With the recent sunny days that have been with us, my thoughts have turned to the coming summer and how to protect my face.

In winter I get by with my SPF 4 regular moisturiser from Lidl, but once the sun appears, I'm into total sunblock territory. With my Irish and Scottish heritage and a tendency to go simply red and then white again, I've been maxing out on sunblock all my life. Nicole Kidman, eat your heart out.

Last year, when I went to the chemist looking frankly ruddy with the change of season (if it's spring, it must be eczema...), I asked what SPF the pharmacist recommended. "With your skin, maximum," she said bluntly. 

Maximum for the face turned out to be this cream from Avene, and luckily it is lovely to wear - it feels exactly like a moisturiser and isn't white or sticky. Mostly I wear it alone, reapplying as the day goes on. It makes a serious change from the zinc-based creams I've had to use in the past. 

The SPF, as you can see, is 50+, which ought to be more than enough. Higher SPFs do exist for the body, but they're usually blue in colour and leave you quite shiny. This cream is just fine for everyday use and since I just cut the tube open to get the last of it out, I know I'll be back down the chemist's again soon. 

I have to admit I rather enjoyed this book.

Twiggy has been a fashion icon for longer than many of us have been on the planet and for a 59-year-old, she certainly doesn't look about to pick up her bus pass any time soon. 

Her take on fashion and beauty is very refreshing and down to earth. Full of anecdotes, this book makes it perfectly clear that she doesn't believe in plastic surgery, isn't about to head down the Botox route, will wear her peasant skirts until the day she dies and is addicted to cowboy boots. She also cheerfully admits that when at home she schlepps around in tracksuits and Uggs as she can't be arsed to dress up all the time, and that she hangs onto fashion items in the hope they'll come round again. 

Twiggy is looking fab for her age, but I think it's more of an attitude to life and a degree of scepticism about fashion than that she's overendowed with gifts that the rest of us don't have. She was always an editorial rather than a catwalk model - her 5'6" frame being too short for runway work. Nor is she the waif of yesteryear - over time, she's remained slim but she's certainly filled out in a womanly fashion. Without her makeup, in fact, I was struck by how remarkably she looks like my sister, who is about the same age. 

The book itself isn't a how-to book. If you want advice on dressing for your particular shape or colouring, this isn't the book for you. It's more one woman's take on fashion and beauty, and what has worked for her. This, along with its very nice production design (good paper stock, a wealth of illustration and photography) makes it a nice gift for someone rather than a must-have for your fashion library. 

Nevertheless it is useful. Particularly so for a UK reader, as it has comprehensive listings of boutiques that stock clothes for grown-up girls, including a regional guide. Each section also has suggestions for products you might like to try, in three price bands: luxury, medium and budget (I am SO in the budget range I'm almost off the scale). 

The book is rather strangely constructed and it took me a couple of readings to get my head around it. It starts at the top down, with the face and hair, then works its way down the body to feet and toes, but these chapters are interspersed with a number of fashion chapters, covering areas such as Dressing Up, Style Icon and Dressing for Day. This can make it a bit difficult to go back and find things (for instance, the chapter on Jeans is under 'Bums and Hips' while the chapter on Trousers is under 'Legs', but if, for instance, your main issue is your waist, you turn to the relevant chapter and you'll find everything you need from skincare to dressing for disguise, all covered under one heading.

Among the fashion tips I found the most useful were:

* If you're getting too old for mini skirts, reference the look with a long tunic over jeans. This gives you the same outline with more coverage. 

* When packing for holidays, take two sarongs - one little one to cover your hips and bottom over a swimsuit, and a big blanket-size one to lie on and to use as a modesty wrap. 

* On holiday, three kaftans are useful: one bottom-length to pop over a swimsuit, one knee-length for lunch and to go over jeans, and one ankle-length for evening, especially if your skin is burned. 

* For a weekend away, limit yourself to ten things - it forces you to be disciplined. 

* You can check out the cruelty-free credentials of your makeup at www.leapingbunny.org.

* Juicy Couture maternity t-shirts have extra length, and high armholes that enable you to wear a structured bra underneath. 

* Maternity jeans are very comfy if you carry weight on your tummy, or have had a C-section. 

* A super-thin long-sleeved t-shirt can be worn as a layer under something skimpier (I'm so annoyed I never thought of this - I've had endless trouble finding summer Ts thick enough to wear...)

* Button-front grandad (Henley) t-shirts tend to give you more fabric around your middle, if you're thicker in this area. 

Overall, a very nice read and probably a book I'll enjoy dipping into again. 

Twiggy - A Guide to Looking and Feeling Fabulous Over Forty is available from the Second Cherry Bookshop.

One thing I don't think I've mentioned on this blog is that I have acid reflux.

It began quite suddenly, and has been exacerbated by a car crash I suffered in April 2007 - the pulling of the seat belt across my chest has caused some sort of damage. 

My reflux was at its worst at night and would routinely wake me with a choking, burning sensation. Afterwards, I'd be in pain for hours right across my chest and stomach where I'd been burned by the acid - the pain was so bad that I saw my doctor because I thought I might be having a heart attack. 

Anyway, once diagnosed, I quickly got online to see what I could find, and as well as altering my diet to remove acid foods, changing the times at which I eat, etc, I also ordered this prop-up pillow. 

It is a godsend. Prior to getting it I'd already chocked up the legs at the head of my bed, but my husband found anything above six inches made him start to slide downwards, so that was our upper limit. 

I'd also cobbled together a wedge pillow from one designed to prop up your legs, but it wasn't really high enough (you can't relieve reflux simply with extra 'standard' pillows because they bend you over, rather than supporting your whole upper body at the correct angle). 

This memory foam prop-up pillow is a different kettle of fish, as it is truly enormous, with a very high wedge of about eight inches, and allows you to sleep comfortably on your back with both arms and your whole upper body supported, right down to your hips. Personally, I find it more diffiult to lie on my side using the pillow, though I can turn on my right side for short periods. The lumbar rest is also great, though I don't need the neck rest as I use an ergonomic cervical support pillow on top of the wedge pillow. 

This pillow is not cheap - in fact, it's about the most expensive prop-up pillow out there - but I was convinced by the fact that it was designed by a reflux sufferer and by the testimonials on the site. I've been glad I spent the extra money. In paticular, the memory foam section, which is spliced in a layer on top of higher-density foam, makes the pillow very comfortable indeed. Buying the correct pillow cases was also a good move, as they fit snugly and don't crease.

For anyone troubled by reflux at night, this pillow works wonders and I highly recommend it. Other users also recommend it for sinus problems, snoring and sleep apnea. 

The Prop-up Pillow costs from $144.99 from www.propuppillow.com

It might seem odd to review a book that was published 25 years ago and has long been out of print, but out of the hundreds of books in my fashion library, this is the one that I've always found the most useful.

The edition I'm talking about is the 1983 publication by Kate Hogg. It's been out of print so long that I can't even show you a photograph of the cover, but be quite clear - what you want to avoid is the later edition by Rosie Martin and Linda Watson, which is very disappointing in comparison. 

For those who don't know, More Dash Than Cash was (maybe still is, I wouldn't know) UK Vogue's page for the budget fashionista, and something I used to read avidly when I was a teenager with champagne tastes and a beer income (nothing new there then).

The photographs may be laughably out of date, and some of the accepted wisdom is passe (in 1983 it was still rather outre to wear tweeds in the city), but the majority of the advice remains copper-bottomed today: grooming is more important than your clothes; a small, flexible wardrobe of good quality items is what you should aim for; wearing something different every day is not a sign of being well-dressed.

Dating from the days when most women owned one - perhaps two - handbags and no-one had ever heard of Paris Hilton, it assumes you don't have much money but are amply supplied with enthusiasm and are willing to put some time and effort into your appearance.

It covers how to develop an individual style; wardrobe tactics; what makes a classic garment (an invaluable chapter); outside inspirations; alternative fashion; how to read a fashion photograph; health and exercise and finishes with a fun chapter on 'fashion characters' (I seem to be a classic with a touch of 'executive dresser'...). In the course of the different chapters, it covers subjects such as how to maintain and care for your garments; shopping logic; what to look for in a coat or jacket; and colour planning.

Some phrases bear quoting: "Making the effort to look striking costs very little - a fresh attitude and energy are more vital than money", "there is no point in trying to live up to certain financial standards if you cannot afford to carry them through without a deprived struggle," "choose clothes that fit your lifestyle," "there are advantages in a small budget - it forces you to be disciplined, to think hard about how much you really want to buy," "treat everything you own as if it cost five times the price," etc etc. Over the years, many of the sentences in this book became my fashion mantras and they have never let me down.

It does fall short in certain areas. It's not good on vintage, which it has something of a downer on, and some of the advice on alternative sources won't work for a woman over 40 - we're hardly likely to dress up boys' school uniforms or girl guide outfits at our age, are we? Though heading for the ships' chandler's is still a good move. But for a wealth of seriously useful fashion advice, you really can't beat this book. Buy it if you possibly can.

I'm quite a big fan of Yves Rocher, partly because it once seemed so exclusive shopping in London in St Christopher's Place, and of course it tries hard to be natural and eco-friendly - but also because my local shop are so sweet when it comes to wrapping everything beautifully.

This eyeshadow duo is worth its weight in gold and I wear it a lot. I like products where you get two for the price of one, and the mixture of dark brown with a light bronze is a good duo once you hit 40 and need to start basing your eyeshadow on neutrals. It claims to last for eight hours and in fact I've found it great for all-day wear.

Liquid shadows are useful on an ageing eye because they stop you from looking chalky. Just a quick dot is all you need, then spread it around with your fingers to get the shade and density you need. Work quickly before it dries, or if you can't, use a dot of eye cream first.

You need hardly any of the darker colour in this duo - it's darker than you think - and Yves Rocher themselves recommend that you first apply the lighter colour over the whole eyelid, then a layer of the darker colour just on the outside corner of the eye.

Couleurs Nature long-lasting eyeshadow duo in Smoky Dawn. £4.95 from Yves Rocher.