Jo loves.... Spring 2018
For the new season, Jo's given her make-up kit a big of an update, switched from bottled fizzy water to an eco-alternative – and fallen in love with an affordable Ayurvedic facial oil...
Tom Ford Private Shadow My Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage palette is my all-time favourite eyeshadow palette. But it’s hefty. So I was thrilled to find these dinky little Private Shadow eyeshadow singles in two of the shades which feature in that larger palette: 04 Starlet and 05 Dark Victory. (See some of the colours, above.) With a little mirror in the lid, these were launched as a limited edition but apparently they’ve proved so popular, Private Shadow MAY stay in the range. (Just to be on the safe side, I’m stocking up!)
£29 – buy here
Sodastream At my house, we’ve long waged war on excess packaging, and recycled for Britain. (Well, recycled for the planet, really.) But as a non-drinker of alcohol (on school nights, at least), I do like a glass of sparkling water. The result? Too many glass bottles going for recycling – and a fair few plastic San Pellegrino bottles headed that way, too. (Not entirely confidently since nobody’s 100% convinced that our local council DOES recycle plastic, even though we’re asked to separate it out.) Enter the Sodastream, which has changed our lives – especially since it’s now available with glass carafes that are smart enough to serve to guests, too. We take water that'’s been purified by our reverse osmosis filter, and at the touch of a button zap C02 through it to make THE most delicious sparkling water – so good that we actually call it ‘Sams Pellegrino’ (my married name!), because it’s as good as my favourite bottled sparkling water. It’s not only saving on waste (the C02 cartridges can be returned for refilling), but saving a small fortune in the cost of buying bottled water. (Although the cartridges cost £22.99, that includes a refundable deposit of £10, deducted from the cost when you next order a cartridge on-line.) A win, win, win.
Sodastream – buy here
Urban Veda Soothing Facial Oil It’s hard to find good facial oils that don’t cost an arm and three legs. This isn’t exactly a ‘steal’ – but it’s great value for a great product. Urban Veda’s USP is that everything is inspired by the Ayurvedic tradition. The collections are divvied into doshas – basically, your constitution/body type. Having just spent a week up a mountain at an Ayurvedic spa (more of that to come on the site), I’m currently incredibly ‘into’ Ayurvedic theory and wisdom – and this particular facial oil is formulated for my dosha, which is ‘pitta’. (There’s a great quiz on the Urban Veda site, here, to help you pin-point yours.) It’s also good if your skin basically needs soothing – for sensitive complexions – nourishing and delivering lots of TLC. The blend is rich – organic sea buckthorn and avocado, along sweet almond oil, carrot seed oil, jojoba and various Indian herbs. There’s a wonderful scent: subtle but definitely ‘there’, with sandalwood, touches of myrrh and a touch of aromatic rosemary… This is little bit of India in a bottle (and I’m literally – and bizarrely – so homesick for the place, I need that right now!)
£29 for 30 ml – buy here
L'Oréal Age Perfect Satin Glow Blush I’ve fallen in love with powder blusher all over again, thanks to this: a wonderful, flattering tawny rose blush which delivers an utterly seamless, complexion-perkifying flush. Cute half-mirror in the lid, too.
£7.99 - buy here
Maybelline The Eraser Eye Perfect & Cover Concealer Setting valiantly out to walk from Soho to the City into an Arctic blast recently, I had to nip into a Superdrug for make-up supplies after the cold make me weep most of my eye make-up down my cheek. I found this brilliantly affordable concealer, which blends beautifully via the sponge tip, repairing my under-eye zone and banishing shadows with a dab or two. Such a steal!
£8.99 - buy here
