Crackle topcoats, matte polishes, foil effect polish – the list goes on. Just when you thought the brains behind nail polishes couldn’t do anything else, magnetic nail polishes hit the shelves.

Magnetic nail polish is a special formula with integrated metallic particles which help to create unique nail art when a magnet is held over the nail. Whilst the polish is still wet, the iron particles will gravitate towards a magnet to create an interesting pattern.

Nails Inc have released 3 magnetic nail polishes, all priced at £13 each (with £1 from every Nails Inc magnetic nail polish sold donated to The Prince’s Trust).

If your budget won’t quite stretch to £13 then Boots brand 17 have their own version which is available in four beautiful metallic shades and come in at an affordable £5.99.

Magnetized nail polishes are a fantastic way of creating quick, easy and sophisticated nail art from your own home and will give the perfect finishing touch to any festive season outfit.

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.

Scrooges avert your eyes, because now November is here it is officially acceptable to start talking about the festive period!

We are going to start proceedings by lusting after these ridiculously overpriced, overindulgent but beautiful all the same crackers.

Obviously a Christmas celebration is not really a Christmas celebration unless there are crackers involved (& potentially some mulled wine). Well these crackers are not just any crackers (queue seductive music), these are luxury Lancôme crackers filled with an array of mini beauty treats.

Inside you may find a deliciously scented juicy tube, or perhaps a Hypnôse Mascara Mini – accompanied by a beauty tip and the obligatory Christmas party hat.

Obviously these crackers aren’t going to be for everyone. Grandad for instance, probably isn’t going to appreciate a juicy tube and will be wondering where his bad joke and mini tool kit have got to. However, they will make the perfect accompaniment for a Christmas meal for the girls, or they could be bought as a pack and given out as unique secret Santa gifts, stocking fillers or pressies.

Lancome Beauty Christmas Crackers are priced at £38 for six and are available from Selfridges.

Beautiful, elaborate and made of paper, Paperself false eyelashes come in a range of designs, from butterflies and stag horns to peacocks and horses.

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.

With Halloween just a mere 4 days away and festivities sure to begin this weekend, we couldn’t resist another Halloween related post.

If big orange pumpkin suits or white sheets with eye holes aren’t really your style, you can’t go wrong with some sophisticated old school vampire glamour – here are our top picks to help you achieve the perfect blood sucking look:

1. Smashbox – Photo Finish Colour Correcting Primer (Green) £30

For the vampire look pale porcelain white skin is a must. Begin by applying a primer with a green undertone such as this colour correcting primer from Smashbox. The green undertones will neutralise any red patches and dark spots and will also smooth out and even your skin tone for the perfect base.

2. Illamasqua – Theatre of the Nameless False Lashes  £16.50

These lashes may be pricy but there is no denying their beauty. Full and thick at the base thinning off into spidery wisps at the end. If looks could kill…

3. Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Dragon £25

Red lips are standard procedure for a vamp, and though any bright red lipstick will suffice, this is undoubtedly the crème de la crème. It is actually a lip-gloss liquid formula as opposed to a lipstick and this is what makes it so utterly ideal for this look. Instead of a matte finish, this very rich opaque blood red has a glossy finish, giving your lips that just bitten appearance.

4. Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation in NC15 £23

This is the palest shade of this medium to high coverage foundation. We suggest that you build up a few layers for high coverage and then set with a translucent powder for staying power.

5. Nars Trio EyeShadow in Arabian Nights £33

This palette is simply stunning, and contains 3 beautiful shades – black with red pearls, black with purple pearls and black with gunmetal shimmer. All colours are extremely pigmented and offer a slightly spookier alternative to a matte black smoky eye.

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.

Will Illasmasqua’s haunting scent be a hit?

Well Illamasqua certainly aren’t afraid of pushing the envelope are they? After their recent foray into the world of the afterlife, making over corpses so we look our best before departing into our next lives, they had everyone asking what could they possibly have in store for us next?

After a short wait (with baited breath) Illamasqua have revealed their first ever scent, but as expected it is worlds away from the stereotypical floral offerings that fill so many other perfume bottles.

The name of the perfume ‘Freak’ is a welcome departure from the millions of other perfumes out there that seem to be named using marketing and PR buzzwords. Surely women don’t really believe that a spritz of Calvin Klein’s ‘Beauty’ will make them beautiful, or that a misting of Dolce & Gabbana’s ‘The One’ will mean that your dream man will approach you and ask for your hand in marriage?

As with all things Illamasqua, the emphasis is placed upon being different, being expressive and being unique and not upon making yourself necessarily look and smell beautiful – and a very welcome message it is too.

Illamasqua describe Freak as a concoction of dangerously unconventional flowers, which have been blended together to celebrate the night. With notes of Black Davana, Belladonna, Poison Hemlock and Queen of the Night, it’s sure to make for the most interesting perfume in your collection.

Illamasqua have also steered clear of a conventionally ‘pretty’ perfume bottle, instead opted for an edgy and interesting design which manages to capture the essence of the scent quite well from an outside perspective. The bottle looks like it could have been carved from black onyx, and with the addition of a small silver snail slowly making its way up the angled side of the bottle, the whole thing looks like it could have just been pulled out of the ground.

Freak is available for purchase now and is priced at £59 for the 75ml eau de parfum, with ‘trick or treat’ time just around the corner, why not ‘treat’ yourself to something a bit different this Halloween? You can pick up Freak from Selfridges online or in store.

A new season calls for a new look. As winter draws in, the catwalks are filling with rich, autumnal colours, thick Mediterranean eyebrows and statement eye makeup.

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.

If you are not steady handed enough to create the perfect smooth winged eyeliner flick then fear not, Dior have created a beautiful set of eyeliner transfers which will be the answer to all of your prayers.

This is such an innovative idea. We recently blogged about Violent Lips lip transfers, which is exciting but a little ‘off the wall’ for general use and not really everyone’s cup of tea! These transfers however, offer sophisticated glamour and a make-up look which will look like its been applied by a professional.

There are four transfers to a pack, all different and unique in their own way, from a simple black matte design through to a Swarovski crystal embellished design for the ultimate statement. The patches are also apparently adjustable, so can fit snuggly to your unique eye shape and are also reusable (though it doesn’t say how many times they can be reused).

However, obviously as with anything stamped with the Dior branding, you are paying for the luxury, and these transfers come with a whopping great price tag of £47 of your Great British Pounds.

Hopefully this catwalk trend will be something that eventually filters down to the drug store beauty market, where we can sample the delights of eyeliner transfers at a far more affordable cost.

For those of you who simply can’t wait, or if you wish to try the real mcoy, you can pick up Diors Backstage Eyeliner patches from Selfridges.

Chanel Jersey, previously worn exclusively by men, has recently been relaunched for a female market.

It introduces the new Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection.

Described as “evocative of a meadow lush with lavender” with a “tender trail of Vanilla and Musk”, this new fragrance infuses a masculine product with a feminine touch.

Blurring the boundaries between male and female perfumes is a bold risk by Chanel, and one that encapsulates the brand’s Avant-garde image.

Born from the heart of early 20^th century Parisian glamour, Chanel has always embraced modernity whilst remaining exquisitely understated and poised.

The new Chanel Jersey fragrance evokes the brand’s golden age- 1920s hedonism, glamour, cocktail parties and decadence- while introducing a sleek 21^st century touch.

This is the fragrance for women who are unafraid of making a bold statement, women who dare to embrace Jersey’s solid, masculine past.

Jersey is prominent reminder that, nearly a century on, Chanel continues to preside effortlessly over the global fashion kingdom- and will continue to do so indefinitely.

Chanel Jersey is available to purchase in 75ml or 200ml Eau de Toilette .