Nail colour of the week

Sable Collar. It looks nothing, NOTHING like this picture. It's more of a shimmery taupe with some mauve going on. Great name.

Nail colour of the week

Essie's Mind Your Mittens which is a great name. I actually had this on last week and loved it - a grey/blue that surprisingly goes with pretty much anything I was wearing.

Marks and Spencer Moroccan Escape

January is a time for saving one's pennies after the excesses of Christmas. A time to lounge in hot bubble baths and read books. And I am here to tell you that this £4 bubble bath is a steal. It smells of oranges, it bubbles beautifully and I am loving it. There is a shower gel, oil and various other things in the range which I've not tried but I am stockpiling this.

Cleansing

I'm a bit obsessed with cleansing, everything starts with clean skin sweeties. Last week I bought two essential cleansing products. First up, Shu Uemura cleansing oil.

Yes, I got the Karl Lagerfeld one because why not? I adore this stuff, it's very expensive but a large bottle lasts me a year. And this bottle makes any bathroom (even my horrid, needs replacing bathroom) look stylish. It's perfect for a quick morning cleanse requiring minimum effort and leaving skin soft and smooth.

I also bought the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish.

This smells heavenly. I think I am addicted to Eucalyptus because I am a sucker for anything made with it. I use this with a regular flannel in the evenings to lift all make-up off effortlessly. My usual rinse off cleansers just weren't doing the job for me anymore. It must be this damn ageing thing.

So, £100 on cleansers. I had better look radiant.

Party eyes

Nothing pleases me more than breaking out the sparkle knowing that it's totally allowed because it is Christmas. I am not interested in wearing gold jumpers or decorating my home in tinsel but given half a chance, I'll throw some sparkle on my face.

Last weekend we had our annual Christmas shindig at our house and I was feeling very tired. I needed some party mojo so off I went to my local Bobbi Brown counter and said to the lady, give me party eyes please!

I am delighted to say that she did a super job and Bobbi Brown remains my favourite counter for down to earth make-up advice.

The long wear eye gel now comes in sparkles! Unfettered joy! She went to work with Thunderstorm (having primed my lids with various neutral shades) and then used black gel eyeliner too. Then she patted on a sparkley eyeshadow in Pebble. Her tip was never to use brushes for sparkley eyeshadow but to pat on with your fingers. I have recreated this and can tell you it's easy peasy. Finished off with Smokey eyes mascara. I felt a million dollars. I bought Thunderstorm and Pebble (just the names please me) and have been using the Thunderstorm as a day look (without the extra glitter of Pebble) and it works very well.

All hail Bobbi Brown make-up.

Christmas beauty gifts

Yes it is December already. Yes, it's too early to put up your tree. No, it's not too early to start shopping for gifts. I'd be happy with any of these on Christmas morning.

Aromatherapy Associates are truly beautiful bath oils. I've only ever had one bottle of their oil and I still dream about it. Unfortunately CoverBoy took a shine to it as well so it didn't last long. This Lavender and Peppermint one sounds divine.

Clarins facial oils are a staple for me, especially in the winter. Pop this on before you go to sleep and wake up with plumped up, soft skin.

Their Tonic bath and shower concentrate is also a firm favourite. It smells like the essence of Clarins and I always take it travelling to pep me up.

2015 is going to be the year of Aesop for me. I am dying to try this serum.

I love all things Origins. Gloomaway is perfect for dark January mornings.

Jo Malone is always a treat and I can never resist a scented candle. Pine and Eucalyptus is the scent of Christmas. This one is ridiculously priced but I covet. Hard. You can buy a smaller one for £40.

My Christmas candle this year is from Diptyque and it is heavenly, filling my living room with the scent of pine needles.

My love of Chanel Exclusifs is bottomless. I adore Bois des Iles but I am currently having a moment with No18. They are a luxury but you will never tire of seeing this on your dressing table. So chic!

Charlotte Tilbury is the launch of the year. I've not tried any of it but I hear rave reviews. I have issues with the look of this range, it's too blingy for my tastes however I can never resist an eyeshadow palette and The Sophisticate looks like the perfect office colours.

I also think this make-up bag is cute.

I bought this YSL nail varnish in France not realising it has a grained effect. It's a gorgeous colour and the grainy thing is weird, I must admit it's not quite my thing but I think those more into nail art would love it. Perfect gift for a teenager.

Molecule 01 is the perfume that is unique to everyone. I adore it and always get compliments when I wear it (I've just finished my bottle - hint hint).

Finally, I am currently rediscovering the absolute joy of the heated roller. Pop a few in for 5 minutes and you have instant glamour. I've been using heated rollers for over 30 years and upgraded my ancient ones a few years ago. Look at these ones though! Who could resist?! And they are a bargain.

Happy shopping!

Nail colour of the week

Not done one of these posts for ages. This week I am sporting Essie's Shearling Darling which is nothing like the picture, it's basically almost purple and dark. It's very nice and I like the name.

Living Proof. Again

I didn't think it was possible for me to love this brand any more but this no frizz shampoo and conditioner is magical. It's quite simply amazing. I was in New York for two weeks where there was much rain. People were asking me if I'd had my hair blow dried. No, indeed. Just my poor attempts with the hotel hairdryer. If your hair frizzes at the first sign of damp then you need this and the 5 in 1 styling cream. Together they are transformational.

I am having a very happy hair moment. I am using this, the 5 in 1 and have rediscovered the joys of a heated roller and I feel like I am in a hair advert.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturiser

This is a very popular moisturiser. I tried it years ago, was unimpressed and that was that. However, recently they revamped the formula and it got some rave reviews so, being me, I bought some. I am now about two months into using it and I am very impressed. It's a great base for make up, it sinks in perfectly and my skin feels nicely plump. It's £30 for 125ml so it's good value.

It's a no nonsense moisturiser, no SPF but you can use a separate one or frankly, with winter coming, I don't bother. I typically spend about 20 minutes outside a day in the winter and I live in London, I am sure no sun damage is happening to my skin.

Lush shower gels

It's been a very long time since I've been in Lush. Once I loved and adored it and then well, let's just say I fell out of love. However, they have always known how to put a scent together and on my way to work this week I felt compelled to go in and check out their shower gels. I bought two.

Rose Jam had my name on it. I am sucker for anything with a rose scent. Lush isn't cheap, this is £9.50 for 250ml, but it is very concentrated. You don't need much at all. It is truly lovely and reminded me why I used to shop there.

I also bought So White.

I haven't tried this one yet, it's appley. Hmmmm. It smells nice in the bottle! Nothing else caught my eye, I can't cope with the bath bombs anymore as they ruin your bath. I recommend Rose Jam.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day shampoo and conditioner

I'm sorry about this, I really am. But I have found the perfect shampoo and conditioner and it's by my new favourite brand in town, Living Proof. The Perfect Hair Day has already changed my hair life but now the set is complete. I picked this up in New York last week and I am in love.

It is sulphate free which is becoming increasingly important to me as I get older. It lathers up a dream (you hardly need any) and it smells great. But importantly it just makes your hair feel great, shiny and easy to style. You need the Perfect Hair Day styling treatment as well and yes, none of it is cheap but you don't need much. And this is your hair. On your head. Being important.

You can buy Living Proof at SpaceNK but I can't see this range. They have the Full shampoo and conditioner. I have no idea what that is like but this stuff, this is magic. Read all about Living Proof here. Sephora ships to the UK now. Just saying.