Marie Reynolds at Selfridges - 21st March 2013

As you know I'm a huge fan of Origins but if you've never tried their products or are not convinced by my continuous ravings then you now have the opportunity to not only try out some of the products but have a bespoke skin assessment and consultation followed by a mini-facial with Marie Reynolds, one of the leading celebrity facialists in the UK. You will be able to ask Marie any questions you have about your skin care needs you will be able to try the Origins Plantscription range.

You do need to book a place (appointments are available from 10-4) and pay £25 but that money is redeemable against any skincare products bought on the day.

Make-up in Under 10 Minutes - Friday Video

Look my face has deflated! This is a quick tutorial for everyday make-up in under 10 minutes which is great if you are in a rush or have a baby screaming.

Products used:

Origins Make a Difference +
MyFace MyMix Foundation in 02 Fair
Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 15 Taupe
Lavera Soft Eye Pencil in black
Rimmel Mono Eye Shadow in black
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 3 Medium
L'Oreal Telescopic False Lash Mascara in black
Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Warm
Benefit Sugarbomb
M&S Limited Collection Bronzer in Light
Blistex Lip Brilliance Blushing

Bath time

One of the nice things about having a baby is that when people aren't giving you presents for the baby they are giving you lovely things just for you. Husbands seem to miss out rather. Last night while wallowing I realised I'm nearly out of my post-baby bath treats and decided to narrow it down to my top three. All of these I would buy for friends who were expecting or had just popped or indeed who I thought need a little bit of stress relief at bath time... except the Mother's Bath Oil. I would probably keep that to just be for expectant and new mothers.These are in no particular order although in terms of smell the Arran Aromatics bath bubbles has the slight edge for me but disaster, when researching it I discovered that they have recently completely ruined a lovely product. As you'll see from the rather ranty end to this review.

Neal's Yard Mother's Bath Oil

Lavender Bath Salts from the Long Barn - famous for its lavender products the Long Barn bath salts are not only infused with lavender but also almond oils both of which are fantastic for... well your lower areas after giving birth. The lavender is also famous for soothing and relaxing and I can't really stress enough how nice those post baby baths are - 10 minutes or so where its just you and a handful of these feels really properly spoiling. The lavender bits do need to be rinsed from the bath but your other half can do that. £12 for 300g.

Mother's Bath Oil from Neal's Yard - again this contains almond oil which is what you need after having a baby but what I love about this one is it's a lovely alternative to lavender. It does contain lavender but it's overall smell is more apricot and citrus with the lavender more as an undertone. It also contains olive oil so very good for leaving the skin feeling moisturised. £14.75 for 100ml.

Original packaging for Arran Aromatics

Essential Lavender/Island Spa Bath and Shower Gel from Arran Aromatics - now this I think is my favourite because it is such an unusual lavender smell. It is, however a victim of marketing men having one meeting too many. It was called Essential Lavender and it sort of was - it is such a fantastic smell and so relaxing and it just sort of feels luxurious and the packaging is all smart and grown up. And yet I go to their website to get more details and I'm informed that 'going forward' they have decided Essential Lavender should be called Island Spa. Island Spa does not say Lavender to me... it sounds a bit sickly floral. Not anything I would look at particularly. And the packaging. Oh god the packaging looks like a kid's sun lotion bottle not a nice bath treat for a grown up. I'm sad to say I can no longer vouch for what's in the bottle - I'm hoping they haven't lost it completely and changed this gorgeous smelling bubble bath but I don't know. Big mistakes all round I think. You can still find the old design in some places - Bath and Unwind seem to have it, at a fantastic price too.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream

I thought being pregnant would save us loads of money. I wasn't drinking which also meant I wasn't getting tipsy and accidentally buying cigarettes, I didn't want to spend lots of money on maternity clothes and my feet were too swollen for exciting shoes but no... instead of saving I needed to spend money on making my face look less bloated, blotchy and horrific. My favourite of these purchases, which wasn't actually necessary at all but was a last minute treat about a month before I had the baby, was Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 15 Taupe. I wanted something easy to use, that brought out the green in my eyes to distract from the rest of my face and because I have never tried anything from them before which is ridiculous as it a brand much loved by professionals and raved about by most people who use it.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 15 Taupe

The Aqua Creams are waterproof cream eye colours that can also be used on lips and cheeks - I think this shimmery taupe colour should stay on the eyes though. You do need to work reasonably quickly with this to get the shape you want before it dries it is really blendable and therefore easy to use - just do one eye at a time. What I love about the taupe colour I chose is that you can use it really lightly so it brings out the eye-colour (for green/blue eyes) without it being very obvious that you have anything on the lid at all, or you can make it much more dramatic by building the colour up to be much deeper. I usually use a medium wash of colour and blend a small amount of black eye pencil along the lash line smoking it up at the corners.

They are not cheap at £17.50 for a 6g pot but the pigmentation and colour payoff is so good that you really don't need very much of this to make a real impact. They are easy to use - apply with a finger or a brush - and don't crease so are fantastic on their own or as a base for other shadows or glitters and shimmers. There is an incredible range of colours (22 to be precise) from taupes, pinks, gold and plums, to bright reds, greens and blues. What I love about this cream colour is that it really does last all day whether I've been out and about in the snow with the pram or ill in bed with food poisoning (I don't usually do my make-up when I have food poisoning... it struck when I already had my face on) it really doesn't budge. Best of all it's paraban free... what's not to love

What You Need to Know - Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream

• £17 or US$23
• 20 shades
• Available in the UK from Guru Makeup Emporium, Precious About Makeup
• Available in the US from Sephora,