CLINIQUE THREE-STEP ROUTINE. My love affair with Clinique began when Jamie was buying himself some of their classic ‘M’ lotion, and was given a bag filled with (very generously sized) goodies, which he passed on to me (along with a bottle of YSL Parisienne quietly thrown in as a surprise… isn’t he lovely? More on that later…) :)

I have always had the best of intentions with my skin, but I must confess to sometimes reaching for the face wipes (I know, I know…) after a long day or if I just feel too tired (terrible excuse Sarah… after all, how long does cleaning your face properly really take?!). I would be prone to the odd breakout, nothing too terrible, but we all dream of achieving flawless skin, right?

I find the liquid soap a pleasure to use, and the clarifying lotion gives an incredibly refreshing/cooling/super clean feeling after using. I didn’t get the ‘third-step’ moisturiser as I already have a couple of different moisturisers to finish. I use Garnier Moisture Match; a wonderful moisturiser; lovely texture, smells great and it sinks in and doesn’t leave that sticky residue that many other moisturisers do. Overall I’ve found my skin to be much softer and my skin clearer (though I must eat better and drink more water… I can’t put it all down to miracle products!)

BEAUTILICIOUS HAND SCRUB, HAND LOTION AND L’OREAL NAIL POLISH IN ‘FEMME FATALE’. I always try to be good with keeping my mitts well moisturised, but this cold snap can wreck havoc on hands so to keep them in tip-top condition I scrub ’em with this pink grapefruit-scented exfoliator before slathering plenty of the matching hand lotion on. The scent is gorgeous! I do this before bed, and pop on some overnight moisturising gloves – they really do ensure that the moisture is locked in. To add a bit of glam (if I have the time!) I brush a couple of coats of this classic red polish on my nails; I love red and find that it suits all occasions and any time of year.

CHANEL COCO ROUGE LIPSTICK IN ‘REBELLE’. I have, for what feels like a long time, been in the pursuit of finding the perfect red lip colour. And I think, thanks to the lovely lady at my local Chanel counter, that I may have finally found ‘the one’. Aside from the beautiful colour, this lipstick has a lovely sheen and a very buildable colour. It’s also moisturising – something I can’t compromise on with lip products.

YSL PARISIENNE – here it is! Not just a pretty face (well, bottle… and I do love a pretty perfume bottle). Aside from its sentimental value to me, Parisienne has fast become my go-to scent, be it for a day out shopping or a dinner date; a very versatile fragrance. And I completely identify with its description! “A sensuous bouquet to the woman whose heart belongs to Paris… even if home is elsewhere.” A serious dose of whimsy, and why not?

What are your beauty favourites? x