limey

The summer I was 12, I went to my first summer-long sleep away camp: Camp Birchwood, of West Goshen, Connecticutt, with my good friend Linda, who to this day is one of my closest friends. I can remember exactly what I wore to Grand Central Station, where my parents took my sister and I, to take the train with our new bunk mates. It was a very bright green, very sharp looking culotte dress - like one of those rompers, but not frilly. It had a really neat geometric check on it. I've got a phone somewhere - I promise I'll show you when I find it - with my camp counsellor, Patti, who was just the most beautiful 16 year old I had ever seen in real life. She had a blonde bob with streaks. She had a great figure and a boyfriend and she promised my parents she'd take good care of their daughter.



The first night, she and the other counsellors thought it would be fun to do every prank on us that we could ever consider, just got get it out the way and we'd know how cool they were. So they did the old trick where you put shaving cream on the palm of a sleeping person (me) and tickle their nose and they're meant to scratch their face, and get shaving cream all over them.

Except: I didn't wake up. I just mashed the shaving cream into my face, clogging my mouth and nose, and continued to sleep. And dream. I dreamt I was trapped in the shower - which I had already seen, and it was pretty scary, a white metal contraption that looked like a refrigerator - and that I was being suffocated by lime. When I did eventually wake up - they were shaking me and poking me - I was surrounded by the faces of my friend, my new bunk mates, my beautiful counsellor Patti and the other counsellors, laughing their heads off. They were ready to call 911, as they couldn't tell if I was breathing.

Turns out the shaving cream was lime scented, and I didn't even touch lime lifesavers after that.

Now of course, I love lime. I am lime obsessed. I always have several fresh limes at home, I ask for wedges of lime with tap water whenever I'm out, and I've yet to find anything, sweet or savoury, that is not enriched with a squirt of fresh lime. Perhaps tomato sauce - but I haven't tried that yet.

So when the people at Coty sent me a press notice about PHILOSOPHY's new fruity bath and shower gel range, I did something I rarely do: I asked them to send me a sample to review. And they did! And I love it! It's a sweet but not too sweet, has a really thick concentration to make lots of foamy goodness (I bet it would be great, actually, for pranks at camp), and it's good fun. I love the packaging - it really brightens up the bathroom - and I use it with abandon.





I've noticed by the way, that bright greens - emeralds, all shades of green - are the party colour of the moment. I shot these at the fabulous Jonathan Adler launch the other day (more about that later) and I'm telling you: wear green, wear that same shade that no one uses any more in Christmas decorations, and you'll stand out in the crowd. In a good way.

All photos by me, by the way (I can't keep on doing those logos all the time - you're not going to copyright infringe me any more, are you?) and the Philosophy LUSCIOUS LIME shower gel was meant to launch 26 September, but I can't find it. But you can find other good flavours here. And you can't beat the Philosophy: savour life's luscious moments.