I BOUGHT IT. I TRIED IT. IT WORKS...

I am such an innocent. So naive. There I was reading a blog I've been quite enjoying lately when it struck me. There was a cheery post nestled amongst the rest that was promoting an item so incongruous that I realised: DING! This person is being paid to promote some old shite disguised as something they are personally excited about and interested in sharing. This really bothers me. I don't mind too much if blogs have ads. It's not for me but I wouldn't go as far as labelling this an Ad Free Blog - although I like what Keri Smith does and that owl symbol is kind of cute. With ads you can see there's an ad at the side, and there's the content. Which is separate! Are blogs really going to go the way of many magazines and become thinly disguised advertisements? Does everything have to be stripped of integrity and turned into commerce? This lovely bloggy space isn't about that, that's why I bloody read them! Which is not to say that I don't enjoy blogs where artists or other creative folk show their work which is for sale. That's a different thing entirely. The thing I'm bugged about is the same way I'm bugged because a thirteen year old will go out and buy a lipstick credited in a magazine as the one used on Mischa Barton. When I know full well that the make up artist has used something completely different but needs to namecheck whichever brand she's getting free products from. It makes me CRAYZEE.

I think the reason this niggles me so much is because being something of a professional consumer and shopaholic, I regularly mention products I like. (So A.P.C should be shipping me the entire A/W collection for free just about now?)

Let me solemnly declare that I shall never and have never promoted or recommended anything on this blog that I am not totally into, and if it's a product I have paid for and tried it myself. And IF (wow I'm really ranting) I ever got a freebie in return for a review I would make it totally crystal clear that was the deal. AND what's all this shit about mentioning certain keywords to get more traffic? Seriously. Who does that? I'm sure if I checked my stats quite a few people would've dropped in via Google because I mentioned Charlotte Gainsbourg the other day. I mentioned her because I am kind of excited about her new film and album. If I wanted to do that I would talk about the "sexy housewife" look a whole lot more.

So, Bliss Steep Clean. I bought it, I tried it. It works.
When the weather was hot and sticky I'd come home feeling like city grime had somehow worked its way into my skin. No amount of cleansing or exfoliating helped. So I decided to have a 'Steep Clean' treatment at Bliss Spa. Having steep in the name should serve as a warning because it costs ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY BRITISH POUNDS. It's one of the most expensive treatments they offer. It's their 'problem skin' treatment and I'm sure they know that people with problem skin will do anything to make it better. That's the only possible reason I can think of for the price being so high. So if you have one make sure you fill the pockets of your robe with the cupcakes Bliss provides in the groovy chill out area, (where they play SATC on a loop) and drink as many smoothies as you can stomach. Maybe even pilfer the robe?

I settled for buying the Steep Clean at home treatment instead which comes in at a slightly more reasonable £32. It's in a tube and it comes out stripy blue and yellow like toothpaste. You have to rub it together in the palm of your hand until it goes uniformly green to (here's the science bit) activate the enzymes. It smells pleasingly of papaya and pineapple but doesn't appear to actually contain any. You massage it into your face and leave it for 15 minutes before wiping it off with a warm cloth. You're supposed to use it no more than once a week and I've used it four or five times so far. And you know what? It works. My skin looks brighter and clearer, more fine textured. It's a MIRACLE. No, it's not that amazing but it has evicted the stubborn grime from my pores. Oops, there's the doorbell - it must be FedEx with my two year supply of Bliss products.