Hello Everyone,
I hope you had an enjoyable August, especially if you went away on holiday. This month I'm focusing on body moisturisers and lip glosses and there's my regular nature update too. My special offer in last month's newsletter for a trio of sample facial products was won by Suzanne from Brighton, who said, "My favourite essential oil is ylang ylang. I use a few drops in a nice long bath and relax dreaming of the sunny Caribbean. Afterwards, while my skin is still damp, I add a couple of drops to my body cream and wallow in the wonderful scent all day." Details of my September free gift offer are below, so send in your entry and you could be my lucky winner!
Best wishes
Barbara
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This month it's all about bathtime. Email me at my Neal's Yard website to tell me about your favourite way of making your bath extra special and you could win this FREE gift of Neal's Yard Aromatic Foaming Bath. If you haven't experienced this delicious concoction yet, then you're in for a real treat! Offer open to UK subscribers only.

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AUTUMN CATALOGUE JUST LAUNCHED!
Our fabulous Autumn catalogue is filled with exciting new products as well as our proven classics. The new arrivals include Sensual Jasmine Shower Gel, Geranium & Orange Body Scrub, Moisturising Sunscreen SPF30 and, for the hands, three different offerings all in handy 50ml tubes: Wild Rose Hand Cream, Geranium & Orange Hand Cream, and Garden & Mint Hand Cream. We also have a new range of fabulous gift sets. Delicious! If you'd like to feast your eyes on the catalogue straightaway, it's available in handy PDF and flipbook format here

BEE LOVELY HAND CREAM
Well, I've now tried this new product and I can tell you that it's absolutely gorgeous! Delivering an instant aromatic hit of orange, followed by the more subtle scent of white tea, it contains brazil nut and sunflower seed oils for a rich, nourishing texture. Order yours soon though as it's a limited edition product! More info here
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This month's tip focuses on building colour with Neal's Yard lip glosses. Apply just one layer for a subtle effect, or simply add more layers if you want a more dramatic look. Our lip glosses contain organic orange oil and antioxidant white tea to moisturise and protect. View the full range here

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For those of you living in London who love plants and pollinators, I have a very special recommendation: the Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden on the South Bank. Created via a collaboration between the South Bank Centre and the Eden project, it's a beautiful haven filled with a huge selection of pollinator plants, vegetable plots, a small cafe...and a very unusual scarecrow! Make time to visit this beautiful place and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. I have never seen so many different types of bee in one location. An absolute treat!

The Roof Garden at Queen Elizabeth Hall
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While many of us are quite adventurous with our facial products and like to try out different treatments, when it comes to our bodies we often stick with the same "old faithfuls". I actually like to change my body products to suit the seasons and the varying effects that changes in temperature have on my skin so if you feel like exploring pastures new, I'd like to share with you my "magnificent five" Neal's Yard recommendations for top-to-toe moisturising. Let's begin with Geranium & Orange Body Lotion, a real favourite with Neal's Yard customers. Light in texture with an intensely fruity/floral aroma, it has it all for the summer months. Or if you prefer a more delicate scent, there's the subtly sophisticated Frankincense & Mandarin Body Lotion. For a weekly treat, Wild Rose Body Elixir comes in a rich gel formula to replenish the skin (those of you who've heard me singing the praises of our Wild Rose range will know why I like the smell of this product so much). If you like using body oils, then you'll love the intense moisturisation and heady aroma of our Sensual Jasmine Oil. And last, but certainly not least, our ultimate pièce de résistance for dry skin just has to be Rose Body Cream. It's a great big pot of sweet-smelling, nourishing goodness that takes a bit more effort in the application because it's rich and thick, but you'll definitely see the results. One of my customers used it to treat extremely dry skin on her legs and told me it was like a wonder cream! If you'd like a sample of any of these products, simply call or email me and I'll be happy to help.
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Those of you already familar with the Neal's Yard range will know the important role that essential oils play in our formulations, so I thought it might be nice to feature some of the really special ones in our collection and this month I've chosen lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). When I was training to be an aromatherapist, this essential oil was so expensive and luxurious that we weren't actually allowed to blend with it! And yet, in the Neal's Yard range we have access to a trio of products containing lemon balm - our Melissa hand products. The plant is lush, leafy and green, as can be seen from the above photo, which I took in Chelsea Physic Garden earlier this summer. It's a member of the Lamiaceae botanical family, which provides many of our most popular cooking herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram and basil. Therapeutically, lemon balm has a calming effect and a citrus-herby aroma that many people find intriguing. The next "essential oil extraordinaire" on my forthcoming list will be the truly unique frankincense.
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Have you added your voice to our petition yet? Neal's Yard would really appreciate your support in its campaign to protect our precious bees and wild pollinators. The aim is to get the British government to join France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia in banning neonicotonoids, which are powerful pesticides. The petition will be taken to Downing Street this autumn and the closing date for signatures is 31 October 2011. To sign it online, simply follow the link here. Thank you for your support in this worthy campaign.
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