Hyperfixations de la Semaine

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Don’t worry, that’s the only time I’m going to mention the ‘c’ word for the foreseeable. IYKYK.

Let’s talk about the things whirring around in circles in my head this week, because I know you’re just DYING to know.

Bet you weren’t expecting underwear to be hot out of the gates were you! But honestly, I cannot even fathom more of this hot weather in the thick fabric of my current ones, so I’m ordering some Cropped Mesh Bralets from Boody. TODAY. Might treat myself to some pants too as my current underwear selection is pretty dire.

Is it just the heat that’s making me want everything to be full of micro-holes? I’ve already had a fail with some from Flabelus that I didn’t like at all, and sent back, then I had a size issue with the Vivaia ones I ordered (don’t size up!), then a mis-order (my mistake again - doh!), but these Nelly Almond Toe Mary-Janes are definitely the ones I love, and they’re SO COMFY too. I ordered those and a square toed black one but I accidentally ordered non-mesh so I need to exchange them again. Never thought I’d say this, but I’m kind of looking forward to it cooling down a bit and being able to wear jeans with them. Who even am I?! A word of warning though, they don’t ship particularly quickly so I impatiently trekked to their only store in London in Westfield Sheppard’s Bush which is my idea of actual hell, and the shop was completely rubbish and had zero stock of anything good, so you’re absolutely best ordering online and being more patient than I am. Exchanging my online order was easy however, and they did send the replacements out promptly. I love them. Totally worth the wait.

Well, face cloths for now because I’m waiting until after our renovation to buy new towels (Can. Not. WAIT!) The colour range of these Egyptian Cotton Towels from M&S is EXCELLENT. Our facecloths have been MIA since we moved and I’ve been operating on a very low supply of two, and now I’m down to one after accidentally leaving the other in Marrakesh, so I’ve ordered some of these for collection today, and it’s going to feel like such a treat! I’ve ordered three different colours, because it was too hard to choose just one with so many gorgeous options. THIRTY-NINE OF THEM to be exact. YES M&S! Why has no one done such a brilliant and affordable towel colour range before?! Please please please keep making these in alllll the colours!

I’m too much of a control freak for Skin & Me. They just couldn’t, or wouldn’t communicate with me about what actives were in my ‘personalised’ cream aside from retinol, and it was too hard getting them to raise the strength - the starting strength is as good as useless, and I did get them to put it up but still battled to find out about other actives, so I gave up and cancelled my subscription. This was months ago and I have two months left as I had stopped using it, but currently back at it and using up the rest. I don’t really love the whole concept of subscription skincare it to be honest, so I might finally bite the bullet and see an actual dermatologist this year. Going once a year probably works out to be a similar price anyway.

Annoyingly, they’ve tightened the rules around buying Retinol in Spain over the counter which I used to do, and you can’t easily get it anymore. GUTTED about that as it was less than £20 a tube which lasted for months and months. I really wish I could get on with A313 but the itch is out of this world intolerable for me. Boo! However, you can still apparently buy Hydroquinone there (for dark spots and melasma), so that’s excellent news, and you can bet I’ll be buying some when we’re there in a few weeks.

I found not one but two small tubes of Erborian Dull Correct during my decluttering efforts this week (top tip: give your friends 14 year old daughters all the makeup you don’t want - it will be like Christmas for them and extremely satisfying for you!) and slapped some and realised that it’s bloody great. How has it taken me so long to realise that? It’s purple and does that colour changing thing which is on the warmer and darker side than I’d like, but I can just about get away with it, and it really does brighten and blur. It’s perfect for days at home when you might be popping to the shop and want to feel slightly pulled together, and unlike the CC cream which I seem to go through phases of loving and hating, I don’t feel like I need to follow it with anything other than a bit of tinted lip balm. My new favourite makeup product for sure - way better than the CC cream, and it doesn’t sit weirdly on and around my nose which is always my bugbear with actual foundations. I’m think that’s a me problem that I’ve never managed to get to the bottom of, rather than the fault of every single foundation I’ve ever tried.

Writing that has reminded me that the best my skin has ever looked in the last five years was when I had my makeup done at the Trish McEvoy counter in Selfridges on a whim when I was out shopping with Edie, and they used their Beauty Balm on me. It was so good and Edie agreed my skin looked unbelievably flawless. Like filtered flawless, but real. I couldn’t stop looking at how nicely it sat on my skin - yes, even on and around my nose. I bought it - of course, but could never get on with it when I did it myself, which I think was part prep (should I have also bought what they used? Probably!), but mostly the colour was always too dark for me - they only do two shades, which put me off despite having been convinced it was fine in store. Doh!

I’ve just discovered that in the US there are of course FIVE shades, still only two generally in the UK, BUT Amazon seem to stock a paler (0.5) shade too. Obviously I will now be needing to do further investigation in person at London stockists because I would REALLY love to achieve that flawless look I had on that one day, but it’s a £65 gamble that I’d like to try first.

I’ll stick with the Dull Correct for now (and the many other foundations I currently have), but you know I’ll be investigating, and that you’ll hear if there’s an update worth sharing. Quite frankly, if they - or anyone else for that matter, can achieve that level of flawless on me again, I will buy every single product presented to me as well as every single tool they use. If you’re not as pale as me, do check it out, I really did absolutely love it. It’s stocked at Selfridges and Liberty in London.

I discovered this via my long time Instagram pal @beautyjunkieldn (the lovely Jen Thorne), and immediately took myself off to SpaceNK in Islington to smell before buying. Sadly they only had four of the ten scents and I bought the Coral Coast one - the others were all way too sweet for me, but I will be making a trip into the big Oxford Street store to do the sniff test of the other scents there because obviously I ‘need’ one for the garden room shower that will eventually get used too. They have the price point and packaging just right - they’re £17 for 500mls, the branding is nice and simple and the bottle colours are fab. For me the psychology of something being under £20 is pretty powerful - it’s a much easier ‘yes’ than anything over £20, but still feels like a luxe treat. Nice one Saltair. Now can we please have an equally affordable lovely hand wash?

I know, thrilling right? Now you know why I started with underwear. But sadly, I do find this pretty thrilling. I’ve wanted to replace our heavy chunky colourful plastic ones for years, and the new house is the catalyst. These Dexam ones are lightweight, and come in all the sizes one would need (six sizes in total), and I don’t mind at all if they find their way to the table, which is more than I can say for our old ones when they often did and I’d be giving them the side-eye.

Currently attempting to ignore this Painterly Stoneware Serving Bowl from M&S (who are most definitely having an extended good moment) that I have a small crush on. Will it go out of stock before I cave, or I will I panic purchase at the thought of missing out. I’m currently riding the wave, but it’s really lovely don’t you think?

Those are the tangible things that are floating around my head on repeat this week. Other thoughts include why WAS there a FROG in my living room on Thursday night? Poor thing was almost completely camouflaged in a ball of cat fur and fluff, and I actually thought I was imagining it at first. It’s ALWAYS me that discovers these things. I called for Ed to come and save it, and I’m quite sure he didn’t believe me when I added that I wasn’t a hundred percent sure it was a frog, but then he walked in just as it jumped along the room. So random! He popped it outside along with a shallow bowl of water and it hopped away.

Have a great weekend whatever you’re up to! I’m just busy over here trying not to overheat, and think some nice food, nice drinks and not a whole lot else is in order. Xx