Self-sustainability is quite the urgent imperative when travelling into virtually the middle of nowhere (in my case the middle of the Nevada desert). Thankfully I did stock up on a whole heap of So Organic products to take to ease my journey (practical and comfort wise) into the dusty plains of the Black Rock playa.

Number one must have is baby wipes, especially if you’re unsure whether you’ll be near watering hole or shower facility. In my case I knew I was going in to the desert for 9 days. We had to take all the water we’d need (for drinking and washing). Even with an RV or campervan you need to take care of water usage, as the locals constantly remind you of the water droughts and restrictions. Baby wipes are a godsend to clean your body with, particularly when it’s covered in desert dust. The organic ones are definitely the best as they are softer than conventional brands and moisturise as effectively as they clean. My only issue with them was I didn’t have enough – one pack for 9 days of desert is just short of what you need for a full body wash every day.

I also took a packet of organic facial wipes – these are invaluable if you’re used to a daily cleansing routine (I’m used to using the Dr.Hauschka cleansing Cream and Rose Day Cream). The face wipes meant I could still clean my face without using water. Instead of the Rose Day Cream I used the Trilogy Daily Defence Moisturiser with SPF15 because it has extra benefit of a sunscreen in it. My skin stayed softer than just about anybody on the playa for this reason!

The number two essential is lip balm. In a dry, windy, dusty environment keeping your lips nourished is a must. If the wind doesn’t dry them out, the sun almost certainly will without a good lip salve. I took Lavera’s Soft Bronze Lip Balm because it gave me a little shimmer as well as protection from the elements.

Sunscreen of course is needed when you go anywhere hot and the deserts of the earth are of course the hottest place to sun yourself. I was given a  tube of the Green People SPF25 Children’s Sun Lotion (No Scent) some time ago and this was the first chance I’d had to trial it in any hot weather. I was surprisingly ecstatic (I never thought I’d have such a reaction to the mere workings of a sunscreen!) to discover that this sunscreen works so brilliantly. I didn’t get burnt at all, it soaked in right away (no grease whatsoever) and I didn’t feel (or rather smell) like I was wearing sunscreen whatsoever. A must have for kids and adults soaking up the sun for sure.

One more essential (only if you’re going to a festival or party in the desert) is bright bold make up. Between the three of us we only had a few colours (you can’t fit too many luxuries in 6 month intended usage backpack you know). The Blue Topaz eyeshadow by Inika goes a long way – bright and dazzling – perfect for a dress up arts festival in the middle of the desert!

No matter where you spend your holidays in the great outdoors (be it camping in the UK, hiking in the Swiss Alps or biking it across Tuscany these are very useful ‘roughing it essentials’ to take with you.

Raw Organic are a new brand on the organic skin care block. As their name suggests, their range was created on the philosophy that organic products made from nature's raw ingredients are better for our bodies and better for the planet. And the emphasis: pure ingredients sourced from nature do work. Raw Organic, like So Organic, hold firm on their belief that the beauty products and toiletries we use everyday should be organic for the simple well-founded truth that what is absorbed through the skin matters.

Stephen Ley embarked on this mission of creating an organic, affordable range of skin care products three years ago when he sold his medical supply manufacturing company and met with Dr Nigel Brassington, a leading chemist. The pair worked together to formulate a line of cosmetics and toiletries with the primary focus to make them from certified organic extracts in an ethical fashion.

Made in England, Raw Organic use as many locally grown ingredients as possible. None of their products contain synthetic ingredients, parabens, SLS, synthetic fragrance, colourants, formaldehyde, urea or genetically modified materials. They're also not tested on animals.

The Raw Organic range includes:

• Juniper and Bitter Orange Moisturising Soap


• Honey and Barley Moisturising Liquid Soap


• Apple and Elderflower Refreshing Body Wash


• Bilberry and Juniper Conditioning Shampoo


• Wild Chamomile and Olive Hand and Body Lotion


• Evening Primrose and Chamomile Baby Oil


• Apricot and Rosehip Warm-up Massage Oil


• Spearmint and Eucalyptus Cool-down Massage Oil


• Frankincense and Sandalwood Massage Oil


• Ylang-Ylang and Neroli Relaxing Massage Oil

Madara is an entirely natural and organic range of cosmetics that epitomises beauty - beautifully designed, all natural ingredients, and healthy body. The brand's motto ‘deeper than skin' represents a perception of beauty that more women every day are beginning to encompass. In their words: "A beauty which would not offend meadow flowers... the wisdom and force of nature."

Manufactured in Latvia the range is certified by ECOCERT, the international organic standard. Ingredients include biologically certified flower and herb extracts from the Baltic region. In line with the ECOCERT standards at least 95% of all ingredients within the Madara range are of natural origin and none of their products contain synthetic ingredients.

The organic skin care company recently won a prestigious Design Management Europe Award. It was also included in the WWF Deeper Luxury report which looks at environmental and social performance of a number of world wide brands, including the likes of L'Oreal. They stood out for reasons including the fact they make completely natural flower and herb cosmetics that use ingredients that are locally sourced and use easily recyclable packaging.

Madara's eco-friendly credentials don't stop there. They use only ecological cleaning agents in the production of their products, use energy efficient production equipment and do not carry out experiments on animals.

...Three Red Red Lippies

Bright red lipstick is the perfect colour for the Christmas work's party. But if you plan on making those puckers extra kissable it's a good idea to choose an organic lipstick to ensure your partner doesn't swallow any of the chemicals found in conventional brands.

NVEY Eco Organic makeup has two gorgeously vibrant Real Red and Dark Ruby shades made from natural colour compositions that will last till the early hours of the morning. Ingredients like Vitamin E to nourish and soften the lips as well as safflower and beeswax ensure your kissers will stay glamorous all night long.

Logona have a Pure Red lipstick that is ultra nourishing, enriched with natural botanical oils and waxes. A castor oil base, jojoba and passion flower extract leave the lips looking moist and super gorgeous. This lippy is certified by the German organic certification body BDIH.

Organic lipstick is a great size for stocking fillers and even homemade Christmas crackers - one customer bought a couple to make her work's luxury version.

Did you know that lips do not have oil glands? This is why they dry out more easily than other areas of skin. With winter - the dry skin season - here it's a good time to rejuvenate summer-chapped lips and treat them with a bit of TLC.

One of the worst things you can do to keep your lips moist is lick them. This is big one for kids who naturally wet or suck their lips when they feel dryness around the mouth. The cycle of wetting and drying intensifies the process of chapped lips. Buying them their very own sweet smelling and sparkling, natural lip balms usually goes down a treat, and can be very useful for chapped lips, of course that's if they use it.

In winter you can protect your own lips better outdoors if you cover your mouth behind a scarf or woolly jumper. On extra cold days most of us do this anyway but it can really help reduce moisture loss from direct contact with the cold dry air.

Lip balms with SPF protection will help protect from sun exposure on those crisp cloudless days and exfoliating with gentle scrubs will clean off dead skin cells leaving your lips feeling ultra smooth. Also applying an intense moisturising treatment specially formulated for lips will give your kissers a bit of extra oomph and nourishment.

A great natural lip treatment is the Smooch Penetrating Lip Salve by Barefoot Botanical with rose and cardomom, also the Organic Llip Silk by Essential Care is also very soothing and nourishing.