Last week, a reader emailed to ask if I could help with some wine recommendations for her wedding in June this year. Something lovely but not too pricey. And in return, being the beauty editor of a really famous women’s magazine, she offered tailor-made beauty tips. Genius.
Kate’s top three tips for Knackered Mothers everywhere:
1. Get a good eye cream. The best you can afford. The eyes give everything away. I like to use a super duper budget-busting eye cream at night (currently loving Elizabeth Arden Prevage Intensive Repair Eye Serum – pricey but wow), then go for a tightening, brightening eye cream in the morning. Origins No Puffery is magic in a tube and seems to lift your whole face. Brilliant for those days when you’ve had no sleep and feel like your face needs to be ironed.
2. If you’ve only got 2 minutes to do your makeup: Garnier Miracle Skin Cream (love this stuff), Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer, Benefit They’re Real Mascara, Bobbi Brown Lipgloss in Bright Pink.
3. Best beauty cure for ONE OF THOSE DAYS: a long hot soak in the bath with Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath Oil, once the kids are in bed. It’s amazing. It just makes everything OK.
As do these…
Current white in the fridge: Tilimuqui Fairtrade Torrontes, £6.39 (normally £7.99), Waitrose
It’s Fairtrade Fortnight until Sunday and Tilimuqui is one of the best Fairtrade brands on the wine shelves. The Torrontes grape is really, really aromatic, and this gorgeously honeysuckle-scented wine wouldn’t go amiss dabbed behind the ears and on the wrists. It’s surprisingly crisp and there’s a whack of citrus flavours in there, behind the flowers. Made by Argentina’s original Fairtrade co-operative winery, La Riojana. Really purdy wine.
Current red in the rack: Chateau Bournet 2010, £7.50 (normally £14.99), Tesco
If you want something that a) tastes far more expensive than it is and b) has a great looking label then voilà. And it has anti-ageing properties! OK, I might have made that last bit up. Made in Gaillac, southwest France, from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot grapes, along with a few other local ones thrown in for good measure. It’s got proper rustic, as well as Gallic, charm with gorgeous black fruit flavours and a kick of spice. Fill your bottes, as they say in France.
Peace out, winos x
Competition winners: congratulations to Rhian Drinkwater & Tracy Eatwell – I know! You couldn’t make it up. Anyway, you both win a paperback copy of The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club (£7.99 and in shops now). Email me with your addresses and I’ll put them in the post (knackered mother @ gmail dot com). Thank you to everyone who entered, I really appreciate all the lovely comments you’ve left about the book x
Do you think 'No Puffery' would work on my stomach too? 😉
Am about to order some online so don't think I won't be trying this.
I've been looking for a good eye cream FOR AGES! Thanks for the tips (and the wine too) x
Same here…got proper tired eyes at the mo. Hoping to find a No Saggery cream next.
Drinkwater and Eatwell just have to set up a business together – I can see the vans now!!
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Brilliant, love your blog – always makes me laugh!
Thank you! Very glad to hear it…
After 3/4 bottle of that Torrontes I bet my puffy eyes would just simply disappear, magic!
It's how they look the next morning that's the problem 😉
Chateau Bournet is really a great wine to taste and also not so expensive too.
At this price, it's amazing value!
Ya….thats really amazing value with great taste.
What I need is an eye-bag reducing eye cream. Such a thing MUST exist! I am a sucker for a good label so the red it is!
At least red wine keeps the wrinkles at bay 😉
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