- The Observer,
- Sunday October 7 2007
1. Snake Oil
Well, sort of. SYN-AKE is an artificial version of the Temple viper's venom and - don't ask us what we were thinking rubbing it all over our epidermis in the first place - heavens, is it good and smoothing on the skin! Gwyneth Paltrow and le tout LA loves it, and it'll hit the UK market very soon care of a product called Defy Time, available here for £50 a tub, in a few small weeks: thefaceandbodyclinic.co.uk
2. Calgel Everlasting Pedicure
In which, your assigned Calgel mani/pedicurist applies layers and layers of a particularly hard setting gel with a fine paint brush - and bingo! Your pedicure lasts for ever! Well, ours is going strong after three weeks anyhow. In the battered up, scabby heeled, jagged-edged, bed-sheet-snagging, not-especially fragrant world of our feet, that's extremely good work.
3. Prescriptives Custom Blend concealer
For the eyebags, loves! For the bags! Best ever skin tone match - but then it would be, because they customise it for you, for £23.
4. Kind light bulbs
The one thing we know for sure diminishes the appearance of fine lines and other beauty industry rhetoric. We especially recommend Osram DOT-it battery LED lights, which, when fitted behind a bathroom mirror, will do wonders for your jowls, your crow's feet and your morale.
5. Armani Luminous Silk Foundations
Absolutely the best. That is all.
6. Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eyeliner
Cheap as chips, and good enough for us.
7. Eyebrow threading
A good eyebrow shape = a total facial revamp; and threading gives the best eyebrow of all. It's a sort of sculptural end result. From £15, blinkbrowbar.com
8. Care by Stella McCartney foaming cleanser
Nice low maintenance foamy cleaning action, very nice smooth skin result. Available from Selfridges stores.
9. Aussie's Luscious Long range
While being traditionally suspicious of hair care with gimmicks, the long-haired faction of the Observer Woman team were none the less impressed by this range, which does take some significant steps forward in the difficult areas of detangling and smoothing down flyaways. Or, as our tester said: 'Look! I'm all swishy!' And indeed, she was.
10. Aveeno 24 hour body moisturiser
Not too greasy, not too dry; the baby bear of the body moisturiser world, if you will (£4.99) blushingbuyer.co.uk
11. The Body Shop Foot File
Does exactly what it says on the, er, outside packaging. You know- files down feet.
12. Walking
It calms your mood, it burns fat, it gets you to places, it's free. Why more people don't do it, is beyond us.
13. A fringe (left)
Excellent way to restructure your face (it is!), and an extremely good alternative to Botox in your forehead.
14. Extra hair
New generation of hair extensions by Tape that don't leave great bald patches and look completely natural (Jeff at Neville 020 7235 3654).
15. Eye make-up, a beginners' guide
A light wash of gold (Chanel Gold Shimmer); or rosy pink (hopelessly Devoted To Pink, Benefit); or even a sparse darker shade (Smut by Mac); plus black kohl on the inside of your eye line (Stila's is the softest); plus lashings of a good mascara (Darphin's good) = low maintenance, high glamour. (The kohl probably will run rivulets down your cheeks over the course of a few hours - it certainly does on us - but we don't mind that. We think it intensifies the sluttiness of the overall effect. Actually.)
16. Marc Jacobs cucumber spritz
Makes people go: Oh, you smell nice! Where usually they wrinkle up their noses at us, and we try and blame the cheese in the Observer Food Monthly fridge.
17. A good red lipstick
It's like switching the lights on, in your face. Bobbi Brown's Ruby and MAC's Russian Red seems to suit pretty much everyone; but John Lewis have a team of red lipstick matchers in their employ, who will help you find your perfect red. www.johnlewis.com
18. Wear some colour near your face
It's granny advice, but it does the job. A scarf, some contrast piping on the collar of your blazer, a lairy beanie hat, gold or red or white- rimmed sunglasses... all especially useful, if you're brunette.
19. Say 'brush' when you have your photo taken, rather than 'cheese'
Nancy Mitford swore by it; and if it's good enough for Mitford...
20. Bespoke scent
That's made up in front of you and you get to play all afternoon with little dipsticks at the new Le Labo department in Liberty (020 7734 1234).
21. Sleep, water, fun and early-relationship sex
Instant in-roads to beauty. But then, you already knew that.
