Birthday – Silver & Blonde

For my recent birthday a friend gave me a pretty new make up bag from one of my favourite shops, Oliver Bonas. It has taken pride of place on my dressing table and replaced the Clarins freebie that I have been using for years. It also provided a good opportunity for me to go through my cosmetics and throw away some of the embarrassingly ancient, and probably horribly unhygienic, items. I have used the same Nars blusher everyday for about six years and it pained me to throw it away but even the case was falling apart. My optician told me that, in an ideal world, mascara should be replaced every six weeks because of the bacteria that accumulate with each use, definitely time to bin my antique Estee Lauder. I also got rid of my Clinique eyeliners, most of which had lost their caps, and replaced them with one from Lancome in a shade called Bronze. The Lancome is very creamy, easy to blend and the shade is flattering.

I also received a Clarins bronzer as a gift in the lightest shade they sell. I have never used bronzer before. I am very pale and have always thought it would just look too orange on me. I’m also not really sure how to apply it, I had to watch a YouTube video by Ali Andreea, a stunningly beautiful make up artist, to find out. Her tutorials make everything look easy and it is tempting to buy all of the high-end products she uses. The Clarins bronzer is comprised of two shades and the darker colour is definitely too deep for me so half of the product will go to waste. The lighter shade is pretty though when sparingly applied and I like the matte finish. I did buy another Nars blusher though so I am good for six more years!

I have also been trying out This Works Perfect Cleavage & Neck Serum I am not a fan of the fragrance but the product is lovely to use and easily absorbed. My neck feels well moisturised but not sticky after use. Like the rest of the planet, I spend too much time looking at a screen and am keen to avoid the dreaded “tech neck” and hopefully this may help. I have a This Works Stress Check Mood Manager spray in my home office for days when my work email inbox is filling up faster than I can empty it, it’s actually surprisingly effective and the fragrance is beautiful. I will be trying more products from this brand.

So, some successful and much appreciated gifts. Pretty things may not be important but they do make life that little bit nicer.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

It was my birthday this week, another year older if not wiser. I don’t usually do very much to celebrate. For my 50th I threw a small party in my garden but, other than that, it is usually just business as usual with perhaps a meal out in the evening. This year my birthday fell on a Tuesday, my day off. My husband had a dentist appointment in London so we decided to meet outside London Bridge station late morning and spend the day in town. I caught the 9.30am train and it was standing room only. At least I don’t look old enough to be offered a seat. It amazes me that people have to be asked to move their bags so that other passengers can sit down, there was much huffing and tutting going on. The train is supposed to take about twenty minutes to reach London Bridge but it would have been quicker to walk (well, not really) as it crawled along at a snail’s pace.

It was a beautiful day so I decided to wear a summer dress by Sugarhill Brighton, a denim jacket from FatFace and white plimsolls from Schuh. Big mistake, huge, as Julia Roberts said to the snooty shop assistant in Pretty Woman. I have worn these plimsolls a few times before and never had a problem but maybe my feet had swollen in the heat, anyway, within half an hour of getting off the train they were rubbing badly. Now I do not have good feet. I won’t go into details but they are not a pretty sight and I loathe buying shoes and trainers. If they are not comfortable it can be such an expensive mistake. For most of the year I wear boots either by Gabor, Next or Russell and Bromley. I literally have one pair of evening shoes and some cheap-as-chips ASOS sandals that are so comfortable I bought multiple pairs. Havaiana flip flops are also a winner although I only wear them in the garden or at the beach. On one trip to Switzerland I was wearing new Birkenstocks, my previous, comfy pair no longer being fit to be seen in public. I had a migraine for the whole trip, possibly because of the altitude, and was taking a lot of painkillers. The tablets did nothing for my head but they must have numbed the pain in my foot because I failed to realise that the new sandals had rubbed a huge, deep hole in my little toe. It took weeks to heal and I nearly fainted when a woman ran over my foot with a trolley in Waitrose.

Back to my birthday outing; I hobbled to a river-front restaurant where we had a coffee. We then went to Borough Market but it was absolutely heaving with people, too busy to do anything other than get pushed along with the crowd. We strolled along Clink Street, where a chase scene in Oliver Twist was filmed, and here my husband gave some American tourists an impromptu history lesson. By this time I was feeling a little grumpy and wishing I had spent the day sitting in the garden. I couldn’t really say anything to my husband though who had taken the day away from work. We had a very overpriced and mediocre pub lunch and headed home. I then popped into see my parents, My mum still knows who I am although I think sometimes she is a little unsure. Dad explained that it was my birthday and she said “many happy returns” then forgot straight away. She did remember that I am a twin though. Dad always chooses the most beautiful cards and he can do the most gorgeous calligraphy. I have kept most of the cards my parents have sent me over the years. I stayed for a cup of tea and then it was time to go home and rest my throbbing feet.

Later that evening my children all gave me their cards and gifts, some Radley sunglasses, Clarins bronzer and a This Works Perfect cleavage and neck serum, all courtesy of my Amazon wishlist. I haven’t used the beauty gifts yet but I am very impressed with my new sunglasses, they are very light and look more expensive than they were. Apart from my new blisters it was a nice birthday spent with people I love.