Last Tuesday evening I was lucky enough to attend the Antipodes Bloggers Event in Covent Garden. Antipodes is a company that specializes in ‘Scientific Organic Beauty’; they ‘bring to the market premium certified organic and natural products from fully sustainable sources’. Their products range from skincare to body care; with a smudge of lipstick in between. They also have an excellent range of ‘Daily Ultra Care’ products; which include facial serums and oils, and a multi-purpose skin balm.
The event was held at the wonderfully aesthetic and quirky Hospital Club. We were specifically hosted within the Bellini Bar, a small, but cosy room featuring an incredible floor to ceiling collage painted by the artist Julie Verhoeven.
As we entered the room we were offered a drink and were told to feel free to try out the products on the three tables in the room. My friend Janna and I got stuck in straight away with the Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream; a lovely rich moisturiser with a fresh natural scent and the Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream. With most moisturisers I use, I can smell the scent of the synthetic chemicals within them; however, with all of the Antipodes products you don’t get that. Eight of their products are certified organic; this means they contain 100% natural ingredients, 70-95% of those ingredients must be certified organic and any non-organic ingredients must meet the requirements of a strict international criteria. The rest of the products that aren’t certified organic are guaranteed to be ‘very clean and pure, using high quality raw materials with low or no residue component’.
After having a play around with all the products we were treated to a 15 minute presentation from the founder of the company herself, Elizabeth Barbalich. She explained the strong family roots of the company, and the heavy emphasis placed upon the importance of scientific research on the products. We found out that in the process of creating a new product; several versions of that product are made and tested. The version that gets the best results is the one that will be launched to the public. As a brand that prides itself on being able to trace back the origins of its ingredients all the way back to the vineyard or farm; it’s not surprising that they do not test their products on animals. Instead, the products are tested via in-vitro trials whereby skin cells that have been grown in a laboratory have the products applied to them and are then studied for signs of reaction/positive results.
Another amazing thing about the development of Antipodes products is that they have just been awarded a one-year research grant from the New Zealand government to support them in developing new products with a strong science focus.
After the presentation there was the opportunity to mingle with other people who were in attendance. I got to meet several other fabulous bloggers, and may have got a little ‘star struck’ when I recognised a girl whose videos I watch on YouTube! The most adorable sweet treats were passed around the room as we chatted (my favourite were the tiny bakewell cupcakes), and after saying a big thank you to Elizabeth for inviting us we left with a gift bag and a big smile on our faces. Our gift bags contain two products that are about to be launched in the UK, the first being the ‘Juliet’ cleanser and the second, the gorgeous ‘Apostle’ serum.
Apostle Serum
Juliet Cleanser
I have been using these two products for a week now, and I have seen a real difference in my skin. Apostle is a water-based serum that ‘helps to lighten and brighten skin’ and ‘can have a dramatic anti-ageing effect, potentially in under a week of regular daily use’. It contains Vinanza Performance Plus, this is a powerful antioxidant found within sauvignon blanc grapes and kiwifruit skin and helps to brighten the skin. The second key ingredient is Vinanza Oxifend, another powerful antioxidant. Studies showed that the Vinanza Oxifend (which is an extract from pinot noir grapeseeds) completely inhibited inflammatory activity in cells. The long and short of it means that any redness in my skin has been dramatically reduced in only 7 days, leaving my skin tone remarkably more even and refreshed. I’m completely in love with this product, and it smells incredible. Because it’s water-based, it soaks straight into my skin without leaving any slimy/sticky residue (I hate that feeling).
The Juliet cleanser also contains the Vinanza Performance Plus, along with manuka honey (everybody loves a bit of manuka honey don’t they!) and kiwifruit. This product can be used by people with normal-oily skin and it leaves the skin clean and fresh feeling, without over-drying it. The kiwifruit acts as a gentle exfoliant, and the manuka honey is a gentle antibacterial agent. Again, this product smells incredible (green apple and cardamon) and really wakes my skin up in the morning. It’s gentle enough to use morning and night, and I’ve noticed I’m needing to use my exfoliating face wash a lot less (I used to exfoliate every day!).
After the event, my friend Janna and I went to an incredible open mic night at a pub called FilthyMacNasty’s (in Islington), I got to see one of my favourite bands; Bastille perform. Their song ‘Flaws’ was featured in the first series of Made In Chelsea (the scene where Hugo asks Rosie out in a library…I’m such a MIC geek). They’re having another open mic night on the 17th and Emily and The Woods is playing, I’ve heard great things about her!
Have you tried any Antipodes products? What do you think about them?
