When it comes to make-up there are only two products that you need to be concerned with this season. Jet black liquid eye liner (or gel if you have unsteady hands) and vampy red lipstick. Bobbi Brown's gel eye liner (£15, bobbibrowncosmetics.com) is a great option for eye liner amateurs or Max Factor's Glide and Define liner is perfect for precision application (£6.84, boots.com). For sex siren lips MAC has the best selection known to womankind. The Lady Danger red shade (£12, maccosmetics.co.uk) is causing waves in the beauty world and will suit all complexions.

I need to purchase a small bottle of perfume that will fit in my handbag for the party season. Are there any great smelling perfumes that come in really small bottles? 

Yes! Tom Ford has just had the ingenious idea of putting his much-loved White Patchouli fragrance into an incredibly chic roll on slim container (£30, harrods.com), perfect for carrying around in clutch bags this Christmas. Alternatively you could always decant your signature scent into an atomiser (theperfumeshop.com), an inexpensive way of always having some perfume whenever you need it.

I want to apply my nail polish before Christmas and not have to worry about repainting for a few days. Can you suggest a good base and top coat that keeps polish chip-free for days? 

Base and top coats have very different purposes and it is really only the top coat that will help to prolong the life of your manicure. A base coat can help to strengthen the nail and will prevent it from becoming discoloured from the polish. A top coat will also help to strengthen your nail, give your manicure an immaculate finish and take your polish from lasting just a couple of days to an entire week. A great all-rounder is OPI's Start To Finish, which works as both a base and top coat so there's no confusion. It's also formaldehyde-free making it a great option for sensitive nails. (£10.65, hqhair.com)

My feet are embarrassing! Is there anywhere you can recommend I go for a budget busting pedicure or is there a really good at-home pedicure kit I can invest in?

Oh dear, dry scaly unpolished toes are not a good partner for strappy sandals and will ruin your entire look. Sadly it's hard to find a decent salon which will offer a pedicure for less than the £40 mark, so if you're on a budget the best option is to learn how to get a professional finish yourself. Ms Pedicure Best In Toe contains everything you need to get perfectly polished toes from a pumice stone to get smooth feet to toe separators for precision application. (£6.99, boots.com)

Too much partying causes my skin to break out - how can I keep spots at bay and my skin fresh? What's the trick?

Late nights, an erratic diet and too much alcohol can play havoc with skin so, as dull as it may seem, make sure you get at least a couple of early nights a week to keep yourself looking and feeling fresh. Banish imperfections by targeting spots with Witch Blemish Stick (£3.02, boots.com) which goes on clear so you can continue to apply throughout the day and keep your make-up looking pristine without doing further damage with Witch concealer (£4.99, boots.com) which hides imperfections while treating your spots.

My eye make-up seems to have disappeared by the time I leave the house on New Year's Eve - is there any way to make it last longer?

There's nothing more frustrating, after spending ages working on the perfect look, for it all to slide off your face halfway through your night. Dramatic eye make-up is huge this season so avoid any catastrophes by applying a primer that will cling to your shadow and liner until you're ready to hit the sack. Urban Decay's Eye Shadow Primer Potion (£11, urbandecay.co.uk) is the brands number one selling product and for good reason. One sweep of this creamy liquid on to your lids and your make-up will look pristine whatever you put it through.

My skin, especially on my legs, has got really dry from wearing tights and skinny jeans. Are there any good moisturisers that will help with scaly skin in a couple of days so I can wear my LBD for my office party?

There are plenty of great moisturisers available to target dry skin but before you apply you need to get rid of the layer of dead skin cells currently residing on your pins. Pick up a body brush or exfoliating mitten and brush your legs in the direction of toe to hip before stepping in the shower. Then apply an intensive easily absorbed moisturiser such as Garnier Body Repair (£2.09, boots.com). Continue to body brush and moisturiser on a daily basis for consistently smooth pins this winter.

I'm terrible at at-home fake tans, are there any fool proof tans-in-a-can or cheap salon spray tans I can do?

There are so many fake tans on the market these days it can be hard finding one that leaves a natural-looking glow. Here at Handbag Towers we're in love with Xen-Tan, (£14.95, hqhair.com) a foolproof formula that smells and looks incredible. Alternatively you could go down the salon spray tan route which is a great option if you've got a special occasion planned as it's the only real way of getting a completely even all-over tan in exactly the shade you want. The Tanning Salon (the-tanning-shop.co.uk) has branches all over the country and, with prices starting at £25, it's an inexpensive way of looking slimmer and healthier in one go.

I suffer from cold sores at winter and have yet to find a product that really works, can you suggest anything?

Cold sores are a common winter problem mainly because we all start to get run down and stressed over the festive season, leaving us prone to the dreaded cold sore virus. The best way to treat a cold sore is to attack it the moment you first feel that tell-tale tingling sensation. Try using Biostick (£34.95, anhealth.co.uk), a new light therapy stick which uses non-evasive phototherapy to emit a low power red light, which will not hurt or burn the skin. The low frequency red light works by increasing the flow of blood to the affected area and stimulating the immune cells to shorten the entire healing process.

I find that when I apply glittery eye shadow it ends up halfway down my face - what's the trick to applying glitter and getting it to stay there!

The trick is finding the right product! Collection 2000 (£2.93, boots.com) has a great product called Glam Glitters which can be used as an eye liner or painted over the entire eye. What makes this product unique is you can apply the glitter exactly where you want it. A double-ended pen contains a gel adhesive that you apply first, followed by the glitter in a shade of your choice. The glitter will stay put all night and the dark showbiz shade is perfect for this season's smoky eye trend.

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