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Apodea Italian organic, biodynamic skincare with honey and propolis

Shopping List London has been busy though not busily updating London shopping tips on this website it must be said ... We have been starting to introduce Apodea,  a gorgeous Italian range of organic, biodynamic essential skincare to the UK.  Apodea is a great find (we've been in Umbria visiting) and we're excited to flag up Apodea here.

Oh, and did we say Apodea is already a cult niche brand in Japan?  We love the products which are certified by Demeter (Biodynamic) and/or ICEA (Italy's highest organic standard certifying body, founder member of IFOAM, official Soil Association affiliate).

The Telegraph Magazine says of Apodea Propolis Ointment above, "A beautifully soft balm, perhaps the purest yet, created with biodynamically farmed propolis and honey in Italy: rub it into elbows and shins at night - anywhere that looks dry and needs help".

As well as being organic and sustainably produced Apodea products:  body lotion, hand cream, deodorants, balms and more are effective and truly comfortable on the skin with delightful Italian natural ingredients and aromas. The clean essential care range suits men, women and children and is now being listed by directories such as the Natural Beauty Year Book and Skinsmatters.com (for people with sensitive skin) and spotted by press and bloggers. Pricing is very reasonable for premium artisan products.

Bee Products - organic honey, beeswax, propolis - possessing skin protective, calming, hydrating, anti-bacterial and healing properties from Apodea's farm are core to the range.

See more or buy from apodea-online.co.uk.

Royal Wedding Bells, Hamleys

Royal Wedding fever is calming down now but it's still fun to see the Wallace and Gromit "It's Wedding Bells" street party window in Hamley's flagship on London's Regent Street.  Wallace and Gromit was a nice way to do it and fitted the friendly, inclusive feeling we all enjoyed during  the wedding holiday.  Hamley's, founded in 1760 and billing itself as the finest toyshop in the world, probably does have the best selection in town.  Shopping List London will shop for you in Hamley's if you need.

Busy in Bloomsbury

Shopping List London has been keeping rather busy lately, in case you were wondering why no recent news updates.  It can get hectic here in bookish Bloomsbury (shown here the Librairie du Maghreb on Burton Street, isn't it special?).  Don't hesitate to contact us with your London fashion and beauty shopping requests, we're very happy to help.

Charlie le Mindu makes pink wigs attractive

Shopping List London was surprised to really like the Lollipop wig in Selfridges (not having been into extreme hair colour since a dalliance with mauve long ago and a memorable club in Paris wear everyone was issued blonde frou-frou wigs).

The style has a bit of a Francoise Hardy French 60's/70's pop thing going on and encourages playing with total looks in a disco kind of way.  Brilliant for parties, also available in dramatic black £90. Your accessory of the season?

Reading that Charlie le Mindu designs entirely in hair - wigs, earrings - caused a bit of a scare in case it was really real.  Fear not, 100% Kanekalon fibre. The advice is not to use with any heated appliances.  Shopping List London is happy to help.  We shop, we send.

Bright make-up? Grey Nails? Illamasqua!

Press about BRIGHT make-up,  METALLIC make-up, and GREY nails for Spring makes Illamasqua (tag-line "make-up for your alter-ego") spring to Shopping List London's mind: highly-pigmented, professional quality, lots of drama (often shocking-pink drama), notably in Selfridges where an Illamasqua team is on hand to do you up and tutor you.  Extreme make-up with finesse!

For grey nails, here's something to start with straightaway. This Illamasqua 'DWS' & 'Harsh' (use as sparkling top layer) full-size pairing is currently £15 as a set from Debenhams. 15ml bottles are normally £13.50 each.  Debenhams are very competitve on beauty, we're noting.

Let us know if you want Shopping List London to do some shopping for you.

Uniqlo HeatTech – mon amour

Who knew it would come to this?  Shopping List London's top shopping recommendation right now is Uniqlo HeatTech.  HeatTech thermal underwear for men and women comprises various vests, undershirts, camis and leggings. It's super-thin, super-comfortable, effective, and very reasonably priced.  It's not really a case of style going out the window because of HeatTech's slim profile.
A visiting Japanese business contact confided he was wearing two pairs of trousers the other day in London. We knew he meant HeatTech and were able to share the confidence right back!

Let us know if you need Shopping List London to shop for you.

Peter Jensen sample sale Dec 2010

It's sample sale heaven in London right now. So far Shopping List London has been trekking here, trudging there, nearly falling over and appreciating wearing wellingtons in the snow and ice.  Shopping List London is a quiet fan of Peter Jensen a designer who quietly does his own thing so will be making the extra trek to his Dalston studio for the sample sale later this week (see left for details).  It would be great to find his Cats & Dogs print cotton shirt dress (even though it will probably be blizzard conditions on the day). Perhaps, more easily, you can find Peter Jensen designs on sale with ASOS.com or Urban Outfitters.  If you have a specific shopping request, Shopping List London may be able to help, of course!

Jo Gordon, Striped Scarf Queen

Shopping List London has loved Jo Gordon's knits from when we first sourced her scarves for upmarket Japanese department stores, when she was a recent Royal College of Art fashion grad working out of a shared, draughty, though wonderful, studio in Bloomsbury, London.

Now Jo Gordon is queen of the striped scarf . It's a subtle thing to make a simple concept always fresh and always better than the mass market versions.  Part of the secret is her very delicate colour sense and access to trusted Scottish hand-knitters and yarn-dyers.  Fairisle Scarf shown comes in three colourways £91. See the Jo Gordon website for more items (for men, women and children), international stockists, shop online, or contact Shopping List London to shop for you.

Friday 3rd December, Jo Gordon 'house sale' at 7 Druce Road, Dulwich SE21 7DW from 9:15am to 4:30pm - a great chance to shop.

Cornelissen Artists’ Colourmen

L. Cornelissen & Son, Artists' Colourmen since 1855 is a shop to know for when the urge to take up gilding, calligraphy, painting in egg tempera, pastels, or any artistic endeavour overtakes you or if you're a specialist looking for authentic materials.

Shopping List London particularly likes the section 'Pigments, Gums, and Resins' and trusts that from the stock of 20,000 items, Cornelissen would not recklessly sell you anything historically dangerous without guidance. Lead and orpiment anyone? And we love the drawers and drawers of pastel sticks.

Current special offers include the last of marbled paper and leather bound notebooks and folios made in a hand bindery in Cairo, from £17.  Like a flashback in time and fit for Darwin, Linnaeus or at least a Victorian heroine's sketching.

Cornelissen ship worldwide though aren't transactional online.  The store at 105 Gt Russell St, WC1B 3RY (near the British Museum in Bloomsbury) is local to Shopping List London, let us know if you would like us to shop for you.

Ally Capellino fine utility bags

The mission was to come away with an Ally Capellino holdall without getting distracted by totes, handbags, purses, and wallets in soft washed and bridle leathers and canvas. Trouble is you're surrounded by bags perfectly suited to every toting need.

Freddie £258 (the holdall), is well made in British waxed cotton with bridle leather and webbing. Wear across the body on long strap or use handles.  The shape looks good full or empty, makes for a great carry-on and feels light.  Available in black, dark brown, mustard, navy blue, red.  Low-key and practical, images don't do the waxed cotton justice.

Congratulations to Ally Capellino on their 30th anniversary and for having gone back to their origins creating bags which are utilitarian yet beautiful in terms of simple looks, materials, and use (we're talking years of use).  Ally Capellino is in the news for designing special edition bags for The Tate Gallery and for Apple - the AO line of laptop carriers is currently Apple's only designer collaboration.  See an article on Ally by Susannah Frankel in The Independent.

Ally Capellino, 9 Calvert Avenue, London E2 (in Shoreditch).  Let us know if you would like Shopping List London to shop for you.