Lip products are my kryptonite, but my penchant for lipsticks, glosses, balms, stains, tints and liners was getting so out of hand that I recently decided to take drastic measures. Would I manage to use up every single lip product in my collection before it went off? No. And so I embarked on a long overdue, savage declutter of my makeup drawers, binned any lipsticks that were wayyyy out of date (oops), chucked out some questionable trend-led purchases and rediscovered some oldies but goodies. I may have repurchased a couple of must-haves that were past their best and added one new but totally essential (wink wink) addition to my stash since, but I'm now left with a collection full of absolute favourites that I know I'll finish. Since this lip product purge, I've been rotating between four of my most-loved winter lip combinations, so I thought I'd share them with you in case you're looking for some inspiration!

We all want long, thick, voluminous lashes, right? If I had to pick only one, makeup item to use for the rest of my life, it would have to be mascara and I'm sure the majority of people be with me on that. To help me make the most of my lashes, I have a few mascaras that I can always rely on to make my lashes look their best.

Now that I've covered Gifts For Her Over £30 and Stocking Filler Ideas, my last present inspiration post includes gifts under £30, again with a mixture of beauty, home-ware, clothing and accessories. If you're short on money or have a lot of presents to buy and expenses at Christmas time, then these gifts are more affordable, whilst still being thoughtful and great quality.

With the constant stream of new releases in the beauty world, it's easy to neglect former favourites. They may have hit the market a couple of years ago, but I still adore the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers, especially during the latter half of the year. I'm not one for buying whole ranges straight away in case I'm not a fan of the formula, but over time, I've amassed quite a collection of these lip gloss/lipstick hybrids.

Usually, I switch up my makeup on a daily basis, choosing different products to cater to my change in mood, the weather or how my skin is feeling. Falling into bad habits recently, the cooler climate has made me want to stay in bed past my regular, 7am wake-up call, so I haven't had as much time to rifle through my collection every morning. Instead, I've filled my makeup bag with a variety of staple products and, for once, I've been happy to stick with them for longer than a week.

Who wants to waste any precious minutes of a chilled Sunday, by spending hours in front of the mirror, piling on a tonne of makeup? Not me. Unless I'm having a make-up free day, wearing my comfiest pjs and embarking on a Netflix marathon, then I want fuss-free, five minute routine, full of products that do all the hard work for me. But, I have a few rules. No liquid foundation. No contouring. No bold lipsticks. All I want is a fresh complexion, bright, defined eyes and a flush of colour on the cheeks and lips.

I'm Alice and I'm a shopaholic, especially when it comes to beauty products. One of my favourite things to do is to hit the aisles of Boots and peruse the premium counters in department stores, searching for new additions to my collection. But, as much as I can't wait to get my hands on the waves of never-ending new releases, I have a selection of trusty ol' favourites that I'd be lost without. If I've repurchased a product, that speaks volumes about how much I rate it, so here's five makeup must-haves that I need to have in my stocks at all times.

When you're feeling tired and/or hungover, your face can easily give the game away. Maybe you have plans today, but your fun-side led you astray last night and now you have to look half decent, when you feel like utter #$*!. Let's face it, if you're hungover then all that will cure it is wallowing on the sofa in self-pity, a fat, greasy fry up, lots of water/coffee and probably some fresh air. But, who says you can't fake a glowing, fresh complexion and camouflage any sallow shadows and dark circles? You need some skincare superheroes and magical makeup to come to your rescue and transform you from drab to fab. Never fear, I have a trusty line-up that I turn to whenever I'm feeling a bit worse for wear.

Not everyone agrees, but I love Valentine's day. Whether you spend time with your other half, get together with your friends or spend time with a relative, it's a nice way to appreciate and celebrate the love you share with others. This year, I think my guy and I will go out for the day and then stay in with a few films, some wine and lots of tasty treats. Usually, we'd don our glad rags and go out for dinner and drinks, but seeing as we're heading to Dubai in two weeks, we thought we'd save some pennies instead.

In the beauty world, some products come and go without much of a buzz, whilst others rocket up to cult-favourite, must-have status, in days. I don't always like to give in to the hype, at least straight away, and let it settle before I take the plunge and make a purchase, to see if the commotion dies down or remains strong. With the constant influx of new products, if a certain product remains in the limelight, then that's an indicator that it's something pretty special. So I thought that I'd give you the low-down on which products I think are deserving of the hype surrounding them.

So, it's that time of year, again. Rather than doing a December favourites post in January, I go through my top products of the whole, previous year. Since last year's annual favourites post, I've discovered some new, holy-grail products that I'm obsessed with and re-discovered old favourites that had been a bit neglected in my drawers. Let's start with makeup, shall we?

With the big day only one week away, this gift guide may be a bit last-minute, but realistically, I leave my Christmas shopping until the last, two weeks of December. I'm all for organisation and forward-planning and I'd love to have all my presents beautifully wrapped and under the tree as soon as it goes up, but that's just not me I'm afraid. So if, like me, you've still got some gifts to buy, then never fear, this beauty guide could give you some final inspiration!

If you can't wear a bit of sparkle around Christmas time, then when can you? I, for one, like to add some shimmer and glitter to my eyes all year round, and I have a selection of trusty favourites that I thought I'd share with you.

In winter, we tend to up the level of makeup coverage we wear, but when our skin is feeling the effects of harsh winds, bitter frosts and regular rain, foundations can sometimes look too heavy and emphasise any flakiness we may be struggling with. What do we need to prevent looking like a shriveled, old prune? A hydrating primer can help. But, with so many to choose from, which do I rate and which do I slate? Do we need to spend top dollar to get the best finish?

I'm all for spending hours in front of the mirror experimenting with makeup and precisely applying that perfect eyeliner flick, contour and bold lip. Realistically, though, that only happens once in a blue moon and, on a daily basis, I need products that will give me drama and a professional-looking finish in a fraction of that time. For a speedy, yet stunning, eye look, cream eyeshadow sticks are perfect and none can top the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colours.

Nars do limited-edition palettes like no-one else and they have a hold on me. Fretting that I may miss out on the opportunity to get my paws on one, as each release is bound to be a sell-out, I practically sprinted to Space NK to pick up their latest, the Nars Virtual Domination Cheek Palette. Oh boy, it's a beauty!

I've been pulled into Boots and Superdrug like a moth to a flame recently and have found some new gems and rediscovered some old favourites that I was crazy about back in the day. Yes, I love luxury products, but it feels so good finding cheaper dupes that don't wipe out the contents of my purse completely.