Last week I had the pleasure of spending the day filming videos with mega-makeup artist extraordinaire, Caroline Barnes. Caroline works on the biggest A-listers and is an absolute mine of information when it comes to makeup tricks and tips – everything from plumping out lips to creating the dewiest skin finishes. I asked Caroline to go through her five biggest tips for making a face look more youthful – or less tired – however you like to phrase it. I have found these tips to be incredibly useful and have incorporated them all into my makeup routine already. They are all kinds of lip plumping, eye-droop-correcting, brow-lifting, cheek-filling, circle-lighting brilliantness. Here are five things that can make your face look more tired (or less youthful) and Caroline’s makeup solutions – watch the video for the full-length explanations and demo.

1. Dark Undereye Circles. Possibly the most “popular” beauty complaint and it really does make your whole face look tired if your circles are particularly bad. Mine were terrible in my busiest modelling years – probably because I smoked. (I know. It seems crazy now that I ever smoked, but I was like a chimney, as were most models I knew then!) Caroline corrected the dark circles underneath my eyes using firstly a really opaque concealer (Amazing Concealer) and then a more reflective one – the Clinique Airbrush. Finally she used Max Factor’s Masterpiece Precision Shadow in Pearl Beige to create a highlight in the inner corner of the eye to bring everything alive.
2. Loss of volume in the cheeks. I’ve noticed even in the six years that I’ve been writing A Model Recommends that my cheeks are less full and – if I’m tired or ill – they can look slightly sunken, which makes my face look drawn. Caroline’s answer? Blush to bring out the fullness of the cheeks rather than a contour (that’s so popular these days) which gives a more grown-up and sophisticated shape. Great if you’re doing full-on makeup but if you want to look fresh and bouncy? Blush all the way! Watch the video for Caroline’s guide to applying blush.
3. Droopy eyelids. I have a droopy eyelid on one side – there’s an excess of skin on the lid, which is nice. It’s only really very noticeable when I’m tired, but these days that’s a lot, so… Caroline’s tip? Use dark shadow like a kind of “imperfection eraser”, placing the darkness on the things you want to recede – in this case, the excess skin. Again, watch the vid for a demo. It really works.
4. Lowered brows. I don’t even know whether this is a “thing”, but my face definitely looks so much more fresh and awake when my brows are lifted. Caroline doesn’t use any expensive products here – just a touch of Elnett hairspray and a brow brush!
5. Loss of lip plumpness. My lips are definitely less plump than they were a few years ago. I’ve always thought that the “dab of gloss on the centre of the lip” trick was the only lip-youthening cheat but Caroline actually re-draws the lipline to create an illusion of fullness. It’s actually brilliant. If you can’t see the video box below then please click here to watch.

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Here it is: the women’s Christmas Gift Guide. I find that women are much, much easier to buy for than men. My friends like almost anything that smells or looks or feels nice. I like almost everything that smells or looks or feels nice. I honestly don’t know how people get it so wrong, with unfunny novelty mugs and candles that give you an instant headache when there are so many suitably swish beauty morsels out there – and they don’t need to cost the earth, as my “under a tenner” guide clearly demonstrated!

And yes, it’s the thought that counts, etc etc, but choosing presents properly can be the difference between you wasting a hell of a lot of money on stuff that nobody wants or needs (lighthouse salt and pepper shakers, anyone?) and really making someone’s day with a well-researched gift. And if you’re still not sure, even after researching, then a good bottle of wine is always a good bet – or a hunk of excellent cheese and jar of nice chutney. Things that can be eaten and that don’t take up cupboard space for years before they end up in a car boot sale are always welcomed!

There are few more luxurious items this week, hence the title Luxe List, but hopefully still a very nice price range and lots of ideas to keep you going if you’ve started your Christmas shopping. I’ve had to hide my credit card whilst compiling this post – there are so many things I love!

Let’s start with some luxe-looking things to keep you tech-ed up and well-organised in the desk department…

This Cog Pen from designer Tom Dixon (above) looks just like something from a James Bond set and will cheer up those cheque-writing sessions no end. (Do people still write cheques? I had to write one to pay for the Christmas Turkey and the cheque book was covered in dust – my last cheque had been written years ago!) The Cog Pen is £55 online – try the code SELFCCE to get 20% off. It works on some things in Selfridges, but not all. Trial and error, trial and error.

There are loads of gorgeous desktop planners available from The Fox & Star; I’m particularly enamoured with the Pantone-esque weekly one pictured above, £9.60, which has 50 tear-off sheets to keep you organised for (almost) the whole year.

Let’s move onto beauty and the most delectable, top quality morsels. Here’s what hair waving wands would look like if they were designed by the love-child of Tom Ford and Michael Kors:

The T3 Whirl Trio: just gorgeous. And smart, because it’s actually three wands in one. Interchangeable barrels for varying sizes of waves, this is the King of Curlers and priced to reflect that – £199. However there’s a discount code running over the weekend – use T3BF25 to get 25% off. If you’re reading this after the financial carnage of Black Friday then you can also find the wand at Amazon.

What to get the makeup addict who has (virtually) everything? The ultimate smokey eye set, By Terry’s Ombre Blackstar collection. Five very appealing shades of the most smouldery, creamy, no-budge eyeshadows that money can buy. It’s a whopping £110 (find it), but those who use Blackstar swear by the foolproof texture and beautiful shades..

Tom Ford’s Soleil Dry Oil Spray was featured recently – it’s so summery and uplifting and entirely inappropriate for winter, but still, I spray it on a regular basis. Pure luxury in a fine-mist oil-spray. Oh, Tom. £45. (Try SELFCCE for 10% off over the Black Friday long (oh-so-long, kill-me-now) weekend.)

Decadent bathing with Laura Mercier’s Honey Bath, pictured above. Soft bubbles, gorgeous scent and I don’t know why that wooden honey twirler makes the whole thing so much more appealing, but it does. Find it – it’s £33.

Look I get it: the lipstick above isn’t a Tom Ford or a Tilbury or a Christian Louboutin number, but do you know what? It’s one of the best lipshines I’ve tried for months. Really creamy and luscious and the colour (Sweet Darling) is a pretty just-pinker-than-neutral. It’s £14 from Rosie at M&S.

If it is ultimate and ridiculous luxury that you’re after then the pinnacle, currently, has to be the Louboutin makeup range with its OTT packaging and overdone sense of drama. I like the look of the matte lip in Just Nothing which is £65. The shade is a safe bet. (Try, again, code SELFCCE for 10% off. I haven’t checked it on individual purchases but always worth a punt.)

And now for the sexy stuff.

Just about the maximum heel height I can possibly walk in at the moment, but Jimmy Choo’s 85mm Romy courts look no less vampish than the taller ones. (OK, the taller ones are total sex, but I would break my ankles within seconds.) I love the lace fabric version, pictured above – a very special treat (they’re £495!) but if you’re a high-heel disaster like me then they’re going to get a lot of wear, over the years. Swish enough for big events and parties but they also look amazing dressed down with jeans.

I almost died a death when I first used Frederic Malle’s Portrait of a Lady hair and body oil. In a good way. It is absolutely knockout, and I don’t say that lightly. It’s so unbelievably seductive. To call it a “rose” scent is sort of right, but a massive understatement – it’s a dark, naughty, mask-wearing, whip-carrying rose. You really must smell it. The oil brings a certain softness, I think, over the parfum – still, you need just a few drops to smell like the world’s most vampish seductress all day long. A bottle of this most glorious nectar is £130. (Do try that SELFCCE code in case you can get 10% off…)

Talking of glorious nectar, if it’s a unique, show-stopping fragrance you’re after then look no further than Alexander McQueen’s parfum. I reviewed it here, if you fancy stepping into the world of night-blooming flowers and heady fantasies, and it’s online for £285. If that’s slightly (ha!) over-budget then take a look at the fresher, more accessible version.

Naughty knickers? Alrighty then. The Lorna briefs from Agent Provocateur don’t leave much to the imagination! They’re £35 online.

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