Outspoken Beauty

In this episode I welcome the incredibly creative Sophie Hannah. Sophie is a content creator who is loved for her individual style and inspiring hair, makeup and fashion looks which are always full of colour, flair and individuality.

Sophie has just written a book called Beauty, Hair, Style - The New No Rules Beauty Bible and I absolutely love the premise of the book which is basically to express yourself however you want to....in fact the more daring and flamboyant the better.

During the episode we chat about how Sophie got into this world and taught herself how to create technically brilliant looks without any training. We also have a great discussion about never being too old to express yourself, how to maintain good mental health, positive thinking and the good and bad sides of social media and the beauty industry. Sophie also has some wonderful product recommendations and skincare tips.

Sophie Hannah is so talented yet down to Earth and I absolutely loved getting to know her.

In this episode I talk you through the amazing beauty brands that are helping The Eve Appeal for the entire month of May (Get Lippy Month).

The Eve Appeal do so much. They educate about the five types of gynaelogical cancer, have a 24/7 nurse led phone line to support us if we're worried about any symptoms and also fund research into treatment with the aim of stopping cancer before it starts. They are a comparatively small charity with an extraordinary team and I think the world of what they do.

If you buy the products mentioned during this episode (plus some of the brands are giving money from other products in their collections), the brands will give 10% or more to the Eve Appeal.

Here's a list of all the products and brands mentioned during the episode:

11 Skin - Nocturnal Eclipse Recovery CreamI
Active Silver - Colloidal Silver Body Butter
Augustinus Bader - The Lip Balm
Barry M - That’s Swell! Lip Plumpers
Blistex - Intensive Moisturiser
Canesten - Canesbalance Vaginal Gel,
Carmex - Classic Pot
Centrum - Women Multivitamins
Collection - Gloss Me Up Juicy Infusion Lip Gloss
Decorté - Rouge Decorté Glow Lipstick
delilah - In Bloom Radiant Liquid Blush
Disruptor London - Balance Shampoo, Conditioning, Cleanse and Shave Bar
Dr.PawPaw - Tinted Ultimate Red Balm
Elemis - Pro-Collagen Naked Cleansing Balm
Escentric Molecules - Molecule 02
Hanx - Condoms
Hermetica Paris - Verticaloud Eau de Parfum
Hilltop - Original Beeswax Lip Balm
ishga - Replenishing Lip Balm
Isle of Paradise - Self-Tanning Face Drops
Juni - Luxury Hydrating Lipsticks
KIKO - Wet Look Lip Gloss Pencil
La Perla - Satin Lip Balm
Manisafe - Gel Manicure Gloves
MeAmora - Nail On
Monuskin - Rose & Lemon Enriched Body Cream
NARS - Powermatte lipstick
Nip&Fab - Glycolic Fix 60 Pads
Parfums de Marly - Delina Eau de Parfum
Polished London - Teeth Whitening Pen
Prai - Ageless Lip & Line Filler
Rimmel - Moisture Renew Lipstick.
Sculpted by Aimee - My Mascara
simplehuman - sensor mirror round with touch-control brightness
Sparkle Through Chemo
Tan-Luxe - Super Glow Hyaluronic
This is Silk - ‘Power Up’ Silk Barrier Booster
Votary - Tinted Lip Gloss Raspberry and Squalane
W7 - Hot Shot Plumping Gloss

*This episode is in partnership with Medik8*

In this episode I welcome back Daniel Isaacs, the brilliant Chief Product Officer and Director of Research at Medik8.

Daniel knows SO much about skincare and always gives the very best advice. I love the fact that he and his team at Medik8 take ingredients and really innovate and push boundaries with them, resulting in products that perform at an exceptional level.

During the episode we chat all things Retinal and discuss the incredible work that has gone into their new eye cream. We also chat about skincare routines, ingredients that really work and why Dan believes that Vitamin C, SPF and Vitamin A are the perfect combination. (Oh and a good PHA can also work wonders).

I learnt so much from Dan during the interview and as ever he got me really excited the science of skincare and my own routine. If you're into skincare and want to feel inspired then I know that you'll love this episode.

One of my favourite guests, the lovely Estee Lalonde, is back and we're talking all things baths.

Since her last appearance on the podcast, Estee's beautiful bath brand Mirror Water has gone from strength to strength and Estee is truly living the life of a boss. We reflect on her journey and what it feels like to own your own successful brand.

We also spend lots of the episode talking about how important baths are to us, what Estee's gorgeous bath ritual is and how she recently helped a friend in need with the incredible power that a bath can give. We also make a few bath related confessions.

This is a lovely conversation that will definitely inspire you to leap into your tub as soon as you have a chance.

In this week's Minipod I'm talking about the incredible Weleda launch that I went to this week. If you're into Skin Food then this is definitely going to excite you.
I also chat about an ingenious gloss pencil from Kiko Milano, the best SPF for hardcore skin protection, brilliant charity The Eve Appeal and the perfect body oil.

Oh my goodness I don't even know where to start on this one so I might write a list.
In this week's episode Bryony and I talk about:

• Being stuck in Germany
• Who can sing the highest note
• Athlete's foot and the wrong hole
• Hiding pancakes in a bag
• Cookies

There is of course lots of beauty in there too and we are raving about some really brilliant makeup finds this week.

*This episode is in partnership with Avon*

In this episode I'm joined by Avon who have just launched their incredible new eye product, Anew Power Eye Cream.

We start the episode with Clinical Dermatologist Dr Zoya Diwan who takes us on a deep dive into the ins and outs of the skin around our eyes and why we need to treat it differently to the rest of our faces. Zoya gives such a great insight into how to keep our delicate eye area as healthy as possible and also delves into a recent trial that she did with her own patients and the Anew Power Eye Cream. (The results are brilliant).

Next I get a bit nerdy with Avon's Global skincare Development Scientist, Dr. Anthony Gonzalez. Anthony is one of the people who led the team that developed the Power Eye Cream and the science is truly incredible. He tells us about why it took many years to develop this product and how the combination of ingredients in the cream make it a real game changer on a number of levels. (It contains Protinol which I have talked about before and has been proven to build collagen 1 and 3).

Finally we hear from some of the Outspoken Beauty Panellists who have also been trialling the Power Eye Cream and give their honest opinions about what it has done for them.

This is such an interesing episode with a combination of skin education, science and a focus on a product that not only makes a difference to the skin and has years of robust science behind it but that is also affordable...the perfect combination.

If you have any questions following the episode feel free to DM me @outspokenbeautynicola and if you want to check out Anew Power Eye Cream you can find it here .

This week's minipod is brimming with recommendations.
I start with fragrance and the ultimate sexy orange blossom. I then chat about an incredible perfume brand that produce their fragrances with seasonal ingredients and have a limited amount of perfumes each month that you sign up for.
I then move to makeup and one of my favourite current brands 19/99. They have a lip/eye/cheek pencil that is quite possibly the best bright raspberry shade that I've ever come across. I can't get enough!
I have lots of other things to tell you about with an excellent hair product, a dreamy cream blush and a mascara that is really impressing me. Oh and my favourite new natural deoderant brand that actually keeps me smelling fresh!!
Enjoy xx

In this episode I welcome back the incredible playwright, actress, presenter and volunteer at the refugee charity Care 4 Calais, Matilda Velevitch.

Matilda is passionate about helping refugees and also changing our perception of them. It is so easy to see these people as numbers but they are real people with names, careers, hobbies and famililes just like us and they deserve to be treated as such.

Matilda has so many stories to tell, some uplifting and positive and some sad and frustrating but I think that she gives a great insight into the current refugee situation in the UK.

I realise that this is a bit of a departure from my usual content but it is incredibly important to me that I use this platform as a force for good and a way to give people a voice and Matilda is speaking for a group of people who don't currently have that voice.

I hope you get a lot out of this episode and enjoy it too. Matilda is a great great guest and all round inspiring woman.

It was such a pleasure to welcome cosmetic doctor Catharine Denning on the podcast for this skin focussed episode.

Catharine is not only incredibly knowledgable and passionate when it comes to all things skin but she speaks so much sense and I know you'll love the advice that she gives when it comes to routines and how to keep our skin vibrant and healthy. (She has some great product recommendations too).

I also really enjoyed chatting about tweakments with Catharine. Her approach to the likes of fillers and botox is healthy and balanced and I loved chatting about the moments when she refuses to treat people because she feels that they either want to go too far or are making changes for the wrong reasons. (We had a good delve into the mental health aspect of wanting to change the way we look).

I can't tell you how much I warmed to Catharine during this conversation and I know you will too. This is defintiely the episode for you if you're feeling a bit confused about your routine and need a reminder as to what it's worth including in your skincare arsenal.

If you have any questions following the episode feel free to DM me @outspokenbeautynicola or Catharine @dr_catherine_denning_cosmetics