Tag: features

Telling it how it is: Aesop's Post-Poo Drops

The joy of living with people who stink is that yours is the privilege of choosing a perfume with which to de-stink them. That's it. That's the only benefit. Apols if you were expecting a list. First time I saw Aesop's Post-Poo Drops (21, aesop.com), I won't lie, I thought it was an April Fool. But it makes perfect sense. I mean, every home fragrance is basically a "post-poo" perfume, isn't it? Incense, room sprays – they're all expensive variations on "lighting a match", but it's for this that I love them. The classiest modern home fragrances bypass delicate rose scents and really fight the fight, with citric, sour, Haribo-type smells. Ones that don't pretend to be a vase of elegant flowers – instead proudly stating their aim. We're here, we're covering the smell of toilets, get used to it.

Jo Malone Lime, Basil and Mandarin Drawer Liners 30, jomalone.com Frederic Malle Rubber Incence Sheets 68, lessenteurs.com Total Wardrobe Care Anti-Moth Spray 21, wardrobemistress.co.uk Miller Harris Fleur Oriental Incence 30, selfridges.com

Pucker up: luxury lip balms. Photograph: Observer

"More moisture is lost through the lips than through any other part of the face or body," NHS Choices tells me – forgetting, I imagine, those of us that wee. I'm not great with science. But chapped lips are horrid. Horrid. They make you want to lick them, which just makes them dryer. They make you want to pick at the dry skin, which just makes them bleed. It takes serious, steady application of a good lip balm to get them soft again – you'll probably have to try a couple before you find one that you really like. One that doesn't leave your lips sparkly, or white, or tasting of poison. My current favourite is Clinique's Repairwear Intensive Lip Treatment (21, clinique.co.uk), which looks like a lipstick but feels like being rescued.

Alternatively:
Sisley 39.50, 020 7591 6380
Carmex 4.49, boots.com
Suqqu 32, selfridges.com
Crme de la Mer 40, 0870 034 2566

Tom prepares to trim his brother Patrick's curls. Photograph: Patrick Kingsley

The other day I was at the watercooler in the office when the deputy fashion editor swept past. "Nice haircut," she said. I swelled with pride. Not just the narcissistic kind – at last! Follical validation from a respected analyst of haute couture! – but fraternal pride, too. For this haircut was not just any haircut. It was a haircut by my brother.

For the past 12 months, Tom and I have cut each other's barnets. You may wonder why I'm sharing this information – we can't see what the fuss is either – but it seems to amaze enough people to demand some sort of demystification. So here goes.

Once a month, I pop round to Tom's flat, we watch The Apprentice, and then out come the kitchen scissors. One time I tried to watch The Apprentice during the haircut itself, but this ended badly. Tom is very dexterous but he needs direction, something I was unable to provide while watching Suralan and co. Facilities in the bathroom, or occasionally the kitchen, are limited. We have a small mirror, a towel, and a vacuum cleaner. "Would you like product in that?" is simply not a question we have the resources to ask.

The shebang all started when we were home last year for Easter. My curls were on the shaggy side, so Tom – always a pragmatist – whipped out the scissors and waved them at me. A tradition was born. From Tom's perspective, the arrangement saves him a bit of money. For my part, I get my hair cut by someone who does exactly what I say.

There have been a few bumps. Quite literally: I'm always leaving divots. In fact, in technical terms, I am a terrible hairdresser. I don't see this as critical – if your hair looks all right from a distance, who cares about a few bald spots? – but on occasion Tom has complained. One time it got so bad that he actually sacked me and employed a professional barber. It cut me deep – hoho! – but he soon came crawling back. He could take only so much chit-chat about where he went on holiday.

DIY haircut tips

▶ Go slow. I tend to hack away like the grim reaper in a plague year. But for best results, only trim a little bit at a time.

▶ Cut at an angle, rather than horizontally – and if you do make a divot, it'll be easier to cover up.

▶ Apply water for easier trimming. But hair shrinks slightly as it dries, so you'll need to cut more conservatively than you think.

▶ When the hair is the right length, reduce its weight by cutting almost vertically from the root. Don't close the scissors completely.

▶ If you do make a divot, don't shorten everything else to compensate. You'll make it worse.

Blemish free: Clinique's new BB cream. Photograph: Richard Pierce for the Observer

Not like BB King, or a BB gun. And not like BB as in "babes", or Big Brother, or the boys' brigade. BB stands for "blemish balm". It's new and it's nice. It gained popularity in Korea, where BB creams account for 13% of make-up sales, then came over here last summer, when all the beauty brands quickly began to conjure up their own versions. Basically it's a tinted moisturiser that is meant to improve skin quality, and it also doubles up as a make-up primer. They vary in their coverage, sun protection and the promises they make, but the thing they have in common is that they're lovely on the skin. Whether they actually do any healing is debatable, but they feel so comfortable they're worth a go. MAC's BB cream (21, maccosmetics.co.uk) seems to last longer than most, has a thumping 35SPF and the coverage of a light foundation. If you want to give BB a go but not commit wallet-wise, try Garnier's (8.49, feelunique.com) which fades over a day, but provides a lovely gentle base.

The fashionable way to wear eye shadow right now is sort of not really on your eye. Bear with me. It's near your eye. It's up on your brow bone rather than hidden away in the crease. It's a proper splash of bright matte colour, applied with a brave ring finger, in a shade you might find in a nursery school's soft-play area. Purple's good, as is bright reddish pink. And then some odd greeny turquoise colours, too, achieved by smudging two shades together right there, there on the face. Try Givenchy's Le Prisme Yeux Quatuor in Blossoms (35, 01932 233 824) smeared on boldly, and then a sheer pink lip, as if you've been on the Chupa Chups.