Barbie and Ken 4 EVA

Yes Valentines Day is a whole load of hokum BUT it's a great opportunity to tell everyone who you love how you feel. True, if that's the only day of the year you do it then there's clearly issues but I send cards to EVERYONE - Mother, friends, little bro and the Boy (obvs). Again, do we all really want flowers, chocolates, a barbershop quartet?? OK, maybe a little bit. If you're going to buy into the whole shebang, I think go all out and the collaboration between the fabulous Real Flower Company and..ahem..Barbie.. have made that possible.

In their own words, "We are so delighted to have been invited to follow in the footsteps of  Dior, Burberry, Commes des Garcons, Channel, Louboutin, Louise Gray and a host of other designers in being asked to create an exclusive design for the iconic Barbie. Our brief was to create a Valentine’s bouquet for Barbie and we hope that we have fulfilled Ken’s wishes that it conveys how he truly feels about her."

Barbie and Ken officially broke up in 2004 after 43 years of bliss together. However, it was Ken’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Paris last year that rekindled their relationship and makes this Valentine’s day a very special one. Ken says “It had to be the ultimate bouquet. I can’t risk losing Barbie again.”  Good luck to them I say and boys, buying flowers is never a bad idea. I'm tempted to buy these for myself.

Smelling of Roses

Of course, if your skin flares up, this is always an option.

I think it's important to buy flowers for yourself, just because you love them and since I've got our lovely flat shipshape, I have been doing it on occasion.  As we've had the most miserable British Summer that I can ever remember, coming home and seeing some lovely blooms in a vase cheers me up no end and it's the same with gorgeous smelling skincare.  Having a bit of luxury in your skincare regime can make a real difference.

As my regular readers know, I'm fond of doing the odd beauty post although I am rather set in my ways when it comes to make-up.  Recently I have been making a real effort to use more natural skincare and find a facial wash that takes off waterproof eyeliner and mascara without making my skin feel that it's been rubbed with a wire brush.  Three favourite finds are ALL from the wonder brand Aromatherapy Associates, a pioneer of natural but still luxurious skincare and one is from Ren, which if you haven't heard of, I can only assume you've been living under a rock.

Aromatherapy Associates' Deep Cleanse Facial Wash is perfect for my combination skin and removes all traces of make-up.  It also didn't leave my face with that horrid tight feeling I sometimes get from using stronger cleansers.  I HAVE to wash my face using water, I've never been a cleansing milk kind of a girl, I just feel that if I don't use water, I simply don't get the job done. This product delivers in spades and smells pleasantly herbally (technical term).

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before but my doctor father has, in his time, specialised in dermatology.  The importance of moisturising, sun screen and the like were hammered into us from a young age, including rubbing almond oil into our skin when we had had a day in the sun..SO much more effective than many after suns you can buy on the market.  Facial oil on the other hand, I've always been a bit dubious of. Adding oil to combination skin is surely asking for an outbreak?! AA's Refining Facial Oil with lavender, ylang ylang and rose not only smells incredible but helps to bring your skin’s own oils into balance.  The 
renowned healing and repairing properties of lavender and rose come together with balancing ylang ylang and vitamin E and despite being an oil, this product has definitely helped to regulate my temperamental skin.  I would never have tried this in a million years if it hadn't been for a friend's recommendation but I've been using it for a week now and have noticed a difference already.


The next thing I'm going to say may sound bonkers but in partnership with the facial oil, I've been using the Triple Rose Renewing Moisturiser. Before I say anything else, the smell is INCREDIBLE.  Blended with three unique roses from Morocco, Turkey and Bulgaria, it feels like a treat slathering it on every morning. I say slathering, you literally need one pump for your entire face and neck. I've been using the moisturiser every day and combining it with the oil in the evening for an extra boost. The first night I used them together I'd been babysitting for a party girl in Fulham and didn't get home until half two in the morning, THEN I had to be in work the next day. I don't know if it's the roses or some  other magical ingredient but I looked like I'd had eight hours restful sleep as oppose to four and a bit!


Finally the shower gel of dreams. It's won heaps of awards so I'm not saying anything new but Ren's Morrocan Rose Body Wash is, like the Independent on Sunday rather poetically described it, "makes you feel like you are standing in a rose garden in the rain." If you couple this with...yes..another oil..their Rose Otto Ultra Body Oil to be precise..it is like having a wonderful aromatherapy spa experience without having to venture outside into the ghastly weather and let's be honest, that's something we could all do without at the moment.

An eccentric English rose.