October 2016 Favourites - Friday Video

No new products in here. This was a spur of the moment video so I grabbed what I've been using most and loving recently. And here they are...

Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush (Golden Glow)
Daniel Sandler Radiant Glow
Lola Eye Base
Hourglass Brow Arch
L'Occitane Lavender Clean Hands
L'Occitane Lavender hand cream

Christmas Gift Ideas - What I'd Like

Initially this may seem like a strange category for a gift ideas post. However, I’ve tried really hard not to recommend anything that I haven’t tried myself make-up and skincare wise and there are a few other really specific things that I want that may click with you but I wouldn’t suggest as a gift for everyone, if that makes sense. So here are the things I haven't tried but want to with a few extra things thrown in.

Besame  - Besame has been available for a while in the UK but they are widening their distribution and they are a must for any fans of vintage make-up.

Apricot cream rouge – for use on lips, cheeks and eyes 

Violet Brightening powder – great if you are prone to redness or dark under the eyes 

Cashmere Powder Compact – this chunky compact is small enough to go in even a clutch and the powder in it is gorgeous  

CharlotteTilbury – god there’s a huge list of her products that I want (being allergic to her Magic Cream has in no way cooled my ardour) including her make-up bag (which I recommended for make-up lovers) but also (and not limited to!) the colour chameleon eyeshadow pencils (they do them to suit eye colour so this is a great make-up present to buy for someone as long as you know your eye colour - I would like bronzed garnet please) I’ve heard fantastic things about these pencils and finally her Lip Cheat in Pillowtalk

Birchbox – a great gift for someone who is a make-up and skincare fan (as long as they don’t already have this). The gift that gives month after month after month

Real Techniques Nic’s Pics – I love these brushes and have a lot of them in my personal and professional kit but I haven’t tried Nic’s pics and would love them (not just for their silver handles)

DrDennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel wipes – I’ve never tried anything by Dr Dennis but Caroline Hirons raves about these so I feel I really must give them a go. This is very me specific but if you know someone who’s been banging on about acid toning etc this could be a go-er.

Orbie – so many products that I want to try from this hair care range that is so popular with celebrities and hairstylists and celebrity hairstylists once again including but not limited to...

Soft dry conditioning spray, Gold lust repair and restore conditioner, Gold Lust transformative masque, Maxmista, and the Dry Texturizing Spray.

 

L’Occitane Magic Key – a great stocking filler if you live with a handcream obsessive 

Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask – a real cult product now though very expensive 

Bobbi Brown Smokey Lash Mascara – this is the next mascara on my list. I can’t believe I’ve never tried a Bobbi Brown mascara

Origins - I'm a real sucker for Origins face creams and this is one I've yet to try.

NudeStix Magnetic Eye Colour Pencil – These are new and exclusive to Space NK in the UK. They look easy to use, long lasting and are suitable for those with oily lids. Angel, Twilight and Spirit look particularly gorgeous.

Pom Pom lights – I love fairy lights and all my moves over the years has depleted my supplies. I would love some plain yellow fairy lights for my kitchen but I’ve always yearned for some Pom Pom lights for my office if I ever have one worthy of them - nice pastel ones.

One Line a Day Five Year Diary – you’re either a diary writer or not. I am, or rather, I was but now I have a child I have let the diary writing lapse. But I love being able to look back and see what I was doing when. This diary means you just need one line a day

Friday Video - June Favourites

Here's what I've been loving in June... and my filing system

Products shown:

L'Occitane Lighter Legs 
MAC Lipstick in Please Me
L'Oreal Professional Horizon Fix
Bronze Buffer from Beauty Mart

L'Occitane Almond Lighter Legs

Mum's are great because they always remember those little hang-ups you have even though most of the time they don't mention it. My mum and sister went to Paris for the night a couple of weeks ago and bought me back some really lovely  hand cream (the L'Occitane handcream is one of my absolute favourites) and some L'Occitane Almond Lighter Legs gel cream because I've always had incredibly dry, eczema-prone skin on my legs, especially my calves which has been hard to get rid of over the years.

I've been using the Almond Lighter Legs for just over two weeks and I love it. Not only is the almond smell absolutely divine - not too sickly as almond often can be - but my legs look so much better and still feel soft and moisturised well into the next day. The gel-cream contains peppermint which makes you legs feel fresh and soothed even when you've been pounding pavements all day and it absorbs into the legs really well, no greasiness at all. As for making my legs feel lighter I'm not sure about that as they didn't feel particularly heavy to begin with but I'm so impressed with its moisturising qualities I don't doubt it would do everything else it claims to.

I particularly love this because I wouldn't have bought it for myself but I will definitely re-buy and get it for friends as gifts.

L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel - Product of the Week

My mum got me some L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel as a treat on a recent visit to Sherborne and although I've been using it in my bath rather than as a shower gel I absolutely adore it.

My husband has been away a lot over the last couple of weeks with work and I've been solely in charge of the baby and trying to get stuff done in the evenings so a really hot bath with this Verbena shower gel at the end of the day has been a real treat and one of the few times I can relax without feeling that I should be doing something else - I mean we all need to wash! So for that reason it's my product of the week.

The List

Right here it is - after a lot of thinking I've come up with the definitive 10 make up and 10 beauty products I want to try out in 2010. There's going to be two a month (one of each) - so, in no particular order...

1. Mac - Irridescent loose powder in Silver Dusk
2. Mac - White Frost eyeshadow
3. Mac - Studio Sculpt SPF15 Foundation
4. Illamaqua Birthday Lashes
5. Bobbi Brown - Lip colour in Beige
6. Giorgio Armani - Face Fabric Second Skin Nude Makeup
7. Barry M - Glitter Dust in Silver
8. Illamasqua - Liquid Metal Eyeliner
9. Laura Mercier - Secret Camoflague
10. New ID - I-Shadow in Aspen

1. Aveda - Pure Abundance Hair Potion
2. Elemis - Pro-radiance Cream Cleanser
3. Mac - Studio Moisture Fix
4. Jemma Kidd - Dewy Glow All over Radiance Cream
5. Shu Uemura - Brightening and Cleansing Oil
6. Liz Earle - Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser
7. Liz Earle - Instant Boost Skin Tonic
8. Leighton Denny - Gold Dust Nail Varnish
9. Origins - Brighter by Nature Skin Tone Correcting Serum
10. L'Occitane - Brightening and Renewing Serum

I'm going to get trying - results soon xx

L'Occitane Hand Cream

After years of spending a lot of my money on trying to find the best hand cream I have found it by accident and for a mere £1.36. Boots Essentials Intensive Hand and Nail cream for very dry skin is without a doubt the best hand cream I have ever used. No matter how much I usually apply the day before my skin will be all cracked in the mornings when I wake up. Not any more not only did my hands remain smooth and soft over the entire weekend without me needing to use any other hand cream (the Boots cream is on my desk at work) my nails are notably more shiny and strong. I don't know how they do it. Now even though this is the case and from now on I will always have some on my desk or at home, L'Occitane's Shea Butter hand cream is still technically my favourite - what's not to like the packaging is fantastic, it has the best smell of any hand cream in the world... OK so the £6.85 price tag isn't great (and that's for the travel size) but I think the overall package is worth it (I never said I was a rational girl). So you don't need to break the bank to smooth up this January - try it out, it's a miracle worker.

Also hope you all heard my friend Frank Turner on the Sara Cox's Live Lounge this morning. If not, shame on you, go and listen again. Miss F and I went to the closing party at the Astoria last night - it was actually quite emotional and Frank's set was awesome as was Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly xx

Me, me, me

Lucky me had a really great weekend. Post dog-death Miss B was a little morose. I did go through the 'I have no friends I'm all alone' stage and now am safely out the otherside. The weather definately helped but so did doing something different with my time. Rather than the usual Sunday with Mr J spent drinking and eating too much whilst reading papers we went with Miss M, to a car boot sale in Battersea. But wait, we went one step further, we took a table, some chair, a great picnic and what seemed like half of Miss M's flat and did some selling. I was a little dubious at first but it was so much fun. I would really recommend it. Proof that there is still cool cheap stuff to do in London. It nearly but not quite made up for the fact that I am living in a building site and have had no hot water for over a week. I'm running out of places to shower which is not good.

Am now facing the usual poverty which the end of the first week of the month brings. Have luckily purchased Mr J's birthday present but for some reason have no idea what I want myself... except about 100 different products of course but I just don't think that that can be my present from Mr J. However, it would be foolish of me not to browse under the circumstances. Here's what I've seen....

• Sue Devitt Beauty Eye Intensifier Pencil in Surat (£17.50). This deep shimmering bronze is great for adding definition and a bit of sparkle. It is smudge proof and waterproof so this works great as either and intensive liner or lighter for smokey eyes.
  



• Paul and Joe Serum (£22) a grease free intensive moisturiser. This frangrance free serum contains honey to aid moisture retention.
  
  
• Shiseido the Make-up Silky eye shadow quad in Lunar phases (£24)
  
  
• Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme Frosted (£17) used in the morning and evening this plumper contains the latest in 'lip plumping technologies'.

• Revlon Bedroom Eyes poweder liner in Fishnet Jet (£8)
  


• Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Body Spray (£13) can be used everywhere and even works upside down. Not wanting to be too gross but I want to try this on the hard to get bit between the shoulder blades!



• Bliss Love Handler (£28). This seems to be being recommended everywhere. It releases caffine over an extended period of time which increases your metabolism. Best used with FatGirlSlim...
  


• GHD Summer Travel Bag (£145) comes with a styler and heat proof pouch and some travel sized goodies. Terribly extravagent especially if, like me, you already have some GHD's but I can't help myself.
  



• Elizabeth Arden's Smokey Eyes Powder Eye Pencil (£12)

One thing I've noticed since getting older is that presents you saw your older relatives getting when you were younger and thought were rubbish you now really want. If anyone is stuck for what to get me, anything from L'Occitane, The White Company, Molton Brown, Jo Malone (... you get the idea) is perfect. The thought of a receiving a scented candle drove the seven year old me into a decline now I adore them. xxx

Business as Usual

I'm sorry there's been another hiatus with the old blogging. I was rather shocked about the murder of a teenager near where I live. At the risk of sounding a bit like everyone's grandparents, what is the world coming to.

But whilst I was ruminating on the state of the world, and this country, the celebs continued their lives in a delightfully typical and outrageous fashion. Britney is out of rehab, getting primary custody of the boys but joint custody with K-Fed, with whom she is now getting along! Bloody typical. They are pretty hormonal as couples go. Naomi Campbell not only turned up for her community service but was nice to the people she was working with. And Angelina Jolie has adopted another child. This time Pax from Vietnam. I'm sure that it is better to give an orphan the opportunity to have a good life. However, with the hectic schedules of major celebrities, it must be hard to have time to pay enough attention to their own children. Let alone integrating a family of adopted children into a totally different country, culture, language and lifestyle.

Now I know this is gross but something has to be said. For all of you who have maybe a little bit of a shoe problem and go for looks over comfort be warned. I love shoes, the pointier and higher the better. For years I have spent more money on shoes than anyone of a sane disposition but I can't help it. But oh boy am I paying for it now. It's official - I have a bunion, and it hurts. I am now relegated to the faithful ugg boots (which I resisted for so long) and a toe separator in a vain attempt at stopping it getting worse. So here are some ways to prevent being doomed to a life of lumpy feet (I'd like to point out that my feet are the best part of me. I wouldn't change them and now...)

Most large pharmacies have whole sections of weird and wonderful things dedicated to feet. There are literally hundreds of foot soaks, scrubs, moisturisers and 'accessories' out there so really the best thing to do is go and have a look. But where to start? Here are a few products I like and suggestions on how to keep your feet fancy free (because we call know we aren't going to give up the shoes) But before I start if you wear pointy high heels you can get toe separators from Boots which you can wear in trainers and stops your big toe moving.

Before you can do any proper foot maintainance remove your nail varnish, your nails need help too. Then, and believe me this is good, get a bowl and fill it full with hot water and foot soak, plonk it in front of your favourite chair, insert feet and say 'ahhhh!'. Seriously, unless you splash out on a foot spa, not many things can be better than this. Boots Soothing Foot Bath which is medicated with witch hazel and mint and is a really great deal at £2.99. The Sanctury do a Relaxing Foot Soak with Lavender, Tea Tree and Green Seaweed which smells great and again amazing for £4.00 (also available in sachets). For something a bit more special Origins Foot Rest is no snip at £16.50 but this well last you a while and worth treating yourself with.

Once your feet are all soaked and smooth you can do your nails and the skin around your nails (it'll be easier now they are softened). If you have dry skin investing in a foot file is gross but necessary and now would be the time to get filing. Scholl's Dual Action Foot File is a good choice. For something with a little less elbow grease why not use a foot scrub? The Sanctuary's Foot Salt Scrub not only exfoliates but contains essential oils so its not too abraisive and only £5.95 for a big pot. But, as always, Origins have something a little more pricey up their sleeves, and its a goodie. Sole Searcher is a soothing foot scrub with Lava Rock (!) and worth its £16.50.

Now when it comes to moisturisers even I don't know where to begin. For me there is only one thing for really, really dry cracked skin. Flextol Heel Balm doesn't look special but my god it's a miracle worker. For £5.50 its a real must for those be-flip-flopped feet. Scholl's Deep Moisturising Cream is a permanant fixture in my bathroom and its only £3.99. This not only works a treat it smells amazing. For a more intensive treatment they do an Intensive Night Treatment, this comes with socks so you don't even have to walk like a tipsy penguin after application!

Best value for money for a non-intensive moisturiser is Badger Foot balm 21g is £3.89 for a big pot. Or Garnier's Body Cocoon Foot Cream is just 10p more. But I for one am never likely to do things by half so for something a little more fancy (again with the Origins...) Reinventing the Heel is a thick cream with tingling Menthol and Shea Butter to smooth the cracks. But the be all and end all in footcare for me, is L'Occitane Shea Butter Foot Cream 150ml. Its cheaper than Origins and oh my goodness its pretty unbeatable. For £14 its thick, soothing and smells incredible. I really recommend this for any feet!

So ladies, remember you can have the aesthetic pleasure without the pain, but you have to look after your feet because there's no glamour in hobbling. xx

Baby Soft Skin

The lovely Ani Difranco has given birth (I hate that expression, it makes her sound like a dock) to a baby girl called Petah Lucia. I know that Ani is probably not hugely interested in beauty products or make-up but this was very nearly a music blog so I feel that today's post should be dedicated to her and her righteous baby. So this time we're going to be tackling dry skin, something I've had to put up with for years, and I'll try and give you some tips that will get you on your way to making it baby soft.

I find this time of year particularly difficult. The cold weather seems to aggravate my skin more then anything - I think I've got through about a ton of hand cream since November (my favourite is L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream). A great bathroom constant in our house is Oilatum Bath Formula. This is great if you suffer from excessive dry skin or eczema, containing light liquid parafin it prevents the top layer of skin from drying out, its best to pat yourself dry and throw on some talcom powder after using this rather than towelling properly as this removes the Oilatum goodness. With regard to talc its really a personal preference as to which brand you choose. We'd all love to be able to afford the one that corresponds to our scent but most of us can't afford to be that luxurious so to be honest they are all much of a muchness. I use Johnsons Baby Powder or Boots own brand (which smells a bit less like you've waded through a creche). Nivea also do a great talc (Nivea Talc). Be warned though, too much talc is bad for you. It can suffocate the skin so sprinkle sparingly you really don't need too much.

I don't really know where to start as there's so much skin to cover! So I'm going to go from top to bottom as usual starting with a great facial moisturiser. Unfortunately Hammersmith does not really cater for the lover of Clarins so I decided to break the habit of a life time and try out a new moisturiser. Now, don't get me wrong, I love trying different creams but will only spend over £25 on my favourites. But Estee Lauder's DayWear Plus for Dry Skin is really great and worth its reasonable £28. Personally, I like my moisturisers to smell (lightly) of scent, Origins is an exception as I love the smell of everything in their range, and I have to say I was slightly put off the Estee Lauder by the smell of cucumber. But I got over that almost immediately and I'm actually a complete convert. The Estee Lauder is great for a morning cream (as the name suggests) it is quite thick without being too much and contains sun factor 15 which really protects your skin no matter what time of year. Its super long lasting and really light. Highly recommended.

For years I have been put off showing the tops of my arms and thighs because of terrible dry skin bumps. They are bad enough for people who touch these areas to enquire as to whether I would like a coat or jumper. This is not a pleasant experience. My mother always told me that I would grow out of it, and I suppose I have to a certain extent. My eczema now only rears its ugly head when I'm really stressed and the areas of bumps are now smaller. But they are still there. I've tried all sorts of exfoliators, I've even tried mild application of a brillo pad but nothing really worked. Until now.

Now once again I think part of the cure is to find the right moisturiser. I love Nivea Soft Intensive Cream. Its amazing of all the body moisturisers I have tried this is the best. It doesn't irritate sensitive skin at all and when applied to an irritated area it immediately soothes. This even beats the dermatological creams I was prescribed by the doctor. I use this on my arms, legs and back everyday. But what about the bumps? Mr J and I managed to track down one of the toughest naturally made exfoliators in the form of Korres Grape Seed Scrub which i have to say is one of the few exfoliators I have found that actually works properly. I find that you can spend so much money on these kinds of products which do work a little but usually not enough to match their prices, I'd definitely say that Korres have earned their £15. I use this three times a week on the back of my arms and the top of my thighs and it really softens the skin, removing dead skin cells without irritating or aggravating. But this wasn't sufficient. As I am weary of over-using products I really didn't want to use this too excess and make the problem worse.

It was then I tracked down Botanics Sisal Buffer. I've heard a lot about the benefits of brushing your skin to tone it and get rid of cellulite and dry skin but I was never really convinced. But this has almost eliminated my dry skin bumps. I alternate it with the Korres exfoliator and make sure I moisturise properly afterwards and for the firs time I can really feel the difference. It's really worth it and amazingly priced at around £4. After exfoliating or buffing your skin apply some toner over the dry skin bumps as recommended by Miss L - we both swear by Simple's Soothing Toner.

For those whose lower legs have a tendancy to look more like they are covered in scales rather than skin a saviour is at hand. If like me you have scrubbed and rubbed til you are literally blue in the face and still suffer from dry pins look no further than This Works Skin Deep Dry Leg Oil. As will all of This Works products it does exactly what it says on the bottle so beware, it is an oil so it is best to do this on the edge of the bath in your dressing gown rather than in your new Gharani Strok over your bedroom carpet.

So even though we no longer qualify for having baby soft skin I hope that these will help you cheat time and be as smooth and soft as a baby's bottom! xx