I’ve been there, and it’s beautiful - but your chances of seeing it as it appears in photos like this, without dozens of people on the path with you, are basically zero. (Goddammit.)

I know other people who have done that, for the same reason. Good for you.

I am so sorry. That’s just appalling. Are they still involved in your lives? I do hope not.

A new colleague, who I and my husband (we all work together) are getting on really well with, told us the other day that he hadn’t spoken to his parents (still alive) for 21 years. I didn’t know what to say. As someone in that position, Cats, would you rather friends did or didn’t ask about it? I said that sounded…

Me! Me! I’ve got a worse one! The husband of a good friend (we all thought he was a creep and generally tried to avoid occasions where she’d have to bring him - but you can’t just invite one half of a married couple to your wedding), who got drunk, stuck his hand down my bodice and groped my tit at the reception.

I know a few others have recommended tubing mascaras: they’re really, really worth a shot to see if you get on with them. My favourite’s Deja Vu Fiberwig - it’s Japanese. (I’m part-Chinese, and have the crap-tastic eyelashes that come with SE Asian ancestry.) My favourite is the extra-long version - in the pic below…

I read it too - and I was really struck by how self-reflective and self-critical she was about many of the decisions she made. It came across as a genuine, thoughtful and piece of writing (and as something she needed to do as catharsis), and I don’t think she was fabricating at all.

It doesn’t make a vas deferens to me.

I’m in the same position as you - we’ve been trying for a year or so now. And this stuff terrifies me about having kids of either gender.

I really, really love it. It’s the first foundation in years that I’ve bought again and again and again.

I think you’ve just been terrified by one of California’s Proposition 65 warning labels. They get stuck on EVERYTHING - coffee, computers, cars, saran wrap, elevators - that might contain even the smallest, non-toxic amount of a chemical that’s toxic if you drown a rat in it.

Lisa Eldridge is my spirit animal.

YES YES YES YES YES to the Hada Labo miracle lotion; I use it twice a day and also buy mine at Amazon. A good exfoliator also works wonders; I am currently in love with Ren’s One Minute Flash Facial.

What’s your skin like? Foundations that people recommend you will depend heavily on that - colour, dry/combo/oiliness, age. And what do you want from a foundation? Coverage? Something that’ll last all day? Dewiness? A matte finish?

It’s really not cheap, but I’m a convert; I didn’t buy the natural products (mostly Tammy Fender and May Lindstrom) I own BECAUSE they’re natural, but I find that they do a really spectacularly good job, smell great, are really pleasant to use, last a long time and make me feel happy.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse is wonderful, if you’ve not tried it already - it’s a dry oil which comes as-is, or with gold particles for shimmer. It’s lovely on the body (especially legs) or in the hair. Their Reve de Miel lip balm doesn’t do great things for me, but I’ve friends who swear by it; it comes with pigment too…

Mine is milder than yours, I suspect. DO moisturise: it can help calm things down. I use blotting sheets just before lunchtime, and that deals with any excess oil.

Totally out to lunch. I can’t remember where I was reading it (I wish I could link to it to reassure you), but it’s one of their most popular items and is here to stay - they’ve just launched a mascara in that colour too.

On days when I’m in a hurry, I forget the brows (I have a fringe, so they’re not really visible), use YSL Fusion Ink foundation, a YSL Glossy Stain on my lips, a cream blush (applied with fingers), eyeshadow primer and the taupe from Tom Ford’s Golden Mink eyeshadow palette (I have hundreds of eyeshadows, but that…

I am 40 and only discovered blotting papers last year. Life-changing - no exaggeration.