A quick post today because I am writing this on Easter Sunday, when strictly speaking I should be trying to talk my kids down from their rampant sugar-high. One of them is currently gyrating to the Wonka soundtrack, the other has filled up a water pistol and is “cleaning the insides of the windows”. I have a feeling that hell is about to be unleashed. This week has already seen hell unleashed, actually, in the form of Dexter the cockapoo’s severe bout of canine gastroenteritis. Never has the Dettol spray seen so much action. The entire house smells of egg, boiled chicken and rotting guts. It ..read more

Fancy a delve into my springtime makeup bag? Why does that sound so dirty? Is it just me? This is what happens when I spend days editing content all by myself without any sensible adult conversation… You should know that I very rarely change my makeup looks according to the season; if you’re expecting spring-appropriate colours here then prepare to be bitterly disappointed. There will be no pastel lip shades or eyeshadows in hues of mini egg blue and daffodil yellow. I do not suit those colours in the winter, so why would they suddenly look good now? Ditto the fiery auburns and reds that appe ..read more

I’m growing out my shorter hair so that it will sit just above the shoulder and am told by my hair stylist that what I am officially doing is going from a “bob” to a “lob”. For the past two years I’ve swung between these two comically-named hair lengths and have had (obviously) every length in between and so I thought that I could share some expertise on the matter: namely, how to grow your hair through that tricky middle phase. When it no longer hugs the jaw and looks cool and choppy, but is not yet long enough or weighty enough to hang nicely. The Lord Farquaad Stage. The Triangular Era. Wh ..read more

In a surprise turn of events, I’ve become rather attached to a pair of camo-print cargo trousers. In fact I’ve barely taken them off for an entire week, wearing them with everything from cashmere jumpers to pretty blouses and cotton t-shirts. It’s a surprise turn of events because I’ve had a bit of an aversion to camo print since I got together with my husband. In 2003. When we first met he was camo mad – he wore camo trousers, a camo shirt, a camo jacket and I’m pretty sure he owned camo-print trainers too. It was like dating a giant Action Man. Anyway, he single-handedly managed to put me of ..read more

Five February Favourites, including the very timely rediscovery of a skincare marvel and a book of short stories that could quite possibly be my book of the year. And we’re not even into spring yet. But let’s start with the boots I’ve fallen for. Oh, the boots. If I told you that I’d been searching high and low for the perfect western-inspired boots since October, would you believe me? It’s true. And I’ve had a grand total of eleven different pairs of black leather boots, all subtly different, delivered to the house and then unceremoniously sent back. How I didn’t see these Whistles beauties ..read more

Well, I was seduced again. I went on the Sézane website, saw that absolutely everything on there would almost definitely make me look like a twenty year-old Parisian sex-kitten from the seventies and then ordered a load of stuff. It arrived, I unwrapped my haul from its très pretty paper and then immediately tried everything on. Did I look like a twenty year-old Parisian sex-kitten from the seventies? Mais non. Probably something to do with the fact that I am not twenty anymore and my boobs, absolutely fine though they are, do not have the sort of lush, rounded fulsomeness that can make a bo ..read more

My three best beauty buys this month – picked out from the quagmire of new launches for their excellent performance, high quality and price-tags that won’t cause immediate heart palpitations. Ad info: no paid or sponsored content. Contains press samples and affiliate links are marked *.   The first little gem: e.l.f. Cosmetic’s brilliant Camo Blush, a liquid blush that requires just the tiniest speck of product and gives intense, long-lasting colour. Quite honestly I think that most people could just buy one of these to last a life time – it almost needs to come with a pin head to apply ..read more

January “favourites” and what an eclectic mix we have going on here. Family photo albums, rubber stamps and a stand-up show that will have you chortling away and wishing for more. Ad info: no paid or sponsored content. Contains press samples and affiliate links are marked *.  Let’s begin with the stamps, because I’ve bored my friends and family enough with these and need to move onto new victims. I’m going to give you two good reasons why stamps (the rubber sort that you ink, not the ones you stick to envelopes) need to become part of your life and the first reason is incredibly wholeso ..read more

I took a little makeup bag with me on an overnight trip a couple of months ago and then when I got home again from my travels I forgot to unpack it. I only happened upon it by total fluke, the other week, when I went searching for one of those sticky clothes rollers in the top part of the wardrobe. And there it was, the makeup bag, like a relic from another time. Resisting the urge to immediately open it up to see what treasures lay inside, I thought I’d go through it on film instead and kill two birds with one stone by doing a makeup video. Sort of like a makeup version of Ready Steady Cook ..read more

I’m six weeks into my Invisalign treatment (read this if you need to catch up on why I’m doing it) and despite the experience being relatively drama-free, so far, I’ve realised this week that never in my entire life have I felt such a permanent sense of mild-to-middling crossness. It’s a very low-key, subtle sort of cross – an almost imperceptible level of irritation that most people wouldn’t even notice – but still. It’s there and it almost never leaves me. Before we continue, though, it’s important to note – especially for those who are considering Invisalign and might be put off – that I am ..read more