Products to make you feel great

I'm often asked why I like beauty products so much.  The very simple answer is that using them makes me feel good.  Sometimes, they even make me look better too, which is always a bonus.  A reader recently asked me to recommend some products that might help her feel better too, so here's a selection of things I like, that I always really enjoy using.

Lipstick.  There is simply nothing better - and easier to use - than a luxurious lipstick in your favourite colour, for cheering you up, the more expensive the better (for me at least!).  Applying lipstick is a ritual, and often one we neglect for a lipgloss, because gloss is quicker and easier, and harder to get wrong.  For me, what never fails is a bright, *bright* colour, or red.  Glorious, vampy red.  Current favourites include Guerlain Rouge G, in pink or red, there's a Lord and Berry red which is glorious, and you can't really go wrong with a Chanel Rouge Coco (I like Cambon, myself) either.

I also find that taking the time to give myself a mini-facial always makes me feel better too.  If my skin is looking good, I will automatically feel better about myself.  For my mini-home facials, I'm a big fan of Origins Modern Friction, it's a self-heating scrub that really leaves your skin soft and glowing after one use.  Then a mask, either something from Clarins, or the great lavender one from Alpha H.

I find that great-smelling products are always good for making you feel better, so I tend to pay more attention to my perfume when I'm feeling a bit down.  I mentioned the other week that I love Guerlain's Herba Fresca, which is a gloriously herbal scent, laden down with calming mint and hay.  But I find anything that has a hint of amber, or powder, can be wonderfully comforting too, scents like Climat by Lancome are great for making you feel like you've had a hug. A wonderful bath oil by Aromatherapy Associates - in Relax Deep - which is redolent of ginger and rosemary with a hint of lavender has been something I've been using as a body oil in the last few weeks to "take the edge off" a bit too.  It's actually a bath/shower oil, but the scent is so divine, I couldn't resist using it on my body too!

But most of all, I find that simply taking a little more time to apply my makeup in the first place can make a huge difference to how I feel before I face the day.  I know that if I've taken all possible care with my application, then I will feel better about how I look, and better about life in general.

Which products make you feel good?