Jo
declares the muslin cloth may be doomed, ups her energy levels - and identifies her all-time favourite body cream and eye make-up remover…
Soap & Glory Back Brush, £9.79, and Face Massage Mini Mitt, £4. Soap & Glory call this a back brush. (Or as they put it with their usual wit, ‘We believe that everyone is entitled to a brush with greatness’.) Yes, it is a great back brush - but it’s also just about the best body brush I’ve ever tried: not-too-hard-not-too-soft-just-right - and the long handle makes it ideal for those sweeping strokes up legs and arms that are so good for boosting circulation and flushing away toxins first thing in the morning. And as for the ‘mini-mitt’? It’s just EXTRAORDINARY. Moulded from the softest rubber, it gives your face an amazing massage while cleansing - or simply use with water (or oil) to rev up skin when it’s looking dingy and tired. I even predict this extraordinary little invention could take over from the oh-so-popular muslin cloth. Yes, it’s that good! (And is super-easy to clean, so it never gets manky - unlike aforementioned cloths.) Find them at www.boots.com (or click on the product names above).
Femergy, £14.50 for 60 VegiCaps at www.victoriahealth.com (where you get a special 5% discount, plus free postage and packing). It’s quite simple: these are miracle-workers. I’ve been taking them for a while (ever since Gill Sinclair at VH introduced me to them), and truly my energy levels have never been more Duracell-esque. The key ingredients are Peruvian maca, ginkgo biloba, Brazilian ginseng, cayenne, aloe vera, grapeseed extract and chromium (Polynicotinate), and I find them fantastic for concentration as well as general peppiness (without the caffeine jitters). V-e-r-y useful at this time of year when we’re all trying to get our brains back in gear. (NB At Victoria Health, your ‘insider’ discount is added automatically at checkout.)
Bourjois Remove Make-up Express Eye Make-up Remover, £4.88 for 200 ml. Clever, clever Bourjois. It might seem like I mention them every edition - but that’s because their products are a) great value and b) absolutely do the job. Savvily, having created products we can slap on, they’ve now produced a genius range for removing it all again, which includes this unbelievably effective eye make-up remover. Doesn’t hurt my sensitive eyes even the teensiest bit, yet takes away every last molecule of mascara without rubbing. (It has even nudged my long-term Chanel favourite off the bathroom shelf. Need I say more?) They’ll be on-line soon, we’re told, but meanwhile get down to Boots or Superdrug.
Liz Earle Naturally Active Superskin Body Cream, £27.50 for 200 ml. I am on record as saying that Liz Earle Superskin Moisturiser is the best moisturiser ever-ever-ever. (And I still think so.) So as you could imagine I couldn’t wait to get my hands (and various other body bits) on the new Superskin Body Cream - and I can honestly say it doesn’t disappoint. Ultra-rich, a little bit goes an amazingly long way, and it has kept my skin amazingly nourished all summer long, with its rich blend of avocado, borage, rosehip and cranberry seed oils (it’s 25% plant oils), shea butter, glycerine and vitamin E. As with the face version, I am officially hooked.
Marie-Veronique Crème de Soleil Tinted, £38 for 50 ml. Without this product I would by now be suffering serious sun damage, having spent the summer basically on the beach. (OK, a hat was involved. Sometimes.) This is a strange creation, though: almost more of a beige foundation than a sunscreen (so it does a good job of covering up imperfections and evening out skintone, adding a touch of glow). Looks a bit muddy when it first emerges, but it smoothes onto skin to deliver a very useful SPF 30 derived from non-micronised zinc oxide: perfect for anyone who wants a purely mineral sunscreen and no nanoparticles (for our thoughts on those, see The Green Beauty Bible). No chemicals at all, in fact - which of course means no parabens - and hand-made in small batches. (What’s more, the US’s Environmental Working Group voted it one of the top ‘safe’ sun-protective moisturisers.) Not cheap, but the bottle lasted me all summer and what better investment could a beauty editor make in her skin than covering it up (at least with zinc oxide) during a sunny summer…?
Sarah is
turning out her make-up bag for autumn and getting down to basics
Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara, £7.99. Why ‘stiletto’? Because, say the manufacturers, it gives lashes the same sleek, lengthening, provocative look as stiletto heels do for legs… Well, I think it’s fantastic. And at this price you really can afford to renew your mascara every three to four months, as eye experts recommend (to avoid infections). In black and brown. Available nationwide and from www.boots.com (at a knockdown £5.82 as we go live; click on the name to find it straight away).
Bobbi Brown Lip Crayon in Dusty Nude, £24. I’ve been a multi-lippie owner in my time but frankly, this jumbo pencil is the only lip colour I need for autumn. Just add some gloss for evening. This comes in six shades, including soft rosy brown Dusty Nude, which is perfect for me. On Bobbi Brown counters this month, or from www.bobbi-brown.co.uk
Arch de Triumph by Soap & Glory, £7.50. This chunky double-ended crayon, designed by the brilliant Marcia Kilgore for her own brand Soap & Glory, is just the best brow pencil ever. (The other end is a pink highlighter that goes under your brow-bone for a lifted look; I don’t need that but use it to accentuate the V of my top lip…) At Boots nationwide, and online at www.boots.com (click on product name to go straight there).
Crème de la Mer The SPF 18 Fluid Tint, £50. Before you squeak with horror at the price, can I say that one bottle of this fab combo of tinted moisturiser and superlight foundation lasts me right through the spring, summer and autumn, and produces a dewy natural flawless look that gets compliments! (And we love those…) In three shades, Light, Medium and Dark, from stores nationwide or from www.cremedelamer.co.uk
Meanwhile, if you don’t want to spring for a tinted moisturiser, just mix a little bit of liquid foundation and day cream together in your palm.
PS In our new book Beauty Bible Beauty Steals - out at the beginning of November, but you can pre-order on Amazon if you wish) by clicking here, you will find some amazing bargains in tinted moisturisers. (OK! We’ll let you in on a secret: Skin Wisdom Instant Benefits Visibly Radiant Tinted Moisturiser just squeaked in top – find it as part of Bharti Vyas’s range for Tesco).
Valerie Beverly Hills Angelina Tri-Coloured Powder, £35 (with FREE Kabuki powder brush, worth £35, while stocks last! Plus, of course, you get a 5% insider discount at Victoria Health, which is added automatically at checkout). I was so overexcited when I swirled on this face-polishing-and-perfecting compact – and saw a Cinderella transformation! – that I made Jo try it about 11pm one night. (She agreed, thank goodness.) Valerie Sarnelle, by the way, is the Hollywood make-up artist fluffing up faces of such stars as Teri Hatcher, Halle Berry and Goldie Hawn - and clever Victoria Health is the sole distributor in the UK, so do have a look at Angelina and the rest! (Click here for the full Valerie collection, and a video tour of Valerie’s Beverly Hills make-up emporium and tips from Valerie herself.)
Soap & Glory Back Brush
Marie-Veronique Crème de Soleil Tinted
Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara
Crème de la Mer The SPF 18 Fluid Tint
Valerie Beverly Hills Angelina Tri-Coloured Powder