April beauty round-up

This month's star product is undoubtedly Mad Hippie's Antioxidant Oil. I've tried many oils but never found "The One" until Mad Hippie. This oil is miraculous!

Makeup tips for younger eyes

The girl above has beautiful eyes and we can see she is not very old. Unfortunately eyes are one of the first places to show our age - why else do celebrities wear sunglasses so often?- and even if we're relaxed about growing older, it can be exasperating to see folds of loose skin, crepey lids and crow's eyes which become strobed with concealer as the day goes on.

There are surgical options of course, including eye bag removal (blepharoplasty) and brow lift. If you're thinking of going down that road, do your research and pay top price for best results.

Red and white

A few weeks ago I featured outfits which give me confidence. This was one of my most popular posts, which shows the one thing we're all looking for is confidence!

When we're having a "fat day" a long jacket is good for the confidence, while a shot of red says that we're feeling on top of the world. We still need a jacket at this time of year but instead of a black jacket I'm wearing an ivory one. I'm still using the same felt flowers for a pop of color.

Fuchsia pink and white

I've always loved fuchsia pink, even before the lovely Pamela at Style Yourself Confident told me I have cool coloring, so it's one of the colors that suits me.

I buy quite a lot from eBay and that's where I got this Kaliko top. I have several searches set up on eBay for things I love - Boden skirts, Joseph Ribkoff dresses, Fantasie swimwear (brand new).

A walk in the bluebell wood

We're lucky to live near Epping Forest and to know where there is a "secret" bluebell wood. It really is off the beaten track so we were the only people there.

The bluebells were at their peak following last weekend's sunshine.  Beautiful. You could smell the sweet fragrance before you approached.

Boots Restore and Renew

The PR team at Boots will be high-fiving themselves today after achieving the impossible: two editorial stories in a national daily about the launch of a new face cream.

As any marketer will tell you, editorial, ie, non-paid-for coverage, is the Holy Grail, and to achieve it you must have a strong story, a world first or huge breakthrough, underpinned by research.

But if you read the small print, Boots have only tested this product on 100 women. They have refused to allow the data to be assessed by an independent dermatologist. This is qualitative research, or as I prefer to call it, "PR research" because it isn't rigorous or meaningful.

Easter Delights and Traditions

Easter is a lovely time of year, to me far better than Christmas, which is overly commercialized, filled with unrealistic expectations, and set in a gloomy month.

Retailers are determined to try to commercialize Easter of course, with Easter crackers this year and increasingly vulgar chocolate eggs. Children will apparently be given an average of £56 worth of chocolate over Easter.

5 top tips for buying a new mattress

How old is your mattress?  If it's older than 8 years, you should be thinking about replacing it. That's the advice from the Sleep Council, who say that by this time your mattress will have lost much of its original comfort and support. But anecdotally, it seems most of us go beyond eight years. Way beyond in some cases.

Spring delight: duck egg blue and white

A beautiful spring day called for the delicate and fresh colour of duck egg blue with white accents. The silky Japanese tea blouse could even be described as cold shoulder, depending on how you position the floaty sleeves! The longer length is ideal for camouflaging a muffin top / stomach. It was apt to take a picture next to my cherry tree with its blossom.

Diamonds are Forever: Birthstone for April

The Pink Star diamond which sold for $7m: image The Independent 

"She who from April dates her years,

Diamonds shall wear, lest bitter tears

For vain repentance flow."

This post was originally written in April 2017 but has been updated - April 2020 - with new diamond jewellery selections.

Lucky you, born in April - for your birthstone is the diamond!  Always in fashion and deliciously expensive. Let's find out more about this fabulous gemstone.

Back to the 70s

David Bowie has been a huge part of my life since I was 11. I wrote about my fandom in my old blog here, and his death here.

I haven't been able to listen to his music or watch any of the TV programmes about him since his death.

A lip product you need to have!

I've been shopping the French pharmacy brands. A French reader pointed out last month, when I wrote about a Vichy product I was using, that these brands are very common in France and have never really crossed her radar.  I tend to feel that way about Olay and Garnier. I've never liked any of their skincare products. They just don't seem luxurious (or effective) to me. But Vichy and La Roche-Posay seem to be a happy hybrid in middle-ranking, price wise, products.