TOP FIVE NEW FAVOURITE THINGS

There's nothing like trying something new and falling a little bit in love... It's always a risk, as you never know if you're going to like something, but in a canary-sent-down-the-coalmine type way, I've taken the hit and tested some new items out. Below are my top five new tries, so you can give them a go knowing they're bloody awesome.

Sweet Breath, £1.99 for three
http://www.sweetbreath.co.uk/

I was sent some samples of a new breath freshener to try. I usually use gum when I want fresher breath, but these little spray vials have made me rethink. They are bloody fantastic. With a couple of sugar and fat free squirts, it kills germs and gives the minty-fresh effect you're after in an instant. Called Sweet Breath, and retailing at under £2 for three little bottles, its definitely worth picking up a pack to keep in your handbag!

Montagne Jeunesse Pressed Cherry & Cocoa Lip Balm, £3.05
http://www.montagnejeunesse.com/

Mmmmm, lip balm. I always need lip balm within reaching distance, so my lips can stay silky-soft all day long. The newest balm to creep into my collection is from Montagne Jeunesse. I'd not seen them before, so was really excited to give them a try (as I'm a big fan of its facemasks). The lip balm is made from 100% pure beeswax, and bursts with a chocolately smell and flavour. Other flavours include Shea Butter & Mango, Cranberry & Aloe Vera, Wheatgerm & Black Pepper and Aloe Vera & Spearmint.

label.m Organic Orange Blossom & Organic Moisturising Lemongrass Shampoo  & Conditioner £13.25 each
www.labelm.co.uk

There's nothing like coming out of a hair salon with beautiful, bouncy, shiny, gorgeous-smelling hair. Most of us can't afford to visit the salon every week. But, we can afford salon quality shampoo and conditioner, to recreate great hair at home. label m smells delicious - I've been using the Lemongrass variant for thick hair - and I love it. Perhaps because it's organic, I find it really mild on my hair (I have a tendency to get dandruff, but this shampoo doesn't aggravate the 'condition') The conditioner is ubur moisturising, and contains Shea Butter to leave hair looking soft and glossy. I'd highly recommend label m for a pampering purchase!

Yes To Cucumbers Calming Facial Mask, £11.99
http://www.victoriahealth.com/

Face masks are a little treat, and the new Calming Facial Mask from Yes To Cucumbers is aaaaahmazing. I woke up the other morning with blotchy skin, not cool. Rather than slapping on layers of concealer, I opened my tub of face mask, slopped it on my face and left the cucumbers, aloe and Dead Sea mud to work there magic. After five minutes, I rinsed the beautiful-smelling mask off and voila... much smoother, calmer skin! I've been using the ranges' Facial Towlettes (wipes to you and me) too - and they are lovely too!

Ghost Enchanted Bloom

I am a fickle little fly, so whenever I finish a perfume, I have to find a new and better one. My last, Chanel Chance eau tendre, wasn't strong enough - I'd put it on and not be able to smell it an hour later...My latest perfume purchase is Ghost Enchanted Bloom. As you'd expect from a Ghost fragrance, it's really feminine, with notes of Jasmine, Water Lily, Amber and Freesias. It's not too sweet either, so it feels quite sexy as well as girly.

What are your latest top finds?

TOP FIVE ROYAL WEDDING PRODUCTS

Did someone mention a wedding? Oh yes, a reet Royal one... I personally am very excited, and shall be going down to St James' Park to see the full 'show'. Because of all the excitement, I've put together a top five in honour of the Royal Wedding...

Warwick dining table £99, Set of two Warwick dining chairs £59, TU red stoneware roasters from £5, Red pepper mill £5, Tu red stripe porcelain 12pc dinnerware set £22, Tu blue dot earthenware 12pc dinnerset £30, Tu 16-piece stainless steel  striped cutlery set £15, 3m Union Jack Bunting, £2.50, Hand held Union Jack Flag 4Pk, £2

I absolutely love the idea of a Street party... cover the street in bunting and all bring a bit of booze. As I live in the middle of an East End council estate, a less pretty picture of this idea surfaces, but the theory is great! Sainsbury's have a fab selection of British razzmatazz to create the picture-perfect street party at a bargain price! You'll be able to pick up your food and drink while you're there too!



Sylvanian Families William and Catherine Wedding Set, £27.99
Amazon.co.uk

How cute are these? A Sylvanian Families William and Catherine Wedding Set. The six-piece set includes Prince William and Catherine Middleton characters, in addition to a wedding entourage including a page boy, two bridesmaids and a Reverend. If you've got any little ones, they're such a great gift - they'll be able to recreate the 'balcony kiss' scene for years to come!

Crest cushion, £17.00
http://www.sterlingfurniture.co.uk/

If you're friends with a traditionalist and want to get them a gift to mark the occasion (or just to treat yourself), this cushion is perfect. I think it would look right in place on a mahogany coloured Chesterton armchair. It will be your own little piece of memorabilia to mark the historic day.

Red White and Moo Royal Wedding with yoomoo frozen yogurt
http://www.yoomoo.com/

A delicious combination of juicy British strawberries, natural or vanilla frozen yogurt and freshly ripened Blueberries pay homage to the Kate and Wills wedding in the form of YooMoo's Royal offering. You can pick your delicious bowl of healthy, tasty goodness at Harrods (among other locations), then eat it as you watch the event on the Big Screens in Central London  (sipping champagne too, of course!).

One in 10 British women voted royal bride-to-be Kate Middleton as having one of the make-up looks they would most love to replicate on their own big day. To help you copy Kate's classic look, QVC's resident beauty expert and make up artist Alison Young has created a princess Kate makeup tutorial to show you how to replicate the sophisticated look. It's realy easy to follow her simple steps, so give it a go!

What are your plans for this big event?

TOP FIVE MAKE-UP BRUSHES

I do love make-up brushes. I wash them to keep them clean and germ-free, and replace them when they look tired. I have loads, as there really is a brush for every occasion. Below are some of my favourites....



Max Factor Foundation Brush, £10
exclusively at Boots. http://www.boots.com/

I was a lover of my MAC foundation brush, but it cost a bloody fortune, and my little sister one day decided she would paint with it - actual GREEN paint... it never recovered. Anyway, I've recently switched to the Max Factor Foundation brush, and I love it.  Famously Max Factor is the 'make-up of make-up artists', so it's no surprise that Caroline Barnes is a fan of this brush. It's really firm - great for precise application. It's made with smooth capra hair - it's lush, and at a tenner - you'll be able to buy one for your little sister to use for her art project (and still spend less than you would at the MAC counter!).

EcoTools Eye Shading Brush, £4.10
http://www.boots.com/

Renowned make-up artist Lauren Parsons (she's worked with Mario Testino!) says that 'looking good shouldn't cost the earth' - which I totally agree with. She's an ambassador for EcoTools brushes, which as well as being unbelievably soft, are one of the first to use sustainable resources to minimise the negative effect on the environment. I adore the Eye Shading Brush - it's really large - so is great for shading. The best part? You can feel good about spending money on make-up!!

Cosmopolitan TM Smokey Eyes Brush Set  £5.99

http://www.tesco.com/

Have you ever come a-cropper on a Monday morning, as you go to apply your 'day eyeshadows' for work... You go to apply a nice cream/brown shade and then spend twenty minutes rubbing the brushes on tissues/your hand/dressing gowns trying to get the dark colours off the brushes because you gave yourself a sexy smokey eye at the weekend!!? The answer? Get a special set for your dark eyeshadow with Cosmopolitan’s Smokey Eyes Brush Set. The trio of professional brushes have been specifically designed to create a truly smouldering eye. The base brush is there to layer and blend your desired colour, using deeper colour on the outer corners of the eye to make them appear larger. The angled brush can then be used to add a deep colour to your top & bottom lash line, finally the smudger brush can be used to add a white or silver shadow to the inner corner of your eye to make them appear brighter... and leave your regular brushes free for your pale shades!

Now, apologies that I don't have an image of this brush - but it's fab, so I'm going to talk about it anyway. It's a black Kabuki brush from Boots. It costs about £4/5 and is amazing for applying bronzer - you can use the side of it to apply to cheekbones, but it has a really big head, so if you want to apply to your whole face/shoulders, then it's great for this too. Boots don't appear to sell it online either : ( but I've bought about four... and loads of my friends have one too, so I doubt very much they discontinue it! Have a search....

Paint brush, cheap
all good art shops

I was on a shoot recently, and a lovely make-up artist was telling me that she uses artist paint brushes for applying gel eyeliner. What a great call. Good make-up brushes like this can cost £20, but art shops sell these tiny brushes for a couple of quid. Even an expensive brush won't last forever, as you need them to be so precise, so stock up on a few artist ones next time you're in an art shop - now that's what I call crafty!

Any brush suggestions from you?

TOP FIVE BLUSHERS

The finishing touch to my make-up is a flash of blusher. It brings it all together and adds some colour to my face! Here are my top five blushers...

Dainty Doll Blusher in Hippy Shake, £13
Harrods

Best for pale & interesting sorts

Now, you may have seen my top five foundations post recently, where Dainty Doll featured, but my absolute favourite product in the Dainty Doll range (created by Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts) is the blusher. I just love the lilacy beauty of the Hippy Shake powder cheek tint. It's the perfect product to give pale skin a glow - and it will sculpt your cheekbones so they look razor sharp! The compact is gorgeous and slimline, complete with a mirror for on-the-go touch-ups. Hooray for the ginger Girls Aloud gal!

Touch of Blush, £10
http://www.hqhair.com/

Best for Dannii Mingogue wannabes

Dannii Minogue - she knows how to look amazing, doesn't she! How does she get her cheeks looking so rosy? Touch of Blush, that's how! I'm not surprised she selected this product either, rushing between her Project D empire, looking after little Ethan and X-Factor, she needs an easy-to-apply blusher like this... It's a great, summery colour and can be applied in one sweep - a great handbag essential (as the powder comes out on a brush for ease of application). 

New CID i – glow in Coral Crush, £24
http://www.newcidcosmetics.com/

Best for those who like their blush with a shim-shim-shimmer

I'm a big fan of new CID products - the white packaging makes them look a little space age. They have a new compact shimmer powder that contains a magical marble blusher inside - filled with a swirl of cheek-tinting colours containing light reflective pigments that mimic your skins natural radiance. This blusher is great for a night out - giving a dramatic look with a subtle shimmer! 



No7 Blusher in Soft Damson, £9
http://www.boots.com/



Best for a classic look

This powder blush from No7 creates a really natural colour on the cheeks - the shade I love from the range is Soft Damson. It's so easy to apply, and it would need a lot for you to look 'overdone'. It's a real bargain to - less than £10. My only gripe with No7 products is I find that the clear bit on the lids of its products come loose/fall out, which can make transporting them tricky... but I do love this blusher, so I guess 'lid issues' aren't a big deal!



Airbase blusher, £32.95
www.airbasemakeup.com/blush

Best for a pro finish

Silicone feels really smooth on skin; doesn't clog pores, allows skin to breathe and is the reason why Airbase make-up has amazing durability. Silicone products are preferred by many make-up artists, as they last particularly well at high temperatures (great for being under strong lights on stages and film sets). This makes this blusher great on nights out - as it will stay on no matter how hot you get. It's almost water-like in texture - so you can put a teeny, tiny bit on with a foundation-type brush, and then work-up until you achieve the desired amount of rouge.

What blusher could you not live without?

TOP FIVE LIQUID EYELINERS

I was a late adopter when it came to liquid eyeliner. I used to be a kohl kinda gal, but now I'm settled. Liquid all the way. You'll never get a smoother liner or a more awesome kick at the end of your lash line. So, here are my top five liquid eyeliners...

Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eye Liner, £5.29
http://www.boots.com/

Best for beginners

This liner was recommended to me by a few different friends, and I can see why. It's really easy to apply, the colour goes on really dark and lasts all day/night. It is also a real bargain. If you're trying out liquid liner for the first time, this is a dream. My only negative about this liner, is that the fibres in the applicator starts to flake after a while - so it's necessary to pull these loose threads away before you use (or you'll end up with messy eyelids!)

Colorsport 24hour Eyeliner, £7.49
www.boots.com

Best for waterproof lines
The Colorsport eyeliner is pretty thick, a bit like a felt tip pen - perfect if you like thick lines. The great thing about this liner is that it's waterproof and long lasting. Perfect for holidays or weddings... as there's nothing worse that eyeliner running down your face!


New CID I-flick, £18.50
Debenhams

Best multi-purpose liner

There are two things I love about this liner. The first is that the liquid eyeliner brush is really small, allowing for really precise lines to be drawn (even right into the inner eye lash line). The second is that it has a retractable kohl liner... ideal for the inner lash line - as I've never been able to master painting the inner lash line with liquid liner, at least not without turning my eyeball black! Basically this is the handbag must-have for a night out!

No7 Smoky Eyeliner
http://www.boots.com/

Best for Smoky Eyes

I feel a bit naughty mentioning this eyeliner as a) it's technically not liquid and b) it's limited edition and no longer available to buy (unless you get lucky on Ebay). BUT, this really is a fab little find. It's a powder eyeliner, that with one stoke, creates a fabulous smoky line. Great for those of us that love the sexy, smouldering look. Keep your eyes peeled for any similar products... Particularly in other colours. I'd love to try it in navy!

YSL Eyeliner Moire £22
http://www.boots.com/

Best blow-out buy

Hands up who likes pretty things in their make-up bag? Me me me! But not fashion over function, the YSL Moire liner is silky smooth and it's delicate brush enables you to swipe on a fashion show perfect line in an instant. Did I mention it's really pretty too?

What liners do you love? I'm going to do a top five gel liner review soon, so would be great to hear if there are any great gel liners I should look out for XX