Jo Loves... Autumn 2026
A few weeks ago, I filmed a podcast (one of several to mark the launch of The Beauty Bible Iconic Edition, because it seems podcasts are often filmed nowadays) – and couldn’t quite believe my under-eyes. They were sort of… sunken. Not what I’m used to observing in the mirror, and frankly a bit horrific to see on screen. This called for action! And happenstance, a PR friend at Clarins just a couple of days later sent me Clarins Double Serum Eye.
I really rate this for several reasons. 1) It doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes. (I’d had to give up a recent eye cream trial because it made them itch and tingle.) 2) It’s a serum, so it can be applied close to lashes and on lids without travelling into the eye itself; I always feel the lids need a LOT of help, but creams often create a film on the eye, because they go walkabout. 3) Results! Not only do fine lines seem less visible, but my under-eyes don’t look like sunken sockets. Excellent work all round, Clarins!
£64 for 20ml – buy here
Kevyn Aucoin Micro Sculpting Brow
I’ve had brow pens a bit similar to this in the past – a clever design which does multiple fine strokes at once, making it easy to ‘feather in’ natural-looking brows. A defined brow makes the most ginormous difference to my face – my own are super-pale, all but invisible. But the challenge? A lot of brow products are just too dark and obvious, when applied – not natural-looking, at all. So, what makes this notable is that it comes in a shade called Cream Blonde, which is absolutely perfect for me – ‘there’, but not overdone.
£29 – buy here
I am not teetotal, but I drink very little and am always on the hunt for something that isn’t boring old sparkling water or elderflower cordial. A lovely cousin introduced me to Mother Root at a lunch she hosted this summer – and within five minutes I’d ordered a bottle online.
Mother Root is based around apple cider vinegar – very healthy, but blended here with fiery ginger, blossom honey and chilli into a proper, grown-up, non-alcoholic aperitif. You can drink it with soda water, or serve up as my cousin did – with a Gusto Organic Fiery Ginger & Jalapeño, for double the gingeriness. Now, I do have to declare an interest here, because my clever husband founded the Gusto brand – however, I have to pay for what I order (and happily do, for this and other drinks in the line). I love the proper ginger punch that it packs – and when enjoyed as a mixer with the Mother Root, I a) don’t feel left out of any celebrations, but b) don’t have a hangover next day!
Mother Root/£27.95 for 500ml
Gusto Organic Fiery Ginger & Jalapeño/£25.99 for 12 bottles (also available from Ocado, natural food stores and delis)
Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation Brush
I trust my colleague Sali Hughes’s recommendations implicitly, and am often spurred to try something she’s recommended. Recently, she bigged up this foundation brush, and since my own had started to shed every time I used it (not a great look – whiskers!), I invested in this. It’s firm, with a stubby tip that really presses foundation into skin, and the synthetic bristles whisk over your base to smooth out any hard edges. Absolutely, unquestionably, the best foundation brush I have ever used. Trust me, and trust Sali on this.
£52 – buy here
I am particularly drawn to the grounding effect of woody fragrances. And the first of these, weirdly, completely conjures up the scent of a spa that I used to go to, once upon a time in New York, back when (in our innocence) jumping on a plane to America was something done casually. (Hah! No more!)
So, next best thing: I discovered Airplane Mode (above) on a visit to a local hair salon, Wylde Bird Bohemia (read my review here), where there’s also a ‘beautique’. It combines palo santo wood, cedarwood, rosewood and chamomile hydrosol, along with patchouli. From a small-batch American brand, Indigo Ray Botanical, I love this suggestion: ‘Use it to reset your room, your linens, the energy around you, or the invisible force field you rely on to avoid chaos.’ It has to be sprayed to be believed, but honestly does just that.
My second choice, meanwhile, is from the rather more mainstream ZARA Home, whose home fragrances are often extremely impressive and definitely worth checking out. Again, this Palo Santo Room Spray Spray features palo santo wood – an aromatic wood (also known as guaiac) which is used in meditation rituals, and I find really does have a deeply meditative effect. It’s definitely the dominant ingredient, but also listed are black pepper (yup, get a tingle of that), clove, cool violet leaf, vetiver and ambergris (not the real thing, at this price, but something soft and adjacent). Comes in a big ‘gun’ that’s going to last ages; I alternate these, because I really enjoy them both so much.
Airplane Mode Room Spray and Zara Home Palo Santo Air Freshener Spray
Airplane Mode Room Spray/£34 at Wylde Bird Bohemia (or find it online here)
Zara Home Palo Santo Air Freshener Spray/£23.99 for 200ml – buy here
YSL Make Me Blush Cream Blusher
This is a preposterous price to pay for a blusher, but I am guilty as charged. (I also learned a lesson: maybe ask the price of something before the sales assistant’s bagged it up for you and is asking for your credit card.) Still, I had a moment recently for which I felt I deserved a little reward – and actually, I don’t regret this. Superbly creamy and skin-friendly, it’s easy to blend into cheeks with fingers when you’re looking or feeling wan, delivering an instant rosy glow, so it lives in my handbag. (The shade I chose was Nude Lavalliere, which is actually a rosewood tone that would flatter pretty much anyone.) There’s a great colour pay-off, as well as staying power – and the compact is a beauty; you wouldn’t feel embarrassed whisking this out at the dinner table. What softened the blow to my credit card was that at the time of purchase (which was in person), Selfridges was running a promotion; I got a gorgeous, lip-shaped handbag mirror that rocks distinctly Lulu Guinness vibes, as a gift with purchase.
£44 – buy here
