Dolly’s time-honoured beauty secrets from far flung places all have one thing in common and the big secret reveal of the day will be no surprise to anyone who grew up with a pee chart in the bathroom: surely the design inspiration for the cornucopia of colour charts of shaggy dog fame? Eight for eight? Don’t be a drip, take a sip? See where I’m going with this?

Dolly’s mantra: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

 Water flushes those toxic toxins out and keeps our pesky pores clean and clear for a blemish free skin. That youthful elasticity we covet is down to multiple factors, moisture retention being right up there but like so much of day to day life our skin has to work harder and harder as we age. Who knew that collagen production starts to slow down at 25! Yes, 25!! I didn't even know what that was when I was that age. But how clever is our skin? Sensing the onset of dehydration, it retains every bit of moisture it can but can’t quite go the distance so just creates that dreaded puffiness rather than the perfect, plump, velvety smooth finish with a glistening glow. Yes, maybe it is a smug glow but I’ll take it!

‘Without water there is no life’. We are two thirds water. Our blood is 90% water. 70% of earth is water.  It is no wonder it has been the symbol of life across cultures, mythology, religion and the ancient world. For Native Americans in those harsh, arid landscapes it was literally life. Parts of Christianity focus on the Holy Spirit being the water of life. For many who are baptized water is the metaphor for purification, rebirth, renewal or perhaps even transformation. For the Ancient Greeks it represented Metamorphosis, taking on the shape of anything it filled, changing from liquid to solid, liquid to vapour and of course, back again, concepts I seem to remember learning about at school in physics. Never was it related to All Natural All Vegan and All Awesome beauty products though or I would have mastered it in an instant. If you look on selling sites right now you can even buy bottled ‘holy’ water from Lourdes, or Tiacote in Mexico, or any number of Springs whose water is purported to have actual healing powers. Some may mock the concept but over the centuries many would argue it has been comforting, providing hope where there might have been none.  

But it has a dark side too: Neptune, the Roman God of Water and Poseidon Greek God of the Sea, both capable of whipping up a storm of devastation and destruction. Mermaids luring seafarers to their deaths. The biggest area of earth yet to be explored is deep underwater. Little is known about what lies in the unknown depths of the oceans and even lakes. Many still believe that the eponymous Loch Ness Monster has remained undetected living in this undiscovered world.

 For Dolly, the big discovery, the holy grail of skincare is keeping in the moisture we put in our bodies. We want plump not puffy skin so Dolly’s hydration hero is Hyaluronic Acid. Can you believe it holds an extraordinary 1000 times it’s weight in water within the cells of the skin. No bat signal required, our dream duo from The Idanea Ever Young Skin Collection and the cornerstone of many of Dolly’s Absolute Favourite Gift Collections is packed to the rafters with it, ready to boost this naturally occurring humectant. Cleanse with our Marvellous Multipurpose Mirabelia Face Balm, polish with our Exquisite Exfoliator Luscious Lazuli to leave your skin with a vibrant vitality, finish using our face balm once more but this time to moisturise. 

Secrets are sometimes meant to be shared. 

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Oh and hydrate again!