Kiehl's Overnight Biological Peel

Last week I was reading the beauty pages of something. I couldn't tell you what as I read dozens of magazines, newspapers and supplements. Anyway, they were talking about salon treatments you could buy and do yourself at home. One that caught my eye was this little baby - Kiehl's Overnight Biological Peel. It gave it a rave review and said it was totally safe.

Is it just me that is a little freaked out by the word 'peel' in beauty? It makes it sound like your skin will literally peel off and you'll be left with sore, red patches. Like when Bill is in full sun trying to rescue Sookie in True Blood. Only maybe not that bad.

But I've always had time for Kiehl's and I figured it's been ages since I bought anything new to try. So I hot-footed it to the Kiehl's counter in House of Fraser, Westfield, where a very nice man demoed it. I was impressed as I couldn't remember anything about the product when I asked about it. I said, "I read about it last week, it makes you look 10 years younger overnight, do you have it?" And he knew immediately what I meant.

You put it on in place of your moisturiser before you go to bed. And you wake up 10 years younger. To be fair, he did say that was unlikely.

I put it on last night. You don't need much which is good news as it's expensive - £38.17 to be exact. Although of course much cheaper in the US. I woke up this morning, rushed to the mirror and...

Ummmmmm. Not 10 years younger but definitely smoother of skin and brighter of complexion. Which has nothing to do with my 9 hours sleep I had. Oh no. It's all down to this!

You mustn't use it more than three times a week. I'll report back in a few weeks an let you know if I think it's worth the expenditure.

The nights are drawing in...

I quite like this time of year. I know the getting dark at 4pm is fairly grim but let's look on the bright side, you can get away with shaving your legs once a week or less. You don't have to have pedicured toes all the time (although I do because it makes me feel less depressed about winter).

And you can have more baths. At this time of year I crave comforting scents and I am currently loving good old Dove bubble bath. It smells like Granny should smell and I like it. And it's cheap too which is a bonus.

Lush has also come up with some lovely A/W ballistics. They call it the Christmas range but I prefer my title. I've had a So White and it was gorgeous. It creates a snowy froth on the top of your bath. And I have a Cinders ready to use but am put off by reports that it stains the bath. Cleaning the bath after you've got out of it is no fun.

And I am loving Moringa bubble bath by The Body Shop. It's a pretty floral and nice for when you've had a tough day at work and just want to feel girlie.

Talking of The Body Shop, they've totally copied Lush and have a Retro thing going on. They've brought back some old favourites! I bought some of the Passionfruit Cleanser because I used to love it. I can report it still smells exactly the same and is a very good cleanser. Only £3.99. Bargain. They also have the banana shampoo which I also used to love. Find out more here.

The last day of summer

Back from France and been a bit busy and had no time to update the blog.

Terminal 5, Heathrow. Mecca. I bought some holiday perfume. Always nice to have a perfume new for holidays so that when you wear it you are reminded of happy days. As you know, I didn't really need a perfume but that's never stopped me. But guilt crept in as I really do have LOTS of perfume. I compromised and bought a perfume that only cost £17. A Guerlain one at that. Who'd have thunk?

I got one from the Aqua Allegoria range - very light and summery and in the most beautiful bottles. It's all sparkly and orange and it was perfect for the south of France. However now I am back in Autumnal London, I think it's going to have to have a rest as I want spicy warmth now.

Current loves

A little round up of what I am currently loving or lusting after.

I blogged about Mario Badescu summer shine lotion the other week. I would like to report that I love this stuff and can't wait to use it in proper sunshine. It smells lovely and it's so subtle.

Serge Lutens perfume. I am in love. Gorgeous, beautiful, sexy perfume. They pretty much all smell gorgeous. I've not bought any but my lovely friend gave me three samples and I am enjoying them a lot.

I can't get enough of the blu my mind OPI nail varnish. It's such a deep fantastic blue. Like the Mediterranean on a perfect summer's day. The best toe colour you can wear in the summer.

Urban Decay eyeliners. I am getting quite a collection now. With the Urban decay primer, these are just fantastic and they stay on all day long. No smudging, nothing. Worth every penny - they are about £11 which is great value. My latest purchase is 1999 - a lovely soft grapey purple.

I said in my last post that I was on the look out for my sun protection. The wonders of having a blog. Another lovely friend read it and gave me a full bottle of Piz Buin 1 Day Long lotion, factor 30, you only need to apply it once a day. She's just come back from Greece and said not a red mark on her. So job done there.

The Olay Aqua Physics night cream is also impressing me. Very nice consistency and no greasiness. I can recommend it.

Lest you think I spend stupid amounts on everything, I am really liking Superdrug's Coconut and Shea butter bubble bath. Lots of bubbles and a nice coconutty scent. You have to like your coconut but really, how could you not?

And finally, I had my eyelashes tinted yesterday for the first time in years. What a result. Maybe I will give up on my quest to find the perfect mascara and go for this from now on!

The St Tropez holiday shop

Alright, let's get one thing straight first. I am not actually going to St Tropez but I will be near it and I plan to visit it and it sounds so delightfully decadent and cool.

I started my toiletries shop early because I am excited and it's fun. I might need extra baggage allowance for my toiletries alone. I placed an order with hqhair. A dangerous site if you have a weakness for fab products.

I ordered Dermalogica super sensitive sun block. Anyone who doesn't put sun block on their face in the south of France is insane and asking for wrinkles. I've not used this before but now I am pushing 40, I think I need something a little more serious than No7.

I also got Mario Badescu summer shine lotion. This looks cheap compared to the Dermalogica products! It's just arrived and I can report that it smells delicious. I can only describe it as smelling of summer. And it's very subtle - no OTT glitter. I think this is going to be a winner. I firmly believe everyone's legs need a little help in the shimmer department.

And I got two Korres shower gels. Basil & Lime and Fig. Yummy. If you've not tried these, they are great and are very good value I think.

So that was my HQ shop. I also zipped into Selfridges yesterday and got waylaid by the nail varnish. Because, you know, I don't have enough of that. I bought Blue My Mind by OPI and a little packet of 4 in mini sizes - one is called flamingo pink and so clearly I had to have that. My toes will be deep blue on holiday.

I have stocked up on the VO5 shampoo and conditioner that I recommended earlier this week. 2 for 1 at Boots.

And I popped into Superdrug and got some Jergen body lotion. And they had a special offer on the Olay products - the one that odious Fiona Phillips is advertising. I got the aqua physics night cream. I think this wins as the stupidest name for skincare ever. Anyway, it was only £4.95 so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

So that's what I have bought so far. Don't have the body sun protection yet - am still scouting the options. What do you mean just buy Nivea? Where's the fun in that?

I have also booked in a range of treatments before I hit France. I swear it's expensive looking as fabulous as me. I shall post more about them soon.

A new (and cheap) product that I am loving

I bought a new shampoo and conditioner at the weekend. VO5 colour protect I believe it is called. From Boots. It's fantastic. It works really well, smells lovely and I swear my hair looks shinier and glossier thanks to it.

So this is a very small post to say I highly recommend it.

Penhaligon's Bluebell review

As promised, here is the first of my reviews from my Penhaligon's taster set. Bluebell. This used to be Kate Moss's favourite before she started making her own of course. I fear she may have had to give up a bit of a classic to advertise her own stink. It's tough being a supermodel I know.

Anyway, I just had a bath and put a little bit of this on. I am familiar with this scent as I bought a bottle for my sister a few years ago. I like it. It's earthy, yet green and redolent of bluebell woods. Or is it? Am I just seduced by the name? Has ever there been a lovelier name for a perfume than Bluebell. Who doesn't love bluebells?

The Penhaligon's website says it's the most British of their scents. I like it but I am not sure I would want a whole bottle of it. It doesn't seem to be a stayer. It's light and easy to wear and would be great as a holiday perfume.

Birthday beauty haul

It was my birthday two weeks ago. It was hard to miss if you are vaguely acquainted with me. I like to announce my birthday and give everyone plenty of notice to go shopping. I did very well on the beauty haul this year. My lovely sister knows me so well. She got me a tub of Molton Brown bath soak. Which is really very yummy. It turns the water a beautiful blue and it has a subtle, clean scent. I just had a bath with it and feel very relaxed. Which it promised me. And it looks pretty in the bathroom.

She also got me Ren Rose body scrub. Oh me, oh my. Regular readers will know my love of the rose scent. I've not used it yet but I cannot wait to break into it this weekend in the shower.

And she got me (I know, I am lucky) some blue nail varnish. Now how could she have thought I wanted that? Hmmmmmm. Essie, Mesmerize which is a very pretty denim blue. My toes are twinkling in it.

So special thank you to the best sister a girl could have. Another very sweet friend got me a Penhaligons taster set. It comes in a dinky tin and has several scents in it - like a cool chemistry set.

So I am delighted to report that I shall be smelling fabulous over the next few months.

A scrub that smells so good, you want it to be a perfume

I got a small pot of a scrub from Bliss in my Christmas stocking. At this time of year, I always try and use up things and this morning I decided to use up what I had left of this. Sundays are for full on body scrubbing action and my skin was feeling very dull.

Anyway, this really is a lovely scrub. The grains are just the right consistency - fine but not too fine. And it smells heavenly. I wasn't expecting it to smell so nice after it had all rinsed off but I am sitting here sniffing my arm and realising I smell fabulous! And I am smooth as a shiny conker!

The scent is vanilla and bergamot. I usually am not a fan of vanilla but the bergamot stops it being sickly.

Lipstick - the holy grail

I don't wear lipstick. Not because I don't like it but because I find it becomes a mess very easily. It doesn't stay put, you leave lipstick marks on coffee cups. This may provide inspiration for great Take That songs but it's annoying in real life.

Every now and then I buy a lipstick and then remember why I don't wear them. Today I was in Boots browsing the make up and was buttonholed by an OFL*. She told me all about the new Revlon colourstay lipsticks. I had read about these and thought they sounded worthy of investigation. The usual promise - this lipstick lasts all day. So she let me test some and I must say, it glided on beautifully. And they had a £2 off offer on and I am a soft touch. So I bought one in 'nude'. I got home after a hard few hours' shopping and can confirm the lipstick was still there. It did feel a tad drying though. Is there anything worse than scuffy lips? Urgh. It didn't give me scuffy lips but I felt it could be in danger of doing so in the winter.

I shall report back on how I get on with it. I also looked hard for Opi nail varnish but no joy. Apart from Selfridges, where else sells it? Not online, a real shop. Anyone?

*OFL = Orange Faced Lady

Nail varnish

Continuing my summer theme. It's important to have sunny colours for this time of year. Deep reds have no place on summer feet (or hands).

Here are my top colours for the sunshine.

Jam n Jelly - Essie - gorgeous bright pink. This is a funky, slightly shimmery pink. I am wearing it on my hands at the moment.

Clam Bake - Essie - I can't wear corals but if you can, this is gorgeous. Perfect on tanned feet.

Footloose - Essie - named after a classic Summer film, how can it not deliver? A perfect purple.

Blue nail varnish can look fabulous on toes. I think this only works if you have tanned feet or you run the risk of looking dead. Opi do a great blue. Add a bikini and a cocktail and you're laughing.