REN AHA Smart Renewal Body Serum

Hi everyone! The sun is shining and we've had a lovely May haven't we? Two bank holiday weekends with sunshine has to be the rarest occurrence. I hope you've all enjoyed it.

This recommendation could not come at a better time. This is basically an AHA-based serum for your body. Those AHAs that whisk away dead cells in your facial serums? This does the same for your body. It's brilliant. I whole heartedly recommend this with massive enthusiasm. I've not used such a great product for years. It works immediately. No waiting and patiently using it for weeks before you see a result. I slapped this on my arms and then noticed how soft my elbows were.

It's sold out in lots of places, I got mine from M&S. Yes, it's expensive but it's worth it and you don't need masses of it. It sinks in really quickly, it doesn't leave your skin tacky. Honestly, go buy some.

New hair discoveries

I bought this La Roche-Posay Extra Gentle shampoo for CoverBoy who has to have very gentle shampoo for various reasons. However, it's amazing, I love it. It's very creamy, lathers pleasingly, rinses out perfectly and is very gentle.

I had a small tube of this light weight deep conditioning cream rinse in one of the Cult Beauty boxes. It's really good. It conditions hair deeply but manages to not leave it lank. That is the holy grail of deep hair conditioners. I immediately purchased the large tube.

Together, these work brilliantly on my hair and so I pass this information on to you.

Glossier

Is anyone else slightly perturbed by how targeted digital advertising is? It's so pernicious, you only have to click on Hush once and that t-shirt pops up for the next eight weeks on your Facebook and Instagram feeds. Bobbi Brown pops up with 'take another look' and a picture of the very eyeshadow you're doing your best to resist.

Glossier launched a few months back and clearly I am the target audience because I could not escape it. The thing is, I am not the target audience. This is aimed at the much-maligned millennials. It didn't stop me succumbing to see what all the fuss was about.

The cloud paints are beautifully named. We all know I cannot resist a blusher. I tried hard to not buy this but in the end, I had to have a looksie. I bought it in Puff which is very pink and it's really nice. I think I prefer it to the NARS Liquid Orgasm which I liked at first but I've decided it's actually too pigmented. This you can build up or just leave sheer.

The lidstars are for your eyes. Again, it's about building up to intense colour or having a wash of colour. I bought Herb which is described as a smoky green. The day I resist green eyeshadow will be the day I give up on life. Anyway, it's a doddle to apply and it stays on all day long.

I'm not remotely tempted by the skincare range as I honestly think it's for 20-somethings and my skin concerns are not those of a 20-something.

I am not sure I'd buy anything else but the two products I got are surprisingly good.

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Corrector

As we move into Spring (or today, full blown Summer) then I find I don't want to be bothered with a base. Also, my investment in facials (on which more in another post) means I am after skin that needs less base.

Nothing at all is a little ambitious, especially for work. Yet I find pretty much all concealers to be too cakey and heavy. Then I discovered this by Bobbi Brown. The name drew me in: Intensive Skin Serum Corrector.  This has a serum like consistency and glides on smoothly. It's not actually a concealer, it neutralises under eye discolouration and primes skin for a concealer (yes, I just typed that from the site's description). If you have spots that you want to conceal, this won't do the job well. I use it to cover up unevenness on my skin which it does brilliantly.

I also bought this brush to help apply it very lightly.

I admit, I am a bit obsessed with make-up brushes but that's because they make such a difference.

A round up of a few recent products

I've been a bit quiet on the blog front but rest assured, not on the buying and trying products front. I don't have enough to say about these to warrant a separate post so I am bundling together.

Let's start with Clarins extra firming day cream. I bought this on one of those days when I felt vulnerable and I shouldn't have even been in the department store because I am a liability. Nonetheless, this had caught my eye in the press. It's expensive for a moisturiser, £58. I bought a shower gel as well and received some very generous gifts which helped me feel better about the price. 

This is good. There are two types to buy: for dry skin or all skin types, I went for all skin types. It does feel lovely and my skin looks nice and plump. No issues with applying make up over it either. Would I buy it again? Probably not but it's a lovely treat.

On the same day, I purchased this hydrating eye cream from Bobbi Brown. I needed this even less in my life but it's surprisingly excellent and that's all down to the packaging. I admit I am lazy, messing about with pots and tubes to add eye cream is often a step I can't be bothered with. This is so easy, swipe on and it gives you just the right amount. It's great for travels, it's fab for your handbag to pep your eyes up in the office mid-afternoon. I am genuinely loving it. Also, I have finally accepted I do need an eye cream having resisted them for years. Woe.

I bought a few bits and pieces online from La Roche-Posay which is fast becoming my favourite new brand. This is a face cleanser that I need for the shower. Yes, I need a cleanser for the shower, doesn't everyone? It's great, it does exactly what I need it to do without any dryness whatsoever. It also smells nice and French. I recommend this and it's inexpensive considering the size.

CliniqueFIT Workout 24-Hour Mascara

We've not discussed mascara for a while, have we? I've been meaning to write about this one for a couple of months. This is part of Clinique's make-up range to be worn while exercising. My eyes are rolling so hard, I am giving myself whiplash.

I find it hard to understand why anyone would wish to wear make-up when sweating and jumping about. These millennials and their instagramming ways have a lot to answer for. However, when I read about the range, I thought, I bet the mascara works.

It does work I guess. It's a tubing mascara so you wash it off with warm water, twiddling your lashes as you go. It's nowhere near as good as Lash Power though. This is my mascara of choice and I always have a spare one to hand just in case. Just in case of what I am not sure but the thought of being without it makes me anxious.

This mascara flakes more, it's harder to get off and it's somehow a bit drying on the lashes. It's cheaper than Lash Power and it shows. I've talked myself into throwing it away. Why bother when Lash Power is perfection?

Ren Rosa Centifoli Hot Cloth Cleanser

Will this godforsaken winter ever be over? I've just returned from a week in Morocco. When I booked that holiday I foolishly thought, when I come back, it will be spring! No, it's snowing and it's freezing.

I bought this cleanser before I went away. Everyone needs a sturdy and reliable hot cloth cream cleanser and after this long winter, my skin needs something gentle. The central heating and wood burning stove do not help my skin.

This is gentle, smells like heaven and does the job beautifully. I also like the pump dispenser which means you don't accidentally squeeze out more than you want. I got it from M&S with 20% off so it cost me less than £15. I highly recommend it.

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.