Must-have beauty buys this Autumn, or ask Santa for them if you've been good...!

Brrrrr. It's feeling very autumn-y and chilly all of a sudden (those darker mornings don't help though, do they?) and the flip-flops and shorts have all but disappeared from sight, thank goodness! But with the acceptance of having to wear heavier clothes and bunging the heating on without guilt comes the dreaded battle to keep those pins moisturised under those tights, boots or trousers And to keep hair frizz-free despite being pulled through countless sweater necks and keeping a subtle glow rather than succumbing to a rather fittingly Halloween-like ghostly pallor.

So here are my favourite beauty products to help you feel and look pampered this Autumn/Winter so that, come Spring when layers start to lighten and the chance to bare skin you're not filled with sheer panic as you've fallen into disrepair (or is that just me?). In no particular order, I highly recommend the following but feel free to share your personal must-haves too. My husband will vouch that I'm a sucker for trying a new shampoo...

Origins Ginger range
I had the pleasure to be given a taster gift-set of this heavenly smelling range for Christmas last year and although I've never been a 'ginger' fan in any form - the scent or the edible kind (although bizarrely my twin sister can't get enough of the stuff) - the scent of this range is so wonderfully warming and lingers just enough to soothe and pamper. If you try only one item from this range then please try the Incredible Spreadable Scrub and I promise your central-heating-parched winter body with thank me! Other delicious bits that should go straight to the top of your Wish List are the sexy Ginger Gloss spray oil, and the huge tub of luscious Ginger Souffle whipped body cream. Yum.


Kerastase
My favourite hair care range if money is no object... Okay, yes it's pricey, but my goodness, the products in this brand really do deliver what they promise. A couple of years ago I was silly enough to go on holiday without having a good trim beforehand and needless to say I returned from 2 weeks in the sun with hair so brittle and straw-like that I feared I'd have to have it all cut off. Using the Forcintense at-home treatment (7 little vials of magic to use daily) saved my lengths from the chop and gave it back its 'swish'. If, you also have fine weak hair (years of hot-roller action, I'm ashamed to say) then look out for the green packaging of their Resistance collection for shampoos, conditioners and treatments to help strengthen or boost volume.


Lousie Galvin Natural Locks range
Having always has long, baby fine troublesome hair, I've spent years flitting from one shampoo to another. Call me a Haircare Floosie if you will, but this rather swish supermarket range (you can find it on the shelf in Waitrose or buy direct from the Lousie Galvin website) sure stands out from the rest. Price-wise it isn't the cheapest out there at £7.95 for the shampoo or conditioners, from which you can choose from dry/coloured, normal or volumising variations - and there's a big tub of deep conditioner at £9.95 available too that I have my fickle eye on, but they give brilliant results and best of all contain no nasties or silicone which especially good news for those with fine hair.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle
If the two hair recommendations above are a little over budget this side of payday and your parched locks are in need of some immediate TLC, then grab a bottle of this wonder balm. It now comes in various options, Original, Coloured or Long and they all smell fabulous and give hair a lovely shine, add moisture and generally boost.

Scholl Cracked Heel repair cream
Taboo subject perhaps as glamorous it is NOT, but lets be honest. Most of us have at some point found that heels as soft as a baby's bottom is not what we find when you take off those boots or shoes at the end of a busy week... This is a seriously good product to rescue your heels if they're very dry, hard or cracked and make you positively proud to show them off again when the weather or occasion allows.

Blistex Daily Lip Conditioner
For me, this is the only lip balm to use and as the packaging is so acceptably unisex, it's often to be found on the bedside table next to my husband's side of the bed. Simply brilliant at keeping lips hydrated whatever the weather and it's also a dab hand (excuse the pun) at taming rough cuticles or soothing those sore tissue-chapped noses too!

Prescriptives Traceless
I'm a huge fan of anything that makes life easy beauty-wise as these days, with a busy toddler to look after so my hour long leisurely get-up-and-out routine has had to be condensed into about 5 minutes whenever I can. This sleek squeezy tube of fabulousness gives you a beautiful and easy-to-apply sheer cover that is somewhere between a regular foundation and tinted moisturiser but makes getting a colour-match child's play. Only available from a Prescriptives counter or online at QVC.