Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser

Monday is physio day. My shoulder is still not better. Monday has therefore also become treat day. After all it's a Monday and I have a sore shoulder, what more reason do I need?

I like the Aesop brand a lot. Richmond has an Aesop shop and I went into it this week. It's huge with a massive sink in the middle with ornate taps. You can try all the washes there. A nice idea if rather unnecessary. There is also a cat lounging near the till. All very cool New York. The assistant was nonchalant and while not actively unfriendly, she wouldn't win any friendly prizes either.

I knew I wanted to try this having bought it for a friend for her birthday. Now, it's not cheap but it's delicious. It's like being wrapped in a cloud of heaven in the shower and the packaging is gorgeous. And treats are surely designed to be expensive. Anyway, it's very nice indeed. Add it to your wishlist.

Chanel nail polish

I never need new nail varnish but life would be so boring if we only bought what we need.

Look at it and tell me you could resist. It looks almost black in the bottle but it's the most divine purple/blue. I applied it today and literally skipped about. The name makes no sense whatsoever and it's not very Spring-like but who cares? This is a necessity.

L'Oreal Revitalift Serum

The Chanel serum is sublime, yes. However, I get through serum very quickly and I simply can't justify spending £70 every six weeks. Yet again I ventured forth to find something I could live with and I found this in Boots. Annoyingly I now can't see it on their website but I am confident it still exists as it's on the L'Oreal site.

This has broadly the same consistency as the Chanel, it smell perfectly nice, it sinks in and feels like it's doing you good. It costs about £20 but I don't even think it lasted me three weeks. It's not like I bathe in the stuff for heaven's sake! Also, I can see there is some left at the bottom but it's not coming out of the pump. Annoying. Note to bottle designers: stop doing this.

Despite all that, I do like it a lot and may buy another bottle until I win the lottery and can live in Chanel glory forever more.

Clinique: Take The Day Off Cleansing Oil

Happy new year. We're not going to discuss my new year's eve and the fact I fell over and wrenched my shoulder. I bring it up only to mention that I had a physio appointment today and that meant I was near the shops. I was in need of a new cleansing oil. As much as I adore my Shu Uemura cleansing oil, I couldn't justify £60 today. We won't discuss the fact that my kitchen still isn't done either.

I got a small travel sized bottle of this in Sephora and was impressed. So I bought a full sized bottle today for a reasonable £22. This is very good, it cleanses effortlessly leaving skin fresh and soft. It's a solid purchase that won't let you down.

A year in beauty

It's nearly the end of 2015 and I enter the Christmas period with no kitchen but hey, I do have two (yes, I got another one yesterday - Hot Rose) new Bobbi Brown lipsticks so life is good.

This year for me has been about hot cloth cleansing. I always used foaming facial cleansers but I have reached the age where I have to admit it's too harsh on my skin.  My favourite cleanser is Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cleanser. It's lovely and cooling and works a treat. M&S stock this so you can often get 20% off it.

Throw away the muslin cloths and bulk buy some proper flannels. Essential. And wash them after each use. No, it's not ok to use them twice in a row.

I also embraced foundation. I will always love a tinted moisturiser but nothing looks as polished as foundation. I love my Chanel one and the purchase of a foundation brush has also been life-changing. I use it to buff my skin after application and it's fab. I use this Real Techniques one.

I am definitely spending more on skincare rather than make-up these days. Oils, cleansers, face masks, treatments. The list is endless. I still adore make-up and will never stop looking at it and playing with it but nothing gets my heart racing more than a great face mask! Or, indeed, an eye mask. Yet another gem from Skyn.

Pack these in your case and use on a weekend away. Bliss.

I've posted less this year, it's been very busy with work and house renovations. But I shall continue to post in 2016 because there is always that wonder product just around the corner. 

Thank you for reading and happy 2016!

Nail colour of the week

Opi's My Gondola Or Yours. This is a very dark and chic grey. I adore it. On each ring finger I have a layer of Luxe effects by Essie in silver sparkles. It's my one and only nod to Christmas.

Bobbi Brown Luxe Lip Colour

My make-up weakness: eyes. Eyeliners, shadows, mascara, gel liners. You name it, I buy it. Lipstick has never been my weakness. Not to say I don't have lots of lipsticks but I don't have dozens. Most days I wear lip balm.

Then this caught my eye. Gold tube. Luscious, creamy, gorgeous. A perfect storm happened. I was in Sephora, home of points and joy. I was tired. I wanted a treat. So I bought this in Pink Cloud. It's lovely. Glides on like a dream, beautifully solid in my hand and long-lasting.

I didn't need it but I wanted it. And really, that's the same thing.

Sarah Chapman facial

I am very grateful that I work with some beauty obsessives. One of them is getting married next year and decided she needed to splash out on some serious facials. Research was undertaken and Sarah Chapman was chosen. She came back from her first visit glowing. Her skin looked amazing. Smooth and gently pink.

At the same time, my boss, decided to gift me a Sarah Chapman facial. I decided not to dig too deeply into her reasoning (did my skin look bad? was I that tired looking?) and accepted the gift with much thanks.

Then I went to Chicago for work and had to fly home a day early. We won't linger too long on the details (a poorly husband, premium economy instead of business, snowstorms, delays, security from hell, no sleep). My facial was booked in for a day after this trauma and I felt every second of my age as I trudged off to Sloane Square, where the salon is.

The moment I walked in, life got better. This is a seriously swish salon. The therapist tucked me into a heated bed and got to work. There was no annoying chat. She just started applying who knows what to my face. Everything smelt divine. She extracted with ruthless efficiency. There was lots of pummelling and massage. Then there was an LED light for ten minutes. The 90 minutes flew by and I honestly could have just stayed the night there in a blissed out sleep. Alas, I had to get up and sit on the district line.

This is a facial for people who are very serious about their facials. It's very expensive (£170) and it feels vaguely medicinal. My skin has never looked better. I spent the next day just looking at myself in the mirror and stroking my smooth skin. I dream about a life where this facial happens for me once a month. But at £170 I couldn't possibly justify it!

If you're looking for a treat, if you know someone generous enough to gift you this for Christmas, if you are getting married or if you're just jet-lagged, exhausted, stressed and currently without a kitchen (all true for me) then I highly recommend this.

In the meantime, there is an overnight facial that Sarah makes that is raved about.

It's £46 but there is 15% off here today. I am seriously tempted.

New Charlotte Tilbury eyeliner

Once upon a time I bought the best eyeliner ever. It was by SmashBox and it was an olive gold. I forget the name of it now but I adored it and wore it every day. Then it broke. It just fell out of the pencil. Heart. Broken. They've long since stopped making it.

Last week I was browsing and saw this by Charlotte Tilbury. It's called Gold Digger (great name) and it's limited edition.

Snapped it up I did and hooray. I am happy once more.

The moral of this story is there is always something round the corner to replace your beloved discontinued make-up. I am coming round to Charlotte. More on that soon.

Aesop Reverence Aromatique Hand Wash

A very lovely work friend gave me this for my birthday and I realise I never told you all about it. It's an exfoliating hand wash and it's excellent. Yes, it's ridiculous to spend so much on a hand wash but that's what gifts are for. It looks very nice in the bathroom. I do like bottles that make your bathroom look like a spa. If you are looking to indulge, then this is a splendid treat.

I love Aesop. I want everything they make.

Palette love

A beautiful make-up palette is an item of joy. They are not that practical because you never use everything in one but they are so pretty. 

Here are three that I covet. The YSL one is just beyond fabulous, look at those kisses!

First up, Bobbi Brown.

 YSL heaven.

NARS eyes.

They are an indulgence so therefore perfect to add to your Christmas list I'd say. It's eleven weeks away...