Bourjois Cream Blush

Last night Hetty (my pet African Pygmy Hedgehog) escaped. One minute he was doing his usual circuits of the lounge floor and the next he was gone.

Chris and I spent ages looking for the cheeky little critter only to find him happily snuggling down in a bag of clothes that have been destined for the charity shop for months.

The morals of the story are that you should never underestimate a hedgehog's ability to out-wit you and that if you collect clothes together to take to the charity shop, don't hide them away and forget about them but do it there and then.

Apart from chasing errant hedgehogs, I have spent this week working on a crazy documentary that I'm hoping to get comissioned (it's about BDSM and I have a feeling that it's going to take me way out of my comfort zone but will be an amazing challenge and make compulsive viewing if it gets made), having my hair coloured by the amazing Daniel Galvin Junior and trying to catch up on a bit of sleep. I have also of course been trialling lots of products to tell you about.

My favourite thing this week has got to be the newly released Bourjois Cream Blush. Bourjois powder blusher is such a classic, but the cream blush is something else all together. It goes on beautifully and gives the perfect flush. I love the range of colours and the price-point at £7.99 is excellent too.

I can honestly say that the quality of these blushes matches if not exceeds the MAC, Nars and Bobbi Brown equivalents. The colours are stunning, they go on and blend with real ease and the classic little pots are a pleasure to use.

My favourite colour so far is 02 as I love coral shades of blusher, but they are all really lovely and will suit all skin-tones. I predict that these little pots will become a true beauty staple and hero product for many years to come.

Yves Rocher Retropical Range- Sunkissed Glow-Cheek Stain

Yves Rocher have just launched their Retropical range which they hail as a collection of products for "an exotic and flamboyant look".

I like the brightly coloured eye pencils and mascaras but fear they are a bit young for me.

However, the cheek stain is just gorgeous. It gives a healthy, tanned glow and goes on very easily. I dabbed it on my cheeks and then brushed some bronzer over my face as usual. It contains gold particles that illuminate the stain to make you look even more glowing and sun-kissed.

Check out the ReTropical range here xx

KIKO Makeup Milano, Fierce Spirit Glow Touch Lips and Cheeks

"Hello and welcome", said the handbag to the little KIKO pot

"Why thank you" , said the KIKO pot to the handbag. "It's an honour to be here."

"You are part of a select few" , whispered the handbag. "Only the very best actually make it in".

The pot of KIKO blushed and was grabbed by it's new owner who it made blush too. The blush was a perfect summery pink and the owner's cheeks looked the perfect shade of "just made love".

With a dab on the cheeks and a bit on the lips, the little pot was returned to it's new home, ready for more adventures.


KIKO Glow Touch Lip and Cheeks is AMAZING...I'm totally obsessed. It's part of the limited edition Fierce Spirit Range and you can get it here for £5.90.

Nail Art Nail Tattoos

Allow me to introduce one of my favourite poems/mantras:

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN I SHALL WEAR PURPLE

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

I have every intention of being naughty, cheeky, eccentric and wearing what the hell I like when I am old.

In the meantime, I'm going to be gifting the following nail polish and tattoos to my Grandma who may be 82 but looks and acts like she is a lot younger. She's utterly fabulous!

Nail Art Nail Tattoos are available here and only cost £5.99. They do a great range of neon polish shades with the pink above being my favourite!

Suitable for teenagers, young adults and Grannys everywhere!!

Cire Trudon 'Yaz' Scented Candle

Have you ever smelt a Cire Trudon Candle? If not, please promise me that you will seek them out and go on quite possibly one of the most interesting olefactory journeys of your life.

Cire Trudon have been making candles since 1643 and tailor made them for Louis XlV and Napoleon. Today, they produce a range of the most quirky, exceptional and high quality scented candles around. From the scent of the Mirror gallery and wooden floor at the Chateau of Versailles to that of Louis XlV's lover, each candle is unbelievably evocative and really plays on the imagination. They are also 100% natural so contain no harmful chemicals.

Anyway, the newest release from Cire Trudon is something a little bit different. Flamoboyant Parisian designer Yazbukey was invited to create a candle and the results are just amazing. Her aim was to create the fragrance of a 1950's lipstick but to me it smells just like a brand new, luxurious leather handbag. Either way, it is ultra glamorous and very sexy.

The candle itself is encased in a black lacquer holder with a pair of bright red lips on the lid. It's such fun and is going straight on my dressing table when I buy one. It's  not cheap at £85 for the candle and an extra £40 for the snuffer lid,  but for me this is almost a piece of art and I will keep the candle holder long after the candle has burnt away.

When you're next near Baker Street, make a slight detour to 36 Chiltern Street and visit the Cire Trudon Boutique. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Crabtree & Evelyn's Avant Garden, Covent Garden

I can' tell you how much is going on in the beauty world at the moment. 

I have so many products to test and tell you about. Some of them are really groundbreaking and quite breathtaking whilst others are big on promises but don't really deliver.

Anyway, today I wanted to move slightly away from products and tell you about something a little bit different that has come to London's Covent Garden. 

Garden designer and rising star Emma Coleman has created "The Avant Garden" which is being hailed as "a classic British herb garden for a new generation" in the West Piazza until 9th June. It is part of the Chelsea Fringe and has been created to mark over 50 years of Crabtree and Evelyn's Gardener's Collection and their 40 years of pioneering botanical formulations.

So, if you fancy a bit of escapism in the middle of the city, head to this little oasis, breathe in the thyme, rosemary and sage and make sure you pick up some free Crabtree and Evelyn samples while you're at it! 

Oh and if you fancy winning a limited edition tube of Crabtree and Evelyn Gardener's Hand Therapy post a comment below and I'll do a draw at the end of the week.

Garnier 5 Sec Perfect Blur

Even by my standards I have had a crazy day.

Here's a taster:

1am: 80's Show on Heart

4am: Finish show and jump in cab

4:30am: Clamber into bed

10am: Alarm goes off

12:30: Voiceover for the Daily Star (in the middle of nowhere)

1:30pm: Rush to Liverpool Street Station

2:30pm: Meet director of TV doc that I'm working on

4:30pm: Travel to Clapton and meet incrdible Dominatrix who might be appearing in said documentary

6:30pm: Return to Liverpool Street and go crazy stocking up on beauty products from Boots (my form of retail therapy)

8pm: snuggle up in bed and grab a few hours sleep

As you can see, I have been quite busy and sleep doesn't figure very highly on the above list. However, one of my reckless Boots purchases has made the world of difference to my poor, slumber deprived face.

After spending £12.99 on a tube of Garnier 5 Sec Perfect Blur and smothering my face with it before work,  I can tell you that this stuff really does do what it says on the tin. I went from shiny, blotchy and pallid to glowing and mattified within seconds. All my imperfections really were blurred away and I felt airbrushed.

My skin feels soft and still looks great six hours later and I would be happy to leave the house with nothing but this and some mascara. This is a definite beauty must-have and really does make a palpable difference to the appearance of your skin.

One thing I would say is that it needs a few seconds to settle on the skin before you apply your makeup as it was a tiny bit slippery to start with. (Although this may be down to the fact that I applied a little too much!)

Here's to spur of the moment shopping at the end of a long day!

Beauteco Box

I love giving presents. I don't know if it is a purely selfish thing because I love the feeling of fulfilment that I get from choosing a present that is 'just right' or whether I am in fact a genuinely nice person who gets pleasure from seeing other people happy. I think it is probably a combination of both.

I find Chris really easy to buy for as I know him so well. Often we do very thoughtful and slightly silly gifts for each other and also love to treat each other to weekends away. My father on the other hand is not quite so easy. I find myself racking my brains for months when it comes to him. Failsafe options include food and wine, but there's only so much food and wine one man can consume.

It's the women in my life who I find the simplest to buy for. All of them without fail love beauty products and I love to put together little boxes of goodies for them. My Mum is always most excited by luxurious face and hand creams, my sister adores makeup and perfumes and my girlfriends are into all the latest wonder products and are big on mascaras.

Beauty boxes are such fun to put together. If you know someone well, then you will probably know the kind of things they love as well as their skincare needs. If you are going to make a box, buy one luxury item and a few cheaper but lovely products. My perfect box would perhaps include:

Liz Earle Hot Polish Cleanser
Emma Hardie Handcream
Revlon nailpolish in a bright coral
Margaret Dabbs Foot Oil
L'Oreal Liquid Precision Eyeliner

If you haven't got time to put a box together then there are a few companies out there who will do it for you.
One of the latest beauty boxes to be launched is Beauteco Box.

For £10 p/m they will send you or a loved one two monthly boxes containing five products. Some are full size and others smaller.

The thing I like about Beauteco is that they give different options depending on your skintype and you get to choose your box in advance. This kinda ruins the surprise element but means you know what you're getting and that you can actually use the products rather than pushing them to the back of your bathroom cabinet.

I trialled a box recently and was very happy with it. There is something so exciting about getting a special beauty delivery at work and I would LOVE to get them twice a month.

My box contained :

Anatomicals Body Scrub (full size)

Anatomicals Hand Cream (medium)

Dr Bragi Age Management Moisturiser (small)

 Mitchell & Peach Body Cream (Medium)
                               
Melvita Ultra Cleansing Oil Rose (enough to last at least a month or two)

How to get legs like Kate Moss in the St Tropez Ad (well almost!)

I have always been incredibly envious of women with lovely legs. The minute the sun comes out, out too come their long, brown limbs, framed by pretty little skirts/shorts. In the meantime, my white, much shorter specimens are still cowering in shame under a thick pair of black tights.

Getting my pallid legs out each year has never been easy for me, but there is no denying that it does eventually have to happen. Thank goodness there are many things that you can do to make this seasonal rite of passage much easier. No you can’t make your legs longer, but you CAN make them smooth, soft and tanned thanks to a selection of great products on the market.

So, here’s my guide for gorgeous summer legs:

Step one: Acceptance

Get legs out in private. Take a deep breath and look in the mirror. Take stock of hair situation and level of paleness. Shrug shoulders and smile. In a day or two you’re going to totally transform those pesky limbs.

Step two: Hair Removal

Next year, if you’ve got a bit of spare money promise yourself you’re going to have a course of IPL. It is so much less painful than hair laser removal and will rid you of your hairs for the long run. It’s available at lots of beauty salons but make sure you check out their credentials first. I personally love Ministry of Waxing.

This year, book in with a good waxer or get out your trusty razor out. (naughty as it makes the hair coarse, but so easy!)

Step three: Exfoliation

Once your legs are hair free, it’s time to prep them for the perfect tan.

If you’re anything like me then they might be looking a bit dry at the moment. Well, dry skin and fake tan are not a good combination, so it’s time to exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate.

One of the best and cheapest ways to do this is with a pair of exfoliating gloves. These are one of the best inventions ever. They cost next to nothing and I tend to use them in the shower. Squirt a good amount of shower gel onto them and then scrub away all those horrid dead skin cells. Simple!

If you prefer to use an actual scrub, here are some of my favourites:

Soap and Glory The Scrub of Your Life: £7

I love the fact that you can really feel this working. It also contains lovely moisturising ingredients. The price is good too! www.soapandglory.com

Organic Surge Tropical Bergamot Body Scrub: £4.99

I love this organic and ethical brand. This scrub smells beautiful and the bergamot is a great moisturiser.

Clinique Sparkle Skin: £20

Contains grapefruit, lemon, spearmint and menthol. Makes your legs glow!

Step four: Moisturise

Fake tan clings to dry skin, so you need to make sure that the skin on your legs is hydrated before you get the tan out.

The best time to moisturise is when you are still slightly damp after a bath or shower.

There are so many great body moisturisers on the market but here are some of my favourites:

Emma Hardie Natural Lift and Sculpt Body Butter:  Available at John Lewis and Space NK

I love everything in the Emma Hardie range. A lot of work goes into making these products super effective. This body butter contains Vitamin E, Shea Butter, exotic oils from Peru and Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids.

Lanolips Lovely Lanolin Triple Buttermilk Body Balm: www.lanolips.com

This multi-award winning product is great for very dry and sensitive skin.

Kiehls Crème de Corps : £16 kiehls.co.uk

This cream is such a classic and is used by a host of celebrities including Kate Moss.

Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Body Cream: £26

One of my favourite smells in the world!! I use this when I really want to treat myself. Luxurious, delicious and effective!

Step five: Tanning

Before you tan make sure that you apply a layer of moisturiser to your ankles and knees you don’t get any excess fake tan clinging to these areas.

Now the best way to apply fake tan is with a tanning mitt. These will provide an easy, even and streak free application.

Apply your tan to the mitt and then really work it into your legs in a circular motion. Don’t apply to much to your feet and literally brush the mitt over your ankles so that they get some colour but not too much.

Another option for those who like the natural look is to apply a Gradual Tan. You don’t need to use a mitt for these and they contain moisturiser so you can skip that step as well.

Here’s a list of my top fake tans:

He-Shi Express Liquid Tan: £37 www.he-shi.eu

I find that this tan goes on really easily and is streak free. The colour is lovely and natural too. Must be applied with a mitt as it is in liquid form!

James Read Gradual Tan: £24.50 www.jamesreadtan.com

James Read is the KING of fake tans. He has a host of celebrity clients and his products are just amazing. I particularly like his Gradual tan but his liquid one is also fantastic.

St Tropez Gradual Tan Plus Firming 4 in 1: £20

I’ve been testing this and it is honestly one of the best gradual tans I’ve ever used. It goes on like a dream and there’s pretty much none of that horrible biscuity smell. This tan is also great for the skin and has anti-ageing benefits. If it’s good enough for Kate Moss it’s definitely good enough for me!

Vibrators and Flourish Cosmetics

I had a very unexpected meeting today. I thought that I was meant to be seeing the manager of a new beauty brand but it turned out that he had in fact just launched an Erotic Boutique called ohtique.com. (Check it out for amazingly posh vibrators and sexy candles that turn into massage oil!)

Now I'm not one to be prudish (quite the opposite in fact) but I did get a shock at first when the very well-to-do man in question started discussing vibrators. He had obviously been immersed in it all for a while and was totally non-plussed by the whole thing, but I couldn't help but give an embarrassed giggle every time he said the word clitoris. However, after a cocktail or two he, my colleague Charlie and I were laughing raucously and telling our own vibrator related stories a bit too loudly I think.

We did discuss the fact that most women probably own or would like to own a vibrator. I don't think that we should be embarrassed by this. They are great if you're single and can also be a lot of fun in a relationship. However, can I advise you never to buy the Purple Pulser from Anne Summers. My friends bought me this as a gift at University and it is one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen...all big and purple and glittery....

Anyway, I don't really know how to make the transition from vibrators to organic cosmetics, but here goes...

Owning a vibrator is a really umm natural thing to do, just as natural as beautiful organic beauty brand Flourish Cosmetics! (oh dear)

Seriously though, I was recently introduced to Flourish Organics and am totally addicted. This small beauty brand is housed in Ireland and everything in the range is natural, organic and beautiful. The prices are good too.

I am increasingly of the opinion that we shouldn't be shoving a whole load of chemicals on our skin and there is something so refreshing about a brand that is truly natural with simple ingredients. I also love the idea that the products are handmade in the middle of nowhere in Ireland. There's something terribly romantic about it.

If you'd like to give Flourish a go then here are my recommendations:

The Vitamin E Face Cream is lovely and light and manages to fight sebum as well as being anti-ageing thanks to the combination of geranium and Frankinsense oil.

I love the Cleanser. It made my skin glow and also got rid of a few spots that were lurking.  The secret ingredient is Palmarosa Essential Oil! I rubbed the cream into my skin and removed it with a muslin cloth although you can also use it the traditional way with cotton-wool.

The Peppermint Foot Lotion is just perfect for relieving tired and blister- ridden feet. (A big problem for me now that I'm having to squeeze into my summer shoes). It smells fantastic and left my feet feeling all tingly.

My favourite product of all is their Rose Face Cream. It's thick and luxurious and is great as a night cream. It also only costs £35...eat your heart out Creme de La Mer!!

I've got loads of reviews coming up so come and visit again soon. xx

Retro Beauty

Sometimes the amount of beauty products on the market can be totally overwhelming. It seems that just as you settle on a moisturiser or mascara that you love, then the next big thing comes out and you just have to try it.

It’s funny to think that in the not too distant past women had just a very basic choice of products and they made do and still managed to look fantastic.

I’m always fascinated by beauty tips and recommendations from the older women in my family. Some of the oldest tips are the best and in this post I’m going to go back in time and celebrate classic beauty advice from years gone by.

Pretty much the only cleanser on the market in my Grandma’s day was Ponds Cold Cream. Every beauty conscious woman had a pot of Ponds on her dressing table and it dates all the way back to 1915. Nowadays there are a plethora of cleansers available, but I think that Ponds is still up there with the best of them (and is really good value  at only £4.49 a pot). Not only does this product thoroughly cleanse your face whilst removing stubborn makeup, but it also leaves you feeling moisturised rather than drying your skin out like some other cleansers can do. If you fancy giving Ponds Cold Cream a go, I recommend rubbing it into your face with your hands and then removing with a warm flannel. Your face will feel super-soft and glowing.

My Grandma Lily was ultra-glamorous and amongst other things had the most incredible nails right up to the day she died. As a teenager I bit my nails and she always begged me to stop biting and to follow her tips for long, strong nails. When I finally gave up my disgusting habit, I followed her tips and hey presto, long, healthy nails! To grow your nails Lily style, eat a cube of jelly a day (the gelatine strengthens bones and nails), use a good nail strengthener (I recommend Nail Tek II) and keep your hands hydrated with a moisturiser that includes nail strengthening ingredients (Grandma swore by Vaseline cream for Healthy Hands and Stronger Nails).

Another great retro beauty tip is that Olive Oil is one of the best beauty friends a girl can have. It can be used as a hair mask (apply to damp hair,  wear a bath cap/wrap it in a towel for twenty minutes while it works it’s magic and then rinse. Rita Hayworth kept her hair beautiful by doing just this. She’d use lemon juice to get rid of any oily residue), rubbed into cuticles, as a make-up remover (using an oil based cleanser is actually good for oily skin), as a moisturising hand treatment (apply and wear cotton gloves overnight while it sinks into the skin), the list goes on! The thing I love about Olive Oil is that it is pure and safe with no added nasties. It is also so cheap and incredibly effective.

Another great retro tip for beautiful hair is to wash it in beer which will make your locks bouncy and shiny! After shampooing, rinse your hair in flat, warm beer (the more hops the better), leave it to soak in for a couple of minutes, then rinse and apply conditioner as usual.

Cold water is one of the oldest beauty secrets out there. If you’re brave enough, make your final hair and body rinse in the shower a cold one as it will make your hair shiny and vibrant and your skin will look great too. The same goes for your face. After cleansing, splash it with cold water to close the pores.

I’d love to hear about the beauty tips that you’ve learnt from the older and wiser women in your life.