A peek at some palettes..

Thought you might like a peek at these gorgeous palettes; called in to be shot for a glossy magazine gift guide, I could look but not touch - talk about beauty torture! I love the sleekness of the Le Metier de Beaute Marchesa palettes, and the way that the Trish McEvoy compact packs in so many useful shades to such a tiny, slim case. The Jemma Kidd is good value at £28 and has a nice big mirror. I would definately use all of the shades in the Becca Prairie Moon Palette. The Laura Mercier kit is comprehensive, including eyeliner and mascara as well as shadow, blush and lipgloss.

Above: Becca Palette in Prairie Moon, £55, with lipgloss, 3 shadows, and compact eyeliner.

Above: Jemma Kidd Make-up School Essential Smokey Kit, £28 with two glosses and four shimmer shadows and two matt shadow/liners.

Above: Laura Mercier Fall Favourites Colour Collection, £75, exclusive to Harrods.
Above: Le Metier de Beaute Marchesa in La Soleil, £45 with two cream/gloss, two powders and a bronzer.

Above: Trish McEvoy Emergency Kit for Eyes, £30 with six shadows, eye definer and brow definer.

FAQ/MAKE-UP...What's the best concealer?

This is something that I'm always asked, and little wonder. It's one product that used right, can really transform your face. I asked make-up pro Helen Walsh, who's worked with Anna Friel, Kristin Scott Thomas and Denise Van Outen (and this fab shoot for me, above!) which products she rates.

"Becca do a double concealer in a palette which is really good for heavy dark shadows. It's not cheap at £30, but then you are getting two shades for that price. You can use it to cover marks on the body as well as your face. It's got great sticking power so it really stays on."

"Pixi do a palette with green and other colour corrective shades for disguising any bits of high colour in a nice light consistency so it's not too opaque or heavy."

"Chanel's concealer is great for older skin, it's lifting and light-reflecting." The secret to a great concealer is to find the right texture for your skin type. Much as we all love YSL's Touche Eclat, it's not right for everyone because it's not going to change the colour of your skin. Helen's trick is to use the concealer that matches your skin first, then add a pop of light-reflecting one like Touche Eclat on top. Coming up in a future post, Helen's concealer how-to.