Blown away? Lee Stafford Blow Dry Your Hair Faster Spray

I can’t imagine I need much explanation of what this product does as it’s all there for you in the name.

But does it work? Well, the jury’s out for me. 

The idea is you spray it onto towel dried hair and then let it work its magic, styling as normal. It did seem to dry much quicker when I allowed my hair to dry naturally but when I used a hair dryer, well, I can’t say it made that much difference to the time I took. So the bottle’s claim I could stay in bed longer was sadly false.

However, this baby does some other quite impressive things that help it work its way back into my good books.

First of all it detangles – a Godsend for people like me whose hair only has to be away from a brush for a matter of seconds before knotting up. The other bonus is that the spray has a heat protection agent that stops damage to hair and prevents it going all static. 

If I condition then there’s nothing but well behaved hair; if I don’t condition then I can spritz a bit more on after I’ve dried and it’s instantly calmed. 

I wouldn’t say this was a must-have produce, but it certainly makes life a little easier, and I’m pro anything that says it will protect my locks from the dreaded daily heat abuse of hairdryers and tongs.

Milton Jones: Lion Whisperer, The New Alexander Theatre, Birmingham

“I get paid to look stupid, so you can see how I’m winning.” Milton Jones’ response to a heckler who dared to criticise his sartorial choices. For the record I liked the shirt, but the incident did provide an answer to how this master of one-liners would deal with hecklers – by batting them back down with a witty retort, just as any other comedian.

Apart from his heckler combating skills, Jones – probably best known as a panellist on Mock The Week and from his Radio 4 show – is not like many other comedians and his act is all the more entertaining for that. A master of wordplay his gags can conjure up an image in just a few sentences; his counterparts would have a whole skit building up to one of his punch lines. 

When it comes to the gag count you certainly get your money’s worth, not only with the sheer volume of quips but also the quality of the writing. There may be puns but they are on such a level that you’d never groan, only laugh and clap in admiration wishing you’d thought of it yourself. 

Leave behind your fears you would have to sit through a barrage of gags with one-liners being relentlessly fired at you as Jones has a number of devices up his sleeves (including an appearance from one of his many grandfathers) to keep his routine fresh. 

Undeniably, Jones is one of the most inventive comedians around and with admirable support from newcomer James Acaster this tour is one to catch if you get a chance.

Ace of Base: Revlon ColorStay

Foundation may seem boring when compared with all the show stealers –  glitter eyeliners and shadows, colour pop lip sticks and bright nail paints –  but getting the right shade and type of foundation for your skin will give your look a certain polish.

I can accept that but show me where, as a ‘pale and interesting’ girl, I can get said correct shade. All too often make-up manufacturers seem to think if you’re a little pale you want to warm up your skin by adding orange tones to your base. We don’t. Sure, we love a bit of colour, but we’re not Jordan – orange foundation is never going to be a good look.

At the opposite end of the scale are the manufacturers who seem to think we have pink skin. Maybe after spending a little too long in the sun without protection but otherwise, no.

So when I read about Revlon ColourStay online I had to head down to Boots to give it a go. ColorStay has loads of different shades of foundation that is bound to suit most people. It even goes to the other end of the spectrum by having a range of shades for ladies with darker skin.

The great thing is that there are two formulas too – one for oily/combination skin and one for dry skin, so never again will you find the shade you want in a formula you don’t. It also has SPF 6, which isn’t great to be honest, but it’s better than nothing I suppose. Maybe if Revlon could work on getting it to at least SPF 15? Pretty please?

Anyhow, I really did like this foundation. It gave really good coverage for those hangover/ spotty/ general frightening face days and it really did last. Many foundations I use disappear along with my powder by lunch time, but this one was still there at night.  It didn’t go all patchy on my face either.

The one downside is that there is no pump on the bottle. You have to pour it out on to a foundation brush, sponge or your hand and as it’s quite a thick formula it can take some time.

Revlon ColorStay

I found the best way to apply was using my fingers as it does dry quickly. If I used a brush it sometimes left brushstrokes on my face. Use the sponge and again you could see the marks; I looked like a designer from 90s decorating show Changing Rooms had rag rolled my face.

It’s priced at around £13 (depending on offers) which isn’t too bad as you can make it last a few months. I’d definitely use it again.

Crunchy brunchy: Rumblers oat clusters and yoghurt

It’s another foodie delight today as I’ve just discovered these handy little tubs. I have to eat breakfast but some mornings I just don’t feel like eating it straight away, yet that leaves me with no time to actually eat it until I get to work.

Then there's the second problem of having something portable to take to the office. I can’t really take cereal and milk, especially as my office milk police will hound anyone that uses the milk for anything other than splashing into a hot drink. 

Usually I’ll take a bagel but when I stumbled across the Rumblers on a trip to the supermarket I was happy to find something a little different to add to my breakfast repertoire. It was only a pound too.

Once you peel off the wrapper there are two compartments; one with granola style oaty mix (and a foldable spoon hidden away) and the other with a foil-topped tub of nice runny yoghurt.

I, for one, was glad of the runniness. I often read magazines that suggest I have a yogurt poured over cereal but, to be honest, you can’t really do that with normal pots of yoghurts. They just don’t make the cereal soggy enough. Well, you can breathe a sigh of relief that this does the job perfectly.

There were little curls of chocolate in too which some British folk may turn their noses up at, but as a fan of continental breakfasts I was very pleased. Luckily it’s just a small amount so I don’t think your blood sugar will be sky rocketing. It had a delicious vanilla flavour that tasted suitably fresh for the morning.

If I wanted to be picky I could quibble with the fold up spoon. I mean, the handle was covered in melted chocolate curls making the meal a bit messy, and it was also prone to folding itself back up, but they are only minor points. On taste I’d give it a nine out of ten.

The best, most important, thing? It kept me full until lunch time with no need for a sneaky snack. Yes I could hold on to one of the Graze box punnets for another day.

Picky eating: Graze Box

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been trying to up my game when it comes to eating healthily. I’m not the sort of girl who can push a salad around my plate then claim I’m full; I need three square meals a day, plus snacks. It’s the snacks that are often my downfall, especially at work when the vending machine is calling.

So when a colleague of mine started getting Graze boxes delivered to work I was intrigued. Turns out this company will send you boxes of four healthy snacks – including nuts and seeds, dried fruits, crackers, breads, olives, dips and even a bit of chocolate. You can have the boxes delivered as often or as little as you like and you can go online to rate the snacks they send, so if you get dried apricots through the post (blergh) then you can bin them to ensure they never darken your door again.

I have to say I have been enjoying them and the free time I get from no longer having to plan snacks to take to work with me. The boxes are a bit expensive (£3.49 for four tubs, free delivery) but when you think of the cost of a bag of nuts or fruit in the supermarket it doesn’t seem that bad and they do get bonus points for making things more convenient for me. I’m a bit of a cheapskate so

It’s only been two weeks of my five week trial but so far my favourite has been a punnet of olives and one they call Jaffa Cake, which has four whole buttons of dark chocolate in amongst orange sultanas and hazelnuts. Each of the snacks I’ve had are less than 200 calories, although most are around the 120 calorie mark.

I’m going to keep up with my self-imposed trial and see how I go from there, but I’ve resisted the dreaded vending machine and feel better for eating less junk food.