As I type this I’m sitting on a train from Paris to Lille and its freaking FREEZING. A few minutes ago I made the rookie mistake of sitting on a metal bench at the (semi-outdoor) station and I’m now uncertain as to whether I’ll ever be able to feel my vagina again. When I tell you girls it’s coooold, I mean it.

Anyway, this sudden freeze is in stark contrast to the gorgeous Cape Town weather I’ve just left behind. It now feels like a lifetime ago but Balm Balm rose floral water hydrosol (R120, Luhla and selected stockists) was my warm weather bestie.

Stuck at home klapping deadlines on a stunner of a day wasn’t the ideal way to end the weekend but this Balm Balm’s hydrosol, which aims to be used as a toner, did a great job of cooling me down and lifting my spirits. It’s pretty rose scent smells fresh and young – like roses in the rain – as opposed to something your gran would wear and its instant pick-me-up benefits mean I reach for it a lot more than I need to. I even decanted a little of it into a small bottle and used it on the plane when I flew to France. It was just the thing to keep my skin feeling good throughout the flight and had people going ‘Ooh, what’s that? It smells great!’ Also, according to Balm Balm, rose is supposed to ‘help you love yourself’ and ‘dispel anger’ which is ideal considering I flew in the same row as two women with screaming toddlers.

Another total gem of a product? Elim BodyScience exfoliating body polish (R290, Elim Spa Products.)

I generally don’t appreciate 99% of the exfoliators I’m given to try. So many are really just body washes with a few beady thingies in the mix, but not in a high enough concentration to effectively scrub you up. Elim’s, however, is awesomely gritty and dense, but not in a way that’ll rip your skin off. Still, if you use a lot of self-tan like I do and need a good, effective scrub to blitz the last remnants so you can merrily slap on coat nommer twee, this is your baby.

In a way, it reminds me a lot of L’Oreal’s Exfotonic and this is one helluva compliment as I’ve always considered Exfotonic one of the best body scrubs money can buy. It’s no longer available in South Africa so I’m always picking it up when I travel and once even had an airport security person flout a ‘no liquids rule’ for me after bursting into a jet lag-induced fit of hysterical ugly crying when they said they’d be taking it away from me. But ja, that’s all over now as I’ll probably just buy Elim’s instead. I also love the fact that it’s proudly South African.

Last but not least, this month MAC are launching their 2015 celeb-fronted Viva Glam campaign and this year they’re working with Miley Cyrus who’s the inspiration for a hot pink lippie and sparkly fuchsia lip glass.

To be honest, I don’t have any strong feelings about Miley but damn is her MAC lipgloss, Viva Glam Miley I (R185, MAC Cosmetics) the shizzle’s nizzle.

I’m a huuuuge fuchsia fan and have been wearing MAC’s Flashmode for ages as I love that it’s just the right amount of stickiness, opacity and sparkle and, like all blue-based fuchsia’s, it creates the illusion of whiter teeth. Miley’s lipglass is like a lighter, fresher version of Flashmode and I really wanted to take a comparison swatch but can’t find the latter anywhere and now suspect it’s rolling around on the floor of my car. But ja, if you love MAC’s lipgloss and are a fuchsia fan too, chances are you’re going to adore their latest addition to the Viva Glam family and every scent of the sales price go to helping those affected by HIV/AIDS.

Love, love

Leigh