BEAUTY LAID BARÉ

Before, during and after leaving my husband I suffered some horrendous adult acne. My hormones were all out of whack and of course PCOS just loves to get involved and decided to add painful, unpoppable pustules to my face to add insult to injury. I really took my skin for granted until then. I never realised just how disfiguring acne could be in later life. In your teens it's kind of par for the course, everyone gets it, c'est la vie. As a grown up it just makes you feel ugly and unattractive and sad when you catch your reflection in a shop window or car mirror.

In Thailand (we lived there for 5 years before moving back to NZ last year) I saw a dermatologist who prescribed a horrible benzyl peroxide solution. That just destroyed whatever outer layer of skin I had left to leave me a raw faced, spotty mess. In New Zealand I saw Wendy, my former boss lady and all-round beauty queen. She designed the brushes and kits for the Makeup School in Ponsonby and is probably better known for formulating all the Thin Lizzy products Australasia can't get enough of.

She put me onto Baré, a beautiful bespoke facial serum containing the magical Kakadu Plum which has the highest concentration of vitamin C in a plant extract from Aboriginal tribes in Australia. I don't want to get too much into the science of it, you can do your own research but I can tell you about results. It moisturises and resurfaces, it's like a serum and moisturiser and primer all in one. I have the most sensitive skin ever... and my face bloody loves it.

I know you are supposed to layer products on top of it but I almost never do. It's just like this miracle moisturising balancing liquid that fixes my spots when I have them, reverses aging sunspots, shrinks pores, reduces oil, and I literally do not need to use a moisturiser afterwards. It's the perfect base for makeup and the best night cream I have ever laid hands on.

And the smell is heavenly. Like Dior J'adore but it's just pure botanicals, no chemicals. It's so gentle I can get it in my eyes and they wont cry. I love that I can just slather it on (or dab, you really only need a drop or two) and know my skin will self-correct overnight. It ain't cheap but anything good in life rarely is. I'd say it can replace a few items in your cupboard and realistically, what price beauty? www.barealchemy.com