And I said, 'In these shoes? I don't think so!'

Ah, Monday. That special day that spells the end of lazy afternoons in the sun and hits you right between the eyes at 8am on a crowded train and screams: you've got five whole days of this! Needless to say, I am not Monday's greatest fan, and today has been no exception.

Never one to let things get me down, Monday becomes a day for one things: treats. Today I had not one, but two lunches - I was hungry and Eat had my favourite chicken noodle soup! It also means beauty shopping, and so after work, I popped into Boots and picked up a few 'essentials'. Hey, they count as essentials if they keep me chirpy! Say 'hello' to this evening's purchases...


From left to right, we've got Ms Pedicure Stand Alone Toes, The Santuary Luxury Foot Polish, Vichy's Purete Thermale 3 in 1 Cleanser, The Sanctuary Moisture Rich Foot Butter, Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara, Aussie Take The Heat heat protectant spray, and No 17 Watershine Lipstick in Flirtini. Just a little shopping...

Here's the lowdown so far:

Vichy Purete Thermale

Vichy, like the other French 'laboratoire' skincare brands, has always struck me as a product for 'grown ups'. At 27, I believe I have fallen into this category for some years, but only today have I taken the plunge. I spent about half an hour mulling over whether to buy this or the new Boots Aqua range, but given that the latter caters for dry, oily/combination or sensitive (nothing for 'normal' skin) I was a little apprehensive so opted for Vichy. I've been in and out of a cleansing routine for a while and was attracted by the simplicity of this product, and on first use, I'm very impressed.

The product is a lovely, light, milky texture and removes make up (even tough eye make up) in a few sweeps. I was amazed at how much of my make up came off, and how quickly. Given that the product claims to cleanse and tone, I was a little concerned that it may be too creamy or too astringent, but nope, it struck the perfect balance. Plus, a little goes a long way, which is what you want to hear when spending £10 on a cleanser. Overall, I'm really happy with this purchase.

Sanctuary Foot Products

The Sanctuary have done a bit of rebranding, and the range is now all eye-catching colours with words like 'essential' and 'secret' thrown in to lure the buyer. The Foot range is entirely new, and packaged in the obligatory light turquoise tubs. There must be some subliminal link when it comes to consumers, feet and turquoise: I imagine we're meant to think of the sea or something cool. I just want nice, soft feet!

I have a pedicure every month and try my best to maintain a routine at home. However, 15 minutes hunched over with a foot scrubber is not my idea of heaven. These tea tree and lavender scented products, however, are. Firstly, the smell is gorgeous, and the products themselves are of a high quality. The particles in the scrub are quite big, meaning that you can really get some good exfoliation going on, and it's rich enough that the whole lot doesn't just slip off your hands and down the drain. The butter is the same scent and very similar to their body souffle in texture. I don't think you can go wrong with The Sanctuary, and these products have definitely brought my shopped-out feet back to life.

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara

So, you may remember a certain someone (me) saying that she would definitely repurchase a certain mascara (Maybelline The Falsies) and it was all going so well. It was in my basket at Boots, and then a question popped into my head: in all my years of hunting for the perfect mascara, did I think I'd found it in the Maybelline product, and could I commit myself fully to it? Of course, the answer was no, and tempted at the prospect of even longer lashes, I tossed it aside and bought this insteas. I love it! Yeah, so it's not that different to Maybelline, but that's no bad thing. If there's one thing this girl can say, it's that I will never let a product go untested!

Hope your Monday has been kind to you!