A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

It’s arguably every girl’s dream to create their own space.  From the day your parents let you pick the paint that will adorn your bedroom walls until the moment you sign the lease on your first flat, there’s something so utterly empowering about unleashing your personal style upon a visible arena.

Well, Jo Malone London’s Style Editor Charlotte Stockdale must be doing cartwheels, because you can’t get much more visible than the beauty hall at Selfridges.

In celebration of one of Jo Malone London’s most traditional scents, the brand are continuing to place their trust in super-stylist Charlotte, who has been revamping the brand’s classic image since her appointment as Style Editor last year.

The star of the show and Charlotte’s favourite Jo Malone fragrance, Red Roses, has been transformed from mere perfume into a collectable objet d’art – three hundred limited edition cologne bottles have been hand-dipped in neon paint and individually numbered.

Priced at £120-a-piece, demand has been high but perhaps a little more attainable for us mere mortals are the pretty textiles that have been created in collaboration with Abigail*ryan, the Belfast-based homeware company.

Of the designs, Charlotte Stockdale said:

“I wanted to add a modern twist to the iconic packaging of Jo Malone London.  I love neon, especially on a neutral background, so the classic cream and black set against shocking pink is a brilliant combination.  It’s fashion graffiti.  Playful, cool and alive,”

There’s a great post on Abigail*Ryan’s blog detailing the manufacturing process of these very pretty pieces, the little scent sachets – all stacked up and ready to go look completely darling don’t they?

The Red Roses Scented Sachets are priced at £22, the Cologne Pouches are £20, and the Scatter Cushions are £90.  Available to buy online from selfridges.com or on counter at Selfridges London and Manchester Exchange.

Back in January, I gave some initial thoughts on the new limited edition Jo Malone Sugar & Spice Collection and I apologised for any incoherence arising from my hastily scribbled notes and fragmented memories of the scents!  Today, I’m hoping to offer a little more clarification and depth on three of the five new fragrances available.

Let’s just dispense with half of you straight away shall we?  If you’re not a gourmand fragrance lover, give this collection as wide-a-berth as possible.  There’s nothing here for you, not even in the slightly-less-foodie Elderflower & Gooseberry scent which valiantly skirts the sweetness with a lighter touch than the others in the collection.  You will look upon this collection and wonder how such a distinguished brand have managed to create such a food-flavouring abomination of colognes.

Harsh words perhaps, but I can see how they can be applied depending on your personal fragrance tastes.  The Jo Malone Sugar & Spice Collection is unapologetically saccharine.  It is as much brave as it is predictable, setting itself up for a battering from many faithful fans who consider it the absolute height of dumbing down for an unwelcome audience.

I’m on the fence.

When I first started to wear and enjoy fragrance, I was utterly drawn to the gourmand side of things.  Those were the smells that were most relatable to my tender palate and nose.  Ginger biscuits, chocolate oranges, and lemon tarts?  Stuff of dreams.  And Jo Malone have captured these dreams in the most delicious of ways, that is surely impossible to deny.  From the campaign imagery of delectable treats to their beautiful muse who looks more like a macaron than a model sets the scene.  This collection is here to whet your appetite, and if your appetite lies not with the sweet stuff, it’s time to move along.

Elderflower & Gooseberry Cologne*

Surprsingly, it’s not the juiciness from the gooseberries that first makes contact with my skin but a creaminess that’s been tempered with a touch of fizz.  It strikes a nice balance that develops into a full-bodied, soft-fleshed juiciness, from which I detect mostly gooseberry and lychee.  It’s light but warming, fresh but not particularly zingy, like a hug from an older sister rather than a mother.

The elderflower sits in the background, carefully orchestrating the proceedings and provides a tenderness that matures the juicy playfulness of the other notes.  There’s also a powdery note that feels particularly hand-on-shoulder calming.  Out of all the fragrances in the collection, this one is still my favourite.  Surprisingly long-lasting too.

Bitter Orange & Chocolate Cologne*

When I first had the opportunity to smell this at the launch event last year, I was suitable impressed by its foodie rendition.  If I’ve read it once, I’ve read it a hundred times: there is indeed something very true to the Terry’s Chocolate Orange about this scent.  But then it gets kinda bitey.  The chocolate is dark and lacking in softness, this combined with the bitter orange makes me feel uncomfortable after a short while.

I feel like I’ve been lured in under the promise of velvet, only to be whipped with sandpaper.  It’s not that the notes jar or are remotely ill-combined, the chocolate orange is a fantastic rendition, but it’s not for me and not for my skin chemistry.  It feels a little too raw and uncooked, sitting on my skin with far too much front.  Interestingly, I actually quite enjoy it once I’ve washed it off, the main facets of the scent are still completely detectable without screaming for my attention.

Ginger Biscuit Cologne*

Before the ginger has a chance to throw itself into the (cookie) mix, the other spices tickle my nose in the most pleasant of ways.  There is nothing piquant about this scent, just the wonderful richness and true aromatic qualities you’d expect from something that lists nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger as the main party players.  You can feel the warmth of the kitchen, the scents that lift from the red-hot baking tray.  The almost-magical buttery notes create the impression of tummy rumbles that make it so darn impossible to wait for the freshly-baked goodies to firm up before diving in.

The only problem I have with Ginger Biscuit Cologne is that it has been crafted so wonderfully true to its inspiration that I can’t imagine wearing this at any other time than Christmas.  I would happily drown myself in it throughout the month of December, but not now.  Instead, I enjoy illicit sniffs at the nozzle and bide my time patiently.

Do any of the colognes appeal to your sweet tooth?

 The Limited Edition Jo Malone Sugar & Spice Collection is available to buy now on counter and online at www.jomalone.co.uk priced at £38 for 30ml.

* press sample

I’ve been enjoying Jo Malone’s recent releases, I haven’t fallen head over heels in love with all of them… but unlike many mainstream fragrances, they’ve elicited an almost guttural response from my emotions at first sniff.  And if a fragrance does that, then I’m enjoying it regardless of whether or not I’m actually enjoying it.  Jo Malone’s latest release, Earl Grey & Cucumber got me hugely excited on paper.  I’m a tea fiend, in all senses… and one of my favourite scents is L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Tea for Two which features a blacker-than-black tea note, rich and smoky, steeped until the teaspoon stands to attention.

I was excited to contemplate upon a fresher tea incarnation, a more spring-like scent that marries one of my favourite notes with another… and one that my brain didn’t quite know how to process.  Cucumber?  Cucumber?!

Honestly, it made me think back to memories of Saturday shopping in The Body Shop.  I tried to think past this, rendering instead my thoughts on the lovely juxtaposition of Jasmine and Mint used in one of Jo Malone’s most iconic fragrances, and wondering if this one might evoke a similar synergy.  To say that my nose was twitching with anticipation as I spritzed Earl Grey & Cucumber for the first time, would be an understatement.

It’s absolutely there but is so completely different to anything I’ve smelled before.  If my other experiences with tea in fragrance have been in all their full-bodied, ornery glory – Earl Grey & Cucumber is the antithesis to this.  Its tea note is genteel, so very polite and more civilised than silver service on a Sunday afternoon.  That’s not to say that it’s a particularly quiet fragrance, for it has plenty to say, it just knows how to express itself with all the dignity of a fine afternoon ritual.

Jo Malone’s Earl Grey & Cucumber feels like an extremely unisex scent to me, as if it daren’t cause offence by leaning too far in one direction.  The balance of bitter bergamot and sweet musk almost cancel one another out, leaving behind little more than a well-placed whisper that sits lovingly behind the ear.  The cucumber doesn’t really smell of “cucumber”, at least, not in the way I imagined it might (thankfully).  Instead, it delivers an echo of something that’s been freshly cut, delivering a playful bite and a cooling impression without any of the watery flavour.

Evocation is where it’s at with Jo Malone’s Earl Grey & Cucumber, from the beginning, through the middle, until the last drop is poured from the teapot.  Afternoon tea done the British way.

Jo Malone Earl Grey & Cucumber Cologne, available to buy online from jomalone.co.uk, priced from £38.00 for 30ml.

* press sample

On a cold November evening, I made my way through Covent Garden to attend the unveiling of a new fragrance collection set to hit the stores this March.  The edibly-named Sugar & Spice Collection from Jo Malone is anything but tasteless, decked out in pastel hues that remind me of a veritable rainbow of sugary macarons… and with good reason…

The collection features five new flavours scents to indulge the gourmandise out there, inspired by the art of the great British pudding.  Lemon Tart, Redcurrant & Cream, Elderflower & Gooseberry, Ginger Biscuit and Bitter Orange & Chocolate make up the quintet of tasty treats, each smelling just as described without the disappointing synthetic undertone that often plagues foody-scents.

In spite of the fact that these are so food-centric (and sugary food at that), the collection is surprisingly light.  Master perfumer Christine Nagel has done exceptionally well to create a fragrance wardrobe that doesn’t cloy with a surfeit of sugar or vanilla.  How they manage to keep any sophistication at all is probably the biggest triumph to celebrate.

Here are my rapid notes on each scent from the evening, complete with incoherence:

~ The Lemon Tart is sharp-but-sweet, you can almost smell the butter in the flaky pastry.

~ The Elderflower & Gooseberry* develops gently with a leafy freshness that renders it the least outright “foody” in the set.

~ Redcurrant & Cream = berries and cream, a classic combination done beautifully (but done often).

~ Ginger Biscuit brings all the digestives to the yard, such an amazing Winter/Christmas-time scent which may seem a little out of place come launch date, such a beautiful homely rendition of warming spices and immediately obvious ginger though.

~ Bitter Orange & Chocolate = Terry’s Chocolate Orange.  End of.  Not chocolate like TM Angel or cocoa-inspired, pure edible chocolate. Yum.

These are such a true interpretation of blindingly good baked treats that it begs the question… do I actually want to walk around smelling like a patisserie?

I’m sure the sensible answer would come quicker to most… but then again, I’m a bigger fan of cake than most.

Maybe.

Will you be checking these out in March?  On paper… which scent do you think will be your favourite?

* press sample

As we say goodbye to Summer and hello to the first breaths of September, it’s also time to welcome a new cologne from Jo Malone. 

Blackberry & Bay is boldly described by the British brand as “the scent of innocence” and when aided by campaign images showing this kind of cuteness, it’s easy to see why.

Blackberry & Bay is as full-bodied as you might expect, but perhaps not quite in the way you’d imagine.

A wholly ripe affair with an uplifting, generous dose of blackberry and grapefruit from the first sniff.  However, don’t be fooled into expecting something sweet or creamy, Blackberry & Bay is juicy-yet-tart, comforting-yet-sharp.  It’s blackberries in the rain with your ponytail lashing at your nose and cheeks.

The bay leaf provides the ‘edge’ and indeed, the leaf needed to bring the fragrance down to earth and evoke the practicalities of blackberry picking in our, end-of-Summer climate.

If you’re looking for something to wear that spans the two extremes of our seasonal weather, you could do far worse than check this one out.

Blackberry & Bay has both aroma and soul.  It also surprised me by lasting longer on my skin than their recent Cologne Intense Velvet Rose & Oud release.

Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay launches today both instore and online at jomalone.co.uk, priced from £38

* press sample

It may have escaped your attention but everyone is going a little bit ga-ga for London at the moment, something to do with some sporting event or other…

Anyyyywayyyy, if you’re up for some celebratory patriotism but don’t wanna get all hot and sweaty about it, you should check out your local (London only) Jo Malone boutique, where the British brand have installed talented artists to pay tribute to the great city by customising gift boxes with hand-drawn sketches of various landmarks.

I received mine through the post a few weeks ago, complete with homage to Tower Bridge (that’s the one you American’s call London Bridge I believe!)

I know I shouldn’t, mustn’t even… but I can’t even begin to tell you how tempted I am to add a little stick man doing an olympic-style long jump across the gap.  Just me then…

It’s a cute and clever trick from the brand who have managed to make those signature cream n’ black boxes now even more collectible!  “OH GOD, Limited Edition – must. collect. them. all. etc, etc.”  Nice going!

You’ve got until August 12th to take advantage of the quirky offer and see your Jo Malone purchases adorned with a little historical scribbling.  Phone your nearest boutique for more details.

* press sample

I’ve been a fan of Jo Malone’s Cologne Intense range since it debuted in the Summer of 2010 and although back then, the thought of spending £70+ on a fragrance did little more than bewilder me, you may have noticed that as my interest in fragrance has grown, so my spending budget has significantly increased.  Of the current colognes in the range, it has always been the Oud & Bergamot Cologne Intense that has appealed to my senses more than any other (followed closesly by the Amber & Patchouli – what can I say?  I like the headier stuff!) which is why I was excited to hear about the brand’s latest addition to the line, the Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne Intense*.

Rose & Oud… it’s not the most original pairing in the fragrance world is it?  But there’s good reason for that – the traditional Middle Eastern coupling simply compliments one another beautifully.  If you’re a Rose & Oud aficionado, you may find this version a touch dumbed-down despite the “intense” moniker, in which case, you’ll be pleased to save your pennies.

For everyone else, I have to say that the new Jo Malone version makes for a lovely introduction to the classic duo.  It’s heavy on the rose, as you might expect from the British brand and reminds me somehow of a more velveteen and cleaner Le Labo Rose 31, thanks in no small part to the fact that the Oud in this definitely plays only a bit part on the stage.  It lacks the animalic tang and spice of the Le Labo but the dark, masculine edge is perfectly balanced with a voluptuousness that emerges from the first sniff and stays the course throughout the shorter-than-I’d-like wear time.  So, talking of longevity… this is where I find my disappointment – for such a majestic pairing (and a non-too-shabby price), I’d like more endurance please – on my skin, I achieve around the four hours mark.  Ultimately, this leaves me torn – I adore the composition: the allure of the rose with the darkened petals and its full-bodied, almost torrid sultriness appeals in all the ways I had anticipated.  It’s just aswell it’s only available in a 100ml bottle, because I’ll spraying this liberally and often.

In other news, the brand have recently opened a new London boutique in Covent Garden on King Street.  Most interestingly, this is the first store to employ the brand’s new design in the inimitable Jo Malone style of black and cream, it’s also the largest freestanding boutique in the UK stocking a full range of Jo Malone’s beauty and home fragrance favourites.

Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne Intesnse is a limited edition fragrance available now, priced at £95 for 100ml.

* press sample

This weekend is set to be the hottest of the year and with a bank-holiday rapidly approaching, you may forgive me for living life through a pair of rose-tinted spectacles at the moment. If you’re feeling as much “in the pink” as I am, you might appreciate these two fragrances to indulge your fervor for all things fuchsia.

Salvatore Ferragamo’s Signorina and Jo Malone’s (limited edition) Plum Blossom are lovely choices for Summer, they both wear delicately – employing some seriously fruity notes without ever becoming syrupy or cloying on the skin.

In the case of Signorina*, the Italian label’s latest scent is clearly aimed toward the younger market. The beautifully presented bottle is adorned with blush-coloured ribbons and a rose-gold lid, making it an unapologetically pink offering that should appeal to girly-girls of all ages.

Signorina opens with a juicy blackcurrant, lightly spiced with the standard pink pepper note that appears in many of the current mass-market perfumes. The voluptuousness quickly develops into something more skin-like as the florals come to the fore: jasmine, rose, and peony all combine to create a light, almost-floaty interpretation of what it must feel like to be simultaneously impossibly young and chic. On me, the scent wears close to the skin, as if grounded by the creaminess from the unexpected source of pannacotta. The creamy Italian dessert lends a softness and delivers the gourmand quality that contributes to the addictive characteristic that keeps my nose buried firmly in my wrist.

It reminds me somewhat of Dior’s Miss Cherie but I find this one more compatible with my skin chemistry and less cloying in this warm weather, it doesn’t project as loudly and feels slightly more elegant in it’s youthfulness.

Jo Malone’s latest limited-edition scent is already sold out online but still available in many stores nationwide while stocks last. Plum Blossom* is a greener interpretation of the same qualities found in Signorina. Not quite so playful in composition, it delivers a sweetness that will appeal to those who like their fruity florals to avoid the foodie notes whilst keeping sensuality at the fore. The florals up the ante, as you’d expect from the iconic British brand and with a base of sandalwood and white musk, Plum Blossom remains a clean and delicate fragrance from start to finish.

There’s something eternally romantic about blush hues and both scents make the perfect accompaniment to the wedding season.

* press samples

With most of Jo Malone’s iconic fragrances garnering inspiration and ingredients from nature, it seems fitting that they sow back into the soil some of the benefits that they reap from it.  Announced yesterday on their Facebook page is their partnership with UK charity Thrive who use the therapeutic effects of gardening to change the lives of disabled people.  The British brand are funding the much-needed regeneration of Thrive’s largest London gardening project: the Old English Garden in Battersea Park.

From this…

To this?

Well… time will tell, but the volunteer gardeners are keen to get their green-fingers stuck into the challenge: developing skills, confidence and additional wellbeing along the way under Thrive’s nurturing guidance.  If you want to learn more about the national charity, you can visit the Thrive website to discover more about their current projects.

If you want to follow the progress of the Old English Garden, log on to the Jo Malone facebook page where you’ll be able to see “how does their garden grow” with a weekly update.

This month sees some new additions to the home-scenting range from Jo Malone.  Flanking the ever-popular candles, the British brand have introduced Scent Surround diffusers, room sprays, and limited edition drawer liners and sachets.  Playing nicely on the layering theory when it comes to fragrance, you can now treat your home environment to the same luxuries as you do your skin.

The diffusers and room sprays are available in three iconic Jo Malone fragrances: Red Roses, Lime Basil & Mandarin, and Pomegranate Noir whilst the limited edition items are available in Lime Basil & Mandarin only.

As for the ‘negative’ I mention in the post title… well, take a look at the new packaging for the Home Collection…

Cheekily reversing the traditional Jo Malone style from cream boxes with black ribbon, to black boxes with cream ribbon… talk about double negatives, and we all know what they make?  A positive! *groan*

The idea behind a reed diffuser* is that it will continually fragrance an area of your home for upto 5 months, it’s perfect for families with small children or pets that are liable to knock candles over.  The Red Roses scent smells exactly like the skin perfume, and hasn’t been ‘dumbed down’ into an inferior home scent.

I’d recommend this scent for the more communal areas of your home: the sitting room, hallways and landings would particularly benefit from this delicate fragrance.  I’ve had mine sitting on a shelf in the hallway for almost a month and it still ‘catches’ me with a great first impression everytime I walk through the door.  Shame about the untidiness that greets me visually!

I’m a huge fan of scented sachets, and have friends who laugh at me because I physically get a little bit excited when I’m out shopping and discover one!  I love them because they’re a fairly inexpensive way of creating a sweet-smelling atmosphere!  When Leila was a baby, almost everyone used to comment on how beautiful she always smelled – the secret? yep, delicately-scented sachets scattered amongst her babygros!  They’re also great for putting in foisty suitcases that you’ve dragged down from the loft.  Anyway, I’m completely digressing but I think drawer liners and sachets get a bad rap as a bit of a granny product!

Scent Surround™  Diffusers 165ml £45 / €60
Scent Surround™  Room Sprays 175ml £34 / €45
Limited Edition Scent Surround™ Sachets 3 pieces £20 / €25
Limited Edition Scent Surround™ Drawer Liners 5 pieces £30 / €40

Check out the Jo Malone Home Collection online at www.jomalone.com

* press sample

Jo Malone have released a trio of floral fragrances this month to celebrate the classically British country garden, a much-loved place (which often exists more in our national pride than reality!) awash with well-cultivated flora grown in haphazard and slightly eccentric ways.  The combination of notes within the three fragrances are purposefully juxtaposed, resulting in a playful take on the classic floral fragrance.

The first thing to strike you about the new collection is the departure from the signature Jo Malone look, the beautifully illustrated, botanically-inspired bottles are quite something and tell the story of the scent that awaits you inside.  With the Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee, the idea of “Britishness” is something that will undoubtedly feature heavily as the year progresses and Jo Malone are clearly striking while the iron is hot on this score.

I received a sample of Iris & Lady Moore* which at first sniff, is all about the Iris.  It’s a powdery, traditional floral which initially fails to transcend the expected until just a couple of moments later when the Lady Moore (geranium to you and me) slices through the nobility with a blast of spicy freshness that my nose reads as a tingle with a citrus-kick.  All well and good, but then things get truly delightful on the dry down as the vetiver raises its aromatic head.  It adds pungency, masculinity, and earthiness laced with freshly-cut grass and delivers just what is needed to introduce a modern twist to the conventional genre.

I would class longevity and sillage as average and do wish for a couple more hours wear, particularly as the longer it warms against my skin, the more deliciously earthy it becomes.

As for the other fragrances, I haven’t had the pleasure of sniffing them yet but have been convinced that I sadly won’t be finding the particular brand of rhubarb that I’m looking for in White Lilac & Rubarb (which by all accounts offers the more acerbic, vegetal kind).  I really should stop procrastinating about it and simply purchase Comme des Garcons Rhubarb Sherbert which has been on my wishlist for a very long time.

Peony & Moss promises a beautiful mix of a delicate floral, with a hint of juiciness from the cassis kept well-rounded with an earthy base.  I hope that the moss adds something a little dirty and damp to counteract the lightness in the floral, that’s a contrast I’d love to smell.

All three of the London Blooms fragrances are limited edition and stock is already selling fast.  They’re priced at £72 for each 100ml cologne.

Before I close this review, I’d like to draw your attention to easily the most breathtaking Mother’s Day gift to grace my inbox this year.  Jo Malone have created a beautifully-presented gift in partnership with Wild at Heart, one of the country’s most inventive florists.  Costing more than just a pretty penny (but worth almost every one of them), you can choose to have your chosen scent (any of the Jo Malone fragrances qualify) cushioned on a bed of fresh flowers.  This is available on the 16th, 17th and 18th March only, instore at Harrods in the Beauty Apothecary Hall.

For such a lavish gift, you can expect to pay £115 – perhaps for only the most deserving of Mums, I suggest deducting £1 for each time your mother made you eat your peas.

* press sample

So, I’m an old married… and my husband doesn’t buy me Valentine’s gifts.  Instead, he makes me a minimum of three cups of tea a day, fills the car with petrol when I can’t be arsed, sounds semi-enthusiastic when I regale him with tales of my shopping bargains, and always knows my current favourite chocolate bar.

But it wasn’t always this way and back when we were all shiny and new, falling out because he laughed at a pair of BIG girl’s pants in M&S that looked scarily like a pair of mine, Valentine’s Day was kind of a big deal.

In all honesty Valentine’s Day is about as much for married people as it is for single people, i.e. it’s not.  It’s for sickeningly saccharine types enjoying the first, what — maybe two years of a new relationship?  Which ultimately means that the rest of us should treat V-day as nothing but a big excuse to buy ourselves a present of LOVE.  Because afterall, no one understands how much love (read ” new stuff”) we need better than we do.

01: Jo Malone Red Roses Travel Candle* – The problem with fresh roses is that nine times out of ten, the other half has bought them from the Esso garage.  Go for something a little longer lasting with Jo Malone’s Red Roses Travel Candle.  Burn, enjoy, extinguish – repeat ad. infinitum until you’ve surrounded yourself with the luxurious atmosphere afforded by a blend of seven of the world’s most exquisite roses.  Priced at £22.00 and packaged in the inimitable “Jo Malone way”, it’ll be considerably more affordable and better-presented to boot!

02: Wahanda Valentine Treats – Treat yourself to a Wahanda treat in time for Valentine’s Day.  From £11 mini manicures (and a glass of wine!) at Coco Nail Bar to a £200 overnighter at the chinese-inspired Chuan Spa at The Langham – there’s something to suit every taste and every budget.  Just be ready to bat away the incoming offers from those potential suitors who’ve heard about your bargain!

03: Calvin Klein Forbidden Euphoria – Unashamedly pink and most definitely girly, this new release from Calvin Klein ticks all the right boxes for those who like their fragrances on the fruity side.  Dedicated to the ‘independent woman’, there’s no better way to announce your fabulous presence than with a blend of forbidden fruit including mandarin, passion fruit and touches of iced raspberry.  Priced from £32.50.

04: Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil – Smell delicious from top to toe with this nourishing body oil from Elemis.  This multi-tasker can be drizzled in a hot bath for a relaxing scent-sensation, smoothed onto dry skin to replenish and moisturise, rubbed into cuticles to nourish, and even massaged into your hair to scent and soften.  Worthy of its cult-status, the Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil makes for a great Valentine’s night treat – just keep it to yourself eh?

05: Philosophy Sweet Talk Set – This latest body-pampering set from Philosophy combines the brand’s three-in-one shower gel, body lotion and pink-tinted lip shine in the Candy Hearts flavour: a sweet (with a hint of tart) scent which will capture the hearts of girls across the nation.  Limited edition and priced at £22.00

06: Samsung MultiView MV800 Camera – For girls that have been very good this year comes the latest compact camera offering from Samsung.  Small enough to slip in your handbag with a 3.0″ wide (every inch counts right?) touch-screen which flips a full 180 degrees to ensure you capture spot-on self-portraits every time without getting a crick in your neck.  16.1 megapixels, HD video recording and 5x optical zoom will ensure your Facebook photos are the best on the block.  Just leave out the duck-face yes?  Comes in a range of snazzy colours (it’s gotta be red though right?) and is priced at £249. Unless you’re clever and go to Amazon!

07: Clinique Limited Edition Kiss it Better Kissable Lip Set -  Spread the love with a purchase of Clinique’s charity lip set and help raise money to fund research into the causes and treatment of childhood cancer.  In collaboration with the Great Ormond Street Hospital, 50% of the RRP price will be going directly to the KISS IT BETTER appeal. The set of covetable minis includes: a Vitamin C Lip Smoothie, Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss, Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, and a mini Long Last Glosswear.  Available instore at House of Fraser, priced at £25.

Love yourselves.  The end.

* press sample