#75 By my skinny skin skin...

Ok, so I've spent three weeks trialling two different body creams - one faired well, initially, then faded into uselessness, and the other, well, the other has already been restocked and is a new favourite...


1) Garnier Bodysensitive Anti-Dryness Restorative Moisturiser - at first it feels lovely and promisingly thick. Then it is absorbed and skin feels soothed - though no more than when I've used any other creamy concoction. The problem comes after a few days - legs were still scaly, arms still bumpy. It just wasn't good enough to shift winter's leftovers or make me feel confident about returning to my short shorts and minis. In fact, even after using it for two weeks, I needed to top up my legs with body oil before going out as they weren't soft, shiny or smooth enough for my liking. It's fragrance free though, which I prefer in my body creams.

2) Yes To Carrots Body Butter for Dry Skin - seriously dodgy brand name, but seriously effective formula. After just two days the thighs were silky and arms looking better. After a week, there had been real improvement. The scent will not suit everyone - it's a mix of cocoa butter, Johnsons Baby Wipes and nappy cream - it smells clean, a bit like a just-bathed baby and slightly sweet. I love it. Best of all, it manages to be very thick and nourishing without being sticky or unctuous. Skin absorbs it well too, so you don't get that skiddy sensation that makes you feel you'll slide off your seat on the tube, which you can get with body oil...

3) On another note, prior to trialling the duo above, I was using REN's Moroccan Rose Otto Body Oil. Lovely. Great smell. But what a tiny bottle. If, like me, you moisturise twice, sometimes three, times a day, this will only last you a fortnight. Shame.

#74 Back to Black

I’m ashamed of myself. It’s been weeks and weeks. I have a valid excuse, I promise. Well, almost. Glasto was one of the best experiences of my life – despite a spate of malodorous moments that will continue to haunt me until the end of my days – and taught me some extremely important beauty lessons.
Namely, that...

- no matter what you put on, through or over your hair, if you have no access to water, you’re buggered.
- that you can still remain relatively sweet-smelling without washing if you’re eating well (vegan and veggie food galore!!), not getting pissed (yep, I sorta forgot to drink a single drop for four whole days and nights…?!) and are stashing a massive bounty of baby wipes. Really. I got home, stripped off and had a good ol’ sniff and it wasn’t half bad. Apologies if that’s the most disturbing thing you’ve ever read, but, well, it is true…

The other thing I learned is that if you are going to spend over 12 hours a day out of doors (I’m a city girl, I’ve never done that in my life!) that permanent rain and an entirely grey sky will not protect you. You still need a hell of a lot of sunscreen. My skin, which in ten years has not left home without an SPF15 veil, really really suffered. The worst thing? My hands. I’ve got a massive spray of dark spots – or funky freckles, as my husband kindly described them – across the back of my right hand and they’ve yet to fade. It’s rather upsetting to know that just four days in the great outdoors might have resulted in mottled hands that last a lifetime. I’m using Clarins best-selling Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, which claims to reduce discolouration – we shall see. I promise to report back. The other problem I encountered – alongside sleeping for 3 days straight on my return – was with my complexion. Despite tons of fresh air, lots of water, walking and healthy food, I seriously broke out – simply because I could not adequately clean my skin. I packed Olay’s Daily Facials – for combination skin – which contain Beta Hydroxy Acids. I’d packed high sunscreen too, so didn’t think it’d be a problem (acid exfoliation + sun = AGEING ALERT!), but had to eventually accept that I had been wrong. Basically, my skin burnt – even under regular SPF40 applications – and I never ever burn. I woke up with a slightly pink nose and hairline – hardly devastating damage, but still damage nonetheless – which caused me to ditch the wipes from day two onwards. On returning, my skin was bumpy and uneven in colour – spots had developed beneath the surface on my forehead, around the hairline and across my nose and chin. Luckily I had 5 days before I needed to be back at work, so I took it easy and focused on exfoliating to get my skin back to smooth, even normality – I’m currently loving Agera’s Microderma Crystal C Activator, which is one of the best exfoliants that I have ever used in my life – and the gentle, calming products from Omorovicza, which I’m remaining loyal to until further notice. I also packed Dermalogica’s Hydrating Mask on for three days in a row and my skin drank it up like Amy W on the vodka (that’s not me being bitchy – I was there and saw her…) So now, spots cleared up, skin evened out, dry patches disappeared and I’m almost back to my old self. Almost…