Addicted to chocolate in more ways than one!

Food, taste, pleasure. These are, in the correct order I believe, the 3 most important preoccupations of the French nation. I found these three vital elements deliciously combined at the Salon du Chocolate exhibition in Porte Versailles last week. This annual event has become somewhat of an obsession for the chocolate lovers of the world, and as a fellow chocoholic it was only fitting that I went along to discover more.
I had rather hoped that the Salon du Chocolate would have its own Hansel and Gretel style house of chocolate, cake and ginger bread, but sadly no.

However, the Salon du Chocolate was deliciously like entering a small chocolate shopping centre where all the vendors are keen to give you free samples of their sugary creations. Along with demonstrations of how to make chocolate cakes, macaroons and the like, there was also a chocolate fashion show where models (who clearly never touch the stuff) were wearing outfits created by renowned chocolatiers in collaboration with French fashion designers (including Thierry Muglar, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and Jean Doucet). This delicious défilé was held in aid of the charity ‘La Voix de l’Enfant” to raise chocolate supplies and funds for under-privileged children (http://www.lavoixdelenfant.org/).

As well as the fashion show there were stands upon stands of chocolates all beautifully presented! At times I couldn’t tell if the chocolates were too perfect delicacies or lip glosses, eye shadows or compacts, either way they were too beautiful to eat!

The chocs and macaroons at Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki looked beautifully delicious!

The Salon du Chocolat also had a small section for makeovers by professional makeup artists along with a small stand from Palmers cosmetics which had joined in on the chocolate affair because of its cocoa butter content! This got me to thinking about how chocolate can be pleasurable in multiple ways...

Aside from being rich in antioxidants, highly addictive caffeine and sugar, cocoa butter has great skin softening properties hence its explosion into the cosmetics industry. I have to confess however, that previously I have found chocolate inspired beauty products disappointing – for me they smell too much like the real thing, your taste buds get overexcited, your mouth waters, only to be disappointed when the chocolaty substance ends up being used as a shampoo/moisturiser/face mask!

However, amongst my beautification adventures I have found some delightful chocolate inspired products which have a whiff of creamy deliciousness but remain firmly in the cosmetics side of aromas. Mixing food and beauty products to the degree that you can’t tell which is which is never a good idea! Take LUSH for example – are you supposed to eat their Heavenly Buttercream (£3.87) with chocolate flakes and cocoa absolute or use it in the shower for soft and silky skin?? LUSH say that with its cocoa and vanilla absolute and sweet orange essential oils it will make your “skin detox feel like a wash with a chocolate orange cheesecake” – eurgh! The Poodle apologises but I would rather eat a cheese cake and wash with shower gel! But no, there are some choctastic creams and lotions and potions that do the chocolate theme with a bit more cleverness and a bit more class.

Take Palmers Cocoa Butter Body Lotion for example. A classic well priced moisturiser which not only blends cocoa butter to a sexy smooth aroma but also smoothes away stretch marks and tones the skin. Any pregnant woman I know is always equipped with 2 bottles of this in the cupboard (along with much Bio-Oil) to prepare for the baby bulge! And at from only £3.50 it would be rude not to try it hein?

Another Palmers must have is something I discovered at the Salon du Chocolat itself –Palmers Dark Chocolate and Mint Lip Butter (£2.75). Rather than being buttery as the name suggests, this tube of gloss makes your lips feel silky smooth and the fresh smell tricks you into thinking that you have just enjoyed several boxes of After Eight Mints! It is destined to make men’s heads turn as you waft past and will give you just THE sweetest kisses!

As previously discussed this Paris Poodle has tried practically all of the fake tan options available to pale skinned beings and Diana B’s Miracle Tan from the states has not escaped my realm. Scented with chocolate truffle (better than the usual biscuit scent!) and the same colour too, this fake tan promises to tan you in 1 minute! The colour it gives you is subtle and natural looking but the way to achieve this colour is somewhat unusual, but ultimately practical. You apply it when you are in the shower, rubbing the foam onto your wet skin which activates the ‘sugar protein’ that gives you a ‘sunless tan’. Cover yourself in the chocolaty foam and wait 60 seconds until you rinse off. It is suitable for all skin types too but it’s MESSY! Really MESSY! The Poodle recommends emptying the shower room of all towels/clothes/dressing gowns as this stuff really does go everywhere – which means that once you have used it you can also give the bathroom a thorough clean too – that’s what I call multi tasking beauty!

Last but not least Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare for Men has also used cocoa butter in their range – perhaps that’s why the range is a nice shade of truffle! The Men’s Cleanse & Polish as well as the Men’s Face Scrub both contain cocoa butter, the scrub is also contains pumice for extra gritty exfoliation – the perfect natural scrub for really manly metrosexuals who prefer to exfoliate with the hard stuff to have baby soft skin! All thanks to cocoa butter!