Dermalogica At Christmas – My Pick

For the first time in years I’ve decided to eschew buying a beauty advent calendar. While on the surface they appear fantastic value for money, every year I’ve ended up not using some of the products inside, making the personal value of the collection much less.

While this is a personal thing, of course, depending on how much you yourself value the individual contents, this year I’ve taken a deeper interest in the single brand collections that are on offer.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday – 5 Tips for Grabbing the Best Deals + Where to Look

If you’re intending to nab big Black Friday/Cyber Monday bargains this week and next, it would be wise to plan ahead. With so many brands and products getting involved, things could get a little bewildering. Here are five tips for striking gold and keeping your head while bargain hunting:

Esthechoc and the Truth About the Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Do you enjoy eating chocolate? Me too! And going by recent media headlines, we should all feel free to keep on munching the sweet dark stuff to our heart’s content (literally!) as it’s rather good for us – it’s claimed to reduce blood pressure, relieve stress, prevent strokes and so on. It’s a superfood, even.

Though, in truth, things are somewhat more complicated. As the British Dietetic Association (BDA) points out, the studies the media has picked up while promising are limited. And crucially, the health benefits are actually focused on cocoa extract, not chocolate.

NEW: SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Masque – Stressed Skin Saviour

We tend to define our skin as a particular type, ie normal, oily, combination or dry (sensitive is perhaps another).

But it’s never quite that simple. There’ll be times when our skin suddenly takes on a different characteristic – a spotty outbreak, red and inflamed, uncomfortably tight, and so on. 

The reasons can be many, including a change in the weather, central heating, intense exercise and post certain hefty cosmetic procedures like skin peels and laser resurfacing.

Getting My Sweat On – Light at the End of the Tunnel

It’s only when you emerge from one of life’s little difficulties do you suddenly realise quite how much it was dragging you down.

After months of being in a lot of pain with my hips, I’ve finally turned a corner. The inflammation in my muscles and joints has settled and life is getting back to normal.

NEW: Caudalie Resveratrol Face Lifting Soft Cream – Review

Of all skincare products, moisturisers are what I have most difficulty writing about. That is because I just don’t find them exciting. Most seem to do a pretty decent job of hydrating the top layer of my skin (for a little while). End of story.

Occasionally, though, one will come along that makes me sit up and take note. It stands out from the crowd, does something a bit different. Oh, well hello there the new Caudalie Resveratrol Face Lifting Soft Cream.

Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser: Better than IPL? - Review (Part 2)

Discipline and patience: two things you need if considering at home permanent hair removal treatment.

I’m half-way through my 12-week trial of the Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X – I’m reviewing the device in three separate posts, and also comparing it to IPL hair removal, a rival technology and one I have used previously to treat the hairs on my legs (I'm testing the Tria on my arms).

Taking BOOM Cycle for a Spin – Padded Altura Cycling Shorts Came Too!

Bike. Beats. Boom: a three-word summary of my last dose of virgin fitness.

I’m on a mission to spread my fitness wings. I’ve been wedded to the gym ever since I first started exercising seriously in my early 20s, going four times a week pretty much, and switching things up in recent years by working with a personal trainer.