Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare blog

The launch of our Spring Newsletter means spring has truly sprung! And just like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, I feel I am late for a very important date, with seeds to sow, suppliers to visit and customers to meet.  Thankfully I’ll have our wonderful new spring offer to help me greet the new season with radiant, sparkling skin.

Whilst every newsletter is special, this one is just an absolute joy for me: from cover to cover.  It stars our Botanical Essence No. 1 (UK, IE) and as a botanist, I couldn’t be prouder. Each of the 14 precious botanical ingredients in our bespoke, fine fragrance has a special story to tell, and it was my job to track down every single one.

My research took me to Grasse, the heart of the French perfume industry, to meet the team at Laboratoire Monique Remy (LMR). As you may have picked up, I’m just a tad passionate about plants, so spending time with people as plant-crazy as I am was my definition of a great time.  In the fragrance industry, LMR are the byword for excellence when it comes to natural ingredients, and visiting them it was easy to see why. From travelling the world to establish close working relationships with growers and collectors, trialling new varieties and growing techniques in their fields in the hills above Grasse, to distilling new fragrance materials in their state of the art laboratories, LMR pursue quality and knowledge believing – as I do – that the two are inextricably intertwined. The result is the best natural ingredients for fine fragrance.

We wanted to bottle the romance of fine fragrance, that intimate and complex relationship between a woman and her scent, that illusive quality where the fragrance becomes her signature, a shorthand for her personality and individuality. With Botanical Essence No. 1, you are a critical component of the fragrance: your skin will change the notes, enhancing the scent as it develops and matures in a way that is all your own.

This winter I have had the chance to meet some of you at events in our flagship store at the Duke of York, at Biskra our island home, and over lunch at Chewton Glen. And all through the cold and gloomy months, the magic of Botanical Essence No. 1 has been a hot topic. I’ve  taken some of you on a journey across the globe, to the high-altitude lavender fields on the slopes of Mount Ventoux, to the sun-drenched Italian orchards of bergamot and mandarin, and to the damp, earthy rainforests of the Amazon where tonka bean trees tower overhead like enormous giants holding up the sky.  And you have shared with me the powerful scent memories Botanical Essence No. 1 brings back, the elation of finding a new signature scent that captures you. I couldn’t be more proud to have played a part in Botanical Essence No. 1.

But this newsletter is not just about fragrance. Another perennial favourite of mine is our original plant-packed Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, which this year celebrates its 15th birthday (watch this space for more news) so be sure to check out the ‘Day in, Day out’ (UK, IE) feature by my fellow QVC expert and Treatments Manager, Jo Givens, filled with lots of handy tips to help you get the most from your daily beauty regime. Last, but not least, the team here has been ultra-busy creating not one but three irresistible new offers to get your skin and spirits in the mood for spring.

I can’t wait for you to receive your copy and let me know what you think – it’s due to land on doormats any day now but if, like me, you are a little impatient, then why not take a sneaky peek at the online version (UK, IE)?