Sunday 21 October 2012





What a beauty.....

SOS. Send help. Mayday. 999. 

What's my emergency? Dry hair. Chipped nails. My lips don't even match my outfit for goodness sake! 

Ok, perhaps I am over-dramatising this a tad, but my point still stands; I've let things slip. A few weeks ago I had to reign in the spending. I had returned from a beauty product splurge and was busy preening myself when I heard a loud sobbing emitting from my handbag. Turns out the noise was coming from my bankcard. She was severely wounded- I'd made a serious hole in her overdraft and she needed time to heal. 

But I'm in mourning. I miss my splurges. There is something so glorious about strolling through the beauty aisles of Selfridges- a spritz here, a slick of liner there- and then the joy of tipping out your canary yellow bags on to the floor and trying out your new paintpots! Suddenly your eyelashes become ten times thicker, you have cheekbones that weren't there before and you no longer need to hide your hands in your pockets because they are so dry and gnarled! 

So, when I caught sight of myself in the mirror yesterday I was determined I needed to find a compromise. It may not be feasible to spend my Saturday afternoons in salons, but that doesn't mean I need to look like an extra from Les Miserables. 

Right we are then, let's get shopping....
L'eau Ambree EDP Spray
http://www.tkmaxx.com/view-all-accessories/leau-ambree-edp-spray/invt/42332584
  •  Once again, I'm extolling the virtues of T K Maxx on this one. They are selling Prada L'eau Ambree EDP (that's right, the perfume, not the watered down toilette) for just £39.99, nearly half the price of every other highstreet store. Amber, lemon and rose notes make it easy to wear and any discerning nose nearby will instantly recognise it as a fashion house product. 
  • Or, if fragrance isn't the top of your list, they have OPI nail sets with the same 50% off discount. That means I'll have two. 
http://www.boots.com/en/Estee-Lauder-Sumptuous-Bold-Volume-Lifting-Mascara-Set_1228234/





  • Estee Lauder is one of those trusted brands, like Olay or L'Occitane; the kind of product your Mother and Grandmother have used with consistent success and that you know won't let you down. For a product that works, I'm willing to shell out- but why buy just the mascara, when you can buy the set for less? In some fabulosuly twisted world of mathematics, Boots are giving us a full size Estee Lauder mascara for just £19.50- and throwing in a mini Advanced Night Repair Eye and Gentle Make-Up Remover pot too! Maybe their computers are broken, maybe their sales people failed their maths GCSE, or perhaps they are on some philanthropic mission to bring peace to the world, one beautiful eye at a time. All I know is that it's a bargain.

                                                                                                                                                    
  •  For those of you whom haven't heard, Topshop and MAC makeup is produced the same manufacturer. I say manufacturer, I mean magician. Angel. Rosy cheeked Elves.....whoever they are, they must be something special anyway. I'm a big fan Topshop's kohl eyeliner which has a deep, rich pigment and refuses to budge, no matter how sweaty the  tube carriage! With pencils starting at just £4 you really can build a guilt free collection. I suppose this one has to be tried to be believed, so next time you stop by, slick on their delicious berry lipstick or sample a 'painted' matte eye pot which gives a pop of colour that will turn your peepers in to a canvas.