Boots update

You may remember my blog of August - the girl at my local Boots devastated me by telling me that my favourite foundation, No7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation, had been discontinued - http://mybeautybagsecrets.blogspot.com/2011/08/oh-no-what-have-boots-done.html

Now, the fabulous people at Boots came back to me with this:

"Outspoken passion and persuasion from N^o7 fans has secured the return of N^o7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation to Boots. The come-back is a result of hundreds of dedicated calling for the return of this star product and even setting up a facebook page to bring it back! With such high demand for its return, N^o7 re-launched the foundation the month so fans can get their hands back on this much loved product. It is available now on Boots.com, and will make a welcome return to Boots shelves nationwide from October."

Thank you Boots, thank you so much. My skin is counting down the days until October!

Oh no! What have Boots done?

I went to my local Boots today to buy No7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation.

I've tried them all, I promise you, the ones that cost £50, the ones that cost £5 and everything in between, and right now, for my skin, this is the best one. Creamy and light, even and excellent coverage just perfect!

But the girl at the beauty counter told me they'd discontinued it!

How could they do this to me?!

So, now I am on a mission, no, two missions. Firstly, to find out if they have really done this to me and my beauty regimen and secondly, if they have, to find the best moisturiser out there at the moment.

I'll keep you posted!

She's got legs!

Breaking news!

I am NOT Jennifer Aniston.

I do not have the finest set of pins going.

But we have to work with what we've got, I suppose!

I might not be about to don a pair of hot pants and large it about town, but I do want my legs to look as good as they can.

So, for the past few weeks I've been trying out cellulite creams. Not glamourous I know, but lets face it, for most of us, a beauty routine must-have.

So, here are a some of my favourites.

Avon is such a classic beauty brand. It's been around for donkey's, it's trusted, the science-y stuff is really great and it always reminds me of Edward Scissorhands (brilliant film). So, I thought I would give Solutions Cellu-Sculpt a go. I think is a bit of a steal at £12. What I really like about it is that is does give you rapid results. The old thighs were less wobbly within a week. If you do go for this, I would say for the price, it is one of the best around.

Liz Earle was on the telly ALL THE TIME when I was younger. She was the skincare guru, who was all about long-term care to maintain your looks, rather than quick-fixes. Her products are so great and very simple, so I decided to try the Energising Hip and Thigh Gel.

The first thing you notice is the very grassy/botanical fragrance. It is heavenly!

Secondly, I think it is less of a gel and more of a serum, but that's semantics really. This is a great product if your skin is slightly sagging and lacks smoothness. Everything seems more toned and the skin even looks better. At £21 it's by no means the cheapest, but anti-cellulite products are generally quite pricey, so I think this is a happy medium. Her products are available online and in John Lewis too.

While I'm no Nobel prize-winning scientist, I certainly appreciate a little bit of geeky technology when it comes to my fat-busting products. So, when I chanced upon Biotherm's Celluli Laser D. Code Anti Cellulite, I could not resist. Straight in the shopping basket it went.

Biotherm say that this cream targets the behavioural and genetic causes of cellulite. I suppose that means that it alters the cellular make-up of the cellulite. Does it work? You bet your bottom dollar it does. I actually gave this to my mum to try and she is now Biotherm's biggest fan. She says her legs were less wrinkly, firmer and generally better looking. So thumbs up from the Old Girl! It's £37, so not a bargain, but if you are heading off to sunnier climes (so basically anywhere but England) buy this now and notice an improvement in the next 14 days or so!

Boots is up there among my favourite shops in the world. i hate when you go abroad and you need a couple of things; lip gloss, nail file, Berocca and a sandwich, and there is no one place that sells all these things. Lucky for us here in Blighty, trusty old Boots the Chemist is everywhere!

So, I headed in there a few weeks ago with my darling friend who is about to got to Italy on holiday with her two gorgeous boys and hubby. She is about to don a bikini for the first time in quite a while and wanted to look tip-top. So, I pointed her in the direction of Boots Expert Total Body Anti-Cellulite Cream. She wasn't holding out much hope as the product is a snip at only £5.99. The verdict? It is a cracker! After just 10 days she felt her thighs were smoother, tighter and looked marvellous in her new bikini! This cream is intense and as with every anti-cellulite treatment works best when massaged thoroughly into those nasty wobbly bits. And her husband can't keep his eyes, nor his hands, off her!

Earlier this year I decided to try Garnier Body Tonic Firming Hydrating Lotion. I'd read somewhere that the seaweed extract was the 'magic ingredient' which was new to me, so I gave it a crack. Now, if you don't have the patience to massage and rub cream into your thighs, then this is the product for you. Good results which last is all any of us really want, and you do get that with this lotion, no question. It is very easy to apply, absorbs nice and quickly and smells actually quite yummy. It's less than £7 to boot, so not half bad!

Top tips for perfect pins

1. I hate to say it, but yes, exercise is good for you. Get moving as it will get rid of your lumpy bits.

2. Brush your legs and thighs with a dry body brush will get the circulation going.

3. Drink water! Not too much a la Nigella of course, but more like a glass an hour.

4. Ditch the salt - salt retains water, therefore defeating the object of the point above.

5. Apply the creams twice a day for best results.

I'm a (not-so-secret) make up lover. That's right, that's right!

I. LOVE. MAKE UP.

There, I've said it.

Perhaps not the most shocking of revelations. Certainly not worthy of having my phone hacked, or of people crossing the road to avoid me, but my love/obsession is all-consuming.

When I say to my boyfriend,'I won't be long, I'll just do my make up and we can leave', I ALWAYS hear a sigh, and I know, I just know, he is rolling his eyes.

What's worse is when I say, right before going to bed, ' I'm just going to take my make up off', he replies, 'I'll see you in a couple of hours then'. Cheeky, I know. But not entirely wrong either.

You see, like you I'm sure, I can't help myself. In fact, I cannot deny myself anything. I'll be in Boots, Debenhams or even Sainsbury's for goodness sake, and I can't keep my mitts off facial wash, exfoliators, tweezers, blending brushes, moisturisers, serums, primers, cream blush, powered blush, mousse blush, I've tried every kind of eyeliner (my current favourite is an Avon one, which I'll tell you about later) and there isn't a moisturiser out there that has been loved, loathed, recommended to my friends or chucked in the bin in a fit of pique after one week and a whole load of breakouts!

So what I'm saying is, I am going to tell you all about my star products, my must-haves, the things that I know that, like me, you won't be able to live without.

So to get things started I'm going to let you into my current eyeshadow secret. And I know you will be as potty about this range as I am. Checking out Superdrug the other day for a hair masque I, naturally, had to have a butcher's at some of the treasures in this Aladdin's Cave. And I am thrilled with what I discovered. I came across this lovely mineral-based palette and I am now an addict.

I love this Sleek make up i-Divine Original eyeshadow palette!

The brand is Sleek Make upThe range is called i-Divine and this particular one is the Original - appropriately it was the first one I bought.

There are loads though, 12 at the moment, and they are all fabulous, but as well as Original I would say my other two faves are Bad Girls and Monaco, so keep you minces open for those.

Bad Girl and if you are looking for the perfect smoky eye, then this is the one for you.

So why do I love Sleek i-Divine so much? It's simple really. The colours are magnificent and there genuinely is something that will suit everyone, whatever your skin colour or tone. They are very highly-pigmented indeed, so they really stand out and more importantly, stay on. I've used everything from the smoky, sensual colours to exciting neon colours and have created a lot of different looks for very occasion. They last ages too and blend like a dream. And the best bit? Well, they are only £6.49! I've bought mine from Superdrug, but they are also available online from www.sleekmakeup.com

This is the Mediterranean-inspired Monaco - perfect for the Summer!

By the way, re: the hair masque. I opted for Tresemme Restructuring Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque. Excellent and a bargain at only £4.99 for 500ml - brilliant!!

For glorious hair, grab one of these!

I'll be back with more super face and skincare secrets soon, so keep checking out this page.