A Bit of Wisdom

Smugness comes before a period of feeling intensely unwell.

Last Friday I had my three remaining wisdom teeth removed. Because the bottom one was so impacted and I'm a complete Nancy about injections I had a general anesthetic. All was fine, I was calm, I cried when the needle went into my hand, they then gave me 'nice drugs' to shut me up and then I went to sleep. I came round less than an hour later feeling dozy and fine but pretty unimpressed with the tube in my hand. I wanted it out. I told the nurse this. She said no and wheeled me back to the recovery ward. The new nurse asked how I was feeling and I told her about my intense dislike of the tube and she told me I wouldn't be allowed it out of my hand until I'd gone for a pee and as I hadn't drunk for almost 10 hours that probably wouldn't be for a while and she'd bring me some water.

She had not reckoned on my amazing bladder control - not in the way that people usually have it but my ability to be able to pee pretty much whenever I want. I know that as soon as I get on the tube I'll need to go so I just make myself go right before I leave. I'm every mothers dream. I told the nurse I could go immediately and pootled off and did just that. Then was pretty smug as tube was removed and I was told that technically I was allowed to leave. My sister came to pick me up and apart from slight mocking of my 'hamster face' we were both pretty impressed at how easy it had been. I really wasn't in too much pain and felt a bit out of it but fine...


It is now Wednesday and for the last two days I have felt headachey and sick all the time.  I can't work out if it's because of the anesthetic or because I took hardcore painkillers for four days and now my body wants more but whatever it is it is not nice. The pain from the teeth is pretty minimal, definitely bearable... the after affects from whatever it is is starting to piss me off.

There has been two lights in this murky horror of recovery though - Origins GinZing eye cream and Perfect World Face Protector. Before the operation I was completely in love with GinZing but in the aftermath the two of them together made me feel more human than I thought possible. I love make-up (as you know) but the afternoon and day after the op I just couldn't face putting any on - but frankly, I looked a state. These creams made an instant difference to the extent that people who thought I'd just gone to the bathroom thought I looked much better!


As you probably know I have quite bad dark circles under my eyes and I am constantly trying to find something to help me get rid of them. Nothing really works so far apart from concealing them but the GinZing makes an immediate difference. Caffeine, ginseng, and magnolia extract wakes up and restores the eyes and should help de-puff too - although that is not something I have a problem with. You can dab it on with your fingertip and gently pat it into the skin - you only need a really small amount so one pot should last you for ages.

I use Perfect World moisturiser and thought that maybe the face protector wouldn't be any different except for the SPF which is helpful during the summer but it's slightly thicker than the moisturiser and incredibly hydrating - it also seems to really smooth and even out the skin tone. I really recommend this as a great base for those who wear little or no base.

My love affair with origins just went up a notch xx

Lady Danger

My wonderful work friends got me a Mac lipstick for my birthday that I have wanted for absolutely ages. Lady Danger is the most fantastic bright red that suits absolutely anyone so it was a real must have for me and great to have in my kit! Because it's more orange rather than blue it seems a lot less harsh on the skin so really goes well with any tone or hair colour and it's matte - perfect. I LOVE IT.

Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation

Dr Perricone is a highly respected dermatologist who works with a number of celebrities and it was their famous faces that convinced him to come up with his No Foundation Foundation. This is my number one recommendation for foundation wearers to take on holiday. I can recommend tinted moisturisers, and I will soon, but if you want a bit more coverage then this is it as far as I'm concerned.

I personally think that if you are under 30 and going somewhere hot you probably really don't need a foundation, however, Perricone's No Foundation Foundation is so light that it feels more like a tinted moisturiser and it's anti-aging qualities are not too harsh to cause damage. It has SPF 30 which doesn't seem to affect the colour and coverage at all - it corrects skin's undertones, smooths fine lines and provides moisture to the skin rather than drying it out as some foundations can.

I love wearing this product - it really evened out my skin tone, covered blotches and gave my face such a natural finish, dewy but not too much. It is not the cheapest purchase at £48 for 30 ml but I really don't think you can put a price on getting products that do what they are supposed to while being safe for your skin. I also love the old fashioned packaging - like you've bought it from a proper pharmacy!

What You Need to Know - Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation

•  £48 or US$55
• 30ml
• SPF30
• Suitable for all skin types
• Available in the UK from Perricone MD, Selfridges, Feel Unique, Space NK
• Available in the US from Perricone MD, Sephora, 

Pixiwoo Friday Treat

With the lovely Sam Chapman - I love this look

Organic Surge Cleanser

When I was on my make-up course we had our make-up removed two or three times a day. This caused havoc with most skins, many of us got spots and a few of us with dry skin looked like just-peeled tomatoes within the first couple of days. We'd all been told to bring our own cleanser with us rather than using the generic school ones and as it was sitting, new and unopened, in my cupboard I decided to take my Organic Surge Cleanser. I was so glad I did - out of all the cleansers used this one didn't make any one's face react badly and actually soothed the skin rather than irritated it. It removed make-up without being harsh and is incredibly good value at £4.99 (or £5.99 on Amazon Organic Surge Gentle Cleansing Lotion).

It contains chamomile which is what is so calming to the skin, lemon oil to detoxify and green tea which reduces inflammation and heals the skin which is why it was so fantastic for our over used faces! If you are feeling the pinch then give this a try. I'm going to try the face wash next xx

Pat McGrath Friday Treat

The one and only Pat McGrath...

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

Laura Mercier's Secret Camoflague really wasn't working on the dark circles under my eyes and I seemed to be piling more and more on every day. So, although it's a great all-round concealer I decided that really I needed to try something new specifically for my dark circles and actually it was completely necessary because I was doing it for research purposes... aren't I selfless! I'm also trying to find good cheaper make up at the moment because I feel that it's quite easy to find expensive make up that does what it's supposed to but harder and harder to find reasonably priced good stuff. However, I then realised that a good under eye concealer would actually be very useful in my kit as I haven't got one and can't bring myself to spend all my money on Mac Studio Finish which I want in several different shades so I went straight to Clinique to get the Airbrush Concealer I've heard really good things about.

They do do a specific under eye concealer, All About Eyes, and I did try this out too. I did it as fairly as possible - Airbrush under one eye and All About Eyes under the other. The Airbrush concealer gave slightly better coverage but also as it is slightly light reflecting it really just lifted that area slightly which really helped with any remaining evidence of blue so it's the one I chose. It's not too eye-wateringly expensive at £16 and although I'm not too keen on concealers brush applicators this actually helps you apply the right amount of product which can then be padded on with the fingers or a separate concealer brush. 

What You Need to Know - Clinique Airbrush Concealer

• £19 or US$20
• 10ml
• 11 shades
• Light-reflecting
• Suits all skin types
• Available in the UK from Clinique, Boots, John Lewis, Debenhams,
• Available in the US from Clinique, Sephora

Collection 2000 Shimmer Shades

I randomly bought this new bronzer compact in Way-to-Glow from Collection 2000 - something about the colours just called to me and it was only £4.19 which is barely anything for make up nowadays. Having owned it for five days I'm already tempted to get the blusher version, Blushalicious, not only for the reasonable price but for the ease of application, it's versatility and the fact that so far, Way-to-Glow seems to have amazing staying power.

If you are going to do major face contouring then you definitely don't want to use anything shimmery but for a bit of summer shape the two darker colours on this bronzing pallet are great just swept under the cheek bones and up to the temples. I then use the pinky colour lightly on the apples of my cheeks and then a few light circles of all the colours together over my cheeks... I definitely recommend this for people who want a bit of summer shimmer or anyone who's scared of bronzer, this gives you a subtle glow and is incredibly easy to build up should you want to. 

What You Need to Know - Way to Glow Shimmer Shade

• £4.19
• Packaging may break - as with a lot of high street purchases! 
• 4 shades
• Available in the UK from Boots,  Superdrug,