Well yes I know I don't have a bigger bust but I do love flattering bikinis and swimwear and I love the cup sized swimwear options from Fantasie.  I also love encouraging other women over 50 to embrace confidence and wear beautiful lingerie, swimsuits or bikinis.  But as we are all mostly having a UK staycation this year, we may be feeling like we don't need new swimwear, but ...  we still want to feel fabulous and embrace our inner confidence, and you never know, we might be lucky and have a heatwave summer!

I am sharing two lovely swimwear styles from Fantasie, the Fiji bikini was a previous gift and the Burano deep plunge swimsuit was gifted to me recently.  Fantasie offer a vast range of comfortable and supportive cup sized swimwear with lots of different shapes, styles and coverage options, you can mix and match their bikini tops and bottoms to find the right combination for you.

This blog post contains gifted items.

What is a staycation!?  It is a holiday spent in one's own country rather than abroad or one spent at home involving day trips!  Mmm when my children were younger we often used to stay at home and have outings and we loved a traditional 'bucket and spade' holiday in the UK - especially to Devon or Dorset.  For a while we had a lovely big touring caravan which both children adored and although it was hard work for me, I agree it was a fantastic way to holiday with young children.  But I didn't expect in 2020 and 2021 to have no alternative but to 'staycation' .... I wouldn't say I am a big fan of travelling but I like to have the choice and as my children have got older I have enjoyed guaranteed sun and sun-loungers even more!  But here we are with the the UK government and governments around the world still restricting our travel (remind me what the vaccine is for if it isn't to save lives, reduce serious illness and open up the world economy and allow travel again)?

But it is what it is and nothing I can do!  I am very fortunate to have booked a week in Cornwall at a friends apartment overlooking the sea near Portwrinkle.  It was a spontaneous decision months ago, she said she had slots available still and I decided it was best not to hesitate!  

When I was asked if I would like to try out a new cooling pillow and a mulberry silk pillowcase from The Fine Bedding Company, I was really keen!  One of my most popular blog posts is about choosing the best duvet for menopause where I recommend swapping to a wool duvet!  So clearly menopausal night sweats and hot flushes are a big challenge for many of my readers.  But what are the benefits of a silk pillowcase?  And what is a cooling pillow!?

The Fine Bedding Company sent me their Smart Temperature Pillow with Activated Cooling Technology and their 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcase.  There are other products in the temperature controlling range too, pillow protectors and mattress protectors as well as a duvet.

We all know the importance of wearing a sunscreen if we are out in the sun or sunbathing, gone are the days of laying in the sun and actually wanting to burn!  Gosh how naive we were in our teens!  But do we really understand why and what all the different sun protection options mean?  I love a tan but there is a big difference between looking sun-kissed with a healthy glow and having sun damage - and a tan is sun damage.  Being outside in the sun is so good for us - do not under estimate the benefits of Vitamin D on our general well-being, immune system, mental health and bone, muscle and heart health.  BUT the safest way to get a tan is slowly and through sunscreen!  And that is why a facial SPF for the sensitive skin on our face is non-negotiable.  Wear it every day, summer and winter.

But most of us want to wear make-up and slathering any old sunscreen onto our face doesn't quite cut it!  So I asked ERA Skin & Laser Clinic in Thame to explain to me what it is all about and how to choose an excellent all year round facial SPF that gives us the protection we need and works well under or instead of make-up.

​ERA Skin & Laser Clinic in Thame is owned by Emma Rothery and Emma got in touch with me to ask if I would like to come along to the clinic to try out a course of hyrdafacials and learn about the latest in skincare, how to look after my skin in midlife and share this knowledge on my blog.