The Beauty Spy: a fresh face for the new year

Stick to your beauty resolutions with indulgences for your hair and skin.

I've never been one for New Year's resolutions; indulgences make life so much more fun. Paris in the springtime, red lipstick, foie gras, shoe shopping, dark chocolate, languishing in the bath with sudsy glass in hand while drenching my skin in the latest creamy face mask - they're vices too pleasurable to forgo. January should be about not only denial but also the opportunity to ditch boring routines and embrace change and renewal. My advice is to treat yourself to a beauty revamp and start the year off with clear skin, bright eyes and transformed hair.

La Prairie Cellular Anti-wrinkle Firming Serum is this season's beauty superhero as it fights free radicals through the night, leaving skin tighter and plumper. Jo Malone Vitamin E Body Balm is an expensive luxury but just a dab of this concentrated buttery cream will transform winter limbs from flaky to silky. For a less pricey version, opt for L'Occitane's 2012 Shea Butter collection, ranging from intensive body moisturisers to gentle facial ones. You'll have a softer, smoother complexion without irritation.

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Get more beauty sleep by saving time in the morning with Estée Lauder's Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator. This repair treatment boasts longer-lasting radiant results while addressing uneven skin tone and redness. Now you can look flawless without foundation.

Brighten your tired, puffy eyes and firm under-eye lines with Guerlain Abeille Royale Up-lifting Eye Care. My tip? Keep it in the fridge for maximum soothing benefits.

If your tresses aren't at their best, switch your regular shampoo for something more hardworking. John Frieda Root Awakening Health Infusing Shampoo and Conditioner keep strands luminous. Or try Avalon Organics Nourishing Lavender Shampoo containing scalp-nourishing vitamin E and panthenol to help balance deficiencies. For seriously damaged or dehydrated hair, it's probably time for a decent leave-in conditioner. Tigi Bed Head Superstar Leave-in Conditioner is a cult beauty buy for a reason. Just a few drops gives instant gloss to dull hair of all types. But I also can't wait to get my hands on the latest anti-ageing hair-care launch from label.m. Its Therapy Age-Defying Protein Cream is a lightweight serum with white caviar, promising to inject moisture back into hair and boost collagen activity. Perfect for a head-turning new look for 2012 without the deprivation.

3 of the best

Wind down with these relaxing bath elixirs

MOLTEN BROWN SEAMOSS STRESS-RELIEVING HYDROSOAK, Dh108 A Dead Sea-salt soak packed with energising horse-chestnut extracts. Just two capsules under running water will leave skin as soft as a newborn baby's.

COWSHED KNACKERED COW RELAXING BATH OIL, DH188 Lavender restores harmony while eucalyptus clarifies the mind. A lovely warming fragrance in a fabulous quirky bottle to sit pretty in the bathroom.

NEOM TRANQULITY BATH OIL, DH259 Infused with organic lavender, sweet basil and jasmine, this oil and its divine scent alone will soothe away stresses in no time. A real indulgence.

M loves

GUERLAIN MASCARA

There are not many things that stop us in our tracks at M magazine, but this new Guerlain mascara has. First and foremost, it is a thing of great beauty, something to carry in your handbag and take out to gaze at when you feel you need something to comfort you. Added to which, it is the first-ever refillable mascara, which appeals to our green conscience. And as if that isn't enough, there is a smart little mirror you can check your lashes in. As for the mascara itself, it has fortifying agents to nourish your lashes and leaves them looking spectacular as well. What's not to like?

Dh254, Guerlain Noir G, available at all Guerlain counters across the UAE