Elle Macpherson Heel Smoother Review

Gone are the days when I could afford either the time or the money to spend my saturday afternoons being pampered at the salon.  These days a pedicure is a very rare experience for me and I try to do my best at home.  This natty little gadget is now part of my pedicure routine - the Elle Macpherson Heel Smoother from Homedics.

Now that the summer is in full swing, I do like to wear sandals and flip flops - even to work so my feet need a bit more maintenance.  This Elle Macpherson Heel Smoother is a little electronic tool which you can use to remove dry skin and buff away dry patches and generally give your feet a bit of a polish.  It comes with two attachments, one to scrub the skin and one to buff it.  The heel smoother is battery powered and when you switch it on the head rotates at speed.

There is no doubt that the Elle Macpherson heel smoother takes some of the effort out of buffing the dry skin from your feet.  It is also a bit tidier because the first stage of skin removal manages to capture some of the yucky bits inside its little void - you need to empty it after use.

I found the buffer head to be just as effective as if I had used a manual buffing tool - it comes with a few replacement pads for when they wear down.  I found the scrubbing head a little disappointing though, especially in comparison to the hand-held dry skin remover that my husband uses.  I was expecting the electronic rotating head to make a really big impact... but it didn't.

The Elle Macpherson heel smoother is a smart little gadget and, when it is housed in its lid and standing upright on my dressing table it fits just right in.

The new Elle Macpherson heel smoother by Homedics costs £19.99 and is available from Argos.

Gwdihw (Goody Hoo) Twinkle Toes Foot Balm Review

Gwdihw (pronounced Goody Hoo) is a welsh brand of skincare balms and remedies that can be found at mypure.co.uk.



Made in northern Wales from locally grown herbs, each balm has a different benefit and use. I chose to try the Twinkle Toes Foot Balm because I know that in the late stages of pregnancy I will be looking for anything I can lay my hands on to relieve my achey swollen feet and offer them that little lift.

The Gwdihw Twinkle Toes Foot Balm is recommended for relief of dry feet - not something I massively suffer with but they do get dry around the edges so I like to give them a nourishing treat occasionally. The balm seemed very hard and took quite a lot of rubbing and warming to become pliable enough to apply easily. The balm is primarily made with beeswax, olive oil and coconut oil but key active ingredients include marigold flowers and lavender essential oils during the infusing process which give the balm a gentle, natural scent.

The balm doesn't have a big impact like some of the salon brands of foot lotion I've tried but it does leave a lasting feeling of relief. One night after work I tried it on one foot only and the difference in feeling between the two feet was really noticeable.. the one on which I had applied the balm felt alive and ready to take on a whole new day. This is good news for those last days of pregnancy! I have yet to notice any improvement in the dry skin around the edges of my feet though.

The Twinkle Toes Foot Balm from Gwdihw costs £4.49. You can find out more about Gwdihw on their own website.

Lara's First Shoes - Another Mummy Milestone

Lara wears... a t-shirt dress by Green Baby

Another milestone in Lara's life. Her first real pair of shoes! Lara has been wearing slip-on shoes for some time now but I decided that now that she has been walking for a few weeks that it was time to get her measured professionally! We chose a quiet weekday afternoon and went to Clarks in Bracknell. The staff were lovely, polite and efficient. The shoes we chose weren't as expensive as I had expected but I won't be buying loads of pairs given that they advise you to come back in 6-8 weeks!

Lara loves shoes. They are one of her most favourite things! She could spend hours playing with shoes. A whole shop full of shoes was like heaven on earth for her! she kept pointing and saying "shoes" and then turning and pointing in a totally different direction and saying "shoes".

Within minutes of wearing her new shoes Lara's walking improved. These new, heavy shoes help her balance and give her confidence.

Lara is a big girl now!