Adele x

If you want effortlessly sexy, tousled, bouncy hair like this (I do! I do!) then reach for the new Babyliss Waving Wand, a hot rod of hair happiness that takes boring, hanging-like-curtains hair and transforms it into tousled tresses of temptation.

I doubt there is a hair product on the market that is so simple to use – just heat it up and wrap sections of dry hair round the unique oval barrel for a few seconds. And because there is no clamp you don’t get that tell-tale crimped end.

Your hair will look so great that men will buy you flowers and propose on the spot, your boss will promote you, and a celebrity magazine will put you on the cover as their latest style icon (disclaimer – there is a distinct possibility that none of this will happen. But hey, your hair will still look fab!).

Desperate to give it a go? Hot foot it down to Boots or Argos where you can pick one up for £30.

Sponsored post.

Personally I rate suitability, efficacy, price and brand reputation as my most important buying criteria for skincare. Add in a large dollop of luxurious pampering and you’ll have me hooked.

Filling in the census is an opportunity to flag up skincare concerns (the length of my list gives War & Peace a run for its money) and reveal how much you are prepared to spend to put them right. I confess to having a hoard of lovely beauty products in my bathroom although I’m quite good at turning my back on anything that requires a second mortgage, no matter what claims it makes about rejuvenation or wrinkle eradication.

I’ve ticked all the boxes in the section ‘cosmetic procedures I would consider having’ but have no wish to look ten years younger. Rather I would like to look in the mirror and see a great version of the current me looking back. I’ll admit that’s a bit elusive, but hopefully nothing that a skin care expert can’t bottle for me.

If you’d like to take part in the in the poll and are female and between 18 and 65 then go to  http://www.olay.co.uk/ and get your views heard.

Fancy a freebie (and a lovely one at that!)? Olay is also offering up to 500,000 of you the chance to be among the first to trial, rate and review Olay’s latest and most effective ‘luxury’ super-serum. The poll will be live until 20^th October 2010.

This is a sponsored post.

Korben with Jodie Kidd

Korben is just delightful. He’s the sort of best friend that every girl dreams about having – you know, ready to pop round with a blusher brush and a great bit of styling advice whenever required.  He was also ultra professional and wasn’t in the least bit put off by the sheep outside the window (“So, who uses primer?” “Baa”).

What we didn’t let on was that although we may have looked like a bunch of Surrey housewives, we had all worked as either beauty journalists or pr executives at some point in our careers. In short, we’d heard every beauty tip on the planet. Or so we thought – because Korben has completely reinvented how to apply make up at home, making it quick, easy and very effective. The class is a mix of demonstration and workshop and we were shown all sorts of fantastic tricks and tips that transformed us into the sort of dewy, airbrushed goddesses that you only ever see in magazines (not bad seeing as we’re all over 40!).  And best of all, we learnt how to do it ourselves.

We took in-depth notes!

The Jemma Kidd Pro range is gorgeous – I’d readily put it up against premium brands like Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown. Special mention goes to Skin Rescue Bio-Complex Veil SPF15, a tinted multi-tasker developed in conjunction with Shiseido that moisturizes, primes and illumintates the skin. It was so good that we all bought one on the spot.

Everyone loved their new look and the masterclass experience. Having friends at hand and being close to home certainly makes everything more relaxed (or was that the champagne?). Anyway, thoroughly recommended.

Finished result

Jemma Kidd Masterclass@home workshops are two hours long and cost £25 per person for seven people. At the end of the class you take home two make-up bag essentials worth over £30. You can also buy make up on the night (no hard sell, but difficult to resist!).

For more information e:masterclass@jemmakidd.com or t:01483 266143

You probably wont be surprised to read that the festival is as middle class as it is nostalgic. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. It’s just slightly odd to walk into a field and come face to face with a John Lewis store in the purpose-built vintage Market Place. I didn’t go in so I have no idea what they were selling (presumably not washing machines or sofas) but I’m pretty sure that being ‘never knowingly undersold’ was a festival first.

I headed instead for what was billed as the largest vintage fashion bazaar in Europe, with over 320 fashion and accessories stalls of dressing up delights.  This was also the perfect place to people watch – and it’s the wonderfully attired punters that made Goodwood special.

So many (and hopefully everyone in future) had arrived dressed in vintage finery and the result was glamour everywhere you looked. Meanwhile the Vintage Goodwood beauty parlour was doing a roaring trade in retro makeovers – ‘natural’ didn’t get a look in.

Mr AM  amused himself by looking at the vintage cinema bus (showing Joe Strummer movies), watching new bands in the woods and trying to find the beer tent. It turned out that the bars were situated the soul, rock n roll and dance music ‘clubs’ – (don’t ask me who was playing – this is a beauty blog, not the NME) – well away from the second hand frocks.

Time for  a cream tea (because you always have one at a festival, right?) . The bunting festooned outdoor cafes were a stone’s throw away from the soul stage so I enjoyed a cuppa and a nibble of home made scone while tapping a toe to ‘Move On Up’ – I bet Curtis Mayfield often did the same, way back in vintage times.

With a nod to our rock and roll aristocracy, ever so posh auction house Bonhams were showing off some rock star memorabilia before an auction on Sunday. Lots included rock star portraits and a tatty old piano – from Abbey Road studios – that was apparently worth £150,000. No doubt someone very rich has now taken it home and I expect their cleaner will secretly shake her head in disbelief as she wipes the rock star finger prints off the keys.

Having consumed some very middle class organic hot dogs (like normal hot dogs, but way more expensive) we headed for the main stage. Here, we enjoyed the outdoor bar (at last!) and The Noisettes who played a wonderfully glitzy set as the sun went down and a crescent moon rose. As we left – tired, happy, and planning what to wear next year – the walkways were illuminated with twinkling fairy lights. I expect you can buy a similar set at John Lewis.

In glossy magazine land, ‘packing’ means throwing a bikini into a beach bag and heading for an exotic beach hideaway.

In my world, getting ready to for a holiday means stuffing a suitcase while answering emails, tripping over kittens and refereeing three daughters whose approach to packing varies from ‘I’ll just take everything in my wardrobe’ to ‘I’ll just take one T shirt and forget everything else’.

And I’m supposed to fit in a beauty routine too? Believe me, it’s brief!

Here’s my dead quick guide to holiday glamour.

1. Get a hair cut and colour. Go for what you know – holidays are not the time to experiment with a new look. Think of the photos.

2. Defuzz. There’s no way I’m taking leg hair on holiday. I recently discovered the new Philips Satin Perfect http://www.philips.co.uk/ and its way quicker than a razor, and you don’t risk the ‘nicked ankle’ look either.

3. Fake tan. Avoid the ‘I’ve just arrived!!!!!’ look with self-tan – Xen-tan gets my vote  - applied the night before you travel as you rush around packing the Calpol and beach shoes that no one ever wears.

4. Make up. Pare it down to essentials ie mascara (without it everything else is useless) plus a shimmery bronzing powder and peach lip gloss – try the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess range  -  for that ‘tired mum to sun-kissed stunner’ transformation.

5. Pedicure. Because in many countries it’s illegal to wear flip-flops without nail polish (or at least that’s what I tell my husband as I sit immobile with wet nails while he rushes round looking for his wetsuit).

Photo: Paul Mitchell www.paulmitchellphotographer.com

The new Philips Satin Perfect has an extra-wide head which enables it to remove more hair in one stroke, giving you long-lasting smoothness, faster. Its high performance discs are made of textured ceramic material, which gently grip and remove even finest hairs. http://www.philips.co.uk/

This is a sponsored post for Philips Satin Perfect

I am a huge fan of facialist Neena Trehan (above, left) and her amazing Spa Fabulous organic skin care range, and I happen to know that the very lovely Lisa Snowdon is also a regular customer.

So imagine my glee when Neena invited me to the launch party for her new Calming Coconut & Aloe Facial treatment at her bijou organic sanctuary.  The lovely Ms Snowdon was also on the guest list and I instantly had a vision of us enthusing about skin care over healthy but delicious fruit cocktails, surrounded by fragrant candles and press photographers. Why, by the end of the evening I’d probably be on her Christmas card list.

Working on the theory that Lisa is famous and therefore bound to be late I figured that I had loads of time to prepare myself to be photographed mingling with one of the nation’s most beautiful women.

So I washed my hair, applied liberal amounts of fake tan and did my make up. Having decided that my make up was trying a bit too hard (too bronzed) I reapplied it (more natural radiance), put on my fave DvF dress (from a second hand shop – note to self, don’t mention that to Lisa) and packed my camera into a suitable on-trend and photogenic handbag.

Remembering my theory about celebrity timekeeping, I then made myself a quick cup of tea, fed the cat, checked my emails, texted my friend (bound to be interested in my new celebrity pal), changed my shoes for a better pair (as you do), and set off.

I arrived at the spa fashionably (or so I thought) late to see a chauffeur opening the doors of a limo right outside. I’d timed it perfectly!

I parked round the back, reapplied my lip gloss and walked to the door. There I was greeted by PR Anisa who handed me a drink, smiled in a ‘softening the blow’ sort of way and said “Lisa just left – never mind!”

The picture above shows Neena and the very professional and punctual Lisa Snowdon managing to celebrate without me.

Neena Trehan’s Spa Fabulous treatments are available at the Kite Clinic in Bond Street or at Spa Fabulous in Surbiton.

Kelly Brook - not wondering if men make passes at girls in glasses.

I’ve worn glasses since I was a teenager, and this much I know….

1. Removing them can be an extremely intimate and deeply sexy move. Particularly if you let him do it. A master of the art will, of course,  simultaneously release your up-do with his other hand (no pressure, guys)

2. You can chew the end of the arms – it’s a sort of healthier version of the phallic cigarette move. Don’t gnaw at them though – that just makes you look neurotic.

3. A bit of a ‘I’m just clearing my glasses’ mouth blow also draws attention to your lust-inducing pout. Especially in good lipstick.

4. You can ‘accidentally’ lose them should the need arise to make yourself seem a bit helpless and in need of some manly (ie his) assistance. N.B. Sitting on them is going too far. And expensive.

5. You can take them off and gaze deeply into his eyes. This emphasizes that all your attention is on him. On a practical level, it will be impossible to make eye contact with anyone else in the room anyway on account of everything being out of focus.

6. They always make you look clever. Wear them with your best work suit? Look chic and clever. Wear them with a maxi dress? Look boho and clever. Wear them with Agent Provocateur underwear? Look sexy and clever. What’s not to like?

7. They make you look like you’re not trying too hard – the sort of ‘I’m off duty but I’m still gorgeous’ look favoured by celebs like Cheryl Tweedy when they’re not at work.

8. When you look in a hot oven they steam up. This is extremely endearing. You can bet your bottom dollar he’ll be cleaning them off with the hem of his T shirt before you can say ‘How do you like your muffins?’

9. You can perfect the sexy librarian look. That’s a life skill in itself, believe me.

10. You can have him eating out of the palm of your hand with this classic man-melting move – drop chin, lift eyebrows and give him a couple of seconds of over-the-frame eye contact. He’ll be putty.

Me, working tip 7.

Are you the sexiest thing in specs? Enter the competition below and you could be Specsaver’s Spectacle Wearer of the Year 2010

http://competition.specsavers.co.uk/enter-now.aspx?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Content&utm_campaign=Outreach

Here’s last year’s star studded event to whet your appetite…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6m3Uy-CmO4

This post is sponsored by Specsavers.

However once a year my neighbour Sally hosts a get together where Sam Park showcases her Whatsabouttown jewellery collection to a select group of friends, and wild horses wont keep me (or my credit card) away. And its not just for the flapjacks (although they are very good).

Truth is, Sam doesn’t really do coffee mornings either  – she’s too busy (along with five staff) running Whatsabouttown  - a jewellery website that currently attracts up to 1500 unique hits a day, with customers snapping up her totally on-trend celebrity-led and ever-changing selection of gorgeous bangles, beads and baubles and RIST watches. Its no wonder style mags are calling in samples right, left and centre.

She’s also currently designing a handbag and dress line, with a shoe collection in the pipeline.

Not bad for someone aged 22.

Sam went into business when she was 15 with a £100 investment. She’s dyslexic and university wasn’t for her so instead she’s worked her bejeweled socks off and built an empire on bling. She puts her success down to loving what she does and staying constantly up to date with who’s wearing what and the latest trends.

I can’t help but notice that, like many people who are dyslexic, she is also blessed with a highly creative outside-the-box way of thinking and a charming ability to get on with people (Jamie Oliver is another example of the same). Add that other often over-looked essential – confidence – and  there lies a recipe for success.

‘I would 100% agree that confidence is more important than qualifications’ says Sam. ‘Business is about coming up with fresh ideas. I used to hold back in case someone laughed at me but now I kind of have the attitude that I’m doing my own thing and I’ve got over worrying about what other people think…”

follow Sam at twitter@SamanthaParkWAT

jewellery photography: Paul Mitchell www.paulmitchellphotographer.com

My hunt for the perfect undereye concealer has been a long one. When I’m being romantic I like to blame my Spanish colouring for the dark circles beneath my eyes. Practically speaking though you can add in a job, three children and the fact that I’m sitting here blogging at 11pm – yep, I get a bit tired and sometimes it shows.

I’ve tried all sorts of under eye concealers without loving the results. YSL’s classic Touch Eclat and Clinique’s Airbrush Concealer are good bets from the light reflective stable (they reflect light away from the area as well as concealing it) but they don’t really go the extra mile – I find there is a limit to how much you can apply before they refuse to blend in anymore.

At Bobbi Brown – where you usually can’t go wrong – I was offered a two-pronged attack of a concealer and powder (clearly very tired that day!) which seemed just one step too many for me and my busy lifestyle.

However, happy endings and all that…I discovered Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer on the way to a meeting when I caught sight of myself in a mirror and had the dreaded ‘Did I actually go to bed last night?’ moment. Luckily, the mirror was in a department store beauty hall (I was kind of taking the long route to work) so I asked for a bit of help and Secret Concealer was duly set before me. It looks very thick in its little pot, but the Vitamin E and A enriched moisturising formula means it glides on and blend like a dream – and its startlingly effective at evening out skin tone. I confess I even said ‘wow’ upon seeing my new, revived reflection. The LM website recommends you apply it after foundation but I find it fine to use on its own – a real plus point for me as I rarely wear base.

Secret Concealer (except its not secret now!) is available in six shades and costs £18 from Laura Mercier counters or www.spacenk.co.uk

Got a concealer you don’t leave the house without? Tell me about it!