Tis the season to be….shattered, but having to look fresh and radiant for the barrage of parties Christmas and the New Year brings. Easier said than done. But to solve your party woes, we have rounded up our 20 beauty essentials to help you look as glam as possible, no matter if you’ve been up all night wrapping presents or baking mince pies. Enjoy!

I suspect I’m not the only one suffering from being stuck in a major case of ‘the makeup rut’. Last week, I walked into Selfridges beauty hall a MAC girl through and through - not neccessarily due to brand loyalty, more laziness and lack of experimentation - but after a bit of pampering at the bareMinerals counter, I walked out a converted woman… The...

Big eye lashes have taken over. Adverts for new mascaras have always centred around the claim that the bigger the lashes the better. For each new product, the message is always the same - that this product will give you the biggest, most defined lashes yet.

It’s never an easy job getting up in the morning, especially in these dark, colder months. I for one, am not a morning person and seem to find it increasingly difficult to rise from my warm, cosy bed each day. In fact, I am quite possibly the definitive snoozer, constantly waking up in a panic when I realise I have pressed the snooze button one too many times in...

Clinique has launched a new limited edition make-up range for Christmas. But you’re going to have to love purple as much as Dot Cotton to be excited by this one. The Black Tie Violets range features products for eyes, cheeks and lips in hues that vary from plum to sugared almond. Apologies for all the food references - I think I must be a little peckish. But with...

Yep, brace yourself and hide your purse. Those naughty people at MAC have just launched another assault of tempting new products that you’ll instantly convince yourself you just need to have. Want doesn’t even come into it.

Glamorous. Over the top. Fabulous. That’s how American designer Michael Kors describes the star factory that is Hollywood. It’s this sexy decadence which has inspired the new fragrance. The Project Runway judge says: “

The Body Shop has called on the big guns for its latest fragrance, Love Etc. Star perfumer Dominique Ropion is behind their latest scent. Ropion has worked on fragrances for brands including Cacharel, Givenchy and Calvin Klein, and assisted on the development of Armani Code, Dune by Dior and Lovely by SJP. This time, his creation fuses jasmine, vanilla, sandalwood...

What: National Chocolate Week runs from October 12 to 18. And it’s only right to celebrate. But the summer diets have gone by the wayside and with the new season

Russian make-up brand Rouge Bunny Rouge has launched in the UK. And I can’t help but think it has been created by hippies with a keen knowledge of certain fungi, if you understand what I’m saying. It’s not just the brand’s darkly trippy packaging and imagery, featuring black and white silhouettes of flowers. Any brand that describes how to apply one of its products...