Sarah Loves... Autumn 2025
Sarah Stacey’s seasonal picks include a skin and hair-loving, super-luxe silk pillowcase, a fabulous organic conditioner for her summer-dry hair, a nifty double-ended eye shadow and smudgy liner, miracle nail strengthener and a supreme collagen supplement for hair, skin, nails and joints
Love that this deliciously soft SILKE silk pillowcase is called ‘queen’; my husband definitely thinks that me sleeping on a silk pillowcase and insisting it come with me everywhere is princess style – now I’ll tell him it’s queenly… So, why SILKE silk…? First, silk is simply the most soothing, line-smoothing and embracing material to rest your face on; great for sensitive skin too. Second, real silk is non-absorbent – unlike cotton or synthetics - so doesn’t wick away face cream, meaning whatever you stroke on at bedtime stays on your skin, keeping it more hydrated and nourished. And thirdly, hair loves silk because it helps prevent frizz, tangles and breakage so your mop stays glossy and healthy.
This SILKE pillowcase is fantastic quality (the slightly long-winded tech spec says ‘Crafted from the highest-grade 6A long-fibre, 22 momme mulberry silk. OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified and tested against 1,000+ harmful substances’). And good silk pillowcases really do last for decades, giving delight every night. Three colours: white, caramel (above) and fuchsia pink. Investment, yes, but value too – it will become your bedtime #BFF.
£85 - buy here
INNERSENSE Color Radiance Daily Conditioner
My end of summer hair (thick, coloured, medium length – looking somewhat straw-like) was direly in need of TLC so I turned to an old and trusted favourite brand, Innersense Organic Beauty. And wow!, does this rich nourishing cream deliver, with the benefits – shiny, sleek, more manageable, healthy-looking hair – both instant and improving over weeks. Key ingredients are rice bran oil, aloe vera, avocado, emollient oils and flower essences: it’s lightweight and there’s no build up. I don’t use it daily as I wash my hair every four or five days, but I do leave it for at least the recommended five minutes. Worth every penny (and yes, I did buy it myself).
£28 for 295ml - buy here
Clinique High Impact Shadow Play Shadow + Definer
As I confessed in my recent Health Notes about dry eyes here, my creamy eyeshadow stick, which I used as a smudgy liner, was several years past retirement date. We had to visit Sidmouth – a gorgeous Georgian seaside town down the coast – so I popped into Fields, the wonderfully old-fashioned department store, and bought this double-ended shadow stick from the helpful beauty staff.
Double Latte, from eight options, pairs a slightly shimmery, soft café au lait shadow – easy to stroke and blend all over the lid – with a deeper, almost amethyst taupe shade that’s delivered from a sponge applicator. They call it a ‘precision’ applicator which I think is misleading, as it’s more of a pointed chunky crayon, but it’s fab for pushing down into the outer lash line. Exactly what I wanted: but note to self, ‘best by’ date is six months ahead.
£28 - buy here
DoSe Collagen Tripeptide Complex
Gosh, this stuff is brilliant. The formula contains marine collagen tripeptides, easily absorbed by your body and now recognised as the best form of this essential protein for supplements, and also antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, biotin (vitamin B7) and zinc, an essential mineral. It’s designed to help maintain healthy hair, skin and nails also teeth, but I also find it gives me just that bit extra energy and zing. Just a bit of biology here: collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, designed mainly to give strength to skin, muscles (including the heart), blood vessels and other tissues. But… you know the thing – it declines with age, so we get wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity and joint pain. So it really makes sense to plug the gap, both for health and beauty. I’m a huge fan. (PS Reviewers report arthriticky symptoms reducing.)
£45 for 90 capsules (one month’s supply) - buy here
Bit of a miracle here when I realised that using this two phase product means my (somehow soft and brittle) nails had not flaked, cracked or broken at all since I applied the two phases of Nail Shield about a week ago. (Note to self: time to repeat process.) Phase 1, applied first in a thin layer, protects the nail and helps it resist damage, while also adding elasticity and support for brittle nails. Phase 2 seals the nail, so it can start growing again. You can put varnish on top if you want, or use two coats of Phase 2. I used to snag my flaky sad nails on everything and have to file them back to nothing. No longer…! This is really very clever stuff.
£26, pack of 2 x 10ml - buy here
