Vinyl Tutu

My Holy Grails

I must say I'm quite a loyal consumer when it comes to my favourite products - even ms. Kate Moss could shake her tambourine for them (lol!). There are brands I stick to because they are more than just packaging and promises... they actually work! Here are some of my favourite favourites, although I'd like to include BeneFit and Dr Hauschka as honourable mentions.

Nioxin

Oh my when I think of the journey my hair has been on.. from blonde to brunette and back again, awful awful box hair dye, too much product, too much ghd (although this has also been my saviour), not enough TLC! When I started seeing my new hairstylist about a year ago, who is a miracle worker of note, we nursed my hair from black with unsightly green undertones (in other words, a bad hair day on crack) to soft, bouncy baby blonde! I couldn't EVER have done it had she not introduced me to Nioxin. My hair was so weak before that washing and brushing gave me split ends and alot of fallout, but after just a few weeks of using the Nioxin Scalp Therapy system my hair felt thicker and softer ... and now after a year of concientious use, it's just LUSH, even after highlights and using straighteners. My biggest pro is the heavenly chocolately-minty smell and tingly fresh feel .. and it's so easy to rinse out.

Dermalogica

I've been blessed with clear skin so specialist products aren't really necessary .. but I won't put anything else on my face except the Derm, with Face Mapping (a zone-by-zone skin analysis) and a facial once very 4-6 weeks. Everything smells fantastic and never feels like chemicals on your skin, even their Daily Microfoliant, which doesn't contain granules liek a normal exfoliant, but enzymes that my facialist says "eat up your dead skin cells like Pacman" - hee hee!. I like that its developed by dermatologists who are more interested in good results than in frilly packaging and marketing hype - although I love their minimalist packaging, and the bottles generally last for ages as you only need a tiiiiiiiiny amount. You can play mix and match with alot of the range, I like to mix Special Cleansing Gel with Ultra Calming Cleanser and also mix different face masks together for a double boost to my skin. My HG has to be Precleanse, my secret weapon for really getting all the gunk out of my pores and removing eyemakeup. I'm very guilty of over-exfoliating and not drinking enough water sometimes so their Hydrating Mask is just what I need on hangover days.. and I could wax lyrical about their sheer but very protective sunscreens too. I just love Dermalogica, there is no replacement.

MAC

This is more of an unhealthy obsession than a preference .. *hyperventilates*. A good percentage of my student loan helped me take home more of these little treasures in the sleek black packaging than I could ever really need, but oh well! Try to walk into a MAC store and not be tempted by all those colours, all those textures, all those options, all that Limited Edition merchandise! It is truly a make-up lover's dream. My favourite product is their brushes, especially my 187 Stippling Brush ... your makeup is only as good as the tools you use. Their eyeshadows are fabulous cos you can literally buy every colour under the sun, they're very pigmented so the colour 'pops' and stays put till you remove it. Other favourites are bronzer, Strobe Cream, lipglass, Fix + spray and MoistureLush cream.

Essie & OPI

Not sure if I adore these in equal measure because I tend to buy more Essie products and get OPI manicures , but both are simply hands down the best nail polish you can buy in terms of formula, and I adore OPI's cheeky names for their varnishes like Aphrodite's Pink Nightie and Mrs O'Leary's BBQ.