurrants and strawberries, add Marine Peptide Brightening Treatment and set aside.
2. Cleanse skin thoroughly (with a SOPHYTO cleanser and Super Bioactive Toner if you have it).
3. With half a grape in each hand, gently massage fruit over the face decollete. You can use the pulp and grape skin against your skin.
4. Wipe skin clean (with SOPHYTO Super Bioactive Toner if you have it).
5. Either steam your face for 2-3 minutes or apply a hot (but not burning) towel to your face and neck.
6. Apply the Marine Peptide Brightening Treatment facial mixture and leave on the skin for 10-15 minutes. TIP: apply 2 discs of chilled cucumber to the eyes - rest discs on the lower eye socket bone, leaving space between the eye and the disc, and rest 2 discs on the upper eye socket, but don’t cover the eye itself.
7. Massage skin with the remaining 2 grape halves and gently wipe with steamed towels or Super Bioactive toner.
8. Moisturise skin with SOPHYTO Polyphenol Skin Drops, Multivitamin Skin Drops or your favourite organic skin moisturiser.

Forgive me if you’ve been doing this for years, but on the off chance that, like me, you’ve been living in a dark hole of lingering kitchen stains with no idea how to get rid of them… this may be of interest.

Having made the gargantuan vat of soup mentioned below, I tired my post-flu self out and had to lie down, and in my deathly state left the used can of pumpkin puree in the sink overnight. Cut to the next morning and there’s an unsightly rust stain in the sink where the can was standing.

I have known about the brilliance of vinegar for some time, and use it on pans aplenty but it didn’t cut it at all on this bad boy… There was a similar stain above the hob that hadn’t succumbed to the power of the vinegar either.

I tried our usual kitchen cleaners on the stain as well (one natural, the other not so much), just in case, but as I suspected, they didn’t do anything.

Not wanting to just give in and buy one of the noxious cleaners available in the supermarket, I did a bit of research online and found a site suggesting that I scrub the stain off with an abrasive metal brush ie. to strip the surface level of the sink away; the upside is the stain would be gone but there might be an ugly scraped metal mark…

However, I also found someone talking up the power of Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda) - a natural bleach. I liked the sound of this better so I bought some and put it on the stain and made a paste as advised. I left it for a while but when I tried scrubbing, the stain didn’t seem to lift. Then I decided to try a Bicarb/Vinegar mixture and that’s when the magic happened! Not only did I get the familiar neutralising fizz (which took me right back to chemistry lessons in the stinky lab!) but the stain started to lift into the salt and came away easily. Delighted with my new-found ‘powers’, I tried the solution on the stain above the hob that had been there for months and the same magic happened.

I could not have been more pleased with myself - all that for $0.89 for the Baking Soda and $0.99 for the vinegar. Yes, granted, getting such pleasure from cleaning makes me very uncool, but I don’t care. Being anything but a domestic goddess, I reason it’s best to enjoy each and every triumph, however small!

Anyway, if you already knew this, please share the wealth with your less fortunate friends… so that they too can experience the joy of GREEN POWER!

Ps. If you have any other green cleaning secrets, please pass them on to us here - they will be much appreciated!

As SOPHYTO’s lovely bioesthetician Ishtar said last week, now is the time to stock up on root vegetables, gourds and other such Autumnal delights in order to prepare your skin for the harshness of winter (FYI even if you’re lucky enough to live in Florida or somewhere equally sunny, your skin will still love these nourishing veggies too!). So, I’ve come up with a very easy soup that’s nutritious, delicious and lasts for days. I’ve tested it out on several different parties and got a solid thumbs up each time so I think it’s safe to share it now… and if you don’t have all the ingredients, just use similar veg in any amounts that you wish.

Ingredients (organic and local, if possible)

1 Pumpkin - fresh is best, but if, like me, you’ve just had the flu and still have the strength of a sparrow, go with the axe-free canned puree version! (low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and sodium; a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus; and a very good source of dietary fibre, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper and Manganese)

2 Small Butternut squashes (very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and Sodium; a good source of Vitamin E, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium and Magnesium; and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese)

2 large Sweet potatoes (low in Sodium, and very low in saturated fat and cholesterol; it is also a good source of dietary fibre, Vitamin B6 and Manganese; and a very good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Also has significant anti-inflammatory properties)

8 Carrots (very low in saturated fat and cholesterol; it is also a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin and Potassium, and a very good source of dietary fibre, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6 and Manganese)

1 large Onion roughly chopped (very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and Sodium; it is also a good source of dietary fibre, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese. Also has very strong anti-inflammatory properties)

2-3 cloves of finely chopped Garlic (very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and Sodium; it is also a good source of Calcium, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Manganese. And very strong anti-inflammatory properties)

2-3 tsp of finely chopped Ginger (low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and Sodium; it is also a good source of Vitamin C, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese, and has anti-inflammatory properties)

3-4 cubes of Vegetable Stock (I use organic gluten-free, dairy-free, yeast-free from the UK but haven’t found an equivalent in the US yet)

*Nutritional info taken from www.nutritiondata.com

Recipe

• Peel and chop - everything! As roughly or finely as you like.
• Make up the stock as per the ingredients on the packet (mine says use one cube per 500ml but I tend to make it a little neater to maximise flavour) and add to a large pan, along with the garlic, onion and ginger.

• Bring the stock mixture to the boil and then let simmer.

• As you finish chopping the other veg, add it to the pan and keep simmering until the veg goes soft. This will take at least 15 minutes, but the longer you leave the soup, the tastier it will get.

• When you’re happy with it, take it off the heat and mash it/blitz it with a hand blender as you wish. I really like soup to be thick with big chunks in it so that’s how people in my house get it too

• You can, of course, add any vegetables you like to the mix (to make it less orange, for one thing!) but I think this combination is the best I’ve tried yet. You shouldn’t need to add too much salt because of the stock, and the ginger gives it a pretty good kick, but you could add pepper or paprika for extra winter warmth.

• Serve the soup with any kind of bread… For a really tasty treat, pumpkin spice bread goes down well. I tried this gluten-free recipe, and swapped the sugar for agave and the butter for coconut oil and it was really, really good.

• I generally make a batch big enough to last 3 or 4 days. This week I could tell my boyfriend was a bit bored of getting the same soup every day for 3 days, but I discovered that it also makes a good base for a veggie stew. I just added some more green veg, heated it all up in a pan and served it over quinoa, flavoured with fennel and carraway seeds. It took 10 minutes, tasted fab and the boy didn’t even twig that he was getting the very same soup he’d had for lunch (not that I felt smug about that or anything).

And there you have it. If you’ve got a healthy meal recipe that tastes great, too, please do share it with us. My boyfriend, for one, would be very grateful for some variety!

Because if you do, your beliefs could be entitled to the same legal protection as those of a religious nature thanks to a landmark case this week.

Tim Nicholson, the former head of sustainability at Grainger PLC (pictured right), the UK’s largest residential landlord, took his former employer to court on the grounds that he was dismissed for his environmental views.

The Judge, Michael Burton (the judge who ruled in 2007 that Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth was “broadly accurate” but lacked balance) said today that “a belief in man-made climate change … is capable, if genuinely held, of being a philosophical belief for the purpose of the 2003 Religion and Belief Regulations” IF, like other philosophical beliefs it passed 5 tests including: “It must be a belief and not an opinion or view based on the present state of information available.”

Nicholson, while obviously delighted with the ruling, however insists that his views differ from religious sentiment and ARE weighted in what he believes are facts ‘based on the present state of information available’. He says: “The moral and ethical values are similar to those that are promoted and adopted by many of the world’s religions. But one of the key differences I think is that mine is not a faith-based or spiritual-based belief: it is grounded in the overwhelming scientific evidence and it’s the combination of that scientific evidence with the moral and ethical imperative to do something about it that is distinct from a religion.”

Nevertheless, certain green activists still fear that equating their views with religion will only fuel the debate that man’s influence on global warming is unfounded and therefore acting to curb it is a waste of time.

The judge has yet to rule on whether Nicholson was actually dismissed for his green ‘beliefs’ and not, as Grainger claims, because of financial issues, but those involved in employment law think this case will have a huge influence on other beliefs, such as feminism, vegetarianism, humanism etc.

Click here for more on this.

SOPHYTO Organics believes that man definitely has a responsibility to care for the environment as best we can, and as such, conducts all of its actions in accordance with a set of principles as sustainable as currently possible. For more info on our green principles, visit the SOPHYTO Organics website.

Or Autumn, if you will ;). As the nights draw in, it’s time to up the ante with your organic skin care regime, to restore your skin to its pre-summer glory before the harsh climes of Winter set in. But before you do, let SOPHYTO’s bioesthetician Ishtar Magally guide you through the process of caring for your skin’s changing needs.

Things to do with your skin

• Moisturize while you cleanse. It is advisable to switch to a creamier, gentle, non-clogging cleanser that will add extra moisture and protect your skin from environmental aggressions.

• Steer clear of heavy metals. Chlorine, fluorine, etc disturb the skin’s acid mantle leading to imbalances.

• Use mildly acidic, hydrating toners. They will finalize the cleansing process and balance the skin’s pH.

• Do exfoliate, but be gentle. Summer damage can result in cellular build-up on the skin’s surface. To effectively remove dead skin cells and leave the skin smooth, exfoliate regularly using mildly acidic, natural formulations. pH-balanced exfoliants support the skin’s natural functions and better enable it to absorb nutrients without causing irritation, by aggravating any damage from the summer sun.

• Tailor your routine. In order to repair your summer skin and prepare it for winter inclemencies, you will need to step up the moisturising. Your skin needs richer, more emollient creams (especially at night) that keep the skin elastic and lubricious.

• Shield your skin. Although sun radiation is less intense, you should continue protecting your skin against damaging UV rays. Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 and remember to re-apply it every 2 hours.

• Fix summer damage with a weekly treatment. Seasonal fresh fruits, when applied topically, can slough off dull, hyper-pigmented, actinic (photo-aged) skin as well as stimulate cellular renewal.

Things to do with your body

• Superhydrate. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day will keep your skin moisturised and help to eliminate toxins efficiently. Have an extra glass of water for every glass of alcohol/cup of coffee you take to prevent possible dehydration. Try to get as much water as possible from fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Eat your cosmeceuticals. Foods rich in Omega-3 essential fatty acids and antioxidants such as polyphenols, Vitamins A, C and E can help reverse summer damage, prepare the skin for the challenges it will face during Winter and boost its immune system while preserving its quality and restoring its natural glow. Eat foods that are in season as much as possible.

• Skin-boosting foods for fall include: avocados, apples, bananas, beets, carrots, chestnuts, clementines, cranberries, garlic, grapes, grapefruit, kiwi, kumquat, oranges, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, pumpkin, quinces, satsuma, sweet potatoes, tangerines, mandarins, oranges.

To find out which SOPHYTO Organics skin care products are best suited for your skin, take a look at SOPHYTO Organics and get a personal consultation.