19th March

I’ve had quite a lot of response to this blog and a few people have asked about my skin and if I have any regimes. First I want to say thanks to those who commented on my skin saying it was good. Makes a change from people talking about my boobs! We all focus too much on our flaws so I’ve recently been trying to think about my good bits and your compliments have helped. It’s easy in this superficial world to get absorbed in our bad bits. Pictures of girls in the media don’t help, giving a false impression of what a woman should look like. Remember, we have Photoshop nowadays so no-one’s as perfect as you’re led to believe. To be honest though, bad skin isn’t one of my flaws. I rarely get spots apart from those hormonal ones on my chin just before my period. What I do get is blocked pores around my nose when I have a series of drunken nights, stumbling in and falling asleep before thinking about removing my make-up.

I now keep some Simple face wipes by my bed for those occasions. The most important thing when it comes to good skin is washing and moisturising morning and night and avoiding wearing make-up as much as possible. I only wear foundation 2-3 times a week. I wash with Clinique face soap. It’s just a bar of soap and cleans so well. It costs £12, so not the cheapest but it lasts for ages and ages. Then, if I can be bothered, I use Clinique clarifying lotion. It comes in 3 strengths so ask the lady (or gay guy) which one’s best for your skin type. It costs £23, I’m a sucker for shiny labels and brands but if you’re more sensible than me or on a budget buy some witch hazel from your local chemist. It costs about £2 and is the main ingredient in Clinique’s clarifying lotion (other ingredients are alcohol, water and colouring so it really does make sense to use witch hazel as it’s the main active ingredient!) It smells funny but so does clarifying lotion so don’t worry, it stops smelling once it’s on your skin. You just put it on cotton wool and wipe over your face. You’ll be amazed at the dirt that comes off.

Finally, I moisturise. I’ve just bought Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair because it was voted In Style magazine’s best buy. You wear it under your moisturiser. It’s meant to be an amazing anti-ageing product and you can wear it in the day as well. It came in a set with Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Eye Recovery Complex for £40. Pretty expensive but a lot cheaper than buying them individually. I haven’t seen any results yet but I have nothing bad to say and I guess I’m not meant to see results as it just protects your skin from ageing. After this I use Estee Lauder Day Wear Plus, which I love. Don’t worry, I’m not working for Estee Lauder! It’s just a coincidence that I’m using mainly their products at the moment. Anyway, Day Wear Plus provides a great base for your foundation and smells great. It also contains an spf 15, which is really important. I always ask for samples to try before I buy. You can get samples over the internet from the brands’ websites. Don’t worry if you’re on a budget, as long as you wash your face properly and apply a moisturiser with spf I think you’ll be fine. It’s only recently I’ve been splashing out on expensive products (other than Clinique soap which, as I said, lasts for ever) and my skins always been fine.