I don’t know who I think I am, but if I have been in back-to-back meetings from the early hours of Greenwich Mean Time I tend to start fantasising about mid-afternoon spa breaks like most people do their mid-afternoon tea break.

Deciding to finally indulge in the fantasy in a spare hour between a meeting and a dinner date, I headed to House of Rush last week for a facial. Though I enjoy any and all time spent at House of Rush, the facial experience far surpassed my expectations. Though I booked in with a specific facial in mind, my beauty therapist looked at the condition of my stressed-out complexion and suggested an Elemis facial – catered to my sensitive skin – instead.

Led with the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel (which is not a granular exfoliator but gently ‘peels’ with fruit enzymes), I fell asleep under her very capable hands in a multi-sensory experience that combined scent (I am mad for Elemis’ soothing apricot toner) with powerful antioxidants (an Elemis Cellular recovery capsule). Finished with a head, shoulder, and arm massage and a thin layer of Pro Collagen Eye Renewal around the eyes, my skin looked and felt better than it had in months. When you can brave to go straight from a facial to a date – no makeup – someone has done something very, very right for your skin.

Since discovering Belmacz I always seem to have a product or two keeping my handbag company (honestly, if you ever see me with a pink lip it is 95% likely to be Infrared). Upon hearing about their latest release, a 24-carat gold leaf eyeshadow, I knew it was destined to become a favourite. Named ‘Stardust‘, Belmacz Beauty’s latest release is a warm copper cream shadow that offers a buildable but iridescent shimmer thanks to its skin-healing gold leaf.

Handmade beauty products don’t often come this luxurious.

Throw out your old magic juice, babes. There’s a new skincare duo in Blogtown.

Product one? NUDE’s Perfect Cleansing Oil. Though I am obsessed with natural oils for my hair and face, I have rarely found an oil that feels as though it cleanses efficiently. Until this bad boy hit my bathroom counter. After applying two pumps of the oil into my hands, I massage over the face and then add a little bit of warm water to emulsify the oil into a milky cleansing fluid. In addition to smelling like Florida (beaches, not theme parks), it practically dissolves all makeup and impurities away with absolutely no chance of stripping the skin. Though you would need an additional eye makeup remover if you were using a waterproof formula, it is by far the most effective and luxurious cleansing oil I’ve laid hands on.

Product two? NUDE’s ProGenius Treatment Oil. I try not to use the term, but this oil is indeed a ‘miracle oil’. Rich in omega 3, 6, 7, and 9, ProGenius is pure and active treatment oil that only takes a few drops in the morning or evening to achieve all-day skin perfection. Being touted with “[the ability to] reduce wrinkles by 36% in one hour”, I would suggest you ignore the quick fix jargon and focus on daily use: the powerful ProGenius ingredients will best promote a youthful, smooth complexion with long-term regular use.

As a former Beauty Editor for a beauty box company, I am unreasonably picky when it comes to throwing pesos down to get unidentified beauty loot. With that said, it has been interesting to take a look at the progression of beauty boxes that have been released in the UK over the past year. It probably comes as no surprise to many of you that the unofficial creators of ‘beauty boxes’, US company Birchbox, seem to have been the box to beat since launching in the UK.

Which is why, mon cheres, I am here to review their April 2013 box for you!

My Birchbox included:
mirenesse Perfect Kiss Lipstick pencil in 14 Perfect Kiss
Lip pencils, aka Crayola For Ya Lips, are one of my favourite beauty products. This version by mirenesse was a gorgeous coral-tinted natural pink but rather sheer on application. Though it’s not going to be a handbag staple, I imagine quite a lot of natural beauties would love this.

La Societe Parisienne De Savons Soap
The Art Deco-inspired packaging was lovely, but soap in a beauty box is never going to do it for me.

Gerda Spillmann Renaissance Age Serum
As a cult product, Gerda Spillmann’s Renaissance Age serum uses the extract of edelweiss as its key ingredient and, thanks to the addition of tamarind seed extract, both smells lovely and packs a punch.

Weleda Skin Food
All natural beauty product! Yay! Though Skin Food is quite a heavy product, it is one that I have used a lot on models and can attest to its super nourishing and soothing properties. A little goes a long way which means – even with the sample size – you will get a lot of use out of the product.

Natio Renew Radiance Foam Cleanser
Birchbox provided either Natio’s foam cleanser or their ‘Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser’, of which I received the former. Like Weleda, they are quite a plant-based brand as well as being rich in vitamins and antioxidants. The ‘Renew’ cleanser was efficient, gentle, but didn’t live up to its make-up removing properties. I will keep it at hand for travel purposes, but generally prefer something with a few more active ingredients to cleanse my skin.

Paname Paris Mirror
Okay, it’s a mirror. Though it’s not a ‘normal’ beauty product, I always find it helpful to have an extra mirror lying around (vanity exposed) and love Paname Paris’ Hair (The Musical)-inspired artwork.

What I didn’t receive:
Green & Spring Relaxing Conditioner OR Green & Spring Relaxing Shampoo
I believe one of ‘wildcard’ products in the boxes were Green & Spring’s Relaxing hair products. As a natural beauty junkie, I feel like I would have loved this line of UK-sourced handmade and all-natural products.

With the soap ditched and the Green & Spring sent to all subscribers, this coulda woulda shoulda been an ideal beauty box for me.

While spring is technically here, the unpredictable weather can mean temperatures are as unstable as a pregnant woman’s hormones. You should, therefore, ensure that you provide your skin with the extra care and protection it needs to stay balanced, soft and healthy-looking.

Here are a few simple and easy tips for keeping your skin healthy.

• Picking the right skin care products for you – the importance of good skin care products cannot be emphasised enough! Your skin requires regular nourishment and care to keep moisturised, healthy and in a relatively good condition. Ingredients such as panthenol, aloe vera and bisabolol can help keep skin smooth and soft while also reducing redness and soothing irritation. If you wear make-up regularly, make sure you choose products which aren’t going to further dry your skin out (a lot of make-up can be a moisture suck!). Opt for specialist make-up brands like Schrammek which combine both beauty and skincare. It only makes sense to stick with make-up products which provide you with both coverage and nutrition. Here, skin imperfections can be both treated and covered.
• Maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet – the importance of a healthy and balanced diet is so often underestimated when it comes to skincare. In order to stay fit and healthy, your body requires a regular and balanced intake of a number of nutritional substances. These include fibre, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, proteins and others (special nod to Omega-3 fatty acids). As the health of your skin depends significantly on you daily intake of such substances, deficiencies in any of these areas will often result in a lacklustre condition of your skin. Excessive consumption of alcohol, processed and fatty foods (as well as caffeine, but I am going to ignore that one) should be avoided as they often have a negative effect on the health of your skin.
• Quit smoking – Smoking is possibly one of the worst things (if not THE worst thing!) you can do for your overall health and for the health of your skin. Not only does it cause irreparable damage to the lungs, it also clogs the arteries and aggravates the blood flow. Ultimately, this leads to tired-looking, prematurely-aged, loose and wrinkled skin.
• Drink lots of water!: Particularly in the Summer months, try to drink plenty of water to stay healthy and to keep your skin hydrated. Drinking between eight and ten glasses of water per day is optimal for helping to flush out any toxins and bacteria that can otherwise weaken your overall health.
• Regular exercise: Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting you need to incorporate Jillian Michaels-esque hours of exercise into your daily routine. Simply keeping active by doing some form of exercise several times a week will help your skin out. Medium to heavy exercise causes you to sweat which opens your pores and increases blood flow to the skin – all highly beneficial for your skin. The only rule to remember here is to cleanse your skin well after exercising to avoid a build-up of excess oil and dirt in pores which may lead to blemishes.