Win a pampering trip to Madrid

It is unbelievably cold where I am at the moment, snow has blanketed the ground and after a couple of hours marvelling at its beauty I have really had enough of it as I am pretty much stranded. Luckily today I was told that the lovely people at Ponds are running a competition of a holiday to Madrid. Not only does Ponds keep my skin at it softest best but it is also providing me with day dreams about hotter climates. 

For over a century Pond’s beauty creams have been the secret many women hold to beautiful, radiant skin. Pond’s want all women to feel as beautiful as they look and so they are giving women the chance to win a relaxing pampering weekend for two in Spain’s beautiful capital city, Madrid.

Win this fabulous prize and you and a friend will be staying in a gorgeous 4-star hotel in the heart of Madrid, where you will enjoy a skin diagnosis followed by bespoke beauty treatments at the fabulous Pond’s Institute in Madrid, leaving you feeling refreshed and looking gorgeous.

Passed down through generations from mother to daughter, Pond’s highly effective and simple approach to skincare has cemented Pond’s status as a cult beauty brand. Chosen by women of all ages and skin types, Pond’s classic cleanse and moisturise routine nourishes and hydrates for a radiant complexion.

For your chance to win simply visit www.pondsinstitute.co.uk and enter your details.

Competition closing date: 10th January 2011.

Essential Care Organic Coconut Candy Scrub - £15

As I made everyone aware I wasn't feeling very well this week so have neglected my readers slightly so for that I am sorry. To make it up to everyone I am going to a whole week of brilliant gift ideas and handy tips for looking your most beautiful.

I find that after being unwell and staying in bed for a few days nothing makes me feel better than a long soak in a hot bath followed but a good body scrub. It makes me feel like a snake shredding my skin and starting anew, plus it helps to give back that radiant glow to skin. Lucky for me I had the most delectable to body scrub to get me feeling 100% whilst also leaving my skin super soft.

Essential care's coconut candy scrub is 100% organic, made with fair trade cane sugar and virgin coconut. It smells simply divine, like a luxurious dessert and when I was told you good eat it well I had to have a little taste. If it hadn't been so amazing on my skin I would have had it with ice cream, its quite yummy.

About from tasting rather nice it gives a great deep clean on your skin, I like body scrubs that have a good consistency and grainy texture and this is exactly what I look for in a scrub. Gritty enough to exfoliate well but gently enough to not ravage your skin. It also leaves you feeling moisturised and I found I didn't need to apply a separate moisturiser after I got out of the bath.

Buy this scrub for practically anyone and they will love it but be careful if you even have the faintest of smells you will be keeping it for yourself!

Hand Creams part 2

I am still not feeling great today so I have confined myself to bed with lots of orange juice and possibly a childish film later. First up though the second part of my hand creams run down and today I am focusing on the most amazingly smelling hand creams out there.

Melvita extra rich moisturising care £15

Firstly its not tested on animals and its natural and organic so its as back to nature a hand cream as you can get. With aloe vera, shea butters and hazelnut oils its like slipping your hands into the finest silk on application. A little goes a long way, it smells divine and it helped to clear up a dry patch of skin I got after wearing a cheap ring.

Lush Smitten handcream £6.10

Another all natural and all ethical handcream this time smelling of almonds, with camomile and beeswax to protect hands and nourish them. I use mine when I get into bed as the camomile helps me drift off into a restful sleep and forget about the worries of the day.

Tisserand wild rose and lemon leaf rejuvenating hand and nail cream £6.50

Ethically harvested, containing no parabens or synthetic fragrances and smelling like a dream. It has a refreshing quality and easily absorbs into the skin making my hands soft and smelling divine. I like to put this on before going out for the night or when I am having a stressful day at work. 

Berkeley Square rose petal hand cream £6.95

Add a touch of glamour and elegance to your hand with this sumptuous hand cream made with shea butter. Decorated with the 1920's in mind it captures an era of beauty of femininity perfectly with just a subtle hint of rose and a creamy texture. 

Hand Creams

I’m not feeling very well today, just a sore throat and headache but it’s enough for me to declare a duvet day and not want do that much. As one of my beauty obsessions is hand cream I thought today and tomorrow I would do a list of all the hand creams I have around at the moment. Hand cream is one of those essential products that I just can’t do without and not only doe sit keep my hands soft and hopefully youthful, it also strengthens my nails. A few years ago I had acrylic nails out on and it absolutely ruined them, it has taken a while and lots of hand cream but now they are super strong and healthy. I always have a pot of hand cream on my desk at work, one by the side of the bed, one by the kitchen sink and one in my handbag.

Madara Deep Moisture Hand Cream £8.90

Has a lovely smell to it, light with a touch of marzipan and easily absorbs into my hands and doesn’t leave them feeling greasy. Like all Madara products it contains herbs and plants from the Baltic region including parsley, linden flower and cranberry and is simply lovely to use. 

Gloves in a bottle £5.10

It may be the least glamorous looking hand cream in my selection. It doesn’t have an over exciting smell but it works no others in protecting the skin in an invisible shield. Great for applying before doing the washing up or anytime your hands need a bit of protecting. 

Soap & Glory Hand Food £4.50

I am a big fan of the Soap and Glory range and they have done themselves proud with hand food. Made with shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow to create a non-greasy and easily absorbed cream that will leave you hands soft, smooth and ready for caressing.  

Atrixo Intensive Handcare Protection Cream £4.49

A thick and indulgent hand cream, it’s not scented but it is a staple hand cream that luxuriously smothers your hands.

Angela Langford - Christmas Cracker

The founder of new natural skincare brand Angela Langford is pulling a giant Christmas Cracker this December - with her Twelve Days of Christmas promotion.

For the first twelve days of the month, AngelaLangford.com has 12 different free gifts and special offers available for each and every customer. Customers aren't limited to one offer - they can take up each offer every day which amounts to a total of £160 in free gifts and discounts.

On the first day of Christmas, at AngelaLangford.com you can enjoy a Free Natural Face Oil (worth £22.55) - available when customers spend £50 or more on any products in her organic skincare range. Angela will then send a free bottle of Balanced & Beautiful or Repair & Renew - just let her know which one takes your fancy!
Angela Langford, founder of the organic skincare brand of the same name, is very excited of both her new promotion - and Christmas itself!

"I am still like a big kid at Christmas - I love the excitement and celebration at this time of the year and I'm lucky enough that Father Christmas still leaves a stocking for me every year. I wanted to share this sense of excitement with my customers. Each cracker only lasts a day so be sure to check out www.angelalangford.com each day of December to find out what I've got on offer".

Other crackers to watch out for at AngelaLangford,com include free gifts, special gift sets for Men, Mature Skins and Young skins, as well as free delivery and gift wrapping to name but a few.

Miners Nail Varnish £2.99

I always forget what a difference nail varnish can make to your look. I consider myself to have nice nails, years of religiously applying hand cream has made them strong and when filed short they look quite good but I sometimes forget that they can add as much to an outfit as a good pair of shoes. 


With winter drawing in the colours on the catwalks palettes are awash with deep berries and shimmer ready for the party season. I decided to try out a few of Miners new shades to give my nails some of the attention they deserve! 


First up, Midnight Lavender, a heather-grey hue inspired by the likes of Sienna Miller and Scarlett Johansson, glistening and gorgeous.

Second LBD let out my inner rock chick, a matt shade that clawed me over to the dark side!

Third, Dorothys Shoes, bright red with a huge amount of sparkle, made me feel instantly festive and looked stunning when worn with a simple grey dress.



Forth, Mulberry Shimmer, rich like mulled wine with a golden shimmer that had my friends green with envy and ordering a girly night so they could come over and help me 'test' some products!

Finally Molten, a liquid gold that will make you feel like a millionaire, currently adoring my toes so now they look like I have dipped them in molten gold and shimmer.


With all this buying everyone else presents why not treat yourself, at £2.99 each you can buy all five and still not feel guilty about it!

Mystikol by Jane Iredale £17.50

I got woken up at 7.30 on Saturday morning by the postman. Normally I would be annoyed about having my weekend lie in cut short but luckily he knocked bearing gifts. Mystikol is a new type of powder eyeliner that is dual ended. One end contains a dark powder with a sponge applicator and the other end a pearlescent highlighter with sponge applicator.

Application really is effortless which is great for me as I have been trying loads of false eyelashes this week and my eyes are a little irritated. It contains botanicals and is hypoallergenic making suitable for the most sensitive of eyes.  I was out all day and evening so popped it into my bag so I could apply more for the evening. It lasted all day and when the evening came it was really easy to build up the colour for sexy smoky eyes. I may very well have to invest in all the five shades as its the easiest way to get long lasting sexy eyes.

Rest & Regenerate £31.75

I am all for big brands being a sucker for eye catching packaging and a glamorous ad campaign. The larger brands though can at times get a bit lazy and can spend more effort with the latest celeb rather than a dazzling product. Since starting this blog though I have been exposed to some great products from less well known brands. One of my favourite up and coming brands is Angela Langford, not only is it a philosophy I wholly agree with, that of being complete natural and getting rid of all the unnecessary chemicals, the products are amazing. The latest one I have tried is Rest & Regenerate luxurious night balm. As my skin care regime is shockingly bad throughout the day the evening is the one time I like to treat my face so I need a product that really works.

It contains Vitamin E to increase the rate of healthy cell renewal and have a gentle peeling effect on your skin – leaving it looking younger and brighter. Vitamin A smoothes wrinkles and nourishes dry and aging skin. Q10 and Vitamin E also reduces depth of wrinkles. Avocado oil and jojoba oil puts radiance back in tired and dull skin. Omega 6 makes your skin soft and supple and rosehip gives skin elasticity. There is a whole load more natural ingredients that condition, moisturise, lift, firm, calm and strengthen, but you don’t need to know all of those.

What you do need to know is that this product works exceptionally well. Massage into skin before bed and after you have given your face a good clean and then all that’s left is to drift off to sleep. In the morning you will awaken to a glowing and younger looking you and be thanking me for introducing you to a lovely product. 

Ahava - Mineral Botanic Trio Gift Pack £17.50

Although the supermarkets have been trying to ram it down my throats for weeks I am now finally ready to accept that Christmas is approaching and rather than spend money on myself I need to but my loved ones gifts. I am quite a good present buyer so I thought I would share a few gift ideas in the run up to Christmas. 

My mother, bless her, has problem skin and most bath products irritate her skin and I never hear the end of it. If like me you have someone that is a bit sensitive or have someone you have to buy a gift for but don't know very well Ahava has your answer. 

Bringing together world-renowed therapeutic benefits of Dead Sea Minerals with nourishing and hydrating properties of natural oils to create these luxurious body washes. The gift pack includes three 85ml bottles, including Honeysuckle & Lavender and Lotus Flower & Chestnut Mineral Botanic washes, both for sensitive skin, and Hibiscus & Fig Velvet Mineral Botanic wash, for very dry skin.

Hibiscus & Fig Velvet: Hibiscus delivers highly-effective, antibacterial properties, and soothing hydration, and the inclusion of Fig provides skin-softening qualities and rich nourishment.

Lotus Flower & Chestnut: Lotus Flower infuses skin with natural antioxidants and unique soothing properties; it is also excellent at calming skin irritations.  Chestnut delivers much-needed nourishment and hydration to rebalance the skin. 

Honeysuckle & Lavender: provides the exotic, relaxing aroma of Honeysuckle and natural soothing properties for sensitive skin, and Lavender is included for its healing and antiseptic qualities.

Each Mineral Botanic provides a pleasing and effective deep-cleansing experience, which also proves gentle to the skin.  All Ahava’s Mineral Botanic Velvet Cream body washes are free-from the parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Sulphate.

Clinique 3 step system £20

My skin has been quite kind to me considering that when I was a teenage I never looked after it. Always falling asleep with my make-up on and then just wiping smudged mascara from under my eyes with wet toilet paper. Now I feel like I have to make up for it so recently I indulged in a little pamper pack of Clinique goodies. First step is the liquid facial soap which doesn’t dry your face out like most soaps do. Then the clarifying lotion that acts like a toner and gets rid of impurities. Next up is the dramatically different moisturizing lotion which I have always been a fan of. It soaks in well and leaves your face moisturised without feeling greasy. Great for early morning application when you don’t want to spend ages waiting for your moisturiser to soak in before you can apply foundation. 

Dermalogica – climate control lip treatment

It’s getting very cold here now and one thing that it really suffering is my lips. I don’t help them much with my unhealthy appetite for chilli so I need to treat them to make up for it. My latest crush for my lips is this lip treatment from Dermalogica. It comes in a really handy tube, as my hands are always greasy with hand cream tins are not my friend, and can be applied on not only your lips but anywhere on the face that is a little dry. I have this one on my bag at all times and normally apply it on average about 20 times a day meaning I am always pout perfect. 

Botanicals mint and tea tree foot balm £12.96

I don’t wear high heels as I resemble bambi taking his first steps when I do and because of this my feet aren’t as cracked as some of my friends are. Still I like them to be as smooth as possible and I find a weekly treatment keeps them in tip top condition. After my Sunday bath (I do bath other days of the week but a Sunday bath is always my favourite) I like to smother my feet generously in some foot balm and then pull on some cotton socks and leave them for a few hours, over night if possible. Last Sunday I tried a mint and tea tree foot balm from Botanicals and just loved the smell and texture. It is quite a strong smell but it’s great as it kept my feet smelling fresh right until Monday night.  

Pamela Mann 3D Footless Tights £4.99

I am normally quite late on trends, it was only recently that got into leggings and now I don't know how I survived without them. I was also very late on the Ugg boots trend, have still to find a pair of skinny jeans that look nice and only got into military once it was going out of fashion.

When it comes to tights however I am confident that I am up to date, mostly because my legs are my unique selling point. Having not been blessed in the shirt filling department I do have nice long legs and although that means that I can't wear heels often (the messages don't get from my brain to my legs in enough time) I can get away with short skirts. Not with bare legs mind you as then I end up looking a bit trampy, ok very trampy so for years I have been relegated to wearing stock 50 denier black tights.

The lovely people at Tights Please have now released me from the boring monotony of the staple black tights with a range of footless tights by Pamela Mann in a range of 19 colours that can spice up any outfit and add a splash of colour in the dull winter months.

I tried the dark grey which may not be that much of a move away from black but is subtle enough to wear for work and gives my boring old outfits a kick and can be worn with any other colour. I also tried the jade which looked simply amazing on and drew all the boys attention to my legs, right wear I want it! They have a light sheen and are tight enough so that my legs looked much firmer than they are. The waist band is also really comfy which if you are a glutton like me is extremely helpful as you don't end up with a red band round your waist after a big meal. A superb way to reinvent an outfit and make yourself stand out at any party.

Payot Paris - Les Revitalisantes Masque Reveil Eclat £31

My French is extremely basic, well to be truthful its entirely poor. When I went on holiday a few years ago to the South of France I somehow started talking Spanish even though I know absolutely no Spanish. Still I managed to get by and have a lovely holiday, anyway I digress.

Les Revitalisantes is a range of body care for skin exposed to constant stress and I definitely know a thing or two about constant stress! In just 10 minutes this face mask relaxes and smooths your skin and gives your face a radiant glow. It contains cocoa and orange extracts which makes it smell simply divine. It heats up slightly on application so is just perfect for these horrible winter nights. I used mine whilst relaxing in the bath and not only did my face feel relaxed so did my skin. Treat yourself this month in preparation for all stress of the next couple of months or put it on your Christmas wish list.

Halo Wipes

My handbag is a graveyard of scrunched up old tissues and every time I need one I pull one out of the creases in my bag, carefully peel off an old sweet and debate about whether I can actually use it without getting some disease. Thankful I have discovered Halo wipes and a range that caters for all of my needs. The range includes hygienic handy wipes, perfect now the cold and flu season is upon us and you never know where the next sneeze is lurking. Deodorant wipes, even though the sun is hiding itself in shame over the rubbish summer we still sweat and need to keep our pits fresh. Eye make-up remover wipes, toilet/surface wipes and moist toilet tissue, all pretty self explanatory! There are two great things about these wipes, firstly they come in handy little packs making them perfect to carry around in your bag all the time. Secondly the price at 99p per pack (make up remover pads £1.99) they are perfect additions to any handbag. I have two sets, one in my bag and one in my car as you never know whats around the corner. Once I yoghurt all over myself in the car and had to wipe it off with a map, not cool.

Fushi extra virgin organic coconut oil £8.95

I am fully aware that I am full of contradictions and once place it is the most obvious is in food, a prime example being coconut. I love Thai curry or pina colada using coconut milk, but if I find a couple of coconut shavings in my morning muesli I am not a happy girl. I do love the smell of coconut though so when this pure coconut oil landed on my desk I spent most of the morning sniffing it. After having a bath that night I smeared it all over myself, including my hair, and I smelt like a tropical island, if it hadn’t been frosty outside I might have indulged the fantasy a little more. As it’s an oil it take a little while to sink in so if you can avoid wearing clothes brilliant, if not try to find something cotton to wear. My skin was left soft, fragrant and super moisturised well into the next day.

I left the oil in my hair overnight and washed it out the next morning, actually I lie, I lazily stayed in bed to late to wash it out in the morning so spent the day at work looking like I had been flushed. It took two washes to get it out completely but my hair looked like it should have been on an advert. It had a healthy glow and all the dryness I have caused from blow drying it disappeared into a lustrous shine. 

Shea Alchemy

English rose light day cream (12.50) & Geranium anti-wrinkle day cream (£17.50) 

I wasn’t overly fussed about these creams, they were nice enough and easily absorbed but my face felt a little tight after using them and they weren’t as luxurious as I would have wanted.  The geranium doesn’t smell too bad but the English rose smelt a bit clinical and chemically. They are SPF 6 which makes them great for an everyday cream as even in winter skin should be protected from the sun. Not one of my favourite products but considering their price they would be worth having as a daily moisturiser.