NUXE Huile Nourishing Dry Oil for Body & Hair

Oil, oil, oil. How we love oils. I don't know whether it's because I am getting older and drier but I am at the point where if a product says oil, I pounce on it. There was a small bottle of this in my M&S beauty box freebie. First of all, the scent. It's gorgeous. That's another thing about oils, they always seem to smell so good.

I applied this on my arid legs after my bath today and I swear they soaked it up and gleamed. It's £17 for 50ml and I think that's a bargain. It's top quality and non-greasy yet very moisturising. You can also use on your hair although I haven't yet. As we officially enter A/W (dark at 5pm today - sob) I think we all need this in our lives. Cosy up people, winter is coming.

Victoria Beckham Modern Mercury Highlighter

After posting that I wanted this, the usual happened. I became like a heat seeking missile about it and decided I must have it. Now.

I then had a brainwave and remembered I have loads of Amex points and you can cash them in for many things, including Net A Porter vouchers and this is on the NAP site. Ta da! Genius. No sooner had I thought this, I was logging in and making it happen. Ordered it and I've been wearing it every single day since and I love it. I adore it. DAMN!

The packaging is sublime. Solid, compact, reassuringly expensive. It's extremely finely milled and subtle. A little on cheekbones and it's incredible the difference it makes. I never 'got' highlighters before but this is knocking it out of the park.

This picture of VB best shows it in action.

You can clearly see she has some on her cheekbones and forehead. She probably has it on her legs and back as well but we're not all on photoshoots.

Yes, it's £48 and yes, that's a lot of money but it will last for ages and it's a thing of beauty on your dressing table.

It's the end of days, I am recommending VB products and posting a picture of her.

Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream

As a rule, I don't believe in eye creams. They are expensive and to my mind, you can moisturise round your eyes with your normal cream - job done. To sell you eye cream, beauty consultants will say it's a 'delicate area' and that normal moisturisers are 'too heavy and will drag the skin'. I call this utter nonsense. Are you applying lard to the rest of your face? No. Moisturisers don't drag for heaven's sake.

I've never bought an eye cream yet somehow I have ended up with little pots and tubes of samples which I've occasionally used and it's confirmed my above opinion. Waste of time.

However, rules are made to be broken. I decided to buy this months ago and I haven't blogged about it because I forgot. I bought this because I like the idea of soothing the skin around my eye area and I must have been caught on a very tired day when your eyes feel so exhausted that you can barely stand to open them. And I admit, I was a sucker for the name and packaging. Clinique do this so well.

I don't use it every day because I am quite lazy but I do believe this works. I've taken to applying it in the morning (before moisturiser - I read that this is important with eye creams otherwise you end up putting it on top of moisturiser and it can't work properly). I put quite a thick layer on and then go about my morning routine, then I come back and add my moisturiser and I find the thick layer seems to have always absorbed. The skin does feel plumper and the cream has a lovely soothing feel to it. Also, it's great for long flights when your eyes really do need some help.

I must face the fact that in my mid-40s perhaps I do need to pay more attention to my eyes. This is not massively expensive (£22.00) and you can usually get some sort of free gift from Clinique.

They've now introduced a whole range of pep-starts.

They look divine, the packaging is brilliant. However, on closer investigation it's all very lightweight and probably aimed at the younger crowd.

L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil Cream

I have a lot of beauty products, boxes of them. Moisturisers for every day of the week. How did I end up on my recent travels with a moisturiser deficit? I had my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturiser which is all well and dandy but not enough for a hot and dry climate. I didn't have a good night cream on me. ROOKIE ERROR!

With every cloud comes a silver lining in the form of a shopping opportunity. I rocked up at Bangalore airport ready to buy some luxe moisturiser. Hmmmm, not all duty-free shops are created equal. I've been spoiled by Heathrow's shopping. Bangalore has a new airport and it has a lot of shops but weirdly it's all about perfume. It only had L'Oreal moisturisers and so I picked up this Extraordinary Oil Cream. You can see from my link it costs £10 in the UK. Yeah, I had to pay way more than that. I am blanking on how much because it was quite traumatising. Needs must and all that. You don't go to the desert of Oman with a light moisturiser.

The good news is I love it. It has a gorgeous velvety texture, it smells really nice, it glides on and makes you glow with good moisturising health without being sticky. It's a winner folks! I am continuing to use it at home which is a sign of how much I rate it. If you're looking for a good budget night cream (don't go to Bangalore to get it) then this is perfect. It's not marketed as a night cream but that's what I used it for.

Victoria Beckham for Estee Lauder

I am typing this with a mouthful of humble pie. I've always found VB annoying and fairly mediocre. And I've been vocal in my opinion of her. However, as I get older and more Yoda-like, I find myself uncomfortable with being mean about women I've never met. Who I am to criticise VB, Charlotte Tilbury, Nicole Kidman (and many, many more I've vilified over the years)? I am not yet ready to be 100% kind about Kim Kardashian but I will hold my tongue more. We don't know the struggles these multi-millionaires go through every day, do we?! Sisterhood and all that.

I was intrigued by this collection. I much prefer VB as a fashion designer than a pop star and I am fully bought into the notion that she might know a thing or two about make-up. It took me a while to get my hands on this because it's not at all Estee Lauder counters. My flight back from Dubai this week provided me with the opportunity to check it out. What could be more perfect than shopping high-end make-up at Dubai airport? They had it all out to play with and nobody was hovering around me trying to help me. I also wasn't encumbered by TeenBoy (whose patience on such matters is not extensive) since he was buying smoked almonds (yum!)

There I was in my element playing with it all on the back of my hand. It is with regret that I have to report it's really bloody nice. I could have happily bought more than one thing except it's not cheap. It's Tom Ford prices and having just spent a small fortune on our holiday, I felt obliged to rein it in.

I purchased an eye foil in Burnt Anise. It has a lip gloss type applicator and it's all shiny (even after it dries). The texture is perfection. I must say it's not the easiest to master and just swiping it on from the applicator causes one to look like a clown. I use a brush to draw a line on and then smudge gently. I could do with more tips on how to work with it to be honest but I love the idea of it and am pleased I got it.

Today I explored the collection more in Selfridges and I can confirm I really badly want this.

The Modern Mercury highlighter. I've never been one for highlighters but this is good. Easy to apply without overdoing it and very subtle. Damn. It also seems to be sold out online and now I wish I'd got it in Dubai when it was all cheaper too. The eye foil is £40 and I got it for £30.

The lipsticks are lovely too - both very wearable colours. The eye metals (eyeshadows) are gorgeous. The Morning Aura illuminating cream is very silky and covetable but expensive for something I'd canter through.

I imagine VB in one of her many mansions with this whole collection at her dressing table and I seethe with envy. That's how nice it all is. My show of envy is to prove I've not gone totally soft. Fair play VB.

Emma Hardie Amazing Face

Hello! Have you missed me? I've been away for three weeks, 10 days with work in India and 10 days for fun in Oman. I have much beauty news to share with you, which include me caving at Dubai airport in the face of the Victoria Beckham for Estee Lauder range.

However, let's not rush matters. Today I want to discuss Emma Hardie. I have two products which I am loving. First up, the Moringa Cleansing Balm.

I got a generous sized pot of this in the Cult Beauty box. I took it on my travels and it's wonderful. It's immensely soothing, it has an oil-based texture rather than being a cream. You rub it over your face and remove with a hot cloth. You emerge looking dewy and fresh as a daisy. And I really tested this theory with way too much wine, late nights, hot weather etc. This balm atones for all that. I don't love the packaging, I would prefer a travel-friendly tube. Nonetheless, it's a great cleansing balm and perfect for the colder weather as it's very comforting.

To get the above mentioned Cult Beauty box, I had to spend some money. One of the things I bought was the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Protect and Prime.

With an SPF of 30, one can expect a certain chalkiness but no, this stuff truly is amazing. It is the best facial SPF cream I have found. It sinks in like a dream with no stinging and it smells like heaven. Oh yes, and it works. Always handy to know. Cover Boy was instructed to put some on (why do men think it's ok to use normal SPF in spray format on their face?) and he was a convert. Which was a bit unfortunate, I had to ration it somewhat.

You can put your make-up on over it with no adverse effects. I highly recommend it if you are jetting off somewhere hot. Speaking of which, Oman was so hot. I've never been anywhere so relentlessly hot. 40 degrees every day. We escaped into the mountains where it was a much more comfortable 25 degrees. In 40 degree heat, this stuff worked a treat. You can't ask for more than that.

I have no idea who Emma is but I applaud her for these two products. I shall be exploring more in her range in due course.

Gimme Gimme Gimme ... some Autumn make-up

My one loyal reader (ok, I know there are more of you but she actually comments - thanks Jenni!) asked me what was rocking my world for Autumn. As always, I am very excited about Autumn make-up and trying to restrain myself. First up, the Bobbi Brown city collection. Let us feast our eyes.

 I want all these compacts. They are beautiful. The London one perhaps pips them because of the navy shadow. I do love a bit of blue.

Also, limited edition gel eyeliner. Oh my. Read more about them here.

I also don't know how much longer I can go without a cushion foundation and Bobbi has one.

Lightweight and easy to apply. Let me at it.

Chanel nail varnish. Reformulated so it no longer chips as easily. I've not tried it yet because I think we all know about my nail varnish addiction.

But my will just weakened.

Chanel has some gorgeous limited edition make-up. Click here to see more. Don't say I didn't warn you.

If I needed more perfume, I'd be all over this.

Charlotte Tilbury has a new perfume. I have a sample. It's lovely and worth investigating.

If I won the lottery, I'd buy all the Bobbi palettes. I just want them on my dressing table!

Other Stories beauty

I am a bit obsessed with Other Stories. The clothes are Scandi cool and much less of a challenge than Cos can be. The pricing is between H&M and Cos. Not everything is fabulous of course but the silk shirts are excellent value and I bought a summer dress there last year that I wear all the time. It's my favourite dress ever.

I have explored the beauty offerings so you don't have to. My verdict is the make-up is fun but I wouldn't advise exploring too much unless you are on a very tight budget or in your 20s. The quality is what you expect for the price you pay. However, the shower gels are lovely and a total bargain.

I have the three above. They are £5, the packaging is perfectly acceptable and they all smell much more expensive than they are. Even my extra fussy Cover Boy happily uses them and he even commented on how nice Havana Blues is. The online ordering is brilliant by the way, fast, efficient and nicely parcelled. Recommended.

NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder

I bought this ages ago. I didn't use it much and then I read a little more about it and now I am a convert. I always thought powders were about a matte finish and I don't want a matte finish. I want a glowy finish. Which is why I don't tend to use powders because I don't have oily skin.

However, what this does is set your make-up. It's in the name but it's not like I pay particularly close attention. You know how you do your make up in the morning and think, check me out, I look fabulous? And then it gets to lunchtime and you look in the mirror at work and wonder what on earth happened? This powder avoids that scenario. It fixes your make up in place for the day. And it really works.

Usual make up routine and a very light dusting of this and away you go. My only complaint is that it's messy and I believe it's badly designed. You do not need much powder or you'll look like a ghost. A very light dusting, less is more. That's hard to achieve with how this is designed so inevitably you load too much on your brush and have to tap it off. Which is wasteful and messy.

Nonetheless, I am finding this very helpful in the summer with sweaty tube travel to contend with. It's £27 and lasts for ages.

Tom Ford Lipstick

I mentioned that I bought this a few weeks ago as a consolation prize when searching for a Givenchy counter.

I didn't need a new lipstick but then again, I am not sure anyone really needs a new lipstick. I have dozens but this one appealed to me as it has a moisture core. That's the different coloured bit in the middle. I picked out a coral colour (Pipa) and the assistant applied it and I couldn't resist. I didn't ask how much it was, reckoning about £30. It was £39! Ridiculous price for a lipstick.

The packaging is divine of course and the lipstick is very nice but it's not the best lipstick I've ever had. And at that price, I would expect it to be. In fact, I find it ever so slightly drying if I am being picky. But I do like the colour and I feel tres glam when I put it on. It's not necessary to spend £39 on a lipstick though, I prefer the formula of the Bobbi Brown Luxe.

CND Cuticle Eraser

Back to nails. We never stray far from nail care. I now do my own manicures and I have to say, I've nailed it (ahem). The key is good cuticle management. Do not ignore your cuticles because then they grow, they require picking, you pick and you know the rest. Messy, bloody, amateur nails. No. I have tried many cuticle removers and this CND one is the best by millions of miles. Don't bother with anything else.

After removing nail polish and shaping, squeeze this on your nail bed, massage in, listen to your favourite song and then push back gently with a cuticle stick. Don't ignore the stick stage. Wash your hands with a grainy soap so you exfoliate a bit. Then meticulously clean your nails with nail polish remover and get right in the corners. Then paint. I've been using this for about three months and my nails have never looked better.

About painting your nails, do not paint too close to the cuticles. Nothing gives away a home manicure like manky, messy painted cuticles. With this the job is much easier but even then, don't go to the nail bed. I find painting nails easy because I've basically spent 35 years practicing. I spent much of my childhood bored on Sunday afternoons and so I used to paint my nails all the time. I was terrible to start with but now, I swear I could be a nail technician although I've no idea about nail art. The easiest brush is the YSL one, I know they are expensive but they almost do the job for you, utterly foolproof.