Let’s talk illness. Because ‘flu’ is such an overused word, isn’t it? Everyone says that they have flu over the Christmas break, but I reckon that only about one tenth of those people actually have proper flu. There’s a modern term for non-flu Flu, of course, and that’s Man Flu. What an excellent term! My Mum even referred to her prolonged cough and cold as Man Flu, which is a sure sign that that particular phrase has become a permanent fixture in the English language.

I’d like to come clean here and say on no uncertain terms that I did not have flu. I had some weird 48 hour bug that was highly unpleasant, but in no way life-threatening. I was uncomfortable and bored, and that was the worst of it. But as this video will demonstrate, I still managed to maintain a beauty regime – and that, Ladies and Gentleman, is what you call a Hardcore Beauty Addict. I cleansed when I could not see, I toned when I could not hear, I spritzed when I could not walk. (I have a horrible feeling that I’ve just desecrated a religious text there and will have to delete that…please do let me know.) When I could barely lift head from pillow, I stretched out a shaking hand and reached for my REN Frankincense night cream, gave my face a mini-massage. Some might say ‘obsessive’ – ‘unhinged’, even. I say forward thinking.

Fast forward three days, and my skin looked quite unscathed. A little pale, but not that weird pasty, greenish, oily disaster that one usually faces after a long stay in bed. I was quite pleased to have made the effort, especially as I had an unexpected casting at the very end of the third day! I had to haul myself up and out with about two hours’ notice; slap on some makeup and speed over to Dalston!

The products that I used are shown in the video below – some of them I had beside the bed already, some I had to send the butler for, all were soothing and effective. Keep a look out for some of these products in upcoming reviews, especially the NUBO cleanser!

Shopping List: Avon Moisture Seduction Lipstick in Soft Pink, £8.50 from end Jan 2011. Naked Skincare Cream Cleanser and Toner, £4.49 each from Naked Online. NUBO Velvet Cleansing Cream, £28 from NUBObeauty. Paracetamol, 40p from Boots. REN Frankincense Night Cream, £30 from LookFantastic. Paul & Joe Beauté Moisturizing Mist, £12 from ASOS. Dermalogica Multivitamin Repair Recovery Mask, RRP £33 – £23 from BeautyFlash. Cosmetics a la Carte Shine Illuminator Primer, £35 – difficult to find on site, here’s the link: http://www.cosmeticsalacarte.com/about/new-products.html