Badedas Original Indulgent Bath Gelee

This cold weather is made for long hot baths, sitting in the front of the fire, and plenty of toast with tea. I am indulging on all fronts because brrrrrrrrrrr.

I found myself buying this at the weekend. My mum used to have this and talk about being transported back to the 80s! I put some in my bath and could almost feel 16 again. Guess what? I am delighted to report that this product is still fabulous. It turns the water green (bonus), it smells heavenly and it makes the whole house smell gorgeous. My husband asked me, did you just have a bath with Badedas? Such is the power of this scent, even he recognised it.

It comes in a pointless box which is annoying in today's environmentally conscious world but other than that, I can find no fault. I am planning lots of baths over the next week so I can be a jolly green giant.

Margaret Dabbs Foot Oil

My feet are currently on a sabbatical. I am giving them a break from nail polish as my toe nails are really dry. I have other foot issues that I won't bore you with but I was told to give them a break over winter. I'm not going to lie, I HATE IT! But I am also strangely fascinated as I watch my toe nails regain their rosy glow.

Being me, I am treating this like a project. I am buffing my feet with a foot file with a religious devotion and I treated myself to this oil. And good lord, it's amazing. It smells like expensive essential oils but with a medicinal edge to it. It soaks in properly, especially after a bath. But it's not oily on the feet, it just absorbs beautifully. I feel I can sit and spray it on for ages and it would keep soaking in. I am rubbing it into my nails and watching them literally look less dry under my eye.

Yes, it is £22 and that's a lot for a foot product but feet get us everywhere, I say give them a treat. It also will last for a while as you don't need much, unless like me, you become addicted.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm

I had a small pot of this from some offer or other. It's been sitting in my bathroom for ages. I decided to give it a go.

It smells gorgeous. It's honestly the nicest scent of a cleanser I've ever used. It's like having a facial. I like the texture very much, it's a nice soft gel which you apply to your face and then moisten your fingers and it turns to a watery gel. You buff it off with a hot flannel. It cleanses deeply but gently.

I like it very much but it's expensive. I am not convinced I would buy it but if you want a treaty cleanser then I can recommend it.

Ragdale Hall Pamper Bath Essence

I don't understand people who don't bathe. The joy of sinking into a bath, especially at this time of year, is heavenly. Sometimes I spend all day dreaming about when I can get into the bath.

Sometimes you just want something soft and fluffy that smells of expensive hotels. This fits the bill. Available from M&S for £7.50, it's almost perfect. To make it truly perfect, I add essential oils and my current obsession is with Marjoram.

Tisserand oils are the best. We have lots of them and they all smell divine. A few drops of this in the bubble bath with the aforementioned bath essence and it's bath heaven. Add an oil burner with the marjoram oil as well, a decent book and I can be in there for a good hour.  Baths make February bearable.

Unwanted hair

Another curse of getting older is the hair that pops up in unwanted places. I mean, it's not as if I didn't have enough unwanted body hair but jeez. I've talked about my foray into laser hair removal before. Let me give you an update on that since I posted it four years ago. I completed the New York treatment and I would say hair was 80% gone on my legs.

When I moved back to London, a new beauty salon opened opposite my house. Thank god it did. I am in there a lot, let me tell you. It's completely brilliant, small with two awesome therapists who just know what they're dong without it being all la de da intimidating.

I embarked on finishing the leg project with IPL treatment. I am including a link to explain IPL as it does it so much better than me. Good news: it doesn't hurt anywhere near as much as the laser. Lovely cold gel is applied first and it's a breeze in comparison. Having said that, it's not pain-free and the longer you have it done (in one session) the more it hurts as the nozzle gets very hot. I reckon with several of these sessions (specifically on the hair, not the whole leg) I got down to 5%. Which is when my therapist told me the only way to completely get rid of those stubborn last few was electrolysis. The hairs may be stubborn but so am I. I was determined to be hair-free so we have been on that project for the last few months. Yes, my quest for hair-free legs has now been going on for four years!

I've never had electrolysis before. It is still the only guaranteed way to get rid of hair but obviously it's time consuming since each hair is zapped individually. On my legs it's mild pain, nothing too bad (but don't talk to me about toes, I drew the line when she started needling my toes and decided a few odd hairs on my toes can be dealt with thank you very much).

Which leads me on to my current obsession. Chin hair. Oh yes. I have a few, not like a beard or anything but more than none is too many, am I right? I've always tweezered them and not thought anymore about it. This is a no-no. They just come back more fierce than ever. This is actually true. My therapist confirmed it and said she would zap them. This was my third new year's beauty resolution.

The hardest thing about this is that you have to let them be until your appointment. This is really hard when you are borderline obsessed and have tweezers in every room in your house together with magnifying mirrors. Come on, I am not the only one. I have weekly appointments and I've had three treatments. It takes no more than five minutes because your chin is not a large surface area and each week I race across the road, offer up my chin and say ZAP THEM ALL! The relief, I can't tell you.

It barely hurts. Your chin is hardy and if you've been plucking them as I have, it's used to pain. I would almost call it relaxing. If you've never touched your chin then yes, it will hurt. I honestly don't know why it took me so long to do this, it's deeply satisfying and I am so pleased to be on the way to a hair-free chin forever. Any new buggers that come up will be zapped pronto. It's also cheap - £5 a session.

Is it all worth it? Should we just embrace hair and not worry about it? It's up to you, if you do, fair play to you. I am too much of an 80s girl to not care. I was brought up conditioned to want to be smooth and I can't uncondition my mind on this. So, the battle continues but I am winning.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Tinted Fluid SPF 50+

January is a slightly odd time to be discussing sun protection. It's grim out there and I don't think I've seen sunshine this year yet. Yet every expert says we should be wearing SPF all year round and we all know that the sun is bad for our skin and that means January cloud too apparently, it can still damage.

My second new year resolution was to start wearing an SPF. I admit that I don't unless it's scorching on the basis that I work in an office and am not outside all that much. But guess what? I've got a dog now and she needs walking and I find myself outside more.

Do I need SPF 50+? Umm, probably not right now but I do like La Roche-Posay. I picked this up for £17 which is quite reasonable and I like that it's tinted. You can use it instead of a foundation. Because you're not meant to combine your SPF with your moisturiser. This way, it will be the last layer to my routine which is what we're after. Except if you use foundation. It's all very confusing.

I have tried this a couple of times. On the upside, it's very light and a great texture. Downside - it bobbles. Nothing is more frustrating than skincare that bobbles. I am persevering with it because it could be I simply have too many layers of product. Maybe I just need to master it.

Readers, do you use SPF every day? And if so, what do you use and when do you apply it in your routine?

Mio: my new favourite brand

Congratulations, we made it through the first week of January.  25 days to go before February! I have made three beauty resolutions for 2018: to start dry body brushing, to wear an SPF on my face every day, and to stop tweezing nefarious hairs and get them zapped with electrolysis.

Dry body brushing. Every beauty writer raves about it. It's boring to do but I decided to bite the bullet and help my lymphatic system out a bit. I read up about it and this brush from Mio got good reviews. I have used it exactly once so far (it only arrived a few days ago!) So far, so good, yes I could feel my blood pumping a bit and I can see it'll be good for me.

Obviously I did not just order a body brush. I mean, that would be dull and they had a sale on.

This Liquid Yoga bubble soak is astonishingly good. It's perfectly named. If, like me, yoga is not your thing then assuage your guilt and lie in a bath with this in it. No bubbles but it's deeply relaxing and smells like heaven.

Anything that jump starts my mornings is worth investing in at this time of year. This quick start shower gel is very zingy and delicious.

I have mentioned this muscle gel before. I got a little sample a while ago and immediately ordered a full size and I have now bought some more. Post work out - after the above mentioned shower gel, rub this in and your legs feel alive. I am seriously addicted to it. Sometimes it can feel almost too much tingling but it stays just the right side of painful. You will become addicted to this.

I am loving it all. I look forward to reporting back on my new regime soon and wowing you all with my glowiness. More on my other two resolutions in future posts.

Ouai dry shampoo foam

I aspire to be someone who has a blow dry once a week and makes it last. Imagine how blissful life would be if you never had to wash and style your hair again. I was recently in Amsterdam and had the best blow dry ever in a funny little salon which was in the hotel. It was an old-fashioned kind of place with hood hair dryers. The woman was very Dutch in that she listened and then sharply moved my head around, told me off if looked down, and set my hair in rollers after the blow dry. I admit I was a bit scared of what I would look like. Not least because I had to walk straight back into a meeting room afterwards, no time for it to calm down. Basically I looked like something from the 60s and all the better for it. Swingy, shiny, bouncy hair which did settle down but it was a miracle. I waited four days without washing it.

Now, this is a long preamble to say if I'd had this product in my arsenal, I could have made it last even longer. This is a dry shampoo foam. I have yet to find a dry shampoo spray that works for me, it's probably my fault but they all just seem cakey. This is a revelation. work it into roots and you're done.

I like it very much and there is no worry about white, dusty hair. It's £10 from here for 50g which is a generous size can. The 150g must be enormous. It's my first recommended product of 2018! Happy new year to you all.

Zelens Vitamin D Treatment Drops

As I march through the valley of time, I find myself adding more layers to my skincare than I ever thought possible. Zelens is a brand I adore and I've talked about the Resurfacing Facial Pads and how  revolutionary they are.

I did not pay full price for this product. Not because I am a blogger and brands give me freebies or discounts. No, sadly not. I follow Caroline Hirons and she often has discounts to share and recently she had a 30% off everything Zelens code so I got properly involved. When something costs £110 (I know, I know), a 30% discount is significant.

Caroline raved about these drops. I have been using them twice a day for a month and I am smitten. Add after cleansing, before your serum. I am not sure I'd use these in Spring and Summer (well, I would if I had a lifetime supply). They are what my skin needs right now with central heating, wood burning stoves and freezing cold weather walking my dog. It adds a level of comfort and protection.

It's very light and non-greasy yet deeply moisturising. Like I say, I am smitten.

I am aware these are very expensive and out of many people's budget but if someone is looking to buy you a present or you want to really treat yourself then these are well worth it.

Superdrug Naturally Radiant range

If you're feeling the pinch of Christmas, then I have a little treat for you. For the price of a coffee, you can buy this acid toner.

I was told this was very good and so I investigated, it's only £5.99 yet I was still able to get something else from the Naturally Radiant for free so I chose this night cream.

My verdict? The toner is excellent value. It's not a patch on the Zelens pads that I adore and love but it's a fraction of the price.

The night cream is a joyous surprise. I love it. It glides on and I am quite addicted to it. Both products are currently half-price so legitimately the price of a coffee. You can't say fairer than that.

I have Zelens news to share soon. I swear that I wish I hadn't discovered Zelens, cheap it ain't but it works beautifully.

Simplehuman sensor mirror aka the magic mirror

Before we begin, this is expensive and you're going to want it. I am going to say it upfront and I am sorry except I am not because this could change your life. I've waited four years to splurge on this because every time I went to buy it, I couldn't quite justify £159 on a mirror.

I've had mine for four days and I am obsessed with it. This is a big magnifying mirror with natural light built in on a sensor. I have a huge mirror in my dressing room/office and very pretty it is too but putting make-up on in the depths of winter is something of a challenge, I switch on every light and still end up squinting at myself in the dimness thinking, is that blended? Do I look like a clown? Sometimes I've thought, no, it's all good and then sallyed forth into the world only to realise it wasn't good.

All that is a thing of the past. You sit down, the mirror lights up beautifully and off you go. Honestly, it's genius. Yes, it's expensive but worth it. If you already have great light at your dressing table or equivalent) then you don't need this. If you are in your 40s with your eyesight perhaps not what it was and having to get ready when the sun hasn't risen then I would say this investment is worth every single penny.

I bought it, and some Zelens acid pads, from Cult Beauty and then qualified for a free box of tons of goodies. I don't need them all so I am selling some and making about £60 or so back. Others will be gifts. There is often a way to fund what you need.

It charges with a USB cable and the charge lasts about five weeks. My only regret is waiting four years.