Janey Lee Grace - Look Great Naturally...Without Ditching the Lipstick

Do you want to look and feel fantastic? Not just once or twice a year when you're off on your summer holiday or treating yourself to a facial before a big bash, but just about all of the time? How would it be if your skin glowed, your hair shone, you were at your optimum weight and you had incredible energy and vitality? Your friends asking constantly, 'What are you on?' and wanting to get some, too? How about if your new lifestyle was really simple to achieve, saved you copious amounts of money, released you from needing to trawl the cosmetic counters in department stores and, as if that weren't enough, let you feel just a teeny bit smug because you'd be a couple of shades greener, not through any major eco-effort but simply by embracing a healthy, natural and organic lifestyle?

This book is all over it. It's about how to look and feel great while still being glam, saving money and doing our bit for the planet. Enlightened gals, by doffing their berets (green, of course) to holistic living, are making sustainable choices and doing their bit for the planet almost without trying.

Many girls recycle their shopping bags, buy Ecover washing-up liquid and try a bit of 'carbon off-setting' but are still burdening their skin with scary chemicals, sleeping badly, and consuming those hidden e-numbers. Your clothes may be Fairtrade, but what chemicals are they treated with? And, most importantly, do you look good in them? I hope to prove that the words 'beauty', 'fashion', 'style' and, indeed, 'joy' and 'simplicity' can be linked with the word 'natural' without making you think of sackcloth!

Beauty comes from health, confidence, contentment and making the best of what you've got, and there's a way to get there organically and naturally. You don't have to be a fashion victim to care about the clothes you wear; you don't have to be a drop-dead gorgeous model to want to make the most of your looks. Our personal style is intrinsic to who we are. Others judge us on what we choose to wear and, with or without make-up, something about an expression on your face can convey more than words.

The ideas in this book offer you, the modern, savvy girlfriend, freedom from the 'consumer trap'. There are inspirational tips for a joyful, more carefree life, and tons of great ideas for ditching the guilt around recycling your rubbish, doing the housework, and coveting the latest disposable fashion item or designer perfume. Alongside this there is advice about which water we should all be drinking and sensible guidance on diets, exercise and how to stay well without going near a pharmacy.

I want to remind you urban, sassy gals that you're already gorgeous, and help you tap into who you are. I've got no intention of ditching my lust for sparkly gold eye shadow and nail polish but I've discovered (and will share with you), where to get organic mineral make-up and formaldehyde-free varnish. I'll stress that nature has actually provided everything we need and, instead of popping a pill, there are simple kitchen cupboard remedies for when you're feeling full of cold or the kids have chicken pox. I'll look at how to help along that process of 'finding yourself' with the assistance of life-coaching, shamanic healing and positive visualization techniques. I'll cover mind, body and spirit from a very 'accessible' perspective, and ask if it really is possible to use cosmic ordering to get what we desire.

Throughout the book there are also a fantastic bunch of top 'secrets' from a variety of girlfriends who are happy to share their experiences and wisdom with you.

Look Great Naturally... Without Ditching the Lipstick is also about living a little more simply, in the style of Oliver James' Affluenza and Tom Hodgkinson's How to Be Idle and How to Be Free . This book looks at this message from a female perspective in the knowledge that it's time to chill a little and find beauty in the now. It also takes a leaf from Carl Honore's In Praise of Slow and looks at the slow movement as it spreads (slowly!) across the UK.

The economic climate has made many of us re-evaluate our priorities. In many cases that means having less money to spend and trying to create more time for things that really matter, like working out what you really want, making time for family and friends, thinking about your contribution to your community and not forgetting assessing the size of your carbon footprint. But rather than get all serious and just lecture you, I'm offering a wealth of ideas delivered with my sense of humour intact and a truly fast-track approach to 'having it all' while still embracing the natural alternative. That means you can simplify a little, save money and the planet, while still hanging on to that all-important lipstick!

I am passionate about living holistically but I'm by no means an old-school 'knit your own yoghurt' sandal-wearing Earth Mother. I'm a working mum with four kids under 11 and, somehow, I seem to have found a balance, albeit imperfectly, in the maelstrom of madness that is working in the media, being a wife and mum and running the website imperfectlynatural.com. On that note I am so grateful also to my 24/7 forum of like-minded 'girlfriends', all exchanging tips and eagerly trying my latest recommendations for anything natural, especially if it doesn't (in any sense) cost the earth. Our discussions and forums have been a great inspiration for me in writing this book.

I hope these ideas will appeal to you whether you've always been a passionate 'eco-warrior' or if you're new to the field of combat. Even the affluent 'ladies who lunch' can find they enjoy the natural path to health, well-being and happiness. This book is of course my own, very personal account of trying to look and feel great naturally, but I promise I won't be preachy. In some instances I've simply done some of the research and groundwork for you, while in others I'm just offering up the question, happy to admit honestly that I also still have much to learn in my quest for a holistic life. I've always called my trip down this road an im perfectly natural one, because I admit to not getting it all right. It's the 'small change/big difference' approach.

Feel free to dip in and out wherever it appeals to you and if at any point you feel overwhelmed, just decide to start with one small change. Switch your deodorant to a natural one, perhaps, or pop a protective device on your mobile phone, or try swapping your usual lunch for a superfood salad. Whatever it is, start slowly holistic living wasn't built in a day!