The 50 best beauty products

We've buffed, blow-dried, spritzed and smeared ourselves silly to bring you Stella's definitive guide to the best products out there. Whatever you do, don't go shopping without it 

1 Le Crayon Khôl in Gris Bleu £14.50, by Lancôme
Lancôme’s soft, easy-to-apply eye pencils come in a great colour range. Gris Bleu is perfect for blue or green eyes. 

2 Convertible Colour £18, by Stila 
Get year-round glowing, perky cheeks and rose-bud lips with this cream blusher and lip colour. The most popular shade, Petunia, is perfect for pale English roses. 

3 Professional hairdryer £100, by Daniel Hersheson
After using the same old hairdryer for about 10 years it was a revelation to try this lightweight gadget. Drying time was halved, volume was increased, styling so much easier. What a relief. 

4 Bio-Oil £8.95, from Boots
The smell and dusty-rose colour alone impart a feeling of wellbeing. And that’s before the vitamins A and E work to erase scars and stretch marks. It certainly helped the creakingly taut skin of one grateful expectant mother. 

5 Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil £26, by Ren 
It may look like Tango but this stress-busting bath oil has a subtle aroma, redolent of a Moroccan hammam. Great for sensitive skins.

6 Lash Envy in Plum £16, by Prescriptives
The perfect everyday mascara, Lash Envy never ever clumps, and creates a thick, natural-looking lash. This shade is lovely for winter. 

7 Vitamin E Moisture Cream £9, by the Body Shop
A Body Shop bestseller, this smells amazing, improves the condition of your skin and, although a thick cream, feels light and absorbs well. 

8 Chloé £45 for 50ml eau de parfum, by Chloé
An instant classic when it was launched last year, this floral fragrance is youthful and spring-like and deliciously elegant in its glass and silver bottle. 

9 Fleur Oriental £58 for 100ml eau de toilette, by Miller Harris
We think this warm, spicy scent is the perfect antidote to chill autumn days. Lynne Harris’s beautiful bottles are the perfect gift for any woman (or man). 

10 Beautyblender sponge £14.50, by Beautyblender
A sponge to dip in foundation and ‘bounce’ on to the skin, this gives amazingly even coverage. Be patient, though – it may initially take a little longer to apply make-up, but after a few tries you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

11 Armanisilk Lipstick in No 2, £18, by Armani
These butter-soft lipsticks leave lips with a creamy colour and a delicate sheen. Try this shade of plum for a dramatic winter effect. 

12 Météorites Powder for the Face in Butterfly Pearls, £39.50, by Guerlain
There’s something utterly indulgent about this finishing powder. Yes, its effect is pretty, but the packaging and bonbon-like pearls will also lend a Madame de Pompadour feel to any dressing-table. 

13 Lemongrass & Marigold Bodyscrub, £35, by Spiezia
This Cornish organic brand is so natural you feel as if you’re rubbing yourself down with ingredients gathered straight from the garden. The lemongrass is breathtakingly uplifting. The perfect pick-me-up on grey mornings.

14 Dual Act cleanser £15, by Temple Spa
Most cleansers are either too harsh or too oily, but this is a perfectly balanced light and creamy formula that leaves skin feeling soft and fresh. Can be rinsed or tissued off.

15 Natural Powder Facial Blotting Tissues £4, by the Body Shop  
Made of cellulose, these brilliantly convenient papers mattify the skin and can be used over make-up. No handbag should be without them.

16 Sexy Divide nail colour £8.50, by Essie
Purple is this season’s shade for nails and Essie is our favourite nail polish by far. It goes on easily and lasts for ages. What more do you want? 

17 Anti-Gravity Hairbrush Set £30, by T3
The right brush really does make a difference to styling. The ceramic ionic barrels of these three make for a faster, smoother finish.

18 Light-effect Concealer Pen £5.25, by Barbara Daly
Fantastic for dark circles; it gives great coverage yet seems to melt into the skin so that it’s totally invisible. Comes in only one colour, which suits every skin tone.

19 Tinted Moisturiser £32, by Laura Mercier
Perfect for light coverage, and the secret behind many a dewy complexion. Apply an undercoat of the matching primer, and you’ll be fresh-faced all day. 

20 Facial Treatment Mask £45 for a box of six, by SKII 
Before a party apply this hydrating cotton mask, impregnated with the Japanese brand’s signature ingredient Pitera (a blend of vitamins, minerals and proteins) for 20 minutes. Your skin will look as plumped as if you’d had a professional facial. 

21 Elasticizer £22, by Philip Kingsley 
Celebrating its 26th birthday this year, this intensive mask really does lend hair an elastic, shiny quality. And because it’s a pre-shampoo there’s no annoying hanging around while you wait for it to work. 

22 Nourishing Hand Cream £3.35, by Nivea
Better than many more expensive brands we’ve tried, it really sinks in and last for ages without feeling greasy. Good for dry cuticles, too. 

23 Hoola £22.50, by Benefit
This neat little box of bronzer is now a make-up kit classic. It has no shimmer and is ideal for paler skins as it just adds a healthy glow. 

24 Superbly Restorative Dry Oil £24, by Kiehl’s
This multipurpose oil absorbs into the skin almost instantly without leaving a greasy film, but it does impart a subtle sheen, making it great to apply to bare arms and legs just before you go out. Contains Fairtrade Moroccan argan oil.

25 Modern Friction £28, by Origins
We love this balmy scrub by Origins. Use a little on dry skin and massage it in for a few minutes before rinsing. Skin looks healthy, plump and glowing. 

26 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum £17.75, by No 7 
Several members of the Stella team swear by this hugely popular anti-ageing product and say their wrinkles seem ‘less cavernous’ as a result. They look great, so we have no reason not to believe them. 

27 Rose Water £8, by Neal’s Yard Remedies As a toner or just a facial refresher, this wonderful-smelling 97 per cent organic product is great for sensitive skin. If you’re prone to spots try the equally gentle lavender water, while the orange flower is lovely for more mature skin.

28 Advanced Night Repair £34, by Estée Lauder  
A bestselling serum that glides on to the skin and seems to make the face smoother and more relaxed. Apply before your nightly moisturiser.

29 Microdelivery Peel Kit £57, by Philosophy
We’re quite wary of abrasive peels and scrubs, but this at-home kit gives quick results without the scary consequences. It’s a two-step scrub and gel that you leave on for a few minutes before washing off to reveal the softest, smoothest skin. 

30 Lait Crème Concentré £15, by Embryolisse 
This hard-to-find French pharmacy product has a cult following and is loved by make-up artists. A great translucent product that is perfect under foundation. 

31 Slant Tweezer £16, by Tweezerman
Seems to reach hairs other tweezers can’t get to – and no snapping off as you pull. A classic make-up-bag essential. 

32 Eyeshadow in Night Life £15, by Nars
It’s a lot of money to pay for a single eyeshadow but there’s something irresistible about this shimmering sliver of silver, which imparts a subtle sparkle.

33 Full Shimmer Illuminating Shampoo £20 and Conditioner £27.50, by Shu Uemura
When an unknown woman compliments your husband on his fragrant hair you know he’s been stealing your Shu Uemura shampoo. Yes, it adds shine and body and smells of strawberries but buy your own, dear.

34 Oil Free Facial Hydrating Serum £28, by Aesop
The perfect moisturising solution for problem, spot-prone skin, this fresh-smelling serum hydrates and then disappears without a trace. Use it under a moisturiser or on its own morning and night.

35 Liquidlast Liner in Electrolady £13, by Mac
No one does on-trend, look-at-me make-up better than Mac. We love its liquid eyeliner in all colours but particularly in this high-impact purple. Requires a steady hand – or an oily eye make-up remover on standby. 

36 Long-wear Cream Shadow in Bone £16, by Bobbi Brown
We love to finger-paint with these pots of smudgy colour. You can build up density, or dab a finger-tip of a neutral shade like Bone to lids for a natural gleam. 

37 Anti-Ageing Night Cream £55, by Vaishaly
Vaishaly Patel, London facialist to the stars, has produced a small range of beautiful organic facial products that really work. Apply one or two pumps of the night cream and you’ll wake to plumped-up, super-soft skin. 

38 High Impact Lip Colour SPF 15 in Red-y to Wear £12, by Clinique 
This winter Clinique has a party-red lipstick range that will see you through all the seasonal cocktail parties and long lunches. We particularly love this dense, long-lasting shade of fire engine.

39 Gosh nail lacquer £5, by Superdrug
One of our fashion team paints her nails a different colour every night. When she says Gosh is an easy-to-apply nail varnish with a great colour selection we believe her.

40 High Hair Style Foundation £9.30, by Wella
This styling foundation is great for blow-drying limp, fine hair. It doesn’t go sticky and dries perfectly, leaving hair shiny and with added volume.

41 Diorshow Black Out Mascara £18.50, by Dior
This catwalk-quality mascara is inky, inky black and its long brush draws out lashes to their ultimate length. All the drama you need for a night out. 

42 Les 4 Ombres in Smoky Eyes £32, by Chanel
Every girl should have one Chanel palette in her collection and this grey/charcoal eye-colour selection is a party-season classic. A great stocking filler or birthday present. 

43 Clear Veil Powder £65, by Suqqu, from Selfridges
If you suffer from shiny skin you cannot do without this odd, clear ‘powder’ (it looks like matte Vaseline). Instantly mattifies that dreadful mid-afternoon sheen you tend to catch sight of in the work loos. 

44 Eye Make-Up Remover £14, by Bobbi Brown
Shifts even the smokiest of eyeliners, with no need for scrubbing. Unlike most oil-based removers, it leaves no greasy residue. It doesn’t make eyes sting or water, so it’s perfect for last-minute corrections – just dab a little on a cotton bud to repair skewed eyeliner and smudged mascara. 

45 Miracle Mask £38, by Nude
It’s a big claim but somehow this light, gel-like mask manages to do what it says on the tin. After five minutes skin looks brighter, more relaxed and feels thoroughly hydrated. Dare we say, we think it makes us look younger? Miracle indeed. 

46 Round Body Brush £7, by the Body Shop
A daily once-over with this brush will get your circulation pumping and help your body to eliminate toxins. It’s easy to grip, and the wood is from well-managed forests.

47 Lip Therapy in Rosy Lips £1.49, by Vaseline
Vaseline has been around since the 1870s and it’s still absolutely the best salve for chapped lips. This version is blended with rose and almond oil for a lighter balm with a subtle rosy tint. 

48 Olive Eye Cream £15.90, by Mario Badescu
This super-rich night cream works whenever your skin feels dry and crinkly – wrinkles look plumped up by morning. Great for fighting central-heating dryness.

49 Vitamin E Moisture Cream £2.49, by Superdrug  
Zooming in at the top of the credit-crunch beauty list, this body moisturiser is cheap but very effective. A satisfyingly thick consistency with a cocoa-butter fragrance and SPF 15. 

50 Poetic Cosmetics Waxing Kit £35, by Bliss
For the price of one and a half salon visits, this enamel mug of deep-blue, scented wax turns a chore into a serene ritual. It may take more time to melt this than to slap on wax strips, but Poetic removes even short, tough hairs, while the pre- and post-waxing lotions mean no skin irritation whatsoever. Lasts four weeks, too.