'Sh*t - I'm nearly 30' Skincare Wisdom ... (Part 2)

Following on from my previous post about what little things you can do to get great skin, here's some of my hero products I've found useful over the years as a beauty editor. Enjoy ...

Sunscreen - every day without fail unless you want to look like Yoda when you're older. I love Zelens and Radical Skincare as they don't clog my pores, but any other brand is more or less fine provided it has UVA protection (against the ageing rays) as well as UVB (against the burning ones).

Aesop Chamomile Concentrate Anti-Blemish Mask- use this once/twice a week to get rid of all the debris and gunk your normal cleansing routine can't. Especially if you live in a polluted city.

Erno Laszlo Deep Sea Mud Deep Cleansing Bar - when Hollywood facialist Dr. Laszlo was teaching the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn (yes you heard right) to wash their faces properly, he used this. I recently sent a bar to my friend with problem skin - she hasn't had to go back to the doctor's since.

Clarisonic Mia 2 Sonic Skin Cleansing System - use this once or twice a week (any more and your skin might get irritated) to put pores through their paces and leave skin superbly smooth.

Decleor Neroli Aromessence - a mini facial in a bottle - a few drops of this stuff are all you need before bed, expect to wake with buttery soft skin of a 20 year old.

Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme Global Anti-Aging Creme- Lauder are the Mac Daddies of the beauty world and for good reason. They have heaps of money to put into research, resulting in some seriously hard-working skincare. This cream works on all skin tones and transformed my complexion even after the first time I used it. If you're starting to look for anti-aging solutions, this is a worthy investment.

Dr. Murad Clarifying Toner - some people say toner is pointless. I would disagree. It removes anything your cleanser didn't get the first time round (we're not always thorough with washing our faces come 11pm when we're knackered and desperate to fall into bed). Plus this contains salicylic acid (if you have spotty/greasy skin comme moi, this stuff will be your best friend) to dissolve dead skin cells to keep your complexion spick and span.

Creme De La Mer The Eye Concentrate - it's been said enough times, but I'll say it again - the skin around the eyes are first to show the signs of ageing. This magic potion will firm it up a treat. It's cheaper than a designer purse, and you only get one face after all ...

Radical Skincare Serum - I wouldn't recommend an expensive product unless I was 100% convinced by it. This stuff works for its money, packed with potent antioxidants and actives to bring your skin back to life.

Flannels (any ones will do) - to remove your cleanser, rinsed in hot (not boiling) water. They exfoliate and open the pores in one. A must - wash your face properly people!

Sudocrem - although they don't tackle acne as advertised on the tub, this stuff is good for the odd spot, scaly skin or red patch.

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels - when you're hungover, these are a godsend. The skin around the eyes has no oil glands so it needs all the moisture it can get. In short, a godsend.

Pond's Cold Cream - a great budget cleanser, I always grab one of these at the airport. It removes eye-makeup. Kylie's a fan. What else do you need to know?

'Meh' Days

Today I decided was going to be a productive Sunday. I even had a 'to do' list with several things I was going to work on. These included:

1. Writing a post for this blog on my favourite skincare products of all time.
2. Reading a beauty book which was going to be inspiration for another book myself and a fellow journalist were planning to write.
3. Reading a few chapters of Peter Ackroyd's 'London - The Biography' which will hopefully make me more culturally aware of the city I live in and give me some inspiration for the Epic Novel I'm one day going to write.
4. Writing two short news pieces due in next week.
5. Starting some background reading for my MA course that I'm going to start in a few weeks' time.
6. Going to a Ballates class
7. Tidying my room and de-cluttering my shelves

Needless to say, I've done 0 of these proposed tasks. My actual day has consisted of:

1. Drinking tea
2. Watching the end of Eat, Pray, Love (not a great film, but the scenery/Javier Bardem is nice to look at)
3. Drinking more tea
4. Buying an overpriced aubergine salad
5. Eating nearly a whole packet of cheddar and pistachio biscuits from Ottolenghi
6. Reading all of two pages of Peter Ackroyd's 'London - The Biography' and falling asleep on the sofa.
7. Waking up and making some tea.

Sometimes you can start the day with the best of intentions, but have not one single ounce of motivation whatsoever. And then you spend the rest of the day beating yourself up about being a useless member of society. You desperately try to start tasks then get frustrated and not finish them, in a vain attempt to have done something productive come 9pm. Then you start spiralling into self-doubt 'well, I'm never going to succeed at anything if I don't push myself/spend my days faffing about like this etc, etc.'

This is what I found tricky about being a student, and later being a freelance journalist working from home. But sometimes it's just worth accepting that there will be days where your mind just wants to do naff all, and you'd rather loaf about than try and find a solution for world peace. Yes it's great to have those productive days where you wake up with the sun, head off to that spinning class, get home bright eyed and bushy tailed and spend the rest of the day at a high level of productivity, feeling on top of the world. But sometimes, complete lack of motivation is your mind and body's way of telling you that you need to chill the f*ck out.

You're not an automaton and you sometimes need the lazy, non-productive days to take stock and recharge your batteries. Also some of the best ideas can come about from lazing around - think of Isaac Newton chilling out under that tree and discovering gravity, after an apple hit him on the head... I'm not saying slobbing out on the sofa is going to win me a Nobel prize, but it's healthy to have days where you give your mind and body a break. I think living in a big city and not having children to look after makes you feel pressurised to spend your free time working towards something, or expanding your cultural horizons, or hitting the gym, or socialising.

But in a way, it's like when you can't get to sleep and start panicking about it - the best solution to just lie there/go and watch some dodgy foreign film on TV and not get worked up about it. In the same way, sometimes it's necessary to embrace one's inner slob, make yourself a cup of tea and not feel like a complete failure. Self-love and self-acceptance comes in many guises after all.