Now and then I like to do one of these “current makeup” videos just to demonstrate some of the products that I’ve been using the most. If a product has been used daily for weeks on end then (for me, at least) it must be pretty good and it’s worth having a bit of a chat about. If I don’t do a video and get everything down on film, then quite often I move on to pastures new and completely forget to record my favourites. Mainly because there are always so many new things to try (I feel it’s my duty!) and it’s easy to pass over the everyday staples in favour of the sparkly and unfamiliar things that are sometimes more interesting to write about.

So, a very quick makeup routine – skin-centric, mostly, with a gorgeous foundation and some healthy-glow powders to finish. A dash of something sheeny on the eyes and a fabulous mascara that I can’t really rave about enough (the Noir Couture 4-in-1 from Givenchy, worth every little penny) and then onto a brief hair update. I have only had my hair “done” twice this year and so lots of the top section is now completely natural – I think it shows off the immense skill of my colourist, John Spanton, that it blends so nicely with the honeyed colours that he has painstakingly added in through the lengths over the past couple of years. It’s definitely time for a colour re-fresh, but considering that my hair hasn’t been touched since June… The man is a genius, I tell you. You can find him “in residence” at Trevor Sorbie in Covent Garden.

OK, here’s the vid – if you can’t be bothered to watch it then the product list is below! If for some reason you can’t view the video then please click here to find it on Youtube.

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I think that the new collection from Jo Malone is just lovely; it’s called My Wanderlust and the scent combinations have been inspired by the travels of the brand’s style director, fashion stylist Charlotte Stockdale. There’s a Night Jasmine & Oregano linen spray that evokes memories of summer nights in Corfu, a Lime Basil & Mandarin “scent surround diffuser” (jar of twigs, as I like to call it) that’s distinctly Caribbean in flavour and Acacia & Honey soaps that “have the hazy, golden warmth” of the Australian Outback. In all honesty, I don’t really mind what the smells represent as long as they’re nice, but I do really like the whole travel-inspiration idea. And the word Wanderlust is just so romantic and evocative…

I have the Cardamom & Moroccan Rose candle which has a beautifully soft and delicate fragrance. It’s actually far more subtle than I was expecting – the colourful jar made me think that the scent was going to be a big, loud number – but it’s incredibly relaxing and, as I said, soft. I’ve had my fill with overpowering candles, thanks to the spice and pine and oranges of the Christmas period, and the Cardamom & Moroccan Rose makes me look forward to balmy summer evenings.

Ooh – as I was finding the range online I saw a product I had previously missed – the Box Hedge square scent. It’s a portable little fragrance square that you can pop into your suitcase or hand luggage and it smells – apparently – just like an English garden on a summer’s day. It’s like a Wanderlust in reverse; a piece of home wherever you go. Nice idea. It’s started me thinking about which scents would be my “wanderlust” choices. Something representing Greece would definitely be on the agenda, as that’s my most frequent holiday destination, but I’d have to have a proper think about the rest. You?

You can find the whole My Wanderlust range online at Selfridges.com

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Oh, I did have a chortle to myself when I answered the door to a delivery man last week wearing a pencil skirt, sexy blouse, rollers in my hair and the makeup look above. Considering he’s used to seeing me in my pyjamas, it must have been quite a shock. He didn’t speak, except to ask me to sign for my parcel, but his expression was priceless. I felt like leaning against the door frame in my get-up and saying “what, this old thing? Just something I threw on…”

I had been having a morning of makeup experimentation, as I am wont to do if Mr AMR is off doing errands with the baby. It’s good to have a proper play with new things – I’m not sure you really get a feel for products if you just swatch them on the back of your hands or give them a cursory swipe over lips, eyelids, whatever… I try to use new makeup items as part of a look that I know I’ll photograph or put on video, so that the pressure is really on; if the texture of a lipstick is terrible or a bronzer is shockingly glittery or a mascara crumbles off after an hour then it simply doesn’t make the cut. I take it all off and start again.

Luckily this look did make it onto film and I’ll be doing a more refined version of it this week (eyebrows groomed, mascara more carefully applied) when I have a spare moment. I used the gorgeous YSL Touche Éclat Le Teint foundation in B20 as a base (I think I may try going a smidgen darker as I’ve been using my Hylamide Glow recently and I’m rather sunkissed) and then a bit of Max Factor Creme Puff Blush underneath my cheekbones. On my eyes, the wondrous Eyes To Kill shadow from Armani, shade 5 (more on this later on in the week, I’m having a very steamy love affair with it after a three year hiatus) and L’Oreal Paris False Lash Sculpt mascara. The liner was a chocolate brown one, I think it may have been Charlotte Tilbury but I have quite a few on the go…

Lips? Again, a separate post coming up, but this is the new Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Sensational Mirror Shine Hydra-Plumping Volume. Catchy. Actually, I’m not sure whether all of that is the product name, but regardless, this is one serious lip gloss. One coat and you get the “mirror shine”; two and you have the kind of glaze that would withstand armageddon. If you can’t wait for my review then you can find Ultra Gloss online here – I’m wearing “Nova”.

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