Simply, having a wonderful Christmas tiiiiimmmeee...

Ah, things are really starting to feel Christmassy now. The drop in temperature and plenty of crisp sunny days has helped to boost my Christmas feeling - that and seeing plenty of Londoners in Christmas jumpers when in the pub!

This cold weather has also left me wanting to purchase some skin treats - that and a stupid Dermatologist prescribing me Retinol cream when she shouldn't have, I must take my hat off to women who voluntarily pay for a chemical peel. Stupid and so not worth it- my Retinol supplies have since made their way quickly to the bin.

But there is a knight -ess in shining armour within the affordable skin product world: Liz Earle. I am sighing in adoration for this brand as I type this. Liz Earle uses naturally active ingredients to give your face a big metaphorical hug- whatever your skin type. After the Retinol incident- I looked like a burn victim and so needed emergency rehydration/soothing STAT (always wanted to find a way to use that word in a sentence, ER anyone?) and a Bag of magic was soon in my grasp..

For under £23 I got:

- A cute little pouch with two Muslin cloths (so much better than a flannel)

- 15 ml Intensive Nourishing Mask containing St. Johns Wort, Borage, Comfrey and Rose Scented Geranium

- 30ml of the legendary Hot Cloth Cleanser - every girl should have a bottle in her beauty regime.

- 50ml Instant Boost Skin Tonic containing Aloe Vera, Calendula, Cucumber and Vitamin E

- 15ml Skin Repair Moisturiser for Dry/Sensitive skin types containing Borage, Avocado Oil, Echinacea and Beta-Carotene

I have been a religious user of the Hot Cloth Cleanser for a few years now but the other products were new to me. My new favourite has to be the Skin Boost Tonic. It smells divine- clean and fresh- and after applying a small amount to a cotton pad and sweeping over my face and neck, my skin feels soft and toned. Perfect. You can buy the full sized version here, be warned you will get hooked :) I am looking forward to trying the other 'Try-me Kits'.

With thanks to Lizearle.com for this picture - mine wouldn't upload

After 4 days of using these products twice a day, my skin was back to its healthy moisturised state and I was so so happy! Worth every penny and i still have loads left 3 weeks later - so don't be put off by the small sizes.

FYI for MS-ers ... don’t believe a Dermo if they say that nothing can be done for Acne if you have MS. Seek a second opinion, my Neurologist was majorly concerned that I had been dismissed after a-less-than-5-minute consultation with a Dermo and was further concerned that I was prescribed a product reserved for severe cases of Acne straight away. I'd rather eat Vitamin A than paste it on my skin, that’s for sure. Another life lesson learnt there peeps.

On a side note: A part of my new diet is to limit caffeine to one cup a day (for that all important morning cup of Assam tea) so I am reliant on yummy tasting caffeine free herbal teas for a warming brew at this time of year.. Tea Pigs very kindly sent me a few samples of their Spiced Winter red tea to try. It is actually like Christmas in a cup - also nice with some honey added if you have a sore throat may i just add. I love Tea Pigs tea pyramids as they are really flavourful and come in unusual flavours such as Chocolate Flake, you can buy their range in your nearest supermarket or online here. It will all count towards your daily recommended fluid consumption of 2 - 2.5 litres so get slurping :)

Any stars in your beauty regime or Tea Caddy?

xxx TTN xxx