Ciate Nails

I've heard some great things about Ciate (pronounced see-are-tay) nail polishes and seen them worn by lots of different people include Lisa Eldridge and the girls at Pixiwoo all of whom I trust when it comes to great products but when I tried out the Ciate nail varnish in Boudoir I wasn't blown away.

It's more to do with the colour, which after two coats was still not as solid as I would have liked, or expected. The varnish itself had quite good staying power, being wearable but with a few chips for nearly a week (and probably longer if professionally applied) and was very easy to apply and reasonably quite drying. I'm sure with another coat the colour would have been better but I really think two coats should be enough with any colour.

That being said I would love to try their new Bottled Sunshine Colleciton which look beautiful and I'd be interested to know whether the colour coverage is better with these shades - maybe Boudoir was just a one off.

I'm definitely going to persevere with Ciate colours however as. not only is the packaging lovely but they are certified 3 Free which means there is nothing nasty in their varnishes.

Pixiwoo Friday Video

I love the finished look on this...

Return to Glory

It's rare to find anything at a fantastic price in London and I was dreading booking myself in for a pregnancy massage because I knew that if I enjoyed it I'd want more and we'd be bankrupt before the baby even arrived. But a bit of googling led to me Return to Glory 'London's leading mobile massage and beauty service' who not only offer pregnancy massage but four different pregnancy treatments including reflexology. And they do so many other treatments for the non-knocked up - deep tissue massage, couples massage, Swedish and Thai yoga massage, dance, salsa and Pilate's private lessons, facials, make overs, a whole range of treatments for men and even events for offices and parties.

The fact that you can get whatever treatment in your own home is fantastic but especially if you are in London and want a massage - the thought of being that relaxed and then having to schlep home on public transport thus undoing all the relaxation is what really swung it for me. As I wanted it asap I booked over the phone (0845 485 1195) but you get a 10% discount for booking online so it's definitely worth doing that. I couldn't believe that for £65 someone was going to come to my house with all the equipment and give me a massage.

Agnes appeared at 5 mins to the allotted time and set up quickly even though our room is tiny. She'd bought soothing music (which helped drown out  the noise of upstairs builders) and helped me get my bulk into a towel (which she kept helping me rearrange so I didn't feel like meat on a slab - all exposed). She also explained exactly what was going to happen which was nice - I knew they wouldn't offer or do any treatments that weren't safe but my husband was anxious about me getting a massage which had transferred to me a little so it was nice to have it all talked through before hand. I was getting their Signature Pregnancy Massage and I'd read a bit on the website but what I hadn't taken in was that everything gets rubbed. Your back, legs, feet, arms, face and head. IT IS AMAZING.

Obviously it depends on your therapist but the amount of pressure was just perfect - I was worried that pregnancy massage would be a bit light - and the timing great, nothing was hurried and I definitely got my full hours worth. How can this be just £65. As soon as she left - leaving me in my dressing gown beaming - I re-booked for a months time. I then called my pregnant sister and pregnant buddy and told them they have to try it out. It is really worth giving Return to Glory a go - they are incredibly helpful so if you are not sure what you need give them a call - I'm sure they will have the treatment for you.  

Sugarbomb by Benefit

One of the many makeup goodies my sister has bought for me over the years from the massive list I give her every birthday and Christmas. This was on the same list as Bella Bamba, another Benefit product I wanted to try but she was advised that Sugarbomb is more versatile as it contains more colours you get a more multi-dimensional colour - more bang for your buck. At first I wasn't convinced that this product was as good as the shop assistant had billed it to be. It seemed incredibly pale but the more I used it the more I loved it and now wear it most days as it really is the perfect mix of colours for a natural, glowing, slightly rosy look with buildable colour. And I'm not the only one who loves it - it was given the Readers Kiss of Approval Ultimate Blusher award at the recent Cosmopolitan Beauty and Fragrance Awards.


I seem to float around Benefit in phases, loving them sometimes and at others wondering if their products are really worth what you pay for them, there are also some quite good dupes around for their block blushers for half the price. No matter how I'm feeling about the brand however,there are some of their products that I am always using - Hoola as a contour and now, Sugarbomb as a great versatile cheek colour. And it seems I'm not the only one to love it - it's getting a 4.7 out of 5 rating from the 125 reviews on their website. It definitely won't work on all skin tones but the colours - peach, soft plum, pink and rose - are incredibly subtle and natural and should work on most people, although you may have to build it up a little. It's like having four blushers in one xx

The Morning After the Night Before Make-up - Friday Video

This is called The Morning After the Night Before based on those nights where you accidentally don't go home and need to do your makeup with what you've got in  your bag the next day. There could be a whole series of these as the contents of my makeup bag is always changing although this doesn't really happen to me anymore. If this is something that happens to you a lot you can adjust your makeup bag accordingly with makeup and moisturiser samples, small face wipes and little brushes. From previous experience I usually compensate for a massive hangover and pasty complexion with big flicks with my liquid eyeliner but I refrained in this video...

• Liz Earle Skin Tint (bare 01)
• Body Shop eyeshadow (this colour is discontinued - any pale colour is good)
• L'Oreal Superliner (black)
• Benefit Eye Kohl (black)
• Clinique High Impact Mascara
• Dior Skin Flash Pen
• Laura Mercier Golden Bronze
• Rush Hour by Benefit
• Benefit "Gilded" highlighting pencil
• Clarins translucent powder
• L'Oreal Infalible Lip Liner (Nude 701)
• Clinique Long Last Lipstick (in Sugared Apple)
• No 7 High Shine Gloss (Smile)