NEW! Create a Spa in your Bathroom with Elemis!

Last week, this arrived at my door...

This is what was in it...

A cardboard spa-house on an otherwise arduous Thursday is my idea of a good time, especially when it's filled with Elemis goodies. The new sp@home range is designed to recreate the ambience and post-treatment results of the day spa, all in the comfort of your own home. There are 5 colour-coded sub-ranges within the collection - body performance, body exotics, body awaken, body soothing, body anti-ageing - containing a selection of the brand's hero buys, as well as 14 new products. I was sent 4 of them to try so I decided to light a few candles, soak in an oil-based bath and embrace the spa lifestyle in my little bathroom.

Quiet Mind Temple Balm, £14
As a major anxiety-headache sufferer, I'm a fan of these stress-busting balms. Applied to the temples, the balm uses a blend of essential oils to calm and harmonise the mind. I put this on before my spa sesh to get me in the right frame of mind. I found the balm a little runny but as soon as I started to massage in I felt a soothing, cooling sensation. I have to say that for me, nothing can compete with Origins Peace of Mind On the Spot Relief, £11 (Boots), but this did give a similar feeling of refreshment.

Tranquil Touch Body Polish, £20

Once in the bath, I massaged this polish into my legs, arms and decolletage. It's perhaps not as abrasive as I would like, but then again the scrubs I favour are perhaps a little harsh for twice-weekly use. This buffer contains a natural rice exfoliator to slough dead skin, while Cupuacu butter nourishes and moisturises. My skin really did feel softer and hydrated. The scent, as you'd expect from an Elemis spa product, is simply lovely, with essential oils of patchouli, mandarin and ginger.

Cellutox Active Body Oil, £30.70.
I love body oils, so one that also tackles cellulite was always going to be popular with me. The lemon really comes through scent-wise so you're left with a sense of lightness and freshness. The oil melts into the skin and gets to work on detoxifying the body with a cocktail of sea buckthorn, sea fennel, juniper and of course lemon essential oils. I haven't noticed any improvement in my lumps and bumps yet - I have only been using it for a few days - but my skin certainly feels smoother.





Treat Your Feet Foot Cream, £16

This is pretty much what you'd expect from a premium foot cream. Don't get me wrong, it smells gorgeous - that will be the blend of patchouli, eucalyptus and lemon oils then - and the texture is satisfyingly thick and creamy. The shea butter jojoba oil formula leaves skin soft for a couple of hours but I think my feet will need a bit more work.



As for DIY vs at the spa relaxation, well I probably did feel just as tranquil as I would've done in the spa. Yes I had to apply the products myself (what a chore!) and I was missing the panpipe music and fluffy robe but being in the comfort of my own home gave me an extra sense of calm and comfort that I wouldn't have felt stripping off to a pair of paper pants in the spa. All the products are available now at timetospa.co.uk Sx

Kimberley Walsh's Skin Secret

Two things spring to mind when I think of K-Walsh of Girls Aloud. Wide-of-the-mark outfits. Good skin. Now I'm not sure about the former, but the latter is apparently down to noneother than good old kind-to-the-skin range, Simple. In a recent interview, Kimberley revealed that, "I always take my make-up off before bed and this range is so affordable." According to sources, she's a particular fan of their Cleansing Facial Wipes, £3.05 (Boots). Sx

Amazing Base!

I feel like my life is one big search for the perfect foundation (well that and you know, being with my boy, having fun with friends and family, 'n' all that). I have not been blessed with good skin. My complexion still bears the red marks of my spotty adolescence (in fact what am I talking about? I still get spots!), my pores are visible from space and I have random patches of freckles - so long even-tone! Needless to say, a good foundation is to me what a good bra is to Britney Spears. I've been using Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation, £34 (houseoffraser.co.uk) for a few months now and I'm pretty hooked.

Yes I have blemishes but I hate the feeling of heavy, cakey foundations. I will always opt for light, glowy bases but this does nothing to sort my uneven, spotty complexion. Perfect Refining Foundation meets somewhere in the middle - think even tone, barely-visible blemishes and skin that looks like skin but better, all fresh and flawless. The foundation itself feels featherlight and contains SPF 15 - BONUS! I apply it with a brush, but even with fingers the formula blends in effortlessly. And because it releases its uber-hydrating ingredients slowly throughout the day, this is a base that will work just as well in winter as it does in the summer. The semi-matte finish leaves my pores looking smaller, blemishes less noticeable and my skintone more even. 10/10 from me, Sx

Holiday Toes

Do my feet look big in this?

As you read this, I am on a jet-plane bound for Ibiza on a 2 day press trip courtesy of Rimmel...spoilt much? But like most girls, I was faced with the pre-holiday dilemma of 'what should I paint on my toes?' ARGHHH. I decided to embrace the rave-ish vibe of the party island and opted for a neon pink hue. This is one of my favourite nail polishes...actually that's a lie, it's an extension of my favourite nail polishes. Essie's iconic fluoro fuchsia, 'Disco Pink' (it later became 'Short Shorts'), was my go-to nail colour, until it was cruelly discontinued. The shade I'm currently wearing on my toes is 'Punchy Pink', a not-quite-so-nice matte version, which I've just discovered has also been cut loose from the range. I don't know why Essie (nailsbymail.co.uk) are culling such amazing, notice-me shades. I might start an online petition Sx

Tried and Tresseded...Bourjois 10 Day Nail Enamel

As regular Best Tressers will know, I've already become obsessed with Bourjois' new 10 Day Nail Enamel in 14, £5.99 (Boots) - the most heavenly rose shade. But that's by the by because this new long-lasting polish claims to last up to 10 days. "What?" I know, right! It's all down to the pro-silicium fortifying formula, which apparently makes nails twice as chip-resistant. But hold your horses there because the press release actually says that the polish should last for 7 days, then chips can be easily touched up with the angled brush for the remaining 3. So not quite the claim the bottle suggests. Well I put this little beaut to the test a few weeks ago. I painted two coats, with no base or top coat for a fair test. Here are the results (from top to bottom: day 1-7)...

As you can see, I didn't make it to day 10 - I had a wedding to go to and had to repaint them after the 7th chip-heavy day - but the results are pretty impressive considering I spend the majority of my day furiously typing on my laptop. My nails were faultless until day 3 when, if you looked VERY carefully, the colour was almost pushed back slightly on the index and middle fingers. By day 5, the chips were becoming noticeable but still I didn't find it necessary to remove and repaint. It might not last 10 days - would you really, truly expect it to though? - but I'm really impressed with the colour's durability. Imagine how long it would stay chip-free with a base and top coat, and when it's a colour this pretty, you sure want it to last! Sx

Emma Watson Looks Heavy...

...well her eye makeup that is. At last night's New York Potter premiere, Emma teamed her slicked-back 60s crop (love, love) and her burnished gold Bottega Venetta gown with smouldering black and gold eyes. Have a look at the pictures on The Daily Mail here - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2013659/Emma-Watson-walks-red-carpet-final-time-Harry-Potter-stars-Daniel-Rupert.html

Now I'm all for a smoky eye and I absolutely love the gold leaf effect on the inner and outer corner, but together? Not so much. Had the gold leaf been used on its own, it might have appeared too matchy-matchy with her dress, however pretty the end result would've been. I think a smoky eye in its own right would've worked much better with that hair and that dress. I'm glad of one thing though...that finally Emma is pushing the boundaries of event makeup. What do you think Best Tressers? Sx

My fragrance of the summer

For so long, the only scents that have made it to any state of permanence in my fragrance wardrobe have been Marc Jacobs 'Daisy', Chanel 'Chance' and 'Coco Mademoiselle'. Sure, I've smelled some rather lovely perfumes, but none that have that special 'something'. It seems, though, that 'wear-me, love-me' scents are like buses. You wait ages for one, then a few lustworthy scents (does this metaphor still work for buses?) all come at once. Penhaligon's 'Juniper Sling' was one such perfume and the new Emilio Pucci 'Miss Pucci Eau de Parfum Intense', £41 30 ml, is another.

This new launch follows on from last year's hit, 'Miss Pucci'. This time, the scent is more sophisticated and elegant. I've been wearing this since the launch a couple of months ago and have had so many compliments on its heady, amber scent. One of my most important perfume criteria is longevity. If a fragrance smells divine but only lasts on my skin for an hour, it's a gonna. I can still smell 'Miss Pucci Intense' on my skin at the end of the day. Therefore, it's a keeper. As for the notes, well it opens with Magnolia, Winter Lemon and Orange Blossom, with a heart of Arabian Jasmine. The base is woody - think Patchouli, amber and vanilla. If you're a fan of lighter, fresher florals, this probably isn't for you. 'Miss Pucci Intense' is potent, sensual and alluring. I've been mostly wearing it in the evening - it's the perfect accompaniment to balmy summer evenings. 'Miss Pucci Intense' is available now at Harrods.com Sx

How cute! Body Shop Lip Roll Ons

I've got to get my hands on these new 100% Natural Lip Roll-Ons, £4 each, from The Body Shop. Not only do they look super-cute (I want them all) but they promise softer, more hydrated lips, without any stickiness. Hoorah! I think I'll start with the holiday-in-a-rollerball Drift Away Coconut. Sx