Summer loving

Poppy Loves Lipgloss prides itself on being an up-to-date beauty broadcaster, and the top-secret launches we've been privy to are some of the most gorgeous - and more importantly, useable - products we've seen for a while.

Oven-fresh and coming to a counter near you in August 2009, here's our pick of the beauty bunch:

Prescriptives Well-Suited Finishing Powder, £23 (limited edition) - a posey-pink powder that looks like a blush but has a translucent finish designed for use all over the face, in place of your usual powder. Imparting the subtlest amount of colour, this gives skin a fresh, healthy glow that had us hooked from the first try.

MAC Eye Shadow x 4 in In the Gallery, approx £28 (limited edition) - purple eyeshadow often has colour-phobes running for the hills, but it actually complements the tones in most eyes (be they blue, hazel or green), making it a surprisingly flattering choice. This palette, created in collaboration with painter Richard Phillips, contains a perfect mix of colours (mauve, violet, pink and plum) and textures that can be finger-painted on for a subtle matte sweep of shadow or a night-owl smoky look.

Aveda Enbrightenment skincare range, from £19.75 - infused with skin-brightening plant extracts such as mulberry root, grape and rosemary leaf, Aveda's new range increases your skin's cell turnover (so a tired, dull epidermis is swept away to reveal a more even, luminous skintone). The range includes a cleanser, toner, serum and moisturiser, and a gorgeously indulgent Intensive Massage Masque. Good for getting rid of post-pimple dark patches too.

James Brown Scandalous haircare range - a new selection of lock-loving products that coincide with the opening of Brown's first ever hair salon, 'James Brown London' (where appointments with the man himself start from £500 - ouch). Kinder to the wallet with a starting price of £4.99, the range includes Rock Chick Wave Spray (inspired by best friend Kate Moss), Intensely Glossy Rescue Treatment, and (our favourite) Fabulously Flirty Dry Shampoo.

Images: Aveda, Prescriptives, MAC

we're ALL going on a summer holiday

Poppy Loves Lipgloss is going on holiday next week. That starter sentence sums up all sorts of sunny, glamorous imagery involving sand, bikinis and waiters named Diego. Sadly, those wish-you-were-here mental postcards can poof! into thin air, because the reality is far harsher.

Two words: overnight ferry.

And not just me and the wee bairn, either, but a shared cabin with my mother and two sisters, all of whom snore, fart and sleep-shout. When we arrive at our destination (Brittany, France) this motley crew of 5 will continue our boarding-school nightmare by sharing the same room for a week. All in aid of celebrating my grandmother's 80th birthday. In hindsight, maybe the lack of bikinis is a good thing.

In anticipation of my 'holiday' - which is beginning to look more like a sleep-deprivation camp - I am stocking up on prettifying potions that'll work their magic while I chase the elusive zzz's.

The Poppy Loves Lipgloss 'feel-like-merde, look-ok' shopping list:

Estée Lauder Stress Relief Eye Mask, £22 for 10 pairs. Expensive, so I only use these on special occasions/emergencies (this trip counts as both). You gently stick these pre-moistened pads under your eyes and let the aloe vera and cucumber formula soothe stress-lines and de-puff bags a little (they're not miracle workers, but they make enough of a difference to be worth the £'s).

Marks & Spencer Formula Instant Fix Midnight Beauty Cream, £15. I've not tried this overnight cream myself yet, but I gave a bottle to my mother to test and she came back raving about it... which means I plan to steal it back on this holiday. Mwa ha ha. Failing that, I'll pack my beloved Darphin Aromatic Purifying Balm, approx £37, an overnight balm that makes skin look clear, soft and even upon waking (as opposed to pillow-wrinkled and saliva-encrusted, which is my usual morning look).

Liz Earle Brightening Treatment Mask, £11.75. I'll admit to being lazy with the whole cleanse-tone-moisturise routine, but the one product I'll always make time for is a good face mask, and this here is the best mask money can buy. You can leave it on for a little as 30 seconds and it leaves skin looking fresh, bright and glowing. Heart forever.

Images: Estee Lauder

Brownie Points

I recently had some friends over for a barbeque, and while the boys went neanderthal with the fire and flexed their cooking skills (for cooking read burning), the girl talk inevitably strayed into tanning territory - it was the hottest day of the year so far, and our legs were out to seize the moment.

One friend with enviously tanned pins admitted to weekly sunbed sessions (very, very bad, and definitely not condoned here at Poppy Loves Lipgloss, despite their deliciously caramel-y hue. Ooh, you could have have melted them over ice-cream. I hope they turn orange). The rest of us were on the paler side but, in these days where the worship of mindless celebrity is on the wane (and with it the aesthetic of uber-tan, blonde hair and fake bazoomas), looked none the worse for it.

Yes, we all wanted our skin to catch a little sun, but the days of slipping around in factor 4 oil are totally o-vah. We no longer believe that burn turns to brown, or that a maximum exposure tan is really worth the sun-spots and wrinkles. But we do still want a little colour in our lives (Snow White we ain't... have you seen our behaviour after five glasses of Pimm's?).

Whether you're after an overnight blast of bronzing, or a slow'n'subtle hue change, these are our tried-and-tested favourites:

Subtle For your face, Chanel Soleil Identité Perfect Colour Face Self-Tanner SPF8, £25, creates a realistic touch of colour and smells of peaches rather than biscuits - you put it on every day till you reach your desired shade, then every 2 to 3 days to maintain it. Also highly recommended is Sisley Soleil Sans Soleil Self Tanning Gel, £54.50, a fantastically light facial tanner that doesn't clog pores. On your bod, the best we've found is Origins Let It Show Bare Body Skin Enhancer, £15, a sweetly-scented body moisturiser that delivers a super-natural, glowing colour over several days. Apply a few hours before wearing shoes though, as sweaty feet have a habit of making it patchy.

Instant Because sometimes we need a hit of sun, right here right now, sales of instant tanning products are soaring. Also from Origins, The Great Pretender Shimmery Self-Tanner for Body, £15, looks a lot less garish than it sounds. In fact, this sparkly, treacle-brown lotion blends to a gorgeously sheeny-shiny glow that make arms and legs look tanned and slimmer. Also scoring high in the faux glow stakes is MAC Face and Body Foundation, £23, a base you can blend from your nose to your toes, then wash away at the end of the day. Make-up artists suggest choosing one 2 to 3 shades darker than your usual colour for a realistic shot of tan, and because it's water-resistant you needn't worry about splashes by the pool or the odd spilled mojito.

Overnight Heavy-duty overnight tanners are the ones to choose for long-lasting, immediate colour. Fake Bake Original Self Tanning Lotion, £24.95, may not be the most stylish bottle in the bathroom, but it's our testers' favourite for an overnight transformation from milkmaid to beach bunny. Looks like tar going on, but washes off to a deep, sun-snogged bronze. If you don't want the risk of stained sheets and smelling like a granny's biscuit-tin, we also love love love Sun Laboratories Express Liquid Tan, £22, a coffee-like liquid that you sweep onto skin with the mitt provided. It's sort of like colouring-in for grown-ups - you can immediately see if you've missed a spot, making streaks and smears a thing of the past.