Chocolate eggs and the amused moose

The chocolate-fest that is Easter prompted us to muse upon the link between food and skin. Does eating chocolate lead to acne and does drinking gallons of water improve your skin?

Do a Google search and you will probably end up even more confused due to all the conflicting advice. Dermatologists and other skin experts seem convinced there is no link and that it is hormones, stress, genetics etc that are the main determining factors. Beauticians, nutritionists and other therapists will tell you eat healthily and drink lots of water and your skin will glow.

All of us know people who eat absolute rubbish and drink gallons of unhealthy, sugary drinks yet have lovely skin. Likewise, there are those of us who do all we can to avoid the 'bad' things but still have spots and blemishes. The truth is a healthy diet and keeping hydrated is certainly a good thing - it cannot but improve the way you feel and will give your skin, hair and nails the best chance. However, if you are prone to problem skin, food and water alone are not going to solve the issue. Happily, most skin problems do resolve themselves or, where they persist, skin specialists can advise on a suitable course of action.

What most skin experts - dermatologists or other therapists - will say is: be scrupulous in your skincare routine and your personal hygiene. Just as you should eat well to give your skin the best chance, so you should ensure your skin is kept clean and moisturised.

The good news is that you probably don't need to give yourself a hard time after all that weekend chocolate eating - in terms of your skin that is! The thing is not to make a habit of it. Everything, as they say, in moderation....

There was drama this week in East Grinstead, the West Sussex town where Queen Cosmetics is based. As I went to get on the train to London yesterday, I found the station booking office closed off by blue and white striped police tape and a crowd of fed-up commuters standing outside. Around 20 police officers were there so I thought it must be something serious. According to rumours in the crowd, a big, black man in a tracksuit had been arrested for menacing passengers with a gun and the police were searching the train and surrounding area for the weapon. Later, when we were finally allowed to get on the train, I heard a fellow passenger on her mobile telling someone about the incident. She had been sitting opposite the arrested man and the truth was a far cry from other reports I'd heard. According to her, he was a normal-sized, young, white man with no obvious weapon but who had been muttering about having ADHD. I look forward to reading the whole - and real - story when the local paper is published next week!

Continuing our infiltration of the theatre world, this week at my regular stint at John Bell & Croyden in London's Wigmore Street I met a very charming lady called Hils Jago. She is a comedy producer and owner of the Amused Moose comedy clubs in London. We had a very enjoyable chat about her business and, having listened very kindly to my spiel about Queen and our products (particularly our Theatrical Cleansing Cream which is fabulous for removing stage make-up), she said she would keep an eye out for someone famous who could promote our products! We keep our fingers crossed.

I also spent some time chatting to two beauty therapists, one of whom works in London and one in Nigeria. Both said they often had clients with very sensitive skin. They were very interested in trying the Queen range as they said they did struggle to find beauty and skin care products which were suitable for these women. As well as accepting our free samples, they also bought a few items which was very gratifying! All in all, it was a pretty busy day and sales of Queen products are continuing to grow following our sales efforts and sampling at the store.

Well, with Spring hopefully on the horizon (don't forget the clocks go forward this weekend), it's time to build up stocks of our fabulous Enriched Moisturising Lotion and of our trusty favourite Skin Cream. Both of these lovely, rich products will transform dry, sensitive skin to supple, healthy skin in time for the big summer reveal. Check our website http://www.queen-cosmetics.com/ for special discounts.

We hope you have a good weekend and come back soon.