Origins Sensory Therapy: Peace of Mind

One for your essentials bag, and possibly even your handbag.  Peace of Mind is a tiny bottle of peppermint scented lotion, which you put onto your temples and behind your ears.  It's intended to promote a sense of calm, though I find even its cooling sensation enough.

Natura Bissé C+C Body Cream

This body cream makes me think of hot beaches, sun tans and swimming pools.  I first discovered it on a trip to Antigua, and it's now one of my holiday staples.  The cream is really designed for firming and collagen production, but it's an excellent way to quench sun-thirsty skin.

Natura Bissé is a Spanish firm, which produces high-end products aimed at Spa destinations - in fact it won the Best Luxury Spa Brand in 2012.  Its Pure Air travels the film award circuits, offering blockbuster A-listers treatments in a particle-free air bubble - how very Hollywood!

Rodial's Glamoxy Snake Mask...

Rodial produces a wide range of products, and really came to fame with their body sculpting gels and potions.  I've tried those products, but am never consistent enough to really judge their efficacy.

One product I do use practically every week however, is the Glamoxy mask.  Black, and with a thick gel-like consistency, the mask is applied all over the face, and peeled off after it has been allowed to dry.  The mask refines your pores, and really does have the effect of both brightening and tightening your skin.  This is one product I can give a very resounding 'yes' too!

Philips Re-Aura

I've just bought the Philips Re-Aura... Yes, dear reader - I've bought the Re-Aura, rather than being handed one by Philips to try...  The Re-Aura is a much milder and lighter dose of Fraxel, suitable for home use.  The recommendation is to use it twice a week, for eight weeks, and then to take a break.

When I was researching the Re-Aura I was struck by the lack of independent reviews, and by how many of the free machines were handed out to women in their late twenties and early thirties... I understand that some want to arrest their development of fine lines and age damage - but surely those actually purchasing for themselves were more likely to be in their forties, and potentially older.

Kérastase Initialiste...

New to the market, Kérastase Initialiste is a serum designed to strengthen your hair and add additional lustre and depth.  The bottle is both heavy and a rather glamorous golden colour...  Retailing at £40 per bottle, the recommended doses are two pipettes for normal hair, and four pipettes for thicker hair.  At that rate, I think the bottle will last about two months on my shoulder length hair.

Clarisonic Mia...

Clarisonic - the one gadget that is an absolute must in my bathroom!  My clarisonic(s) go with me everywhere...

For the uninitiated, a clarisonic vibrates more than 300 times a second to loosen dirt and tighten your pores.  It fits comfortably in your hand, and comes in a range of colours and sizes.