Aromotherapy to keep you glowing during party season

Once in a while, a massage therapist comes into  your life like an emissary from the land of well-being and makes your body feel energised and happy after every session, whilst recounting tales of goddess conferences in Glastonbury and Aphrodite retreats in Cyprus.

Luckily, I have such a person -  the very gifted Isabelle Weber - who kindly agreed to put this small piece together on how to use aromotherapy oils to perk you up during the winter/party season. Isabelle has been coming round to my house, once a month for the past three, for home visit well-being massages which combine aromotherapy, massage, lymphatic drainage, reflexology and back knot un-knotting.

Isabelle,  a qualified aromatherapist and Holistic Massage Therapist, is well-respected healer specialising in Pregnancy, Baby massage and Woman’s Health from Pre-Conception to Post Natal, Menopausal and Woman’s Cycles.

Don't forget, that if you are in any doubt about your state of health, which oils to use or how much, please contact Isabelle (her details are at the end of the article), as she has kindly agreed to answer any reader questions.

Aromatherapy to keep you glowing during the Party Season, by Isabelle Weber

Aromatherapy provides one with  the perfect mood-enhancing antidote to stress, anxiety, insomnia and discomfort. Essential oils can be absolutely invaluable during the party season and they are nowhere near as potentially damaging as many foods and drinks we ingest at this sensitive time,  such as coffee.

Massage is one of the oldest treatments utilised to ‘make people feel better’. It encourages the body to heal itself and restores balance to all cells, tissues and organs. The healing powers of touch and massage have been recognised since antiquity by all ancient civilisations, including the Chinese, Egyptians, Incas, Maya, Indians, Hebrews, Greeks and Romans. The use of aromatic substances in healing, far from being a newly-discovered therapy, has been with mankind since the beginning of time.

Aromatherapy is a complete psychosomatic system of healing, a holistic approach to health and well-being by means of aromas- scents derived from the plant kingdom. It can be described as an art as well as a science; an art because of the intuitive, creative and aesthetic aspects of preparing special blends for each individual person, and a science because it rests on sound scientific knowledge.

• Oils to uplift you Mandarin, Tangerine, Roseood plus any citrus oil such as lemon, grapefruit or orange.

• Oils to boost your immune system lemongrass, frankincense, neroli,petitgrain and sandalwood oil

If you are looking for the perfect blend, here are some tried and tested suggestions which really do work.  You can use these blends in the bath, or in a diffuser.

The Relax Blend (note: does not come with woman): 

Mix 10ml almond oil with 5 ml jojoba oil and add:

3 drops mandarin

3 drops neroli

1 drop sandalwood

The Revive Blend

Mix 10ml apricot oil with 5 ml rosehip oil and add:

3 drops grapefruit

2 drops petitgrain

2 drops rosewood

The Balance Blend

 Mix 10 ml peach kernel oil with 5 ml Vitamin E oil and add:

5 drops sandalwood

1 drop palmarosa

1 drop lemongrass

PLEASE NOTE: 
If you are in any doubt about your state of health, which oils to use or how much. Isabelle would be happy to set your mind at ease, so please email any questions to isabelle@lotushealingcentre.co.uk

Isabelle is based at the Alexandria Healing Centre in West Ealing and also does Home Visits. For more details, visit her website www.lotushealingcentre.co.uk or  Phone: 0208 579 3355 or 079039 39 487

From dust-filled landscapes to coffins filled with dust: At War in Helmand with Sam Kiley

Last month, I attended the launch of Sam Kiley’s book Desperate Glory At War in Helmand with Britain's 16 Air Assault Brigade, held at the Bloomsbury Publishing house in Soho Square.

It was a very cosy affair indeed. The reception room, akin to a lounge in a private residence intended for general business and leisure activities, was packed to the brim with war correspondents and army generals. And everyone was talking about their time in Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Congo... countries which have become synonymous with protracted conflicts.

Love is a Battlefield: But the night is always young
As the alcohol flowed freely, some of the conversations became more lubricated and turned to more light-hearted issues, such as the Monkey Lady who lived in the Caribbean and spent her husband’s mis-fortune on nuts. Absurdism is always accorded a front row seat in matters of war, if not the protagonist role (quite like Camus’ Meursault in L’Etranger).

Sam’ s speech lifted the atmosphere further, with his self-deprecating jokes and witty repartee with his editor. Quite rightly, he dedicated the book to his wife - a vision of serenity in a blue dress - and to all the loved ones people leave behind when they go to war (cue a most sincere rumbling of Here Here from the room).

For those not familiar with the concept of Sam Kiley, he is one of the greatest and most controversial war correspondents of this generation: a legend amongst his peers, a seeker of truth and justice. A good egg with a good soul, who speaks on behalf of the forgotten victims and puts a spotlight on issues that are deliberately kept outside the news agenda.

He is also devastatingly handsome and a keen hat collector, as you can see from the images ("I'll have one in every colour please").

The quintessential dashing British war correspondent. The equivalent of the Athena poster man cradling the Sword of Damocles, as opposed to that baby (who's called Stelios Havatzias if anyone out there is interested).

Security for whom exactly?
I recently finished reading the book which is based on Sam’s time with Britain’s 16 Air Assault Brigade. I hasten to add that he was not embedded with them, a practice heavily criticised as being part of a propaganda campaign and an effort to keep reporters away from civilian populations and sympathetic to invading forces.

As well as being an insightful account of life on the frontline in Afghanistan, Desperate Glory: At War in Helmand with Britain's 16 Air Assault Brigade is also a tale of how human bonds are lived out and died out against a backdrop of hostility, fear and uncertainty.

The blueprint for that story runs through the veins of our bloody history books.

That blueprint gives me some hope, because although war equates to death, misery and destruction and ultimately the failure of the human spirit, when the latter is re-born within that context, it emerges with an immediacy to place love and friendship at its very core.

How to become a Showgirl for the BladeRunner Age

image: Louise Whelan

It is with great pleasure that I present to you the one, the only ..
GYPSY WOOD: Burlesque Star and special emissary from the order of the Golden Show Girl

Yes, busy Gypsy has made time from her busy schedule ---which includes performing at the Edinburgh Festival and leading the neo-burlesque revival in Australia --- to sit on a virtual leopard print couch to have a chat about such things as vintage lingerie, how to break into the pin-up/burlesque scene and what it was like to share the stage and champagne with Dita.

Like Gypsy Rose Lee, our Gypsy combines brains and lady-like charm with her beauty to keep her audiences enthralled and begging for more.
London Girl investigates the secrets behind her charm.....

GYSPY WOOD i/v for London Girl
Hello Gypsy, thank you for agreeing to this i/v. I hear your performing at the Edinburgh Festival at the moment?

I’m currently performing in Ali McGregors’s Late-nite Variety-Nite Night at the Supper Room, Assembly Rooms For the Edinburgh Fringe. It’s an amazing show I am very happy to be working with so many incredible performers. I’m doing spots in other comedy and cabaret nights too. The festival is the largest fringe in the world so it’s impossible not to get swept up in the madness and desire of performance.

Its week 3 and I’m so tired but it’s important to have these times at festivals. It’s a time to be inspired and to confront your own work as an artist. Also to be seen and meet so many brilliant performers doing their thing.

Is it your first performance at the festival?

No last year I was in a show called Feasting on Flesh produced by the Australian company Strut n’ Fret. It was a great show about Food and Sex. John Cleese came to see the show and the cast got to drink champagne with him after in the bar. It was a great way to meet him and he was really funny and lovely.

It’s quite rare for Burlesque performers to use their real name - how come you were endowed a birth with a stage name like Gypsy Wood?

My parents were performers too and they were very bohemian with their ideas about life and I guess my name represents that. I love it when Burlesque performers have original names that you wont forget.

I hear that you have a great lingerie collection – what do you look for when you are sourcing your latest addition? Is there a particular style you are really into?

Well I’m very lucky in that my mother and now my youngest sister are in the vintage clothing industry. So I mostly get my gems through them. They can be found at From Her to Eternity.

Do you have favourite Lingerie brand?
I also love secrets in lace they are the best for retro style lingerie.

Where do you shop for your vintage pieces?
Mostly Vintage fairs but I’m always on the hunt everywhere I go. Shops, markets, eBay, even friend’s garage sales. There is treasure under every corner.
What’s your preferred stocking type and heel?

The 1950’s classic black seemed French heel.

Your a fantastic retro pin-up model. What inspired you to get in front of the camera and strike a pose when you first started?

Growing up in a vintage clothing store with 2 younger sisters dressing up and taking photos was just apart of our family life of fun. Beautiful vintage things always surrounded me and I guess my love just kept growing, as did my collection. It takes a few years to really build up a good collection of vintage clothes. And I’m still learning about the styles of different eras. Next I’m hoping to learn to sew so I can fix and mend things better.

Do you have a favourite photograph of yourself?

I love my photo by Hal Horowitz -- Because I was so happy to be in New York and we had such a fun day running around causing trouble.

What’s the secret to producing a good photograph - Is there a combination which you find works really well for you?

It’s a creative relationship between the photographer and the model. It really is about communication and vision. It is really hard work to get a good shoot and I’m amazed at who many hours go into a shoot. The best photographers know what to tell their models but they also try remaining open to understanding the models own unique style. It’s a balance.

What tips would you have for any aspiring retro pin-up models that are trying to break into the scene?

Just make your own style but always know whom your inspiration is? Do research on the icons you admire. For me I’m inspired by David Lynch, Elisabeth Taylor and the Film the Ballet of the Red Shoes.

Now, you’re the darling of the international Burlesque circuit and even supported Dita Von Teese in one of her acts. Do you remember the first time you went on stage to perform? What was it like?

I was performing at a party body painted as Marie Antoinette with some other burlesque performers where Dita did her bath tube act. She was so amazing and lived up to her name as the queen of Burlesque for sure! And I have to say at the end of the night she came in to our part of the dressing room and gave us the rest of her magnum of dom perignon champagne. She was very charming and talked with us for a while. I think she is a very real genuine person. I know showgirls in Australia who cant even smile at you in the dressing room cause the believe they are big stars.

Are there any Burlesque superstitions out there? For example, women who produce Haute Couture garments have a whole set of superstitions around scissor’s falling, pricked fingers ect ...

It’s bad luck to pick your costumes up off the stage after you have performed. But sometimes it’s just necessary because hell you don’t want them stolen. I send my boyfriend to get everything now. He loves running after people who might have thought they have scored a stocking of mine!

Do you have a good luck ritual before you go on stage?

I try and stretch but mostly this ends in having a drink.

Have you ever locked eyes with a fanciable male or female during your performance? Is it possible to find love in the audience?

Yes it is! my boyfriend used to come to my shows and yell out “Putt some sugar in my bowl” It made me laugh and now we are in love.

Do you have any tips for aspiring Burlesque performers on how they can get themselves regular bookings?

I guess start seeing shows and getting to know people who are producing the good nights. If they wont have you on - put your own night on!

Thank you Gypsy for capitalising the B in Burlesque – you gorgeous gorgeous creature you.

You can catch Gypsy live on stage performing at Ali McGregors’s Late-nite Variety-Nite Night at the Supper Room, Assembly Rooms For the Edinburgh Fringe.

String me along: An Interview with a G-String fan

For the purposes of research, one must go forth and seek the un-seekable - knowledge that is so hard to find you would need several camels, an old map and bravado to find it.

Today's knowledge comes from Guitar Dude - a modern day Victorian Orchid Hunter and an old-fashioned g-string fan extraordinaire, capable of shedding light on the unknown with the power of his wit alone.

With Carine Roitfeld citing that she preferred the boyshort panty to the g-string - is this tiny garment's days numbered? LondonGirl investigates....

I/V #1 Guitar Dude for LondonGirl

According to surveys, after years of reigning supreme the g-string is losing popularity with women, who are now opting for boyshort panties. How does this news make you feel?

Guitar Dude: In all honesty and in my humble opinion I would be most disappointed if this were to be the case. Although the boy shorts are a sexy fashion choice I do not think they can replace the G-string as the premier sexy item in any woman’s wardrobe albeit from a male perspective, which means not having to wear them of course. I won’t go into the male g-string subject here as I believe calling upon the image of Mr Stringfellow is by far descriptive enough.

As a boy growing into manhood the g-string and its swimwear counterpart fuelled nearly all of my thoughts and fantasies, its design beautifully accentuating the natural curves of both the hip and bottom. Which is why a large percentage of men probably prefer for their femmes to wear their g-strings throughout their erotic trysts.

The link below is for an article which provides some insightful information about the g-string – notably that the string was worn during the pre-historic era. Have you come across any proof which could back this up?

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Epitome-of-Beauty---Lola-Lona-G-Strings/662584

Guitar Dude: Raquel Welch in 1 million years bc, not quite the thong but definitely along the same lines!

The thong is to this day still utilised in a lot of tribal cultures not limited to the tribes in the jungles of South America, some South African cultures and I think also the Aborigines. Some of these indigenous tribes have not altered their traditional attire due to its ease of use and functionality.

The article also talks about the Lola Luna strings and mentions that they can be worn as jewellery? Do you have any tips for women who will attempt to do this?

Guitar Dude: I am not certain what the author means by "using the g-string as jewellery". As a piece of intimate jewelled lingerie then no doubt --- but I cannot see them being used as for example: a pair of earrings. Saying that I am sure that some Vivienne Westwood wannabe showing off yet another ‘never to be worn in real life’ collection may use them as a glittery bracelet or animal print head scarf.

What tips do you have for the remaining women who are purchasing g-strings? What should they look for in a g-string?

Guitar Dude: Well a decent sized triangle back (in order to avoid the T-bar look), preferably ornate and nothing too low at the front or the normal femme will be forever waxing! I am not a fan of transparent materials; always look just a bit trampy.

What do you look for in a g-string?

Guitar Dude: As a guy I always look for a curvy female in a g-string. Sorry obvious answer! When I am looking for a g-string gift for my better half, I just look until something catches my eye.

What is the best g-string you have ever come across? Have you got a picture?

Guitar Dude: I found several pictures on my internet travels which double up for missing cd covers on my ipod. Perv to the end! I do have a picture which I can forward at a later stage.

Have you ever come across a woman who used her g-string as a slingshot during an argument?

Guitar Dude: This is a phenomenon that I have heard about but never seen. It is my belief that the G-string and its myriad of uses have yet to be fully appreciated and understood.

And finally – have you seen an old black and white film called the GSTRING MURDERS, whereby a serial killer strangles burlesque stars with their own g-string?

Guitar Dude: No, I can’t say that I have. I think a film where burlesque stars killed serial killers with a carefully chosen g-string, possibly made of barbed wire, whilst wearing a g-string sounds much more up my proverbial alley!

Thank you Guitar Dude for putting the G back into G-strings.