You know you’re posh when….

Apparently, according to my mate, who rubs shoulders with the likes of Meg Matthews (Noel Gallagher’s ex), you’re posh if you have Molten Brown products in your bathroom.

I have finally arrived, thanks to an early Christmas Gift from Molton Brown. Before long I’ll be driving a Landrover that’ll never see any mud, shopping at Waitrose, wearing Green Hunter Wellies and using separate cutlery for guests!

All joking aside, I’m really looking forward to some ‘me’ time over the holidays so I can truly enjoy it. I’m going to use it sparingly so it lasts till next Christmas!

Keep toasty with a Down Gilet!

There has been a load of discussion about bloggers blagging for things recently. I can assure you that this was not my intention…..However, last week when putting on my trusty body warmer, which is the equivalent of the Peanut’s character Linus’ Blanket to me as I don’t go anywhere without it on, I tore it under the arm. I jokingly asked on twitter if someone could mend it for me….

And to my surprise the lovely people at Charlotte and Co saw my tweet and generously offered to send me a new one in return for a review. I jumped at the chance. After having a quick look what was on offer I decided against the one with Rabbit fur, this may have to do with being a former vegetarian for 20+ years, even though the trim is only an animal bi-product.

After having a chat with Charlotte I decided to go for the Black Down Gilet (retails £95) one size up that I normally wear to accommodate for wearing over a jumper. It arrived promptly in a gorgeous satin bag with a draw string. It fits like a glove and the quality is superb. I haven’t had a chance to take a photo yet so you’ll just have to trust me on this one!

Thanks again to Charlotte and Co for the very kind offer. Now, I wonder if I can blag a tumble dryer??? I am kidding!

Update: I’ve just learned there is a 50% off sale tomorrow and Thursday on their Winter Stock. The discount code is

WIN50

Wrinkles, blackheads and dead skin cells!

So, what did you do on your 40^th? Um, err, I thought it would be fitting to head into the heart of Plastic Surgery in London to have some non-invasive treatments at the Cavendish Clinic. It seemed like a great way to mark the occasion.

Originally, I was going to have some Zeltiq, which promises to freeze fat away with a Dalek-looking machine. It’s not designed for people who have a lot of weight to lose, but for those annoying pockets of flab that you can’t shift, in my case a muffin top and lower back sag. However, for a number of reasons we decided this treatment wasn’t for me at this time so we opted for a facial with microdermabrasion and a light chemical peel. Microdermabrasion is like a mini-hoover that sucks up all the dead skin cells.

The clinic shares its waiting room with the plastic surgery hospital on the ground floor. I must admit I’ve never been so curious, I kept taking sneaky peaks at the others wondering why they were there. There were some obvious candidates for liposuction, breast enlargements and Botox. However, there was a woman in the corner with dark glasses and a sombrero sized floppy hat that really intrigued me. I can’t help thinking she was someone famous.

I must admit whilst walking to the clinic I started wondering what the h*ll was I doing. It’s my face and if something goes wrong, I could be permanently damaged. But as soon as I met the beautiful Madja, she put me at ease immediately. She kept me fully informed throughout the entire procedure, telling me what to expect, whether I should feel anything or not. She even removed my black heads around my nose which I didn’t realise I had.

Too be honest, I slightly panicked when she put the chemical peel on as it had a slight burning/tingling sensation but she’d warned me about this and it wasn’t uncomfortable really. Prior to the chemical peel she did the microdermabrasion. After she’d done half my face she stopped to let me feel the difference and oh my goodness was there a difference. It was so smooth!

I don’t look any different but my skin feels amazing. Unfortunately, as a family, I can’t afford to do it on a more regular basis as it costs £160. However, they do have some introductory offers.

I’ll probably have to wait till my next big birthday for my next treatment and depending on how life treats me you may find me downstairs having a facelift!

Disclosure: The treatment was complimentary in return for this post

Turning 40!

OMG! I’m 40! How on earth did that happen? I remember being 19 and my mate was 25 and I thought she was ancient! I’m not panicking about being 40, I enjoy birthdays and stretch them out as long as I can, as I love the attention. However, it’s heading towards 50 that freaks me out.

I’m happily married, even though I moan about him a lot, I have a gorgeous daughter, I’ve done loads of travelling, have great friends, supportive and slightly bonkers family and run a successful business so I really don’t have any reason to go into melt down and I’m more thankful than anything.

In fact, I’m really looking forward to my 40s. Apparently life starts at 40 and I’ve been promised that these are going to be some of the best years of my life. You guys better not be lying! I have no intention of setting any wild bucket lists or lists of things to do before I’m 50. I’m just going to sit back, have a glass of wine, enjoy being in this élite club and carry on laughing as much as I do!

Bring it on!

Batting my eyelashes!

I’m definitely not a girlie girl. I barely wear any make-up, have been known to go a few days without washing my hair and when I get the opportunity to go out I’d opt for a backstreet pub in a pair of jeans and boots.

However, I’ve always fancied having my eye-lashes done. I don’t know why, as mine are apparently quite nice. But, when I go to get my nails done, which is a rare occasion, I’m always mesmerized by the therapist’s eyelashes.

So, when Juliet from Beautylase contacted me because they needed a model as they were accrediting some new glue/technique they use for the eyelashes I jumped at the chance. I didn’t have a full set but a scattering, not a smattering as I called it, which according to Juliet is what children do with paint! It only took about 45 minutes, completely pain-free, relaxing in fact and I love them. I can jump straight out of bed, put some lip gloss on and head out the door as they require no mascara. No more trying to scrub off yesterday’s mascara before applying more.

The only downside is I wish I had a full set as they would last for 4-6 weeks and as I only had a partial set mine will only last for about 10 days, which would be great for special events like Christmas and New Years. However, when they start to look wonky Juliet has offered to take off the last few remaining stragglers.

I will definitely be having them done again in the future, maybe for my 40^th in a few weeks time. Thanks to Juliet and the team at Beautylase, St. Albans.