Jo loves… taking a trip down memory lane, finding a couple of quick fixes and a skin-saving balm – and discovering her ultimate bath extravagances...
Clinique Dual Ended Almost Lipstick and Long Last Glosswear SPF15, £17, in Black Honey. Oh, the nostalgia! Clinique Black Honey lipgloss was the first lipgloss I ever bought: a little green pot of what looked like scarily blackberry colour in the pot, but dabbed on to gloss lips with a lovely just-bitten lipcolour so natural, my mother never told me off! Now, that so-wearable and so-flattering shade has been reincarnated as a fabulous double-ended product: one end is a dewy-finish sheer lipstick, while the other is a high-shine gloss. The bonus? The gloss now swipes on with a wand, rather than a finger (the only downside of my debut gloss was that I always got some trapped under my fingernail). I’ll be stockpiling!
Origins Quick, Hide Concealer, £13. Since I broke my (right, of course!) wrist, anything which shaves time off my beauty regime has been a godsend. So this has been perfect: instead of foundation a quick dab-and-pat action is all it takes to effectively conceal broken veins and the old dark circle/imperfection - meaning no need at all for full foundation. A welcome return to colour from Origins for wannabe-more-natural beauties like me, too.
Antipodes Saviour Skin Balm, £28.99 for 75 g. Another injury-related choice, this (like most people who’ve been ‘in the wars’ it becomes a bit of an obsession), but I just wanted to flag up the amazing healing powers of this balm, which comes in a large (and very appealing) tin. My four-inch scar (there are plates, there are pins) was a bit raw and painful - but I am pretty convinced that the antiseptic tea tree in this helped calm it all down. Antipodes’ tests have shown that it stimulates collagen production, so – with its argan and coconut oils, mango seed butter and soothing oat extract, I’ve been massaging it into my scar and am seeing definite, tangible improvements. A pleasure to use.
John Frieda Luxurious Volume Anytime Volume Refresher, £5.49 for 125 ml. Now, I don’t want you to go ‘eeew’ when I tell you: I only wash my hair once a week. More precisely, I have it styled at John Frieda once a week (by Kiki or Andreas), because I have the kind of hair that is really, really wayward – wavy, fine, but a ton of it – and self-styling a) takes 90 minutes and b) looks godawful. Plus: I live by the sea, and my hair simply doesn’t get dirty. So, I’m lucky: a blow-dry lasts around a week on me with no trouble – but after that, goes flat. However, now I can leave it even longer, thanks to this spray. I zoosh it into roots when my hair’s upside down, and it not only absorbs oils (a little like a dry shampoo, but flake-free), but really does restore volume and make me look once again like I just sashayed out of No. 4 Aldford Street. Miraculous.
Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Body Scrub, £50 for 200 ml. Yikes. Fifty quid for a body scrub. Do I want my head examining? Not really, because this salt scrub actually makes you smell like you’ve been veiled in Tom Ford’s peerless orange-flower scent, top to toe. (So much so that you don’t need to add perfume!) With a blend of olive oil, grapeseed oil and date seed extract, it also leaves skin unbelievably smooth and sensual. I am also C-R-A-Z-Y about the Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Body Moisturiser, £40 for 150 ml, which can be layered over scrubbed and towel-dried for the absolute last word in extravagant self-pampering: also exquisitely perfumed with this so-sweet, so-uplifting scent. A total indulgence, yes, but one that’s going on my birthday and Christmas lists from here on in.
Sarah loves... Heavenly rose-scented bath oil, the best moisturiser ever, leave-in hair conditioner that really works, and a truly waterproof mascara...
Jo Malone Red Roses Bath Oil, £52 for 200 ml (refill £38 for 250 ml)
Curious thing this autumn: there’s lots of roses still out. And some are in my bathroom – and drifting round the cottage reminding me that summer isn’t over. Jo Malone’s Red Roses Bath Oil is heaven-scented with seven sorts of roses plus honeycomb, clove and musk, which linger like a whisper on your skin, and – crucially – it’s fabulously skin-softening. Since my ideal Christmas present is vats of scented bath oil, I wanted to tell you about this in good time for ‘Dear Santa’ lists… Like all Jo Malone offerings, Red Roses Bath Oil, and its companion Body & Hand Wash, are super-elegantly packaged in her trademark cream and black beribboned boxes. The oil comes in a chunky glass bottle with stopper, which glams up any bathroom.
Nude Age Defence Moisturiser, £54 for 40 ml. Repeat after me: ‘my skin can look younger’. I have read so many paeans of praise to this natural brand, (not to mention writing some myself) that it almost seems superfluous to add to them. But actually, you need to know that this moisturiser is truly incredible. The first time I put it on at night, I really did see a difference the next morning: my skin just looked that little bit better, a bit more glowing, a bit more even, just good skin. My skin is dry, super-sensitive, ageing (62 now), though not that many wrinkles. (It’s said to suit all skintypes.) I’ve now used it almost every day, morning and night (except when it’s in London and I’m in Dorset) and it’s, well, a miracle cream. (And I don’t think I have ever said that before…)
Nars Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara - Black, £18.50. This is a Marmite product: some love it, some … well, they just don’t. It came highly recommended from a swimmer and it took me round Australia very happily, with nice natural-looking glossy lashes. So it floats my boat! And the critics? Well, they found it takes time to dry (not longer than most for me), and isn’t super-volumizing - which I don’t want, but I do acknowledge that the name is a bit misleading. I also have to advise that it takes proper remover at night if you don’t want to wake up with panda eyes – but that’s inevitably the price you pay for a waterproof mascara. (It comes in a lengthening version too, same price.)
From www.narscosmetics.co.uk, and Space NK branches,
Christophe Robin Moisturizing Hair Cream, £29 for 100 ml. Ok, little story: I had my quite long, very thick hair much more layered (by the fab Andreas at John Frieda in Aldford Street, Mayfair, as ever) before I took off to Australia for August, where every time I shampoo'd it – albeit with lashings of conditioner – I ended up with curls and frizz. Oh, and a few nice waves at thr front. Anyway, back I get to London, walk into the salon and Andreas bites his tongue. The waves, he tells me, are fine at the front, even becoming, but the back! I think he is going to have a nervous breakdown there and then - because the back is not just frizzy but like hay. The answer he says is a leave-in serum or cream applied to just-washed hair. Until now I’ve had the worst history with these products: basically, they didn’t work and I’d abandoned them forever. Until, that is, I discovered French stylist and uber-colourist Christophe Robin’s range, just reimported to the UK. (Christophe is based in Paris, where he looks after top models and stars like Kristin Scott-Thomas.) This product is called Moisturizing Hair Cream Daily Anti Split Ends Leave In Treatment for Colored, Highlighted or Sensitive Hair… And it’s a total hair saviour. It’s not entirely natural, but is free of most chemical nasties, it’s non-sticky, non-greasy and IT WORKS! My hair doesn’t look like a haystack, Andreas doesn’t have a nervous breakdown, I can wash and go - with a mane of (rather Pre-Raphaelite, I fancy) gently shiny waves. More hallelujahs!
Amy loves… some fancy footwear, another marvellous mascara, is reminiscing about foundation - and indulging in some exotic body treats...
Cocorose London Foldable Ballet Pumps, from £45. Such a clever idea! These darling little pumps are going to be a godsend for my feet when racing around. They come in a very cute little purse, which has a hidden shoulder bag zipped inside to slip your heels in after a night on the town. There are dozens of colours and styles to choose from; personally I’m in love with my ‘Melbourne Sensation’ pair - a very chic pale green with black trim from their Spring/Summer Collection (they are still available here) and will definitely be adding the gorgeous ‘Solo Glitz in Plum’ to my Autumn wish list list.
Benefit They’re Real Mascara, £18.50. I do seem to have lots of favourite mascaras at the moment but I have to say, this is overtaking them all (apart from my beloved L’Oréal Lash Architect, see here). For me, this totally lives up to the promise of serious lengthening and volumising. I find one coat is plenty as the pigment is very deep (black is currently the only shade) and I’m all set. And the thing I really love, love, love about this one is that there is absolutely no smudging or flaking: once applied this will stay on my lashes all day long. (All night in fact - if I’d like, but still comes off like a dream when cleansing before bed.)
KORRES Coconut Body Milk, £9.50. This body milk is enabling me to cling on to the remnants of summer through its delicious exotic coconutty scent. I haven’t actually been away on holiday this year but when I smooth this on I’m instantly transported to a faraway tropical land. The hydrating goodness of added almond oil, aloe and shea butter are also prepping my skin for the harsher weather conditions ahead. Layer the fragrance with the Coconut Shower Gel for twice the hit.
L’Oréal True Match Foundation, £9.99. I used to use this years ago but we have recently become reacquainted and I have fallen in love again. It behaves like a much more pricey foundation, blending and smoothing on gorgeously. It’s more of a light base but you can easily build up the coverage with a foundation brush or fingers for any problem areas. L’Oréal designed the twelve shades to be ‘true’ to all skin tones, from the fairest to the darkest, so there should be something to suit everyone. An oldie but such a goodie!
Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Body Scrub
Jo Malone Red Roses Bath Oil
Nars Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara - Black
Christophe Robin Moisturizing Hair Cream
Cocorose London Foldable Ballet Pumps
KORRES Coconut Body Milk
L’Oréal True Match Foundation