This gorgeous brown bead necklace with a gold cord keeps catching my attention in French Connection  (£18) - but the beads just start too low for me. The cord is quite long and the beads very heavy - so unless you’ve got a decent length torso (mine is officially 2 inches short and is a “child’s torso” according to a rather abrupt wedding dress shop owner in Somerset when I was trying on bridesmaids dresses) I think the neck area looks too sparse.

But as an alternative, Dorothy Perkins currently have quote a few chunky bead necklaces, all of which are - whilst more casual than the French Connection option - funky and attractive. Above on the right is the one I bought for £10.

I really am bad at skin care regimes - I have the best of intentions but generally quickly fall out of a routine.

But now I’m the wrong side of 25, my Mum presented me with a jar of Nivea Visage Regenerating Night Cream for my birthday. And I’m glad she did!

Apply it every evening in small, circular upward strokes, and come the morning your skin is left feeling refreshed and supple thanks to the Lotus Extract and ProVitamin B5. 

So far, the fresh feeling of my skin in the morning (and the fact that I know I need to get into a habit!) is making me remember to apply it every night!

Mum also gave me Nivea Visage Facial Wash Gel - ideal for cleansing your face at the end of the day before applying your night time moisturiser. A little goes a long way with this gel and I love the fact that it is just that - a smooth, refreshing gel rather than a cream or lotion.

Nivea Visage Regenerating Night Cream, 50ml £4.55 from Boots.com

Nivea Visage Refresh Facial Wash Gel, 150ml, £3.09 from Boots.com

I know times change… and it’s good that food is kept fresh and hygienic etc etc - but it is a shame if that means a piece of confectionary from our childhood has to lose it’s trademark packaging!

If you are a fan of the Sherbet Fountain, with it’s yellow paper tube and liqourice stick, then you might not like the new plastic packaging (shown above). 

Voice your opinion at AQuarterOf, the retro sweet shop that is running a campaign to save the cardboard classic!

I absolutely adore the fabulous Radley handbag I was given for Christmas - the quality shines through and you can’t help but feel like you’re dressed to impress when you’ve got it on your arm! Mine’s got a pokadot lining that means you just smile every time you open your handbag!

So when I lost my little Radley dog I was dismayed! I usually have him tucked in the pocket, but at some point he’d obviously got caught on something. 

However a quick email to Radley customer services, and one was in the post the very next day! In my choice of colour! Thank you Radley!

If you’ve got a Radley bag or purse, don’t forget to protect it with the Radley Leather Care Cloth, £2 or Radley Leather Cleaner, £7. I got the cloths and a few minutes later was safe in the knowledge my beloved bag was weather proof. I did look around for other alternatives first as I expected the Radley options to be expensive - but at £2 the cloths are ideal, and you know you’re using what’s recommended.

I returned to Bristol yesterday from a very lovely weekend in rural Dorset. My family had a reunion/get together at the beautiful Dove House - a 7 bedroom holiday home complete with an indoor heated pool and games room, situated at the end of a mile long tree-lined drive. I had intended to spend the weekend reading and relaxing - but there was too much to do! And instead discovered a talent for croquet - and an inability to play tennis.

One thing on my weekend to-do list that I did manage to achieve, was a trip into Dorchester to check out Wellworths - the old Woolworths store that has since been taken over by it’s old manager and been brought back to life.

Within minutes of being inside the store’s doors - I was picking up bargains! Palmolive shower gel and Colgate Toothpaste for just £1 each (depsite walking in and saying “what are toiletries doing in a shop like this?”). The gardening section also came in very handy, and I thought each “department” was laid out very clearly and neatly; no amibuity as to where something should be. 

The girl who served us was extremely friendly and the shop was buzzing with customers (as was Dorcester as a whole on that day), so all in all - depsite forgetting to get some Pick ‘n’ Mix - I rate Wellworths very highly and wish them continued success!

Of course, I am a true domestic Godess - always managing to prepare amazing meals and keep the house imaculate whilst running a business. Well - sort of.

But to help me keep things looking amazing and tasting fresh, Tom got me a Nigella Lawson Cake and Cheese Dome in Cream for my birthday (above, £39, John Lewis). Whilst we both like cake stands with added height, like this one from LSA at John Lewis for £24, the dome on this one made it much more practical. And it looks fab!Now I just need to get Tom to make his amazing carrot and ginger cake again… oh, did I say Tom? I meant “I need to make my amazing carrot and ginger cake again… ahem”.

Also available in black.

If you want to give the gift of chocolate this Easter, but don’t want to spend a fortune on a big hollow egg, then why not get creative?

This Easter I bought some friends and family a small glass jar from IKEA for 99p, and filled it with some Cadbury’s Mini Eggs and Aero Eggs.

And to the pub for a girlie-get-together I’m taking an egg box which I recovered with a Happy Easter wraper, full of other individual eggs. An egg for everyone, for just 35p - 40p, imaginatively presented!