Coralicious at Bourjois

Spring has sprung in makeup-land and the colour du jour at Bourjois is coral. Here's a sneak peek at what's coming out in March, the deliciously sunny shade of Sweet Kiss Shine lipstick in Juicy Tangerine, applied here by make-up artist Cassie Lomas. Put it on and you can't help but smile. There's also a So Laque Ultra Shine nail polish in Tangerine Fatal.

New cut

Just back from HOB in Camden Lock where Sean Dawson gave me an ace new cut - a masterclass in subtle layering. I'm usually dubious about letting anyone near my hair after scissorhappy stylists have taken out too much weight, leaving me with uncontrollable frizz, but Sean explained what he was doing each step of the way, reassuring me that the length would be virtually the same, but with added volume, shape and movement. Plus I get to hear all the local Camden goss about Pete and Amy. He also reminded me to use my SP Alchemy treatment for at least 20 minutes once a week to get it into peak condition. The salon is on a winning streak lately, scooping up awards right, left and centre, so check it out!

Switching Shampoos

I just switched shampoos, from supermarket to superluxe, and the difference in my hair is amazing! I have a feeling the supermarket variant I was using was probably too rich for my hair; making it a bit lacklustre. Conversely, Phyto Phytoprogenium Intelligent Shampoo combined with Phytobaume Conditioner leaves my hair feeling light, manageable and it makes the colour look really refreshed. Years ago, I met Patrick Ales, the founder of Phyto. He dressed a bit like a priest and we had lunch at a gorgeous restaurant on the banks of the Seine. Their products have always been a favourite with session stylists, but they're a bit more low-key about it than other brands. One of the star products which I also love is Phyto 7, a conditioning finishing balm that you can smooth through the ends of dry hair for a little bit of definition and shine.

We pay a lot of attention to styling tools and straighteners, but sometimes overlook hairdryers - I think the hairdryer I use makes a difference to the final effect - I'm using the BaByliss Eco Dry which dries my hair really quickly and leaves it silkier than other dryers.

Lacy looks

Here's the St Trinian's actress Tamsin Egerton sporting the Shu Uemura lace lashes for a shoot for Company magazine that I did with her a couple of years ago. She was a pleasure to work with, and happy to try all the out-there make-up looks we came up with, in fact she kept the make-up on after the shoot to go out that night. Athena Skouvakis did the gorgeous make-up. Since then, we're still discovering new ways to wear lace, from American Apparel bodysuits (er, no thanks) to this idea for a DIY lace manicure (hmm, maybe...). Then there are the Chanel body transfers, Les Trompe L'Oeil de Chanel, £49 (yes please!). They're a set of 55 individual tattoos, available exclusively from Selfridges from 1st March. Desperado to have them? Wait-list orders can be taken at Selfridges on 0800 123 400.

Shoot stories - behind the scenes of a beauty shoot

Sometimes the best pictures happen by chance, in the most random locations. This is another of my favourites, shot in the back of a New York taxi on a sunny September day with the meter running! I love the light coming through the window. It also helped that the model, the gorgeous Barbara Stoyanoff, is a good actress, so she made the 'getting ready in a hurry' shoot look convincing. I loved the hair and make-up for this story, a classic smokey eye, pale lip and bedhead combo, a look I'll never tire of.

Kiss It Better and Clinique

One of my treasured possessions is this gorgeous print by Natasha Law, which I won in a raffle for Kiss It Better. Not only does it look wonderful on the wall, but it also serves as a reminder to be grateful for all the things in my life that can easily be taken for granted. Carmel Allen, a lovely lady and former beauty editor, set up Kiss It Better after her daughter Josephine was treated for neuroblastoma, a type of cancer, at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital. If you're into beauty you might have heard of it already.

After many months spent at the hospital, Carmel decided that she wanted to help and devised the Kiss It Better appeal."The premise was really simple, Kiss it Better is something every parent says and does when their child is sick or injured. I wanted to turn Josephine's experience into something positive and to help make a difference to the lives of children with cancer everywhere," says Carmel. She asked the beauty industry she worked in for support and found a wealth of goodwill towards her cause. For the third year running, Clinique is helping raise funds for Kiss It Better, with a new Long Last Glosswear SPF15 in ‘I ♥ Kisses’ shade, £13. This long-lasting, high-shine gloss will be sold exclusively in House of Fraser during February, with £2 going to Kiss It better. You can also buy it online throughout February. This £2 donation will also apply to all Clinique lipstick or lipgloss sold at House of Fraser stores nationwide during February. (£1 will be donated by Clinique and £1 will be donated by House of Fraser).