I’m not very good at this stuff. I’m 42 and still trying to get into the habit of cleanse/tone/moisturise once a day, never mind twice. In the past I have tried several methods to try and get the habit: the more usual one was to buy ever-more expensive products. Now poverty (and reality) has struck. I did try Tesco’s ‘bnatural’ range – and it is actually lovely, but then, having gone down the natural route, I became more obsessed with more natural. Having borrowed India Knight’s book ‘The Thrift Book’ (how thrifty is that?!), she recommends the oil cleansing method using a mixture of castor oil and olive oil (www.theoilcleansingmethod.com). I have ordered the castor oil online: Boots don’t stock it because, to much sniggering and giggling, it is no longer recommended for its ‘original’ purpose. India Knight’s book is, by the way, well worth buying and is a joy to read, as well as being full of very useful and do-able advice.
As for make-up – even more hopeless. I do try and make the effort: a light foundation if I can find it, blusher if I’ve managed to find the foundation, lipstick (I try and keep some lying around in the kitchen, car, handbag, coat pockets just to remind me I should be using it) and mascara a couple of times a year. I’m going to try and do mascara a bit more as it does make a big difference to my face. The other thing that I am never without is Elizabeth Arden’s 8 hour cream. Great for chapped lips (and ears in -24º Warsaw winters) but also as a lip gloss. The smell is divine and reminds me of trips to the cinema with girlfriends where we would pay the extortionate fee of £8 per seat and have a private room with our own screen and waitress service bringing jolly good G&Ts. I do find smells the most evocative of the senses. Perfume: Organza by Givenchy (although I’m fearing it may be nearing the end of its life) and Bulgari. I used to wear much heavier oriental scents, but whether it is the baby-factor or just growing up, they now sit on me like a rather daft over-trimmed hat.