# 121 Good Night

Have been wanting to award a special mention to 2 products that have made it into my bathroom cabinet this month -

Weleda Skin Food and Philosophy Hope Springs Eternal Deep Sea Revitalizing Face Mask

The first: I got stuck overnight at a friend's house (a private 'mare of mine, as I always fear being caught out without my cleanser & having to make do with soap & water), and was almost ready to call a cab at 3am when I realised I had a tube of Weleda Skin Food stashed in my bag (which the PR had very kindly sent a couple of days earlier for a GREEN BEAUTY story I'm researching). So, I borrowed my matie's cleanser (Yes to Carrots - nice, creamy, hydrating. I washed rather than wiped it off as I also have a mortal fear of make-up removal avec cotton wool. I'm weird. I know). I then squeezed a wee splat of Skin Food onto my hands, warmed it up between my fingertips & massaged it all over my face - including lips & under-eyes. The next morning my skin was insanely soft and had a lovely glow to it. Now, I've been playing this gig long enough to know that beauty one-night-stands are by no means indicative of long-term success. BUT, while I'll no doubt find myself sans kit at the end of many a long day & night, I shall be travelling with Skin Food everyday forthwith. Oh, and the stubborn eczema patch I often get on my wrist (which is actually caused by the lovely tweedy wool at the cuffs of my APC coat), was sent into oblivion by Skin Food too. Have to say, I really love it to bits. And, the mild skin condition's a small price to pay for the perfect coat, right?

Then there's the new mask from Philosophy. Confession numero uno (beauty PRs look away now) - I've never personally used a Philosophy skincare product. I suppose I've allowed my fear of their strongly-fragranced body lines (Cookie Dough, Gingerbread Man etc etc) to colour my view of the brand's cosmetics - which is silly, because I know Philosophy is founded by Cristina Carlino, a lady whose first venture into beauty was a bio-medical line distributed to leading dermatologists and plastic surgeons. So, clearly, this is serious stuff & deserved a second look.

Well, this new mask arrived just in time. I liked the spiel - the seaweed spirulina inside it (I've had good results from seaweed-rich line Thalgo in the past), and the fact that it promises to revitalise, refresh and renew, but without being a peel, a scrub or a deep-cleansing or heat-activated formula. In short - this is the soft touch for softer skin. The first time I used it I was rudely interrupted by the ASOS delivery man so I had to wipe it off after just 3 minutes & dash to the front door; but upon further investigation I could see that it had already made a difference. We're not talking a new face here, but rather a slightly brighter (but not flushed), and softer surface. Tonight I thought I'd give it another whirl (it's 3 days after the 1st attempt - the pack says it's safe to use whenever you feel like it). I left it on while I showered this time - so around 10 mins - which is longer than the directed 5 mins in the instructions. When I rinsed it away I noticed that skin definitely looked brighter, healthier and make-up went on nicely afterwards. It's one of those easy fall-back products that I know I'll reach for of a rushed morn and be most thankful for. It's not, however, capable of enormous improvements - but as I've so often found, the biggest improvements tend to take time (and in my experience it's better to use even the most gentle microdermabrasion products & peels the night before rather than morning of). So, yes, it's another notch on my beauty post & one that I'm extremely happy to have stumbled upon at the very end of another very long night...