Increasingly, I’ve noticed many people (OK, many people on social media, on the catwalk and everywhere other than in real life) wearing blush that starts from the very high end of the cheekbone – close to the side of the eyes – and then curves round to the bottom of the cheek. If you’ve always just placed your blush on the apples of your cheeks this might feel ambitious. But try it. It’s a clever way to bring warmth into your face. Which in the dead of winter is no bad thing.
1. Saie Dew Blush £20, cultbeauty.co.uk
2. Jones Road The Best Blush £26, jonesroadbeauty.com
3. Pat McGraths Labs Divine Blush Legendary Glow Colour Blush £27, lookfantastic.com
4. Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Blush £26, sephora.co.uk
5. Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush £44, libertylondon.com
I can’t do without… a rich, effective cleanser from Korea and now here
Last year, I went to Seoul, Korea. I loved exploring the food (nothing beats a Korean barbecue), the literature (Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 is excellent), the music (I had K Pop mixes on loop) and, of course, the beauty (Korea is famous for its beauty so it would have been rude not to). I spent hours in the Amorepacific beauty store and scoured Olive Young (essentially the Sephora/Boots of Korea) to scout some of the country’s gamechanging beauty brands. One such brand was Innisfree. Mind-bogglingly extensive, whatever your skin type or needs – dry/dehydrated, breakout-prone, sensitive, mature, uneven, etc – Innisfree will meet the need and then some. They were all so well priced that I went completely bonkers and bought enough products to open a village shop. It turns out I needn’t have bothered. Not long after coming home, Innisfree launched in the UK. Still, it didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. I’m using the cleansing foam from the hydrating and antioxidant rich Green Tea range. Foam cleansers were long famed for their stripping nature, but this excellent Korean formulation is gentle, soothing and balancing, and cleans brilliantly. Its thick texture (imagine a dense creamy soap) means you don’t need much – the tube lasts forever. And when it finally comes to the end, you won’t need to head to Seoul to get a replacement. Innisfree Green Tea Amino Acid Cleansing Foam, £16, cultbeauty.co.uk
On my radar … a trio of heady scents for the artfully inclined
Desert on display Shiro Muchiro’s London gallery is home to great art, like this incredible patchouli, frankincense and pink pepper scent, inspired by Kenya’s Rift Valley. Soshiro Desert Colours Viridescent, £145, soshiro.co
Substance and style Bottega Veneta’s sculptural bottles (an ode to Venetian glass-blowing techniques) are some of the best. The travel set is an excellent way in. Bottega Veneta Fragrance Discovery Set, £45, bottega veneta.com
For those in the know Popular with the creative set, Matiere Premiere’s exquisite fragrances are built around a single ingredient. A fave of mine is Radical Rose. Matiere Premiere Radical Rose, £155, libertylondon.com
