Welcome Neom Organics

We are super excited to introduce Neom Organics to Bamboo.
Neom is the only brand dedicated to creating products that are 100% natural with proven well-being benefits. They believe that caring for your mind is just as important as your body.

Neom is now the fastest growing well being fragrance brand in the UK, dedicated to inspiring women to lead healthier lives.

We stock their candles, body oils, room sprays and bath foams.
Soon we will be offering their aromatherapy body treatments after our training in April, we can't wait!

Neom's 'Science of Scent Therapy Test' helps you pick the correct fragrance that your mind & body needs, Neom aromatherapies help with getting better sleep, de-stressing, boosting energy, lifting mood or calming and relaxation.

Here's how to take the test:

1. Inhale - Neom essential oils are so pure they are received by 50 million receptors in the olfactory system.

2. Stimulate - The hypothalamus gland in the brain (which produces hormones to continually balance your system) is instantly stimulated, producing hormones that you need for sleep/stress/energy/mood boosting.

3. Respond - These hormones act like chemical messengers and rush to specific cells that need help within the body. 

4. The Neom scent you experience produces a vital response in the appropriate system. 

So we line up each fragrance for you to smell with the labels faced away from you to see which is your favourite, and that favourite will be for a reason whether it be for energy boost, better sleep, de-stress or happiness which we then reveal to you. 

Neom has filled the salon with delicious smells since its arrival last week & we are really excited for all our clients to be introduced to Neom.

Celebs that love Neom: 

Gwyneth Paltrow, Claudia Schiffer, Kylie Minogue, Pippa Middleton, Kate Moss, Victoria Pendleton, Caroline Flack, Abbey Clancy, Jo Whiley, Kimberly Walsh, Cheryl Cole, Lisa Snowdon, Matthew Williamson, Nicole Scherzinger, Poppy Delevigne, Sienna Miller, Denise Van Outen, Jodie Kidd & many more. 

Meet The Expert

Spring has sprung and it's time for us to shake up our make up & give our make up bags their very own make-over.

It can be so easy to get stuck into a make up rut, using the same products consistently because they are 'safe' and we know and trust them, experimenting can be a little daunting. 

This is where we are offering the perfect opportunity to come and refresh your make up bag with the ultimate Clarins make up one to one lesson.

Enjoy a 30 minute appointment, entirely focussed on you and your individual needs. Our Clarins expert will be here to answer all your questions & teach you a few tips and tricks to get the most out of your make up & skin care routines.

This time of year is perfect for brightening up our make up & introducing different shades of colour. 

There are so many different products out there that it can get quite confusing when it comes to choosing make up as we wander around the beauty counters - tinted moisturisers, BB creams, mineral make up, powders, primers, foundations, contouring, lip sticks, balms, glosses.. the list goes on.

We are here to help!

So come along on Wednesday 6th May to meet our Clarins make up expert to get the look you've been longing for.

Call Bamboo on 01629 815008 to book your appointment today.

Winter Skincare Tips

Over the months, the ever changing temperatures take their toll on our skins. Especially in winter when we are constantly going from central heating homes to chilly outdoors and these temperature changes can irritate our skin and cause redness and dryness, to stop this we have devised some easy tips for you to follow so that you and your skin don't have to suffer this winter. 

• Upgrade your moisturiser to a slightly heavier one to protect your skin more than the lighter ones we use in summer, try Clarins HydraQuench moisturiser or REN vita mineral day cream. Don't forget to moisturise your body too, keep those dry elbows at bay
   
• Exfoliate your skin twice a week to prevent dryness and take away the dead skin cells so that the new skin cells can absorb the products more effectively. Exfoliating will also brighten your skin if its feeling a little dull. We are loving REN one minute flash rinse for when our skins are looking tired. 
   
• Cleanse twice to make sure you get rid of all makeup off your face as we tend to wear more makeup in winter months so make sure your face is squeaky clean and moisturised before you jump into bed.
   
• Use an SPF! Although there might be a lack of sun :-( .. you still need to protect your skin as UV rays can penetrate through clouds. Sun screen is the best anti ageing product you can invest in so make sure your moisturiser or foundation has one in all year round. If your current moisturiser hasn't got one in then we recommend Clarins UV plus 40 as a very light sunscreen layer that can be applied over your normal moisturiser. 
   
• Don't forget a night cream. They tend to be more powerful than day creams so slap some on and repair your skin whilst you sleep. Murad Perfecting Night cream is super hydrating and promotes healthy over night cell renewal.
   
• Keep your lips lovely for mistletoe kisses by hydrating and protecting them with a balm. (see our winter lips SOS blog!)
   
• Treat your skin from the inside out by filling your diet with anti oxidants, these will help to stop your skin getting irritated by the temperature changes. They will also help you fight off nasty colds and keep you from feeling under the weather. Cranberries, Blackberries and Blueberries are ranked highest for this among any other fruits.
   
• Last but not least, refer yourself to an expert (us!), treat your skin to a facial to give it that extra boost or simply call in for some advice on the most suitable products for your home care use. Or simply come for relaxation, warm yourself up with a Clarins melting honey hot stone massage!

Cleanse Cleanse Cleanse

We understand that not everyone has time to do the whole 'cleanse, tone, moisturise' routine along with exfoliating, masks, serums, oils, eye creams etc... we could go on forever! But it is really important that you do cleanse your face daily. It's important to cleanse your face, especially in the evenings as it removes all traces of makeup, dead skin cells, impurities and excess oil that our lovely faces have collected so kindly for us throughout the day. Cleansing in the morning refreshes your skin and removes any toxins that may have been eliminated from your skin throughout the night, it's also much easier to apply makeup to a clean face than a bit of a grubby one.

As there are so many different cleansers it can sometimes be a bit boggling. You can pick from gels, oils, foaming cleansers, hot cloth cleansers, water cleansers, balms... the list goes on. A lot of it is personal preference, budget and what textures and feelings you like the best.
Here are our favourite ones that we'd like to share with you.

First of all we will start with the quickest and easiest cleanser, it can be hard when life is so busy to think about your skin, so we think that REN Rosa Centifolia 3 in 1 water cleanser is perfect for all you busy bee's. All you do with it is apply to 2 cotton pads and wipe over the face. This is a makeup remover, cleanser and toner all in one! No rinsing is required for this so its a great 'on the go' cleanser. This leaves your skin feeling fresh and hydrated in a matter of seconds. Winner of the Tatler Beauty Awards 2014, suitable for all skin types, retailing at £13.00
Water cleansers are great but it is also advisable that you do treat your skin to a proper good old wash when you get the time to.

Secondly, we have Murad Renewing Cleansing Oil, and as it says in the title, this one is an oil cleanser. This is suitable for all skin types but if you have an oily skin type naturally you're not going to want to apply more oil on to it, so this one is best for normal/combination/dry skin types. To use this apply with damp hands onto a dry face and massage in for 30-60 seconds then rinse with warm water. You can use this around your eye area and rub it into your lashes to remove any traces of mascara. This cleanser leaves the skin hydrated and nourished and provides the perfect level of moisture to the skin to smooth and soften. This one retails at £29.00.

Moving on to the REN Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser, this one is great if you have a little more time for your skin routine. It is a 2 phase cleanser, it works by removing all traces of makeup and dirt, loosening dead skin cells and gently exfoliating the skin to purify and decongest. It leaves the skin feeling squeaky clean, smooth, firmer, fresh and softer without the feeling of tightness that some cleansers leave you with. The cleanser comes with its very own muslin cloth. To use this cleanser you apply it to dry skin and massage it in gently, rinse the provided cloth in warm water and place over your face (this opens your pores to make sure all the dirt comes out), then lightly polish off with your cloth, you can then rinse your face again with cool water to close the pores to prevent them getting clogged. This cleanser retails at £16.00, and is great if you want to give your skin a treat, especially throughout the winter.


Next, we have Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm, this cleanser is one of the more luxurious ones, so it's great for a little treat. This is applied onto dry skin with dry fingertips and massaged in, you then wet your fingertips and the balm will develop into a milk and is then removed with a cloth. Again, like REN, Elemis have been very thoughtful and in the box they have supplied a cloth for you. This cleanser dissolves away makeup and the daily grime that our faces attract, revealing smoother, nourished, makeup-free skin. This cleanser can also be used as a mask, just apply it to dry skin massage in gently and leave it to do its magic for 10 minutes before rinsing off with warm water. This cleanser retails at £39.50.


Finally, we have Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser. This one is available for all skin types, there is a choice of: normal/combination, combination/oily and dry/sensitive. So absolutely anyone can use these. They are so quick and easy to use you just apply it to damp skin and it foams up beautifully then rinse off with warm water. However, unlike some other cleansers we don't recommend that you use this one to remove eye makeup, so avoid your eye area when using this one. So the only possible downside is that you will probably need to buy a separate eye makeup remover. These cleansers leave the skin feeling as clean as they can be whilst smoothing, hyrdrating and leaving a nice glow. These retail at £19.00.

We hope this little guide of recommendations helps you when you next go to pick your cleanser so that you can ditch the soap and water once and for all!

Leighton Denny Nails It

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At Bamboo, we believe that it is essential to have beautiful nails that’s why we use Leighton Denny products to help repair and beautify your nails to give them their sparkle back once again. It is amazing how much better you feel when you have had your nails done, I’m sure every lady is with me on that one.

Did you know that your skin tone, hair colour and eye colour can contribute to which nail varnish colour suits you best? Leighton Denny has devised a little book of nail glamour which is full to the brim of tips and tricks about your nails. Here is what we suggest…

For naturally fair skin with light hair and light eye colours, colours with a blue undertone suit you best, try Leighton Denny colours: Best Seller, Infatuation, Bronzed Babe, Butterfly Wings, All About Me. 

For peachy skin with golden undertones and blue/green eyes try corals and warm colours such as: Radiant Ruby, I Love Juicy, Rampant Rose, Barely There, Starkers.

For brunettes with dark eyes and medium complexion try colours: Viva La Diva, Provocative, Vamp, Forbidden Territory, Crème De La Crème. 

For olive skin tones try: Infatuation, Chocoholic, Pillow Talk, Miss Behavin’, Plush Pink.

For dark skin with dark hair and dark eyes, try really deep and rich colours such as: Radiant Ruby, Steel Appeal, Forbidden Territory, Rebel, Sophisticated.

Leighton Denny have launched some fabulous gifts for Christmas, we are so excited about them! ‘The Wonderball’ is a gorgeous, limited edition sparkly Christmas polish encased in a clear bauble, perfect for stocking fillers and secret santa gifts retailing at £11.

‘Pretty Little Things’ are beautiful baubles, inside are 3 mini polishes. These are available in 4 different lots of colours: ‘All That Shimmers’, ‘Glitz & Glam’, ‘Just Nudes’ and ‘Party Queen’. These retail at £10 so again they are perfect for stocking fillers and gifts.

Winter Lips SOS

During the autumnal and winter months our skins take quite a battering without us realising, how many of us blast our heaters on in our cars and houses and then freeze our faces off in the arctic winds? .. I'm guilty. Our skin can really dry out, and chapped, sore lips are not uncommon.

There are so many lip care products on the market so it can be quite baffling as to which is the best one to choose. We stock 3 different lip care products and customers often ask "So which one is best?"
So here are my reviews...

• Murad Soothing Skin and Lip Care - this product, like all of them, feels lovely when it is applied, it also has a nice scent to it and smoothing, nourishing texture. It feels like it is really protective. I have also found that it stays on your lips for a super long time without disappearing at all which is great as you hardly need to reapply it. The product contains Beta Hydroxy Acids and hydrators which gently exfoliate the skin and hydrate it to reveal smoother, softer skin. It also has vitamin E in it which instantly relieves dry or chapped skin with its conditioning and healing properties. You can also use this product on areas that get dry and chapped in the winter such as around the edges of your fingers or your knuckles, you can even use it around your nose if it is sore from a horrible cold! It retails at £18.50 which can seem expensive for a lip balm but it will last you forever and it's definitely worth it.
   
• REN Vita Mineral Lip Balm - if you haven't heard of REN skincare before they are definitely worth taking a look, all their products are clean so they have no parabens or any other nasties in any of their products they even print their packaging with vegetable ink. The Vita Mineral lip balm is really rich so it really comforts and soothes soreness. This lip balm retails at £9.00 which is very reasonable. It also contains vitamin E for relieving the skin and protecting it. Again, this product will last you a lifetime, you don't need much at all and it is very nourishing, so another thumbs up for this lip treat. 
   
• Clarins Hyrdra Quench Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm - the HydraQuench range is the perfect treatment for dry and dehydrated skin in winter. Including their lip balm. They use ingredients such as Shea Butter and Rose Wax to repair and hydrate. This one is the most expensive of them all retailing at £19.00. It is very intensive and comforting, it also contains the Clarins Maxi Lip Complex which plumps the lips. Your lips feel very hydrated and comfortable after using this balm, another fab lib balm to choose from. It has even won an award in the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible.
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Overall, I think it really is down to personal preference: which brands you love, how much money you want to spend etc. It is very hard to choose from these 3 because they are all amazing products and very similar with the ingredients they use. Even I struggle to choose, but I do love the Murad soothing skin and lip care because of its multipurpose, but then again I still love the REN and Clarins. So I'll leave it up to you, but I am absolutely sure that if you pick any of these 3 you are bound to enjoy it.

Dr Howard Murad

So last week Debbie and I went on Murad training at the Lynton Clinic in Cheadle, which was brilliant.

Murad is a Pharmaceutical so it is a cosmetic/pharmacist product created by Doctor Murad. A pharmaceutical means that the skin care products are able to penetrate 20% into the cell to actually treat the skin, whereas a cosmetic such as L'Oreal etc will only penetrate 0.4/0.5% of the skin.. A cosmetic will still make your skin feel lovely but Murad helps to treat the skin from the inside out and really make a permanent difference to your skin. It's really important that therapists understand how the skin works too so that we can help our clients treat their skincare concerns with the best products.. otherwise we wouldn't be much help would we!

Murad have got some fabulous Christmas gifts with amazing savings out this year, my favourite is the Celebrate Radiant Skin set from the Environmental Shield range. It is an amazing value at only £59.50.. it's actually worth £155!
The Environmental Shield range is perfect for skins that feel a little dull and are looking tired, it is also good for reducing pigmentation. Packed with vitamin C these products will really restore your skin. So if you think your skin needs a boost this autumn to get your glow back put this skincare set on your Christmas wish list!