Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask
Nail colour of the week
I love this one - Luxedo by Essie. It's a proper vampy dark purple, almost black and it's an excellent Halloween colour. Not that I could care less about Halloween, when did this country embrace Halloween? Bah.
Anyway, yes, this is lovely.
Body care must-haves
I don't want to ignore the body, after all, it makes up most of our being! It's easy to neglect it but we all know that would be a mistake.
First up, let's scrub. There's nothing like a body scrub to energise and get your blood pumping. I do like to scrub once a week and I've tried many scrubs over the years. At the moment I am using a Body Shop one and I really like it, not least because it's in a tube. Why do they make scrubs and put them in pots? It's such a faff in the shower. For this reason I have to exclude the delicious Ren Rose one I was given as a present which is divine but very impractical (and very slippery) and it also excludes the Bliss one which is probably the best in terms of results but again, comes in a pot.
So, by default, I vote the Body Shop Satsuma Scrub. It's nice and zesty, it's not too expensive and it lasts ages as you don't need much - I use those funny gloves to apply it, makes it last far longer.
In terms of shower gel, there is only one contender and that's Bliss. I am currently on the Blood Orange flavour but used Lemon and Sage throughout the summer.
Yes it is quite expensive but it lasts for ages, it is a very large bottle, it has a pump (again no fiddling with flip lids in the shower) and it smells heavenly.
Body moisturisers. I love Neutrogena Deep Moisture Creamy Oil. It sounds like it's going to be a greasy disaster but it sinks in like a dream and is lovely. It's a total bargain at £4.99.
Hand cream. I can't live without hand cream and have tubes of it all round my flat. I am not going to lie, the Bliss hand cream is gorgeous but I don't buy it because I get through way too much hand cream to justify that. I really like the Nivea Nourishing hand cream - not greasy and nice and cheap.
That's all folks! I think you'll agree this is my most thrifty post (apart from the Bliss!). I shall save specific Bath products for another thread.
First up, let's scrub. There's nothing like a body scrub to energise and get your blood pumping. I do like to scrub once a week and I've tried many scrubs over the years. At the moment I am using a Body Shop one and I really like it, not least because it's in a tube. Why do they make scrubs and put them in pots? It's such a faff in the shower. For this reason I have to exclude the delicious Ren Rose one I was given as a present which is divine but very impractical (and very slippery) and it also excludes the Bliss one which is probably the best in terms of results but again, comes in a pot.
So, by default, I vote the Body Shop Satsuma Scrub. It's nice and zesty, it's not too expensive and it lasts ages as you don't need much - I use those funny gloves to apply it, makes it last far longer.
In terms of shower gel, there is only one contender and that's Bliss. I am currently on the Blood Orange flavour but used Lemon and Sage throughout the summer.
Yes it is quite expensive but it lasts for ages, it is a very large bottle, it has a pump (again no fiddling with flip lids in the shower) and it smells heavenly.
Body moisturisers. I love Neutrogena Deep Moisture Creamy Oil. It sounds like it's going to be a greasy disaster but it sinks in like a dream and is lovely. It's a total bargain at £4.99.
That's all folks! I think you'll agree this is my most thrifty post (apart from the Bliss!). I shall save specific Bath products for another thread.
Nail colour of the week
Today I went old school with Bahama Mama from Essie. A lovely classic deep purple. I am feeling the purple love after last week's Carry On which lasted me a whole seven days with NO chips. None. This is a miracle.
Anyway, am loving this and it suits my autumnal mood.
Make-up must-haves
Continuing in my series we come to the fun of make-up. A difficult one this as make-up is meant to be playful and I have so many things I love playing with and I like to experiment with new colours and so on. However, when I go away I always pack the following.
I'm not going to bang on about Origins VitaZing again but yes, I take it. I get anxiety if I am apart from it.
Blusher and for me Bobbi Brown wins every time, her cream blushers have a lot of pigment so last for ages.
You can use this on lips as well but I never do.
Eyes - first up is the primer and nobody makes a better one than Urban Decay. It's miraculous. Everyone should have this.
If I am feeling tired or I look tired then nothing is as good as Bobbi Brown Corrector.
I can't stress enough, apply with a brush and not your fingers. I put this under my eyes - not much at all and blend it in and it does perk you up no end.
Then I dust my eyes with Boots Seventeen powder - no point going expensive with this but then I don't powder my nose and if you do, you probably would want to upgrade.
All the pretty colours! My favourite is Graffiti - the second from the right. But I have many and vary them depending on my mood. I have dozens of eye shadows too but that's for those days when I am prepared to make more effort.
To the mascara. Ahhhh, how many have I tried? And yes still none top Max Factor Masterpiece Max.
It goes on easily, gives you nice thick lashes and lasts all day. I don't like any others as much.
To lipstick. Now I don't wear lipstick by day but for a night out and especially for a night out after work, nothing fast tracks you to glamour more than a bright lippie and since I don't wear it all day long, it's worth getting the Rolls Royce which is Chanel Rouge Coco. It's fabulous, moisturising and divine in every way. Even if I did wear it every day, I'd still buy this.
For more of a day look and when I can be bothered, I do enjoy the Clinique Chubby Sticks. Nice and moisturising and easy to put on, I love the watermelon and the cherry ones.
There we have it. To put all the above on takes me five minutes - I've spent years practising. I can't sit for ages applying make-up, I don't have the patience for it.
I'm not going to bang on about Origins VitaZing again but yes, I take it. I get anxiety if I am apart from it.
Blusher and for me Bobbi Brown wins every time, her cream blushers have a lot of pigment so last for ages.
You can use this on lips as well but I never do.
Eyes - first up is the primer and nobody makes a better one than Urban Decay. It's miraculous. Everyone should have this.
If I am feeling tired or I look tired then nothing is as good as Bobbi Brown Corrector.
Then I dust my eyes with Boots Seventeen powder - no point going expensive with this but then I don't powder my nose and if you do, you probably would want to upgrade.
Then my everyday look is an eyeliner and I cannot bear to be parted from my Urban Decay ones.
To the mascara. Ahhhh, how many have I tried? And yes still none top Max Factor Masterpiece Max.
It goes on easily, gives you nice thick lashes and lasts all day. I don't like any others as much.
To lipstick. Now I don't wear lipstick by day but for a night out and especially for a night out after work, nothing fast tracks you to glamour more than a bright lippie and since I don't wear it all day long, it's worth getting the Rolls Royce which is Chanel Rouge Coco. It's fabulous, moisturising and divine in every way. Even if I did wear it every day, I'd still buy this.
There we have it. To put all the above on takes me five minutes - I've spent years practising. I can't sit for ages applying make-up, I don't have the patience for it.
Hair-care must-haves
How much money and time do we spend on our hair? I think we're much more obsessed with hair than anything else and it's because we believe with just the right product, cut and colour we could transform our looks.
So we come to my must-have hair products. Boy do I feel well researched, I have dozens of appliances I've tried gathering dust and I could fill an ocean with the amount of shampoo, conditioner and styling products I've thrown out half used. About my hair: it's thick and not dead straight but not nicely curly or interesting, more kinky with frizzy bits and annoying curls underneath.
I get my hair coloured at the hairdresser because I simply cannot be bothered with doing it at home and recreating an abattoir scene in my bathroom plus my towels are white and I'd like them to stay that way. Also as my hair is thick, it would be impossible to colour it at home and do a good job. So I get the roots tinted which is much better for your hair than a semi-permanent colour. However, to eek out the visit between hairdressers (and as I am getting older and have more grey), I am a huge fan of Clairol Root Touch-Up.
You put it in the obvious places (temples and parting), wait for 15 mins and rinse out. It works wonders and costs less than £5. It's easy to apply (I ignore the brush and just dab it on - using the gloves, obviously) and it really means you can wait a few more weeks before going back to the hairdresser. It just seems to blend with your colour, I really think this is a miracle product.
To maintain my colour, I only use shampoo and conditioner designed for coloured hair. This is really important, I know it's a bit of a bore but I promise you if you don't your colour will fade faster. This is an area I have tested extensively, trust me. Also, wear a hat on holidays in the sun.
I am currently loving the Fudge range and it's not too expensive (about £7 a bottle).
And I really do love Pureology which is more expensive but lasts ages.
Nothing is as good as this. It deep conditions yet rinses out easily, my hair never feels heavy afterwards and it smells like heaven. It is £20 but I promise you it's worth it.
Since I am obsessed with conditioning my hair, I adore the Moroccan Hair Oil.
Glossy, shiny, bouncy hair? Yes please. All yours. If I could only take one thing to the desert island, it would be this. It also smells so good.
Combs? I have three combs. One for the shower to comb the conditioner through - wide toothed and from Origins, had it for years. One to then comb it after it's been wrapped up in a towel for 5 mins and then another finer toothed one to comb it again after I've added my oil. I am so high-maintenance, it's almost embarrassing.
Phew, so now we have clean and perfectly conditioned hair. Time to style it! I've tinkered with styling products and have to admit, I've still not found one that's right for me. I tend to just go to the hair dryer without any additional styling products. However, I have middle to long hair all one length, it's hardly cutting edge punk.
My new Parlux hair dryer that I blogged about very recently is, as it turns out, life-changing. It is so powerful that my hair dries much, much faster.
I recommend it highly. I do like my Babyliss Big Hair but it's much more effort to use. I use a paddle brush to blow-dry my hair, round brushes just tangle up and cause me no end of heartache. I don't use an expensive one - just one from Boots that I knacker and have to replace about once a year. When I win the lottery, I would have a hairdresser to blow dry my hair all the time. I don't think Kate Middleton is extravagant having this, I so would if I were her too.
Time to hairspray! I only ever buy Elnett as it seems to do the job for me.
The very essence of hair to me. I adore the smell, the can, the fact it never changes. It comes in handy handbag sizes, it brushes out, my hair never feels stiff. I adore it. I don't use a lot of hairspray so a can lasts me a long time but I've never seriously bothered with anything else.
And after all that, I am ready to swing into the world with my mane of glossy hair (well, in my dreams!)
So we come to my must-have hair products. Boy do I feel well researched, I have dozens of appliances I've tried gathering dust and I could fill an ocean with the amount of shampoo, conditioner and styling products I've thrown out half used. About my hair: it's thick and not dead straight but not nicely curly or interesting, more kinky with frizzy bits and annoying curls underneath.
I get my hair coloured at the hairdresser because I simply cannot be bothered with doing it at home and recreating an abattoir scene in my bathroom plus my towels are white and I'd like them to stay that way. Also as my hair is thick, it would be impossible to colour it at home and do a good job. So I get the roots tinted which is much better for your hair than a semi-permanent colour. However, to eek out the visit between hairdressers (and as I am getting older and have more grey), I am a huge fan of Clairol Root Touch-Up.
To maintain my colour, I only use shampoo and conditioner designed for coloured hair. This is really important, I know it's a bit of a bore but I promise you if you don't your colour will fade faster. This is an area I have tested extensively, trust me. Also, wear a hat on holidays in the sun.
I am currently loving the Fudge range and it's not too expensive (about £7 a bottle).
Both smell divine and the matching conditioners are great too. However, one needs a deep conditioner once in a while (especially on holiday) and so to Bumble and Bumble Creme De Coco Masque.
Since I am obsessed with conditioning my hair, I adore the Moroccan Hair Oil.
Combs? I have three combs. One for the shower to comb the conditioner through - wide toothed and from Origins, had it for years. One to then comb it after it's been wrapped up in a towel for 5 mins and then another finer toothed one to comb it again after I've added my oil. I am so high-maintenance, it's almost embarrassing.
Phew, so now we have clean and perfectly conditioned hair. Time to style it! I've tinkered with styling products and have to admit, I've still not found one that's right for me. I tend to just go to the hair dryer without any additional styling products. However, I have middle to long hair all one length, it's hardly cutting edge punk.
My new Parlux hair dryer that I blogged about very recently is, as it turns out, life-changing. It is so powerful that my hair dries much, much faster.
I recommend it highly. I do like my Babyliss Big Hair but it's much more effort to use. I use a paddle brush to blow-dry my hair, round brushes just tangle up and cause me no end of heartache. I don't use an expensive one - just one from Boots that I knacker and have to replace about once a year. When I win the lottery, I would have a hairdresser to blow dry my hair all the time. I don't think Kate Middleton is extravagant having this, I so would if I were her too.
Time to hairspray! I only ever buy Elnett as it seems to do the job for me.
And after all that, I am ready to swing into the world with my mane of glossy hair (well, in my dreams!)
Nail colour of the week
Skin-care must-haves
As we move properly into Autumn, I thought it was worth doing a round-up of the skin-care products (for the face) I really would struggle to be without. I am constantly blogging about new things I try but here is my list of serious must-haves:
Origins Checks and Balances face wash. I've been using this for years and I still love it. I also love the Origins Clean Energy Oil but if I could only have one, I'd have to go for C&B.
Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask. This stuff still wows me. I adore it and really believe it works, it makes your skin more even, glowy and just fabulous. I can't imagine being without it.
Soap & Glory, No Clogs Allowed! This is a scrub that can also be used as a mask. It's a new favourite for me. It does leave your skin a little dry but if you suffer from blackheads, it's the business. I use it once a week in the bath so my pores are all opened up and it works wonders. If you live in a grimy city, this is indispensable.
It's hard to pick one moisturiser but if I had to, then it would be Origins Starting Over. It smells lovely, it sinks in and my skin feels just right when I use it. It doesn't have an SPF though.
My contender for product of the year is Origins VitaZing. If you've not tried it yet, I must implore you to run and don't walk to your local Origins counter. It's fantastic for that healthy glow. Perfect for those of us who don't wear foundation.
Five products and we're only on the face. Hmmmm. I really would struggle on a desert island! This post is not sponsored by Origins (I wish).
Next up will be hair care must-haves.
Origins Checks and Balances face wash. I've been using this for years and I still love it. I also love the Origins Clean Energy Oil but if I could only have one, I'd have to go for C&B.
Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask. This stuff still wows me. I adore it and really believe it works, it makes your skin more even, glowy and just fabulous. I can't imagine being without it.
It's hard to pick one moisturiser but if I had to, then it would be Origins Starting Over. It smells lovely, it sinks in and my skin feels just right when I use it. It doesn't have an SPF though.
Five products and we're only on the face. Hmmmm. I really would struggle on a desert island! This post is not sponsored by Origins (I wish).
Next up will be hair care must-haves.
Nail colour of the week
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