Glamorous lady imparts beauty knowledge shocker!

A glamorous friend of mine (please ignore the 'special' man loitoring in the background) shared one of her beauty favourites with me at the weekend which I thought I would have to share with you.

Bobbi Brown Corrector is a top-notch concealer. It comes in a variety of shades, which is great as we know that undereye circles vary from the purplish shades of tiredness to the grey-green of pot smokers. Any beauty consultant at the Bobbi Brown counter can advise on the right shade for you.

Our guest beauty blogger raves: "The delight of it is the creamy consistency that doesnt sink into the fine lines and delicate skin under the eye, plus the Bisque shade has just the right amount of yellow in it - it's brilliant for photos."

Best lip plumper...

A lot of lip plumps on the market are pretty disappointing, merely menthol or peppermint flavoured so your lips feel a bit tingly. Maybe we're supposed to think 'Oooh tingly this is really working', do they take us for FOOLS? We have mirrors!



Well Too Faced Lip Injection does not disappoint and the scary name is well deserved. My friend Kate passed out when she first tested this in Boots (okay so she was really dehydrated, but it's a good story). I also applied this sober the other day and forgot how much it actually hurts. Ouch.

Basically I think it's ingredient is something to do with chilli - extract of chillis? I may have made that up. But anyway that's how it feels. Hot and burny. Oh my.

But the good thing is the more you apply it the less it hurts, until your slapping on it every five minutes with a Lesley Ash for all to admire. There are two important things to bear in mind though...

i) The reaction not only swells the pout but also darkens it in colour - so if you're not a fan of red lips dab some concealer on while applying. Something like Benefit Boi-ing would do.
ii) The reaction does not just occur with lips, but all skin so the skin around your mouth, your friend's cheek as you kiss her hello, your boyfriend's... you get the idea. Use wisely.

Shhh... top bikini tip off post

Okay so we're months away from anything even approaching acceptable bikini weather but this offer is too good to miss.

I must admit I was fairly peed off to see my gorgeous nautically styled red and white striped bikini from French Connection in the asos summer sale (the set is now £18 from £40) until I realised that their other gorgeous designs are also part of the price crash.

I quickly ordered this one which I think is going to look great with metallics, browns, crisp white and denim. Basically MY WARDROBE. I love these bikini tops because they have lined pads which make your tits look a bit bigger. Always good. They also have wider tie straps so they don't dig in as much and 'back fat' bulge is reduced. (Note 'reduced' not 'gone').

Alex Reid's Fake Tan

God damnit the ONE night I actually go out and do something with my life and I miss Big Brother Gold. Or rather Big Brother Bronze... with a hint of orange? Alex Reid getting his firm, naked buns sprayed. Admittedly the man has the charisma of a tea towel, but it's a great view and one can not deny his commitment to the self-tanning industry is to be admired.


I digress...


I wanted to highlight that if any girls (or guys) out there would like to replicate Alex's tan (and to be honest it is very even and a pretty good tone), that I think he uses Fake Bake Airbrush Spray. Apparently it's very effective on bum creases.

Make-up snobbery

For me foundation is the most crucial item in my beauty bag. I have a mix of dry and greasy patches, uneven skin tone and the occassional spot. I find there's a lot of snobbey when it comes to skincare products and foundation - like it's okay to get your bright lip colours and eye shades from the cheaper stands, but for your 'base' you need to invest.

I was someone who went along with this philosophy - I used to use Max Factor, Estee Lauder double wear, even Chanel when I was airport shopping drunk (unadvisable), but I can honestly day this foundation is better than them all.

Sure if you like a tide mark round your neck and coverage so thick it gets stuck in your eye creases then go for a brand that comes in a glass bottle and costs a score. This foundation is light, easy to apply and gives your skin a glow through the day rather than a flat powder-y finish. And check out the glowing reviews on comparison website Ciao!

I have just bought a mineral pressed powder from the same range which I'm trying out so I'll keep you posted on that.

When bad fake tan happens to good people...

There's nothing worse than preening and pampering for a big event only to realise at the last minute you have gone seriously OTT on the fake tan. You've gone past Wilhelmina Slater, way past Jodie Marsh, even further than David Dickinson - you are now Ronseal Woodstain... in walnut.

What to do in such a crisis? Just grin and bear it. Pose for photos with pride. Perhaps even wear a whitey pink lipstick or stand next to pale people to show just how unbothered you are. Then share your humilation with genius facebook group "I'd rather be a little orange than deathly pale" and remember no matter how bad you look, at least you don't have skin cancer.

£2.39 for clear skin

Zindoclin, clindamycin, benxoyl peroxide, Minocin... when it comes to Acne preparations I have tried them all - and experienced all of the horrible side effects. Dry, itchy, bleached skin? I think I'd rather have acne!

The best product I found - and I would recommend it to anyone - is Distilled With Hazel. It is usually located with the first aid products, rather than skincare and is often sold out. I usually buy a couple at a time from the Boots website.

Use the clear liquid as you would a toner. Pour some onto a cotton wool pad and wipe over your face. Some people may find this too drying and may prefer to dab onto problem areas.

Even now my skin has improved I still do this a couple of times a week to keep my pores squeaky clean.

The best thing about this product? It's total natural - made purely from the witch hazel tree with no artificial perfumes, fragrances or additives.