1. It’s hard not to be skeptical when you work in beauty. I average about 800 emails a week heralding the arrival of a cure for cellulite or the end of wrinkles, bad hair days and spots. Of course sadly no-one has yet single-handedly cracked any of these concerns but cutting through the promises and the hype, there are some genuine gems that, hand on heart, without any agenda (apart obviously than my own vanity), have one hundred percent worked for me.

Now I’m over 40 years old, I am continually searching for a hydrating moisturizer that delivers the dewy skin of my youth. To date, Crème de la Mer have been the ones to beat but recently I’ve defected to Allies of Skin, their All Day Mask £68 is particularly brilliant. This is essentially the world’s first day mask, meaning it’s a facemask that you wear under your SPF or make-up like a moisturizer. Designed to reverse the effects of too much alcohol and too little sleep, it was created for people on the go and it works like multi-nutrient supplement for your skin (it contains moringa extract and 12 different antioxidants), and has higher active ingredients and lower water content than other products. These ingredients are also encapsulated in a time-release system so you get a constant plumping charge throughout the day.

I pair this with Hourglass’s Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick £42 . The BEST foundation I’ve tried in recent times, it comes in 26 shades and is an instant fatigue and redness eraser, gliding onto skin with double the amount of pigment than other foundations, so no matter how tired I am when I wear it, people always tell me how well I look. If only they knew.

Sleep or lack of it, is always a reoccurring issue for me. Like most people I lead a fairly hectic life and I regularly find it very difficult to switch off and unwind when its time for bed. My next discovery is not fancy or frilly but highly effective at helping one relax. I swear by Better You’s magnesium Oil Soak £19.95  that has been clinically proven to improve muscle and joint function, increase bone strength and just generally de-stress weary bodies and overactive minds. I always sleep more restfully after a soak with this and it helps immeasurably with post exercise to soothe stiffness.

While Better you is my favourite bath time buddy in the shower Philip Kingsley’s Elasticizer £85 has been my stalwart hair savior for many years. It’s a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment which he created back in 1974 for Audrey Hepburn, that you comb onto wet hair for a cuticle smoothing, deep hydration hit. Ideal for extra dry and brittle hair and I find this product really helps to curb flyaways, spilt ends and imbue hair with an incredible luscious shine.
Ameliorate Body Lotion £17.50 is specially designed to help improve the appearance of Keratosis Pilaris (aka ‘chicken skin’ that you often find around this time of year on the backs of arms). Combining alpha hydroxy therapy with a unique and complex blend of natural ingredients, it effectively encourages the skin’s natural exfoliation process, helping to re-texturise rough, dry and bumpy skin and is a total godsend if you have an evening event and want to wear a strapless dress, I always start slathering it on now so my arms are silky smooth for summer.
So there you have it – the game changers that will shake up your bathroom shelf and make life smoother, prettier and a lot less stressy.

by Olivia Falcon