A few weeks in the life of ....Instagram August and September!

 Bloody hell.

I thought it was just September I missed out. No. Weeks and weeks. Hopefully work will steady out a little (Who am I kidding? Really?) and I can get back to some Clinics and reviews asap!

I am in the last throws of planning a Live Winter Clinic so will have details of that soon. In the meantime... some titbits from the last couple of months...

Westminster Cathedral. Pretty breathtaking.

Harvey Nichols chips. Also breathtaking - for other reasons.

Zelens, La Prairie, Caudalie, Hydraluron and Ms Somerville.

Gigi

A nice working kit!

Puma in Carnaby St gets a couple of extra window dummies.

Broadwick St mural

Carluccio's. *weeps*

Me in a terrifying face mask. You're welcome.

Cleanser I can never remember the name of from pharmacy in Paris, La P, Sjal, Zelens, Hydraluron, Ms Somerville and Caudalie

One of my favourite places

One of my favourite pictures ever - source unknown

Beautiful packaging

A hotel bathroom after my own heart.

Saw at Thorpe Park - or as I called it: CHRIST ON A BIKE

Stealth. Lest said the better.

Me with long legs thanks to a very low sun!

Suti, Zelens, Sjal, La Prairie, Hydraluron and SkinCeuticals SAVED my face after Thorpe Park.

Damien Hirst putting me off my lunch.

Eysilix launch. Not me - for the record.

Trialling this.

Beautiful newness from Balance Me.

And possibly one of my most favourite pictures EVER of my Babygirl - she's perfectly sane. No really.

Current high-end skincare routine (some).

I have a habit of posting my daily skincare regimen on Instagram - the above made my skin feel so lovely I thought it warranted a post of its own.

We had been to Thorpe Park and my skin had that red, windblown, been-thrown-about-on-rides-all-day look about it. Using the above worked wonders, calmed it right down and left it ridiculously soft.

Above is:

Suti Cleansing Balm - reviewed on here before - incredibly emollient, oily and nourishing without clogging pores. £26

Zelens PHA+ Bio-Peel - latest product from Dr Marko Lens - these are brilliant when used in place of your toner and then followed by a spray toner or a splash of water. The PHA attracts moisture and binds it to the skin whilst the acids in the pads set to work on your face like a gentle pac-man. Does all of this without glycolic so are perfect for people who find glycolic too strong or have allergies. Becoming a little obsessed. £65.00

Sjal Saphir Concentrate Facial Oil - I am just about as in love with this oil as it is possible to be with a product. Loaded with omega 3, 6 and 9 and infused with Blue Sapphire and Aquamarine, it is beautiful for any older skin (not 25) that is dull and revitalised. Unlike some cheaper alternatives, it has the lightest texture and penetrates beautifully. £125.00 (I know - but when you're older you stop caring)

La Prairie Advanced Marine Biology Eye Gel - not actually my usual choice of eye cream but have found it is good for my puffiness - I have been working relentlessly recently and waking not entirely 'refreshed' shall we say. This is light and hydrating.

Hydraluron - my new staple - originally reviewed in detail here. Just go buy it.

Sjal Mineral Kalla Tonic - sprayed on top of Hydraluron this is really hydrating and softening - being Sjal it is very high end and contains gold, silver and rose quartz. You can read all about it here - suffice to say it is my 'go-to' toner when my face is feeling its age. 

SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interruptor - I have been playing around with some of the Skin Ceuticals range for a while and keep meaning to blog about it - I'll be completely honest - I grabbed this because it's anti-glycation and I had eaten a lot of sugar (rubbish) at Thorpe Park. In my head I was merely trying to save my face from the inevitable spots/swollen red lumps to come as punishment from the pic'n'mix. 

The reality is that it was the perfect product to top off my night-time routine with. It's not loaded with silicone so nothing rolled, it penetrated on top of the Hydraluron and Sjal oil and was generally a lovely cream. I'm going to try using it exclusively for a while and watch the results. So far: lovely. Have a read of the science here. £143.00

* A mixture of purchases, PR samples and gifts. Love them all though.

What's in my Handbag? (bathroom shelf)

So last Friday evening the team from What's in My Handbag? raided my house and my shelving - again. Good job they are ridiculously lovely ladies - and also that Mr Hirons doesn't mind 4 women walking in on him when he is hiding in our bedroom.
 The results are now up over on the WIMH site - which if you haven't joined - you absolutely should. Nothing I like more than a good nosy into other people's bags/cupboards!

Not my shelving - but they ARE in the feature - any excuse to get a good picture of blue hydrangeas on the blog.

What's in my Handbag? 

La Prairie Award for Innovation in Marine Protection and the launch of Advanced Marine Biology Collection

Back in April I was invited to the press launch of the La Prairie Award for Innovation in Marine Protection in Monaco. Timed to coincide with the launch of their Advanced Marine Biology Collection, the event was held at the Oceanographic Museum - in a nod to both HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco - whose foundation is supporting the Award in conjunction with La Prairie and the heritage of La Prairie's Special Ambassador for the AMB Collection, Celine Cousteau. 

Celine's grandfather, the legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau was at one time the director of the OI.

Oceanographic Institute - Monaco

I don't normally cover 'blanket launches' but this one is different for two reasons - firstly, La Prairie have pioneered aquaculture technology - the controlled cultivation of algae, kelp and other sea plants in a protected, land-based environment. Basically - instead of pilfering the oceans and sea beds, they are growing it in labs - thus leaving no impact on the ecological system. Score.

Secondly, in conjunction with the launch, they have introduced the Award for Innovation in Marine Protection and are offering 3 prizes worth between $10,000 and $100,000 to the winner of the most votes on their Facebook page.

The three finalists are:

Marine Sanctuary Project - protecting the Mediterranean Monk Seals - one of the most critically endangered mammals.

Kalabia - a floating classroom that educates children on the importance of protecting the Coral Reef.

Toliara Reef - aims to protect the largest coral reef in the world, just off the coast of Madagascar. 

The winner will be announced in London on 12th October. La Prairie will continue to follow all three projects closely and offer support in terms of exposure of their efforts.

The Advanced Marine Biology Collection is available now and consists of five products:

Foaming Mousse Cleanser - £40 

Revitalizing Emulsion - £86 

Eye Gel - £66

Day Cream SPF20 - £86

Tonic (my favourite) - £64 

Further information on the range can be found on LaPrairieAdvancedMarineBiology.com

*I was a guest of La Prairie

May in the life of the blog.

Amen.

Me, Mouldy Fruit and Priya Sonn hanging out with Kim K. Why? Because we could.

Kourtney and Khloe on their way to the launch. Why? Because we could. Muahahahahahaaa

Moonwalk

We were sodding freezing.

All that 'oh it was an amazing experience'...No. It wasn't. It nearly killed us. Next year I'm writing a fat cheque.

Where I spent nearly two hours after the Moonwalk.

Hardcore if you're feeling oily/congested. Like a cross between a cleanser and a clay mask.

Sorting. As always.

Fixing a bad reaction to a product.

LOVING the footie.

Adoring the animals. (Can't remember the source of this - sorry!)

Mental cat.

Amazing.

Luscious. 

Breakfast with Jo Malone.

Ah one of my babies meeting Mr Sheeran.

Loving the reminder of the Fun Lovin Criminals.

Word.

Loving Nars Easy Lover.

Brilliant DKNY marketing.

The boy.

The girl.

The cat. All enjoying the sun.

Feet in Kew. You know - when we had Summer for 4 days.

A rather ridiculously large tree.

The walkway. Utterly terrifying.

MORE skincare likes.