Visiting a large city such as London can be particularly draining on the finances, especially if you have a large family in tow.

Fortunately, it's always good to know there are some worthwhile attractions which are free of charge. One of these is the Bank of England Museum which is open year round.

I always seem to have one of those No. 7 vouchers squirrelled away in my purse. They become lost among the wad of other vouchers and inevitably are well past their expiry date by the time I discover them.

However, the last time I was in Boots, I remembered to check my vouchers, found one still active, and set off in the direction of the No 7 stand.

I’ve been using No 7 Protect & Perfect serum for a couple of years now and have already switched to the Intense version for more 'mature' skin'. So when I noticed a complementary version of Protect & Perfect Intense in the Night Cream range, I decided to try it out.

After the popularity of Indeed’s Nanoblur, there have been several copycats attempting to catch some of their market share. If you haven’t heard of Nanoblur, this is a cream designed to camouflage wrinkles with an immediate effect. L’Oreal have now brought out their version of camouflage cream, called Magic Blur.

Magic Blur is described as an instant skin smoother finishing cream. According to the pack it ‘instantly blurs wrinkles, pores and imperfections. Look younger in seconds.’

Since reaching my 40's, the follies of sunbathing under the hot Australian sun are fast catching up with me. Where once it was all about getting the deepest tan, these days it’s finding the right skincare to try and prevent further sun damage while repairing the damage already done.

So, in my quest to find products to help keep pigmentation spots at bay, I’ve been using Eucerin’s Even Brighter pigment reducing day and night cream.

Getting older aint much fun, not least because of the uphill battle against the signs of aging. One area that’s often neglected until it’s too late is the hands. Apart from thinning skin, age spots on the hands are a dead giveaway of a persons, err, lack of youth.

I started noticing these horrid marks appearing on my hands a few years ago. First it was the odd one or two, but each year a few more would join. So now I regularly use a rich hand cream at night and another during the day. 

L’Oreal has introduced their first re-usable mousse hair colour that can be used more than once. Whether you dye your hair at home or get it professionally done, you’ll still need to get a touch up or redo it again at least every 4-6 weeks depending on your speed of hair growth. This means an expensive trip to the hairdressers or purchasing another box of hair colour. And if you have longer hair, it can mean you’ll have to buy two boxes.

As I usually only want to touch up the roots, I often have wasted product that ends up in the bin. So I was really excited to see this new L’Oreal Preference Mousse Absolute which contains a ‘Re-Usable’ Permanent Hair Colour. This should hopefully cut down on the amount of hair colour you need to buy.

Having been happily using a pod espresso coffee maker for the past few years, the constraints of being stuck with one brand of coffee was starting to annoy me. I’d tried opening empty pods and stuffing in my own coffee grounds, but it was too much effort and far too messy. So began the search for an additional espresso coffee maker.

Being somewhat stuck for space in my tiny kitchen, I really didn’t want another large coffee maker taking up valuable table top space. So when I read about the Handpresso Wild hand pump espresso maker, it looked like I’d found the ideal solution.

Total Effects is a mid-priced range of face and skincare products manufactured by Olay which are designed to target, treat and prevent the seven signs of aging. According to the Olay website, their products are proven to deliver dramatic improvements in skin appearance.  And judging by the popularity of their moisturizers, Olay must be doing something right. Among the Total Effects range is Wake Up Wonder which has received rave reviews.

Teaching children the importance of cleaning their teeth from an early age will not only help keep cavities at bay, it instills a routine which becomes as natural as getting dressed in the morning. However, most adult toothpastes are too strong for young children. As such, toothpastes aimed at those under the age of six tend to be specially mild or even fruity flavored to encourage teeth cleaning. By the time they turn six though, it's time to move onto something a bit more grown up. This is where Sensodyne Pronamel toothpaste for children helps them make the transition to more adult toothpastes.

Mineral-based makeup is extremely popular now and is a natural alternative to chemical-based makeup. La Bella Donna hails from the US where the brand was developed by a US mother and daughter team Kathy and Nicole Tracy who wanted to develop a healthy alternative to traditional makeup. Their range of mineral-based products are highly recommended by dermatologists and plastic surgeons and are particularly suitable for those with sensitive, problem or allergy prone skin as well as post-operative coverage.

Products made by La Bella Donna are all mineral-based formulas made from natural elements-mineral-based pigments to provide a natural looking color. They also contain a non-chemical sub block (SPF 20) which is essential for sun protection.

La Bella Donna concealer comes in a small, lightweight, silver plastic 4g pot with a screw on lid and a clear Perspex centre so you can inspect the contents. There are four shades to choose from with 1 being the lightest and 4 the darkest. The consistency is similar to a cream blusher, quite firm to the touch but creamy.

It is waterproof, therefore long lasting so you’ll only need to apply it once a day. It’s also incredibly lightweight and it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing makeup at all. And for those staying out late and too tired to wash off their makeup before bed, don’t worry. It’s perfectly healthy for your skin to leave this makeup on overnight. And it will still be there in the morning!

You have to supply your own brush to apply it, otherwise you can use your fingers. I use a fine, soft makeup brush about half a cm wide which works really well. You need to lightly wipe the brush onto the concealer, then dab it onto the areas you wish to ‘conceal’. You can either use the brush or your ring finger to blend it in. Personally, I find it’s really easy blending using the brush alone.

Using a concealer this way feels like almost makes me feel like a ‘professional makeup artist’. It takes a moment to apply and I use it on most days, often on its own as a quick touch up for under eye circles or the odd blemish.

After using it almost daily for around 10 months, about one quarter used up so it’s exceptionally good value. Products made by La Bella Donna aren’t generally available in shops. Instead they’re more likely to be found in Spa treatment centers, for example beautyworkswest in the UK. Alternatively, you can purchase from labelladonna.com or Amazon - La Bella Donna Mineral Eraser 0.14 oz.

L’Oreal, the international skincare company, is continually researching, developing and improving their ranges of products in order to keep us looking youthful. It seems every few weeks there’s another product launch or new advertising campaign for one of their new and innovative skincare moisturizing creams. It’s pretty persuasive stuff. But to keep its customers loyal, they need products that work. So do they? This product review discusses the findings from using one of L’Oreal’s products from the Wrinkle De-Crease range called Collagen Filler Eye.

Natascha Kampusch made headline news around the world when in 2006 she escaped from the man who had abducted her from a street in Vienna, 3096 days earlier. Natascha, who was only ten years old at the time, was held captive in a basement cellar by loner Wolfgang Priklopil.

Here in this tiny five square meter dungeon she was to experience the extremes of mental torment while at the mercy of her abductor. Although she lost her childhood, she didn’t lose hope that one day she would finally escape.

Lancome Teint Miracle

Even without the beautiful face of Julia Roberts adorning their promotional campaigns, Lancome is a well recognized and respected name in premium skincare.  Their expertise stems from over 70 years experience and the combined collaboration of their research centers in the US, France and Japan. With this kind of backing, the launch of Lancome’s Teint Miracle foundation aroused much interest and may well be the foundation women have spent years searching for.

Teint Miracle boasts it is the first to make use of the way skin absorbs the light. It accomplishes this feat with its ‘perfection through light: Aura-Inside technology’ which improves the way skin absorbs and reflects light.

Back in the late 1800s, few American households were without a jar of Vaseline® petroleum jelly. Now the Vaseline® brand is instantly recognizable around the world. While Vaseline petroleum jelly is still a big seller, they also provide a wide range of body and hand care moisturizing products.

One of the more recent additions is Vaseline's Cocoa Butter vitalizing gel body oil. This could be a product you'll either love or hate as it has received widely mixed reviews which might leave you wondering whether it should be labeled with a strong precautionary warning before trying it out.

Covering your body in oil after a bath or shower may not be to everyone’s liking. But if you've only ever used a cream moisturizer, it might be time to give oil a try. A good place to start would be with Boots Botanics Organic nourishing body oil which is made from 100 percent certified organic ingredients and is designed to hydrate, soothe and nourish your skin. Read the complete review to see how well this body oil fared.

Even without the beautiful face of Julia Roberts adorning their promotional campaigns, Lancome is a well recognized and respected name in premium skincare.  Their expertise stems from over 70 years experience and the combined collaboration of their research centers in the US, France and Japan. With this kind of backing, the launch of Lancome’s Teint Miracle foundation aroused much interest and may well be the foundation women have spent years searching for. Read the entire review here to see how well it fares.

Teint Miracle