Looking for a foundation that offers moisture and good coverage?

Birds have started twittering away in the trees, evenings are growing lighter and snowdrops are showing the first signs of life – could that mean that Springtime is in our midst? Well no actually – sadly, we still have two months left until the sun puts in a notable appearance, and with UK temperatures set to plummet to below zero this week (again), its time to prepare our skin for the battle.

Winter is a difficult time when it comes to choosing the right foundation. We are not all blessed with perfect skin, and during winter there are many of us who want considerably more coverage than a tinted moisturiser but find that heavy foundations suck out any existing moisture whilst worsening dry patches.

With this in mind, we have been scouting out a few good medium coverage foundations that still promise to keep the skin feeling full of moisture:

Bobbi Brown Luminous Moisturizing Foundation £29

Bobbi Brown products always come with a hefty price tag but as the saying goes, ‘you get what you pay for’. This foundation is sitting pretty at the top of our selection – offering moisture and buildable coverage, as well as age reducing properties.

The Body Shop Moisture Foundation SPF15 £13

This is a lightweight formula that offers medium coverage great for retaining moisture. However, if you have combination skin and an oily T-Zone but dry cheeks then it is best to avoid using it on the areas of your face that are prone to oiliness

17 Sheer Moisture Foundation £4.99

This foundation is relatively lightweight but can be built up for heavier coverage. Best when applied over your daily moisturiser with a light dusting of setting powder on top to hold the foundation in place for longer.

Want to shower guilt-free without feeling like you’re destroying your hair and the planet in one hair-wash?

Many shampoos, conditioners and soaps contain damaging chemicals like parabens, SLS and petrochemicals that strip your hair of nutrients and contaminate the environment during production, distribution and waste.

‘Naked’ is a brand that claims to be 97% natural but 100% transparent and ‘honest about everything’ they do.

The leftover 3% of ‘unnatural’ ingredients consists of preservatives, which stops perishable components going off, and emulsifying agents, which stops the ingredients from separating.

The company also claims to source local ingredients wherever possible in order to cut down on carbon emissions from transportation. If some ingredients are unavailable in the UK, Naked will buy from sustainable community-traded sources. All products are produced in the UK and, of course, never tested on animals.

Naked Bounce Curl Defining Conditioner is part of a range of guilt-free products created especially for curly hair.

It contains Avocado oil to moisturise and extracts of kelp to boost natural hair repair. Together, these ingredients create bouncy, soft, perfect ringlets- as well as saving a little bit of our planet!

You can buy Naked bounce Curl Defining Conditioner at Naked Body Care for a very reasonable £3.99

Petroleum jelly and crème brûlée almost sounds like something you’d find on a haute cuisine menu, next to the foie gras and cucumber mousse. But this is, in fact, classic Vaseline’s new limited edition flavoured lip balm. 

Vaseline, loved for its no-frills, all-purpose, rough-and-ready nature, has finally taken a leap out of the man draw and into the make-up bag.

The new tin sports a cute retro design reminiscent of a Parisian boulangerie sign- a far cry from the simple, rough-around-the-edges look of the original.

Get the flavour of a favourite French dessert with none of the guilt!

The limited edition sweet treat is available to buy for £2.99 exclusively from Selfridges’ London and Manchester stores, or through the Selfridges website.

Inspired by the art of Chinese paper-cutting, Paperself claims to be starting a ‘paper revolution’. This is a big claim indeed, but one that really is beginning to take hold.

The statement falsies made a stamp on popular culture last week when they were featured on X-factor’s favourite Celtic beauty, Janet Devlin.

From a distance, the eyelashes look like well applied eyeliner. Up close, it’s plain to see that each eyelash is a work of art. Based on traditional Chinese symbols, each delicate design represents something different. The horses represent success, the peonies represent happiness, the peach blossoms- love, the peacock- auspicious and lucky days. The butterflies represent freedom, beauty and sensitivity, and the clown means ‘bring the whole happiness’.

So however you’re feeling, there’s a different design for every day (11, in fact).

If you’re feeling bold and aim to turn heads, you can buy the large lashes for £12 a pair. For a subtler, pretty look, choose the petits – £10 for 2 pairs.

The concept design is by Ting yu Wang and you can find Paperself lashes at the Paperself website.

Earlier this month, iconic 60s label Biba launched a make-up range exclusively for House of Fraser.

Famed for its 20s and 30s Art Deco glamour, the range features bright colours, startling contrasts and decadent packaging.

The Biba Zamac Ring, £15, embodies everything Biba. It’s big, bold and gold with a monogrammed front harking back to Art Deco’s tribal influences.

For those of you who love to make an impact, the Zamac Ring is the epitome of statement jewelry.

For one thing, the piece isn’t chunky for nothing- if you slide open the monogrammed front, inside you’ll find…a shiny pink lip-gloss.

A lip-gloss in a ring- what more could you want?

If it’s too OTT for you, you can use the detachable chain to clip it to your bag as a cute little charm.

Fashionable and practical, you can buy the Zamac Ring from the House of Fraser for £15 now.

In chilly weather we’re forced to hide our fabulous outfits under bundles of coats and scarves, so this year we’re wearing fashion on our faces.

We’ve compiled a selection of the best on-trend beauty products to add a little fun and vibrance to the bleakest of British weather.

Lips

A perfect pout is the fashion world’s obsession this season, with top labels like Diane Von Furstenberg and Yves Saint Laurant opting for striking shades- sure to attract attention. Whether your lips are as voluptuous as Angelina’s or as delicate as Kiera Knightly’s, accentuate your smile with one of the 32 bold shades on offer in Dior’s new Rouge Dior lipstick collection. Claiming to contain a ‘new generation of plumping hyaluronic acid microspheres’, this lippy promises to smooth and plump the surface of your lips for a youthful, radiant look. We recommend no.526 ‘Rare Amber’ for an on-trend, slightly coral-coloured sheen.

You can buy ‘Amber Rare’ at Debenhams for £22.50

Eyes

One runway trend this season is bold, black eyeliner. Designers like Louis Vuitton and D&G are playing with tribal and Egyptian influences to create bold, beautiful Nephertiti-style eyes. For a feline-feel, we suggest trying Bobbi Brown’s Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. This gel is easier to apply than liquid liner due to its stickier consistency. It’s also water-resistant- so that pesky autumn drizzle won’t get in the way of you looking fabulous!

You can buy Bobbi Brown’s Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner at Selfridges for £16.50.

Eyebrows

Think Sophia Loren or Elizabeth Taylor for eyebrows this winter. Most of us plucked our eyebrows to oblivion in the early naughties, but now it’s time to go au-naturel and let those stray hairs run loose. If you’re not blessed with a bushy brow, we recommend No.7 Precision Brow Pencil. This pencil is great for filling out and adding shape and definition to scraggy eyebrows, and it’s not a bad price either.

You can buy No7 Precision Brow Pencil at Boots for £10.25

Nails

There’s no point having a beautifully made face if you’re going to forget about your nails.

Autumn/winter 2011 sees a return of bright, funky nail colours. They key to nail glamour is in the top-coat. Try Rimmel London’s Rock Your Colour Top Coat to add a little festive sparkle to your nails this winter. The more layers you paint, the more dramatic the effect. For an even funkier look, try Rimmel London’s Crackle Your Colour Crazy Top Coat. The crackle polish look was a hit this summer and it continues to spread this winter.

You can buy Rimmel London’s Rock Your Colour Top Coat from 24th November 2011 for £4.59 and Crackle Your Colour Crazy Top Coat is available now for £3.99.

Kleenex, the UK’s number 1 tissue brand, has embarked on a great autumn migration.

Once at home on the coffee table or nestled behind the boiled sweets in the glove compartment, Kleenex has finally abandoned its masculine image and infiltrated the ‘girly stuff’ shelf of the bathroom cabinet.

This new range of facial cleansing products includes Eye Make-Up Removal Wipes, Facial Cloths, Facial Cleansing Wipes and Shine-Absorbing Sheets, all promising to be environmentally friendly and ‘extra gentle’ on the skin (because girls are made of fairy dust).

It may seem strange to get excited about a wet wipe, but Kleenex’s Facial Cleansing Wipes add a level of sophistication that other brands seem to miss.

Softer even than Johnson’s baby wipes, and without the slightly sickly smell you can’t help but associate with baby poo, these wipes leave the skin clear, make-up free and with a sort of clinical tingling sensation. This is the facial wipe for the grown-up, modern woman- and the perfect size for slipping neatly onto the cosmetics shelf.

A nice added feature is the informative packaging. Each ingredient has a little explanation in purple writing, such as: “Phenoxyethanol (helps keep wipes fresh)”. So all the terrifying names that make you wonder if you could be rubbing something highly cancerous into your skin, suddenly become a lot more comforting- like the Kleenex brand itself.

The Shine Absorbing Sheets come in a nice compact casing that looks a little like a chewing gum packet. This helps disguise that fact that you’re carrying around a product that essentially absorbs face grease (not very elegant). The sheets work as a form of blotting paper that you can dab on your skin without removing your makeup, making it a great touch-up for during the day.

The packet offers a generous number of sheets that should last a fair few weeks, depending on your general level of sweatiness. It’s also the perfect size and shape to slip into your handbag for a sophisticated evening out.

Discrete, feminine and modern- it’s safe to say that Kleenex’s new range for facial care will soon be a common sight in the handbags and bathroom cabinets of women who care about their skin.

For more information about the Kleenex beauty range, and for stockists, please visit the official Kleenex website.

The first noticeable feature about these lipstick’s is the chic design, which has Kate’s signature in red and a hand drawn heart. There are 7 shades of colours to choose from, to suit all tastes and occasions. These colours range from light to dark and consist of; nude, rose nude, medium pink, classic red, coral red, fuchsia pink, plum and purple.

Kate is said to have chosen all of these colours and unlike many other lipstick collection’s, they have a shade to suit everyone’s tastes. The gorgeous tones are unique with a bit of an edge, which shows off Kate’s personality. They also have a fruity smell and a black diamond pigment complex. If you love her style, then you will love these lipstick’s.

As with the other Rimmel cosmetics on the market, Kate stars in the advert for her new collection. She shows off her stunning figure in three skimpy outfits during the video and shows off her rock chick and glamorous image, enticing us to try out this brand new and exquisite range.

These highly anticipated lipstick’s hit the shelves of Boots earlier this month, and two of the shades reportedly sold out within two days. If you want to be part of the trend, you can pick up this collection in store now.

‘The Lipstick Collection’ by Kate Moss is available to purchase now from Boots and is priced at £5.49. It will be available at other stores from the 28th September 2011. For more information please visit the Rimmel website.

If you don’t mind paying a little extra for good quality make-up, then you can’t go wrong with the popular brand, Benefit.

Benefit are renowned for the quality of their make-up the world over. It may be a little more expensive than other brands, but as they say, you get what you pay for. This American company create an extensive line of make-up, from lip gloss, to blusher, to mascara, pretty much anything you could wish for.

One of the best products within their line, is the Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder. Bronzing powder is a great way to create some colour on your face, particularly if you have a pale complexion. It is better to wear a light coloured foundation, and use bronzing powder over the top, to give yourself the perfect look.

Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder is without a doubt, a very high quality product. The box is compact designed, and packaged within the powder box is a small brush for application, and even a mirror. The bronzing powder is applied by using the soft brush to sweep across the face, to give it that natural glow, or you can use it to keep your features defined and glowing.

This is a product which I would highly recommend. The colour is natural, and can be adapted to suit any complexion, just by being careful with how much is used. The powder stays packed within the box, unlike other brands I have used, where it seems to end up breaking off and going everywhere (just ask my carpet.) It also lasts for a long period of time after application, so you don’t need to keep re-doing it.

Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder is available from Asos and is priced at £23.50. For more information please visit the Benefit website.

There are tonnes of sprays out there which claim to turn you into a wavy haired just stepped out of the ocean beach goddess but I have found the Lee Stafford offering to be my favourite.

This product is definitely not for everyone and from the reviews I have read it seems to me that it can cause greasyness in certain hair types and also can be completely useless for others.

My hair type is layered, thick and naturally wavy. I use this spray to even out my waves, to spruce up hair which hasn’t been washed in a couple of days and is looking a bit flat, or when I put my hair up for added texture.

This product works best for me when used on dry hair and though Lee Stafford recommend you use a staggering 50 spritzs, I use a maximum of about twenty on the lengths and ends of my hair and apply nothing near to the roots.

The spray makes my hair soft, shiny, nicely fragranced and textured and though it is a little on the pricy side it’s a summer and winter essential that I know couldn’t live without.

If you would like to try Lee Stafford’s Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray you can pick it up from Boots for £7.49