Planes, Trains and Travel Oils

Mr & Mrs That's Not My Age have just spent a few days here. Montejaque, a beautiful mountain village in Spain where we stayed with some friends - which all sounds very grand till I tell you that we slept in a five-year-old's bed, flew Ryanair and the hole in the bottom of our suitcase got so big we had to stuff it with plastic bags to stop our clothes falling out. Sadly, the suitcase is on its last journey to that great big carousel in the sky, and now resides in a south London skip awaiting its final boarding call.

Anyway, enough of this maudlin talk, en España, we spent a fair amount of time embracing the local customs; drinking tinto verano (the red wine of summer, a refreshing blend of Rioja and Casera/soda or Fanta Limon) and eating tapas:



It took a day or so, to adjust to the Spanish way of life but soon we were taking siestas and eating out at ten o'clock at night. Fortunately, I'd packed my Aromatherapy Associates essential travel oils for bath & shower which meant we were able to relax in the afternoon with a splash of lavender and revive ourselves in the evening with a blend of geranium, patchouli and ylang ylang. No need for after-sun or eau de Cologne, these oils leave your skin feeling soft and moisturised and our friends commented more than once on how gorgeous we both smelled.



On the way back we stopped off in Seville. Which is beautiful, and hot! The temperature was still over 40 degrees the evening we got completely lost and spent over an hour trying to find a vegetarian restaurant - doubt we smelled so good then.



Early next morning we hired bikes and slowly pedalled over to CAAC, a contemporary art gallery set in a former 15th century monastery-cum-ceramics factory, which was well worth the sweaty cycle trip.






That's Not My Age may be in a bit of a post-holiday slump but at least I still have some essential oils to perk me up - and the news that Aromatherapy Associates goes on sale in the Bath & Body area at Liberty tomorrow. Yay!

An age old problem

After seeing a photograph of myself standing next to a smooth-skinned Mary Portas, That's Not My Age has decided something has got to be done about my wrinkles. I may be kidding myself about growing old gracefully sans Botox or surgery but I just can't face (make that afford) either. And anyway, I've had lines on my forehead forever. When I met Mr TNMA he thought I was frowning at him, obviously he didn't recognise the look of true love.

So I am testing this 'revolutionary product' by Dr Kadir who according to Elle is well known in the Middle East, a dermatologist with a celebrity following - Madonna and Jennifer Anniston are fans. The blurb says the moisturizing cream contains an award-winning, anti-ageing ingredient which helps decrease wrinkle depth. Apple Lift results in plumper, toned, youthful looking skin and has a high UVA protection factor as well a Vitamin E making it a potent natural weapon in fighting fine lines and wrinkles. Phew! Sounds like just what I need.

And time to 'fess up. Before Christmas I promised I would try out this introductory set from Aromatherapy Associates and report back with before and after shots, wrinkles and all.



But then Mr TNMA took some snaps and I was horrified by the results. So horrified, I had a Hugh Grant moment - no nothing to do with a hooker and a parked car, or worse Liz Hurley - I just empathized with Grant who on approaching his 50th birthday said, "I don’t really feel all that old in myself, I actually feel rather young and sprightly but then I see a picture of myself and think, ‘Christ, who is that old man?’” So, sorry but you won't be seeing any close up mug-shots after all. I'm just not brave enough, even Demi Moore got called old and ugly after spending two hundred thousand dollars on surgery, and posting photos on Twitter.

Anyhow, here's my belated verdict on the Aromatherapy Associates gift box, bearing in mind that I was just slapping products on randomly and not following instructions:

1. All the products smelled gorgeous and left my skin feeling super soft.
2. I will probably buy the Fine Line Face Oil even though my lines are not fine, they are of the Gordon Ramsay variety.
3. The Intensive Skin Treatment Oil helped soothe my painful, cracked heels.



And apparently Hugh Grant has started doing pilates to keep himself looking young - do you have any anti-ageing tips?

Natural ingredients: mulled wine and moisturiser

After one too many glasses of fine mulled wine at the local pub last night - which incidently made The Guardian's top 50 festive pubs list - That's Not My Age is feeling her age. The south London boozer is proper traditional, like - serving the best mulled wine this side of the Thames, full of cloves and spices, each glass made to order - and as reviewer, Garth Cartwright points out, ' The Hermit's Cave offers plenty of consistency. Why I don't think they've changed the carpet (or anything else) since I first started supping there in 1994.'

So, it was a huge relief when the anti-age introductory set from Aromatherapy Associates landed on my doormat. This selection of skincare products made from natural ingredients and essential oils is going to give me a 'firm, plumped and more youthful complexion.' Hooray! So readers, I am going to conduct a little experiment. Mr That's Not My Age will take the before and after shots, and unlike the misleading Twiggy/Olay advert, these photos will be natural, untouched, wrinkles-and-all. You have been warned!