Super slim me!

My friend is a pamper addict, much like me!

But since she had her baby she finds it hard to get out for a day of treatments.

She tells me it's because she has less time, but I know it's also because she will feel selfish and guilty if she does.

No mater how many times I tell her that giving herself one day every few months is fine, she just won't.

So the solution?

Bliss have created the fatgirlslim home treatment package! Aren't they clever?

So, what's to love about this brand?

Firstly, they clearly don't take themselves seriously - that's patently obvious by the name. I love that they are just having a laugh really!

The packaging is great too. Very simple, very unassuming - clearly Bliss just care about the product, there is no frou-frou because it's all about making your skin look and feel better.

So, what's in the package?

Well, four classic Bliss products.

The fatgirlscrub is the first step in the process. This should be applied when in the shower. This is quite intense, but it should be, so don't freak out! The pink salt and plant extract stimulate the circulation.

Step two is the fatgirlslimulator. This is a rubber nubbly massager and is so good to massage into your thighs or any wobbly bits really. The little nubs boost the circulation.

Step three is the fatgirlslim, the Bliss sensation. It is a cream which tones and firms skin. It is bursting full of caffeine which makes your legs feel all tingly and light.

Step four is to rub down with fatgirlsleep before bed. The fragrance is yummy - lovely lavender, very relaxing.

Is it as good as actually having an in-spa treatment?

It's not as good because when someone is scrubbing you to within an inch of your life, nothing you do ever matches up to that! But it is great; very simple, nice and easy to apply, doesn't take ages to absorb the creams, mess-free. And at £30 it represents fantastic value.

My friend loves it and uses it every day. She said her skin feels so much better and looks a lot firmer to boot. I have always thought she's got a good bod, but she says after having the little one, her love handles became a bit too loveable and she got dimples in the wrong cheeks. But since using the Bliss fatgirlslim home treatment she says she feels more confident about her body. You can't get better than that, can you?

Product of the day

Is your bedside table like mine? Heaving with bottles, jars, pots, cream, lotions, potions, serums, sprays, ointments and all sorts. Well, I've discovered one thing that could make that chaos a things of the past.

Trilogy's Everything Balm, £20.43, is one product that can virtually do it all.

It is a balm to heal all wounds!

So, what do I use it for?

I rub my feet with it (the tootsies have been under a lot of stress this summer with all these amazing high heels in the shops) and the skin is smoother, softer and because of the essential oils, soothed.

I use it on the knees and elbows because these crinkly areas are not easy to get looking good.

It's great for dry and sore knuckles, too.

I smooth the ends of my hair with a little bit of it.

I comb a little through my eyebrows to tame and define them.

I love it as a lip balm.

My friend uses it on her baby - he gets a tiny bit of dry skin around his chubby little ankles and she finds it really helps.

I also like to rub it in to my nails and it softens the cuticles really well.

The delicate skin around my nose becomes red-raw when I have a cold, and this is so hydrating and soothing that it quickly fades and the redness is reduced.

If I have had a tough skin day - by that I mean in and out of the sun and wind, into an air conditioned office and car, and out for the night after work - when I get home and take my make-up off, I will warm the balm between my hands and press some into my face for an overnight skin boost.

That's only 10 or so uses off the top of my head and I am sure many of you have a whole load more ideas for it. It really is a great little product and ideal for going away as you only bring one pot rather than six or seven different things, the versatility means it offers excellent value.

I really think Trilogy have created a beauty bag secret everyone should invest in!

Available from Boots.

Product of the day!

Prevage has long been considered a great beauty brand; the gold standard in quality products and anti-ageing.

But is their targeted skin tone corrector really any good and is it worth £100?

So, Prevage claim that Clarity minimises age spots. Does it? Well my two testers, aged 45 and 58 respectively, both noticed a marked improvement in less than seven days. And they were both very eager to try it for a much longer time!

It is packed full of of an anti-oxidant called Idebenone. This has a very dramatic impact on your skin. There really is no denying the science behind this product - it really changes the complexion and skin tone - it adds a youthful and bright glow.

The Soy Ferulate - C helps to protect the skin from pigmentation and skin irregularities. So that Prevage Clarity not only targets and improves skin tone, but it also prevents all those nasties that actually give you the dark spots and discolouration in the first place!

I may not have age spots, but I am prone to dark circles under my eyes (I am a shocker, I actually love to go to bed early but am quite easily-led, which means I end up staying out late and then getting up early the next morning, hence the dark circles). Also the area around my mouth can sometimes appear darker or more pigmented than the rest of my face. So I gave Prevage Clarity a go, with a little trepidation, mind, as I have very sensitive skin.

The formula is light and more of a lotion than a cream and it is absorbed very well. I was delighted to know that it is a very delicate concoction and it did not give my easily-irritated skin any trouble at all. What a relief!

As for the dark circles and the pigmentation: much reduced. I have only used it a for a few days but there is a big difference. Also, the texture of my skin seems more even and actually it also looks firmer. I do have some light fine lines around my eyes and they seem a lot perkier too, so all up a good result.

Now for the big one: is it worth £100? I genuinely believe it is one of the best formulas for tackling these problem areas on the market. The price tag reflects the rapid results, so looking at it like that, I would say yes, definitely worth it.

Also, I use it quite sparingly, as a little does go a long way. Also, you don't need an extra moisturiser, or serum, or eye cream of sun protection, so by not spending loads of money on all these other products it does represent value for money in that respect!

Supernatural!

If you've never come across New Zealand beauty brand Living Nature, you must seek them out!

It is a totally 100% natural skincare and make up range for men and women, and they have a nice little maternity line too.

They take inspiration from NZ's native plants and use the best of what the country has to offer in the way of healing, calming, smoothing and protecting. Sounds good, eh?

A lot of us tend to wear lighter make up during the summer because of the heat and because we look healthier and don't need so much coverage. So lately, I've been using two Living Nature products, and I have to tell you the results are better than some of the more expensive brands.

I don't often wear tinted moisturiser but Day Light Tinted Moisturiser in the Clear Lights, £18.40, range is so good. It is barely coloured but evens out your complexion a treat. It is also lightly moisturising, rather than heavily oiled, so your face feels fresh but not slick with grease.

I use it with the Luminous Powder in Light, £18.40, which complements the tinted moisturiser wonderfully. I blend the tinted moisturiser with my fingers and lightly swirl the powder around my face with a fat kabuki brush.

One of the things I really like that about Living Nature is that the products are all natural and that they nourish your skin with things such as Manuka Honey.

Their beauty ambassador, the very beautiful Kiwi Miss Universe, Lorraine Downes hits the nail on the head when she says, ' Women today want more than just beauty. I don't just hear women today say they want to look great, I hear them say they want to feel great'. And Living Nature certainly helps us feel that too!

For stockists, head to http://www.livingnature.com/stockists.cfm

Product of the day!

Is there anything better than having long, white, strong beautiful nails? I don't know why but when I look down at my hands I just love that my nails always look good.

I am an obsessive nail painter (see blog post Hard as Nails 29th July 2011) and as a result your nails can suffer; yellowing, weakening, brittleness and so on, so you really need something to help them look good.

Which is where my Product of the Day comes in; Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle Serum. Blimey, not only is it a mouthful, but it is also gobsmackingly good. if you want nails that grow really fast and want to see good results in a weekend, yes, a weekend, then this is the product for you too. This also seems to thicken the nail a bit too so they don't appear to be fine, see-through and weak-looking.

Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle Serum is £9.95 and last a really long time. I use mine every weekend and each bottle lasts me a few months, so really good value, and given the results, I'd actually be prepared to pay more!

Dead cool!

Buying from a skincare range with the word dead in it doesn't evoke much confidence does it?

But when it comes to Ahava, you really should!

Ahava is a beauty brand from Israel and is based on the shores of the Dead Sea. We all remember from school that the Dead Sea is the saltiest stretch of water in the world which means that, yes you float and that nothing can grow in it. However, the plants which grow on the shoreline are extremely precious and unique as they are brimming with skin-enhancing minerals. Brilliant!

I've been trying out a few products in the range and have also given some to my friends to try out.

The brand has four main pillars: Time to Smooth, Time to Hydrate, Time to Clear, Time to Revitalise. So there really is something for every kind of skin-type and age. Ahava blend totally natural ingredients with some more techie scientific ingredients which together are very powerful.

I was expecting the creams to smell unpleasantly, knowing that the Dead Sea area has a strong stench of sulphur. But no, they are very light and sweet smelling, so all good there!

The Time to Hydrate range is very good indeed. it glides onto your skin effortlessly and quenches the skin. I felt that after a few days my skin seemed clearer - less tired-looking and generally healthier. I combined the Essential Day Moisturiser, £28, with the Essential Reviving Serum, £40, and my skin felt good all day long. Sometimes, my face feels like it needs a moisturising top up towards the end of the working day. not with these products!

A couple of friend tried Age Control Day Moisturiser, £42, Age Control Night Nourishment, £45, and the Age Control Intensive Serum, £45. The verdict was a resoundingly positive one! The products all contain SPF 15 which is good and the minerals in the creams can help protect against sun damage too. The serum gives the skin a real lift and helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles, while the moisturisers are very nourishing and so your skin looks fresher and more youthful.

While this isn't the most budget range on the market now, to be honest they do give your skin an extra zip, so I think well worth the money!

Old faithfuls!

Don't you just love it when you re-discover an old favourite, or a super classic that you forgot you had?

Well, that's happened to me this week. And not just once, but twice!

I stayed over at my friend's for a couple of nights last weekend, and very annoyingly forgot to bring my shampoo and conditioner.

You can't imagine how cheesed off I was.

My friend lent me her shampoo and conditioner - Herbal Essences Smooth and Soft for Dry/Damaged/Frizzy Hair, £3.36 each. I hadn't used this for an age, and we can all get a bit tied to our favourite products so wasn't sure how my hair was going to react.

Well, I needn't have worried!

First thing is the smell. Yummy. It actually made my mouth water, wrong I know, but I can't help it.

The lather was good too, and it didn't tangle up - this must be because of the botanical silk extract. The conditioner is excellent too - it is mixed with a serum so it smooths, detangles and tames. Brilliant!

I dried my hair to a silky, smooth and straight perfection. They have actually re-formulated the shampoo and conditioner and I must say I was so happy, it is now on my beauty shopping list!

The second moment of heart-stopping joy was when I was sorting out my perfume cupboard. Yes, I have a cupboard full to the brim of fragrance. My other half used to think it was quite over-the-top and slightly ridiculous that I needed an entire cupboard, but he's grown used to it now and doesn't shake his head in disbelief every time he walks in there.

Anyway, I was re-ordering it and came across a trusted friend - Chloe Eau de Toilette, £46. What a joy!

If you are not familiar with it, give it a go. It is floral, but not cloying. I think it is the mix of rose, freesia and iris that makes it soft rather than intense. I also like the hint of fruit in the scent, it's sort of summery, like your own ray of sunshine on a grim day!

Anyway, it's no longer at the back of my cupboard, no, it's now on my dressing table, ready to be spritzed on every morning!

Product of the day!

Ta-da!! It's the Shimmer Brick, Famous by Sue Moxley.

This is my most prized makeup possession at the moment.

It is excellent as a highlighter: dust it over cheeks and decolletage as well as your brow bones. it catches the light beautifully and really makes a difference to your look.

I also like to use it as an eyeshadow. Sounds nuts but really isn't, I promise.

It is perfect for a summer natural look as there are several different types of gold and bronze, that really work and add glamour.

It is such good value at £7, from Superdrug, and I defy anyone to tell the difference between this soon-to-be make up classic and Bobbi Brown's iconic Shimmer Brick, other than the price tag, that is!

This multi-tonal bronzer is so flattering and a real beauty bag secret. Ignore me at your peril!

Product of the day!

Now, I know that it's not Winter, but nonetheless, my hands get really dry. Well, they used to, until I invested in my star product, Aveda Hand Relief.

This is so luxurious and so enriching, your hands will feel so darn good after a couple of days of use.

In some ways, it's almost like a rich face cream, pumped full of antioxidants, plant emollients, exfoliating fruit extracts and even vitamins A and E to stave off the signs of ageing!

I am a fan of the scent, it is fresh and light and spa-like. However, my friend asked me what I was wearing as she really didn't like it. Well, you can please everyone! For my part, it smells great and absorbs super-quickly.

At £5.50 for 40mls, it is pricier than many others on the market. But it is such a good hand cream and a tiny blob goes a very long way, so while it is expensive it does last a very long time.

All up, if you have dry or chapped hands, this is the one for you!

Feel good!

I'm a huge fan of Dermalogica products. Nothing quite makes my skin glow like their Skin Prep Scrub, £22 followed by a good dose of Skin Hydrating Masque, £27!

But not only does Dermalogica make your skin feel good, but they can make you feel good too.

The kind-hearted folk have joined the FITE initiative. The Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship program contributes US$1 when you enter your code on the website, wwwjoinfite.org . The codes can be found on Dermalogica's specially green packaged products.

These products help female entrepreneurs in deprived areas of the world who would not be able to access capital or even credit. In fact, you can even specify which industry and part of the old you would like to benefit from your purchase.

So, if you want to help make a difference, buy any of the following products, enter you code and look good as well as feel great, with Dermalogica!

Join the FITE with these products

Daily Microfoliant £31

Precleanse £28

Skin Hydrating Booster £36

Total Eye Care £29

Intensive Eye Repair £33

Product of the day!

I cannot survive without Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate!

We all dream about having clear, bright, smooth and younger-looking skin don't we? Well, don't just dream about it at night, smear a dab of this on at night and you'll have it by morning!

I love this lightweight serum as your skin feels so refreshed and so luminous the next day and the feeling lasts all day.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate is £36, which is a lot better value than most of the serums on the market and I really feel this is one the most effective and useful beauty tools.

Product of the day!

Product of the day is…Soap & Glory Sexy MotherPucker!

It is a must-have for every beauty queen!

So, the first thing I love about Soap & Glory Sexy MotherPucker, £8, is the humour - the name is brilliant, the packaging cheeky and retro. It's a bit of a laugh, which is what beauty should be. So, thumbs up there.

But the best thing is that it really does pump your lips up! You tingle for a bit and then you end up with a pout which would have made Brigitte Bardot in her hey-day envious!

The glosses contain superfill microsphere which help make your lips fuller and they really do. Also, it has a lovely little touch of glitter running through it so it's not over-the-top, but subtle and sophisticated.

It's great on its own, but also lovely under, or on top of your usual lipstick or gloss.

Get out quick and buy it! Your lips will never be the same again!

Available from Boots.

Product of the day!

Today's star is…Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Scrub!

I love a good exfoliation - there is nothing like it to make your skin glow and feel smooth.

I also love the top quality Aussie brand, Aesop, the entire range is beautiful, useful and indispensable!

So when the two are combined it is a winning formula to my mind!

So, what's so great about it?

It is not skin-type specific for a start, which means it's a great little product that you can keep in the shower and everyone can use, so you get more value for money.

Unlike some other scrubs which feel like you are being rubbed down by a wire wool pad, this is a gentle exfoliator.

The product is mildly abrasive rather than skin-flaying and it also has a detoxifying quality, as such it feels like you get a deep down clean; something more intensive than your average scrubs.

I love the feeling after using this scrub - your skin does look and feel smoother, but you also feel hydrated in some way. What more could you want?!

Available from www.aesop.com for £21

Get lippy!

There's been a fair bit of fuss about Rimmel London's Vinyl Max lip gloss, £5.49. Not all of it good either.

The wand is too big, the colours too similar, too drying, too sticky - these are just some of the criticisms levelled at it.

Naturally, I wasn't going to let a little beauty controversy put me off, so I gave it a go.

It is massive, is the first thing I noticed. At least twice the size of most other lip glosses. That's not a bad thing, just an observation.

The wand itself is also a lot bigger than your average. But rather than that being a hindrance, I found it very useful and I am sure for unseasoned gloss-wearers it is a blessing as it makes the product very easy to apply.

The gloss smells delicious and fruity, not synthetic and horrid. It smears on very evenly and is extremely shiny and brilliant, in the truest sense of the word. So all good on that front. I also like the tingle-effect it had on my lips. It was cooling and I felt like my lips looked plumper - but that could have been an optical illusion because of the shine on my lips enhancing the natural shape.

The colour I've been using is Breathless but I would say that of the six colours, Addictive is probably the prettiest.

All up it's a very good lip colour. After all, what do you want from a gloss? Shine, colour, sheen, slight jamminess. Well, it's all of those things, so I don't think it deserves the bad wrap!

Product of the day!

So, every day I will post a teeny-tiny update on what my product of the day is. I'll also tweet about it - you can follow me: @beautybagsecret.

Let's kick this off.

My top product for today is Shu Uemura Stage Performer.

it is described as an Instant-glow, immediate radiance skin perfecting cream.

Sounds good-and it is!

This really is a can't-live-without beauty-buy.

It is a primer, come-moisturiser-come-foundation-come-highlighter.

Okay, so Shu Uemura don't say that, they say it is a primer, but I say you can use it for virtually everything!

I love it for a fresh-faced look during the day - it really warms and evens your skin tone and gives you the prettiest glow.

In the evening I actually don't put foundation on top as I feel it gives a much better effect with a bit of powder and bronzer swished over it.

For a healthy and dewy complexion this is a super and very versatile purchase so it's £30 well-spent!

Enjoy!