Win a Beauty Bag worth £85

by Sarah-Jane

Hey Girls,

We’ve got a mission for you. We want you to get all your friends to sign up to LatestInBeauty.com so they can start sampling all our amazing products too.

What’s in it for me, we hear you cry. Well, we have got 10 amazing Beauty Bags to give away filled with products from Olay, Clairol, Pantene, Gillette and more. Each bag is worth over £85.

This opportunity is too good to miss out on, and it’s so easy to enter. All you need to do is go to www.LatestInBeauty.com and sign in as you normally would do, then head to the ‘invite a friend’ section and enter in all your friends' addresses. Simple. The more addresses you add, the more chance you have of winning one of these fab Beauty Bags.

So get inviting now!

Get a Nip/ Tuck without the knife

by Sarah-Jane

After holidaying in Miami one summer and witnessing what seemed like a parade of ‘when plastic surgery goes wrong’ women walking down the beach, I swore to myself that I would never go under the knife. Besides, why bother with anaesthetics, scars and pain when there are so many lotions and potions on the market that do an amazing job. Now, just to be realistic, no cream is ever going to make you look 21 again, but there is no doubt that there are certain products on the shelves that do make a difference to the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and the general appearance of your skin. Here are some of my favourites.

Tri-Aktiline instant deep wrinkle filler, £25.44 (available from Boots) is a brilliant alternative to Botox. It not only plumps up wrinkles but it contains an ingredient that encourages your skin to create its own collagen which will make your skin look fuller, fresher and younger.

For the more mature ladies out there forget about the face-lift, have a try of Garnier’s new moisturiser, Vital Restore Day SPF15, £9.99 (available nationwide), ticks all the boxes. Its main ingredient is orchid extract. Orchids are known for having a very long life-span, this is because they have the unique ability to renew cells and are constantly rejuvenating, they basically can bring themselves back to life. By including the extract in a moisturiser, those clever people at Garnier are recreating this effect for your skin. It is also intensely hydrating and contains an SPF15 which will help fight against premature ageing for younger users.

Finally, if you suffer with dark circles or bags under your eyes and you are at a loss at how to get rid of them then you will love DuWop circleblock, £18.67 (www.qvcuk.com), it’s a brand new product and combines everything you want from an under-eye product. Firstly there is the balm, which is packed with vitamins that brighten the area and start to restore the skin back to its former glory and secondly there is a concealer, so you can instantly disguise any dark circles. Finally, a product that combines long-term treatment with instant gratification.

Your 1-week supply of Estée Lauder Idealist

by Sarah-Jane

I don't know about you girls but my skin is looking like a complete mess at the moment. I have typical combination skin, it gets dry and flaky by my jawline and then oily across the top of my forehead, down the bridge of my nose and on my chin which means I have open pores. How delightful! The product that is saving my skin at the moment and restoring it to some sort of normality is Estée Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher. It has a silky serum texture and you apply it onto clean skin and before your moisturiser. It has magically managed to smooth out the areas of my skin that are dry and has made my pores look teeny tiny. The clever scientist people at Estée Lauder say that you will notice your pores look 1/3 smaller instantly, and I would highly agree with that. And the best part is - we now have samples available on www.latestinbeauty.com so keep your eyes peeled for it. You get a 1-week supply to really test it to the max. Additionally you get an invitation to get the complimentary iMatch™ foundation consultation in store and a 10-day supply of your perfect foundation absolutely free.

Mothers Day

by Jess

With Mother's Day just around the corner, it can be tough knowing just what to buy your mum. The best way to think about how to buy someone a gift is to treat them to something they wouldn't normally buy themselves, either because it is to special or to much of a treat. Perfume is a good bet and Jean Paul Gaultier's new fragrance, Madam, is a divine treat for mums with a sweet tooth, with orange, rose and grenadine.

For something a little more classic, you can't go wrong with a tube of Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, the all-purpose balm for elbows, knees, lips and hard-to-beat intense face moisturisation great for smoothing wrinkles, dry patches and fine lines.

For the mum who's still young at heart, Urban Decay's glittery eyeliners offer a gleaming glittery sheen which can be made as subtle or as glitzy as you like.

So whatever you buy your mum this year, make it a special surprise with something she didn't expect.

Summer scent-sationals

by Sarah-Jane

I love this time of year. The sun is starting to poke through the clouds, the evenings are getting lighter and scarf and gloves are no longer essential accessories. However, I have another reason for loving this time of the year, for this is when perfume houses launch their new fragrances for Spring Summer, and my goodness there are some good ones that are hitting the shelves over the next few months.


Starting with Sarah Jessica Parker's latest offerings to the perfume world, Dawn, Endless and Twilight which form The Lovely Collection, £23 each for 30ml (available from 11th March from Boots and leading department stores). The idea behind the three scents are that they reflect each section of the day, from dawn until twilight. My personal favourite is Twilight, it's quite heavy and sultry whereas Dawn is much lighter and fresher. They each come in a gorgeous vintage-looking bottle and the 30ml size bottle is perfect to slip into your handbag.

For over 10 years, Issey Miyake have launched a summer version of their iconic L'Eau d'Issey scent and this year's offering, Issey Miyake L'Eau d'issey Summer EDT, £34.50 for 100ml (available from department stores) is totally gorgeous. The scent retains some of it's originality with a hint of extra fruity and floral tones.


Finally Cool Water have launched their Summer scent, Cool Summer EDT, £29 for 100ml (available nationwide from 8th April). Nothing conjurs up images of crystal blue waters, golden sands and hot sunshine like a Cool Water fragrance, so if your Summer holiday seems like a long way off, just buy a bottle of this instead!

Small pleasures

by Sarah-Jane

My life has become rather dull at the moment. Gone are my glamourous Saturday nights out fuelled by one too many Cosmopolitans and my Louboutins are gathering dust in my wardrobe. What am I doing, I hear you wondering. Well, I seem to have lost my senses and I am training for the London marathon. One good thing that has come from all the early nights and early morning runs is that I have been able to dedicate even more time to my beauty regime.


Starting with my feet, which are starting to resemble hobbit's feet! There are blisters galore, not to mention the phenomenal amount of hard skin that has formed in a vain attempt to protect my feet as I pound the streets of London. So I have been scrubbing away with The Body Shop's peppermint smoothing foot scrub, £7 (www.thebodyshop.com), it provides a much-needed cooling and soothing effect to my tired old feet as well as gently scrubbing away all the dead skin.


Next, my hair. With all the sweating, rain and snow it's been enduring over the last few weeks, conditioning treatments have become my new best friend. As you normally need a good ten minutes to let them work their magic, they have become my favourite thing to do on a Saturday night when I'm stuck on my sofa loading up on carbs for my Sunday run. Redken's real control intense renewal mask, £19.65 (0800 085 4956) is slowly restoring my hair to its former glory.


Finally, my body. It's exhausted, tired and aching so my normal invigorating showers have been replaced with long relaxing baths and the only thing that I'm putting in there is Elemis skin nourishing milk bath. It smells divine and contains lots of Vitamin E which helps protect the skin. Just what I need right now. And the best thing is you can now get 15% off and free delivery on all Elemis products (click www.timetospa.co.uk - use code AFF029 at checkout, offer ends 28/02/09)

Until next week, stay beautiful.

Kissable Lips

by Jess

Valentine's Day may be over, but kissable lips are a necessity all year round!

Enter the new range of lipbalms from Apples & Pears (www.apples-and-pears.com), made of natural beeswax, honey and organic plant oils. The Wild Rose version (RRP £9.25), for daily protection, smells as sweet as it tastes, and leaves lips soft with a subtle rose sheen and warm, tingling feeling. If you like to watch what you eat, you can rest assured; the product range is certified organic, and packed with natural essential oils. Happy kissing!