50 Shades of Pink | Celebrating the Cyprus Rose Festival & The Benefits of Rose Oil

Disclosure: I may earn a small commission from the companies or products mentioned in this post.

As a busy Londoner, foodie and city travel blogger, I rarely get the opportunity to indulge myself with luxurious beauty treatments. In fact, much to many peoples dismay I’m sure, health and beauty often fall to the bottom of my priority list.

Sure, I try to head to a fitness class every now and again to balance out the amount I go out to eat, and I won’t leave the house without a little bit of foundation and mascara on. But asides from this, I’m pretty clueless.

I don’t know about the latest skincare trends, I don’t know the name of Rhianna’s latest make-up line, my nails are rarely shaped or adorned with colourful polish, and I haven’t stepped foot inside a beauty salon in years. It’s not because I don’t care about these things necessarily, it’s more that I simply don’t have the time.

So when I was invited by Rooster PR and the Cyprus Tourism Board to their Rose Water event, where there would be flower arranging, luxurious beauty treatments, and sweet rose-inspired treats, I jumped at the opportunity for some much-needed pampering.

The Rose Water event was a celebration the annual festival of the rose in Cyprus…

The Rose Festival is held each May in therural Cyprus village of Agros. Famed for its bright and beautiful roses, Agros springs to life as visitor’s flock to learn all about the distillation of the roses, attend exhibitions and take part in workshops.

To celebrate, we were ushered into an Alice in Wonderland themed space and treated to a beautifully presented selection of rose petal bellinis and mojitos, as well as rose-inspired treats such as rose milk, rose Turkish delights and the traditional Cypriot machalepi – a light, sweet dessert which can be topped with rose cordial to make an ideal summer treat.

After stuffing our faces with sweet treats, we moved on to the first activity of the evening; flower arranging with Hackey based florist Rebel Rebel E8. Not an activity I have personally tried my hand at before, but I certainly thought it would be easier than it was. Let’s just say I don’t think anyone will be hiring me for their wedding anytime soon!

Next, we moved on to the luxury beauty treatments, starting with a hand and arm massage using rose water infused oils. The combination of the relaxing massage and the enchanting scent of all things rose made it difficult for me not to nod off for a much-needed nap.

Finally, the last activity of the evening was a flower-themed manicure to ensure our nails matched the rest of the evening’s decor.

We flashed our newly manicured nails and drank our way through the rest of the cocktails before being finally sent home with a lovely goody bag full of rose inspired goodies.

10 Benefits of Rose Oil:

1. Anti-Flammatory
2. Anti-Bacterial
3. Antioxidants
4. Moisturising
5. Fragrance
6. Relaxation
7. Toning
8. Skin glow
9. Cleanser
10. Face and body mist

How I’ll be Using Rose Oil:

I must admit, I’m now a little obsessed with all things rose. And I’ve even been noticing how it’s used in so many different products I come across every day.

I wouldn’t say I’ve been converted into a beauty guru, and don’t expect London City Calling to suddenly be full of beauty tips and hacks, but I’ll certainly be making room for a bit more me-time and trying to look after myself a little better.

I’m looking forward to popping some of my new rose essential oil into my diffuser and relaxing with anti-inflammatory face mask and cup of rose tea. Although the likelihood is that afterwards I’ll be straight back out at a rooftop bar with an elderflower and rose water cocktail in hand, planning my trip to Cyprus next May!