I'm married!!

Sorry I haven't written for a while! I've been getting married!

I had such a fab day and my makeup and hair stayed in place ALL DAY on what was the hottest day of the year.

Sarah Brock did the most amazing job on my makeup and I can't recommend her highly enough. I'll post all the makeup piccies when I get them and talk you through what she did.

In the meantime here's a piccie from the big day. xxx

An outstanding anti-aging serum

Sometimes I look in the mirror and my face looks a bit grey. Do you know what I mean? I just seem to lose my glow and lustre (this generally happens when I haven't had enough sleep or I'm a bit stressed!)

The answer to sallow skin probably lies in getting more shut eye and drinking lots of water, but sometimes you need a little extra help.

Well this help comes in the shape of a true wonder serum called "Higher Nature AEterna Gold Collagen Creme Serum"! It's a long name..I know!

This stuff is packed full of marine collagen, vitamin C and hyaluronic acid and does wonderful, mysterious thigs to the face.

Basically, shove a bit on under your usual face-cream in the morning and put it on more thickly at night and you will notice that your skin looks younger, plumper and much healthier. It also gives a lovely glow.

Another great thing about this spectacular stuff is the price...it's only £28 and as far as I'm concerned beats all the ultra expensive anti-aging creams that promise you the world and often fail to deliver.

Thanks to my beauty guru Nuz for yet another amazing recommendation!!!

Lip gloss and Wedding Dramas

"When times get tough buy a new lipstick" is what my very glamorous grandmother once told me. Over the years I have adapted this mantra to cover everything from mascaras to face creams to clothes to expensive handbags. Basically, if I feel sad/angry/marginally p***** off then I go shopping. (Much to Chris' disdain)

Anyway, yesterday was a day for lip-gloss. I'll tell you more about the gloss in a sec, but first of all the dramas that led to said purchase.

Weddings are stressful...FACT! They are exciting and amazing and full of joy but it is inevitable that somewhere along the line someone will get offended and that there will be a drama of some type.

The drama began yesterday when my Grandma called to say she had been phoned by an irate family member who we didn't invite to the wedding.(Namely for budget reasons...my family is bloody massive!!) Next was a very panicked call from my mother who had received a similar call and then it was my turn. I was greeted yesterday by an awful email that totally shocked me! I would let you see it but that might be going a bit too far!

Anyway, rather than letting myself get angry and write something back that I would regret, I took a deep breath, got my jacket and rushed to Selfridges. Half an hour later and I had a beautiful new M.A.C lipgloss...(Plushglass Ample Pink).

The morals of the story?:

Grandmas are often right when it comes to beauty advice

Family members can be difficult and petrifying

Lip-gloss is fairly cheap but oh so satisfying and can make a bad day a lot more manageable!

What a Manicure!!

I had such a lovely manicure yesterday! I was given a voucher to spend at BLOWW Urban Hair and Spa off Regents Street quite a while ago but it had taken me ages to get round to using it. I'm glad I waited as it was a real treat at a time when I am a bit stressed with wedding plans etc.

I decided to go for the luxury manicure as my nails aren't looking great and I only have three weeks left to get them looking good for my wedding.

So what made this mani so lovely?

- Renata, the woman who did it was really friendly and a total perfectionist
- I had a hot hand mask treatment and my hands have never felt so soft-I seriously recommend this! (It costs £8 extra)
- My nails have been shaped into perfect square tips and look very smart
- They used Seche Vite which meant that for once I didn't smudge them within two minutes of leaving the salon.

Some manicures are just awful and I have big issues with certain nail bars that feel like a bit of a conveyor belt! Call the spa on 020 7292 0300 and ask for Renata!

By the way, this has absolutely nothing to do with beauty, but I thought I'd introduce you to Ricky the Rockhopping Penguin. He's a new addition at London Zoo's Penguin Beach and I had the pleasure of interviewing him last week...so cute!

A great recommendation from Lisa Snowdon

Some girls have all the luck and without a doubt Lisa Snowdon has to be one of them. She's tall, leggy, stunning, successful and totally down to earth and lovely. One of the things that you notice about her when you're chatting is how radiant she is up close. The girl is super busy and presents Capital Breakfast every day so has early starts and yet looks the picture of health.

As ever I begged for some top beauty tips and one of Lisa's recommendations was Neena Trehan's "Bliss For Your Skin". Now this stuff is expensive. It retails at £75 per bottle but this will last you for at least three months and there is also a smaller travel size available for around £30. When a product is expensive I generally expect it to be a miracle worker. (Needless to say, many expensive face creams are no better than their cheaper supermarket counterparts).

So is this oil the answer to eternal beauty? No...nothing is!!

Does this oil make your skin look and feel fabulous? I would have to say yes!

First let me list some of the ingredients and what they do so you get a feel for it:

Frankincense: improves the texture and tone of the skin
Pure Persian Rose: moisturises and hydrates
Pure Rosehip Seed Oil: heals & plumps
Vitamin C: aids elasticity & suppleness
Jojoba: softens & re-hydrates
Sweet Almond: improves complexion & soothes irritated skin
Apricot Kernel: is rich in vitamins & essential oils
Citrus: balances the skin

Basically, put this stuff on your skin after cleansing in the morning before you go to sleep and you'll glow like you've had a top facial. You really get the feeling that it is feeding your skin and the ingredients are so incredible (and expensive) that I think they go a long way to justifying the price.

If you have loads of money then buy this regularly. If like me you can't afford to splash out on expensive products every few months but you like the odd pick-me-up then treat yourself or get someone to buy it for you. I have a feeling that you'll love it!

Neena has a whole range of other products that you can get hold of here:

http://www.spafabulousproducts.co.uk/

I'll keep reviewing celebrity recommendations as and when I get them xx

Dry hands and a cream that works!

Every winter my hands go all dry and horrible. The combination of cold weather, constant temperature changes and the fact that I am very naughty and often forget to use gloves when I wash up all culminate to create hands that look far older than they really are. I have never found a moisturiser that really sorts them out and find that some of the classics dry them out even more than usual.

Anyway, the summer is usually a different story. They tend to become smooth and much more attractive. However, this summer (the summer that I am engaged, getting married and generally wanting to show them off) they've decided to play up!! They are dry, scaly and all I want to do is hide them.

I had another facial with Nuz Shugaa (the woman who is fast becoming one of my beauty gurus) this week and as I was leaving I showed her my hands and asked her if she had any much needed advice.

Nuz handed me a tube of O.P.I Avoplex High Intensity Hand and Nail Cream. Sounds expensive right? Well it's not...it retails at under a tenner and as usual she's got it right. The cream smells great, isn't oily and my hands already look and feel much much better.

I'd love to know the hand creams that you swear by! If you do give the O.P.I a go then do let me know how it goes xx

CEW (UK) 2011 Beauty Awards Winners

I thought I'd give you the final list of winners at this year's "Beauty Oscars". I'm a big fan of Batiste and Liz Earle and Lisa Snowdon tells me that Organic Rose Otto Facial Serum is amazing and swears by the Lash Serum. (Although I have heard that it can make your eyes darker which sounds a bit scary!)

Enjoy.......



Mass Categories:

1) Best New Bath and Body Product - Mass
The Sanctuary - Ultra Rich Body Butter

2) Best New Haircare/Styling/Colouring Product – Mass
Batiste - Dry Shampoo Fresh

3) Best New Everyday Facial Skincare Product – Mass
Dr Organic - Organic Rose Otto Facial Serum

4) Best New Skincare Treatment Product –Mass
Lanolips - 101 Ointment

5) Best New Make-up Product – Mass
RapidLash – RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum

6) Best Classic Beauty Product – Mass
Bio-Oil - Bio-Oil

7) Best New Men’s Grooming Product – Mass
NIVEA FOR MEN - Q10 Revitalising Gel

8) Best New Brand – Mass
Dr Organic
Lanolips

Prestige Categories:

9) Best New Bath and Body Product – Prestige
Balance Me - Rose Otto Body Wash

10) Best New Haircare/Styling Product –Prestige
Liz Earle Naturally Active Haircare - Botanical Shine Shampoo


11) Best New Everyday Facial Skincare Product – Prestige
Clarins - Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream

12) Best New Skincare Treatment Product – Prestige
Estée Lauder - Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronized Complex

13) Best New Make-up Product – Face - Prestige
NARS Cosmetics - Orgasm Illuminator

14) Best New Make-up Product – Eyes or Lips - Prestige
Chanel - Rouge Coco Hydrating Crème Lip Colour

15) Best Classic Beauty Product – Prestige
Eve Lom – Cleanser

16) Best New Women’s Fragrance – Prestige
Chloé - Love, Chloé

17) Best New Men’s Fragrance - Prestige
Chanel - Bleu de Chanel Eau de Toilette

18) Best New Men’s Grooming Product – Prestige
Shiseido - For Men Skin Empowering Cream

19) Best New Brand – Prestige
Emma Hardie Amazing Face

Mass or Prestige Categories:

20) Best New Certified Organic Skincare Product – Mass or Prestige
Balance Me - Super Oil with Juniper and Bergamot

21) Best New Self Tan or Sun Care Product – Mass or Prestige
Elizabeth Arden - Eight Hour Cream Sun Defense for Face SPF 50

22) Best New Hand and Nail Care Product - Mass or Prestige
All for Eve - Swarovski Crystal Nail File

23) Best British Brand –Mass or Prestige
Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare

24) Best Iconic Beauty Product – Mass or Prestige
Elizabeth Arden - Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant