Sarah loves... March
Sarah loves a post-cold complexion-booster, new make-up 'finds', and a blissful rose-scented body treat...
I have just come to the final drops of this truly fabulous body product, which the lovely Balance Me sisters, Rebecca and Clare Hopkins, gave me as part of a set for my wedding last year. Jo and I have loved this natural aromatherapy brand since its launch in 2005. And the Rose Otto line, which also contains palmarosa and rose geranium essential oils, turns any old day into something special. Although this is as rich as a winter-parched skin needs to hydrate it, with aloe vera, rosehip and camellia oils, it sinks in almost immediately so you don't get that sticky, can’t-dress-yet irritation. And if you are buying it for yourself or a friend, it’s incredibly well-priced.
• Balance Me Rose Otto Body Cream/£18 for 200 ml at www.balanceme.co.uk - buy here
There isn’t a lot that brightens up your face when you have a cold with bunged-up sinuses. But this so-natural-you-could-put-it-on-your-porridge concoction – with vitamin C, manuka honey, apple serum and papaya - did a valiant job. The peeling effect is down to natural AHA (alpha-hydroxy acids) so do use a moisturiser with a sunscreen after. The fab thing is that you just smooth it on, no rubbing in, and leave for four minutes – which just about everyone has time for in the morning. My husband got a bit of a shock seeing it in situ, but agreed the result was worth it… PS I always pop mask right down my neck and upper bosom, and on my hands too.
• Elemental Herbology Facial Glow Radiance Peel/£39 for 50ml at www.beautyexpert.co.uk- buy hereand you'll get a 10% discount if you enter the code BEAUTYBIBLE at the checkout
Lipstick Queen Saint (in Nude)
Bearing in mind aforesaid cold, I was delighted and amazed that finding exactly the right shade of lipstick to tone with my caramel jumper could make me feel almost perky. So thank you to our favourite Lipstick obsessive Poppy King, creator of her own brand – Lipstick Queen (you can read some of her lip tips here). This is just the perfect browny-rosy-nude-y nearly-sheer – a wonderful mid-point between gloss and matte - with a texture so unctuous that even my cold-dried lips looked soft. I am still snuffling but I look much, much better! Now, you can buy it on its own, or as part of the Lipstick Queen Discovery Set/£40, which features in a Beauty Bible prize draw later in March – so watch that space!
• Lipstick Queen Saint(in Nude)/£18 at www.uk.spacenk.com - buy here
I might have said this before – if so, bear with me because you need to know it! Every morning after applying a little foundation (Darphin Melapferfect Anti-Dark Spots Correcting Foundation SPF15, since you ask…), I stroke this pen concealer into the dark corners either side of my nose by my inner eyes, a little way across the upper lids, and under my eyes where the puffy bits are. And then I view the miracle as my face looks – oh, hard to admit – just that little bit younger. It is of course particularly effective on the one degree under days (see above) but really, it’s worth getting into a daily habit. Stroke – stroke – pat in - and abracadabra!
• Liz Earle Light Reflecting Concealer/£15.50 in four shades (I use Medium 02) - buy here