Most of November has been about Lockdown Lite or Lockdown V2.0 and hasn't it felt different to the original version?!  With more shops open (due to being classified as 'essential') and it only being four weeks but also as it is winter and cold, no sitting outside, or enjoying the spring flowers in the woods.  Plus, my son has left home and my daughter is still away at uni - I have a quiet house!  I have not made banana bread, filled the freezer, done any extra cleaning or queued outside a supermarket.  Life almost feels normal - I say almost, there is nothing normal about 2020.  After I wrote this intro we then got our tiers announced.  Oh dear.  Is this actually just Lockdown V2.5?  

In the spring I really enjoyed dressing up and posting on Instagram, even if I wasn't going anywhere, it isn't so much fun when I can't wear a summer dress!  Most of November has seen me wearing jeans or leggings and warm knitwear.

Anyway here is a little round up of what I have been doing to 'be fifty and fab' this month.  I am also sharing some useful info - a menopause survey which I'd love you to help with and an interactive activity to help improve our understanding of food product labelling and your input will give better guidance to food regulators!

Have you ever used an essential oils diffuser in your home?  They have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and especially as they are completely natural.  I love using aromatherapy for the relaxing scents and therapeutic benefits.  I have a small aroma diffuser I use in my bedroom but I don't bother with moving it downstairs.  So when Smellacloud got in touch to ask if I would like to try one of their diffusers and choose some essential oils, I was delighted to have a second one for my kitchen and conservatory area or I might use it more in my study.

An aroma diffuser uses the essence of natural oils to release a relaxing scent into your home.  You can choose a specific oil or blend oils to create your perfect scent to uplift, invigorate, sooth or calm ... whatever you need.  A diffuser will release the aroma of the essential oil into the air to be inhaled and easily absorbed by the body.

And evaporating essential oils is an easy way to remove unwanted smells from the kitchen.  Chemical-free with a pleasant scent that will purify as well as help kill bacteria and fungus.  Also a lovely way to create an ambience to suit the season, choose cinnamon, sweet orange, frankincense and myrrh or nutmeg for the approaching Christmas holidays.

Are you struggling with Christmas gift ideas this year, I don't know about you but I am not sure I'm feeling very Christmassy yet, we are all waiting to find out what we are allowed to do or not do.  I very much doubt I will be dressing up much for Christmas 2020!  But the downtime has given me an opportunity to look at some unique gift ideas and share a few suggestions with you on this blog post.  I am again focussing on 'collect memories, not things' with ideas for uncluttered gifting.

I have combined three important factors in my selection - 'make memories' by gifting a day out or an experience, items that can be 'used or consumed' in a short timeframe or if not I have made sure they have 'ethical and sustainable credentials'.  And most of these gifts are adaptable for teens, midlifers, grandparents, male, female, mum or dad .... 

I have been meaning to write this post for months!!  I took a look at Tropic Skincare quite a few years ago, really liked it but didn't keep using it (I will explain why further on).  And in the couple of years I have been visiting Wendy at The Wendy House, I have been meaning to try it again - Wendy is a Tropic Ambassador!  And during Lockdown1 I was able to do just that with a personal gift* from Wendy of the Skin Discovery Kit.  But I have used Liz Earle forever.  I started using Liz Earle when it really was just Liz and her iconic Cleanse and Polish started winning every award going.  But I do remember Susie Ma (founder of Tropic Skincare) on The Apprentice in 2011 and I saw her at one of the home shows in the early days of Tropic.

Then last week I had a back massage and facial (using Tropic products) at No 21 Beauty Within and it gave me the extra push I needed to write this post.  I've done a Liz Earle vs Tropic comparison review as it seems they do directly compete and often someone might do as I have, swap from Liz Earle to Tropic, or be looking at doing so.