In this fast-paced, career-driven, yummy mummy, everything-to-everyone world, we ladies need to have an arsenal of tried and tested basic beauty tools behind us all the way. Cliché I hear you scream? Yes, you might have a point – I’m simply trying to find a cast iron excuse for the necessity of having the best of the best in my beauty kit bag. These are the tools you need to know about…

The Runing in Heels selection of the best essential beauty tools...

Top Tools for the Eyes

Let us begin at the beginning – the eyes. There are two tools that I think none should be without in this department: Tweezerman’s Tweezers and Shu Uemura’s legendary Eye Lash Curlers. The importance of shaping an eyebrow has taken up line upon line in the beauty press over the years – who hasn’t found themselves in front of a mirror with a pencil lined up diagonally from your nose to find your perfect eyebrow length?! Or standing in a steam filled room trying to see which errant hair to pluck before the mirror steams up once more because we’ve been told these post shower muggy conditions are the best for tweezing? Whilst Tweezerman tweezers won’t de-steam a room or tell you when to pluck and when not to pluck – they make it a breeze when the time comes. Their slanted tip ensures precision, grabbing the hair at its base, not breaking it half way up leaving you in a hideous panic. Don’t forget to pluck in the direction of hair growth and to close pores with cold water afterwards.

Shu Uemura have been the Japanese masters of the subtly, beautifully curled lash for years. There can be no underestimating the brilliance of these strangely shaped metal treasures. Even on a day where no make-up is going near your face, a quick few presses of the curlers instantly give you a fresh, wide-eyed look. Everyone has a different method for their curlers, but I find three brief applications of pressure is plenty. For ultimate impact, apply two coats of mascara immediately after curling to hold the shape of your newly fluttering lashes.

Essential Exfoliation

We all have our own favourite morning routines – from bargain Clean & Clear to the Clinique 3-Step, and at the higher range of the scale, Crème de la Mer and Eve Lom. Whilst such luxury may be out of reach for the moment (just wait until you’re that career woman a la Miranda Hobbs – you’ll be bathing in the stuff) it is not a bad idea to take a top tool tip from Eve Lom and utilise a muslin cleansing cloth. These little beauties will add a dash of exfoliation and a boost of circulation when used to wash off your every day face cleanser. It’s an integral part of the brilliant aforementioned Eve Lom and Liz Earle routines and will add a glow to yours.

Staying with exfoliation, a brilliant beauty tool for the body is an exfoliating brush. My favourite comes from The Body Shop. Its surprisingly rough little bristles, when used in circular motions from the ankles upwards in the direction of blood flow, leaves your skin zinging and perfectly prepared for moisturising. This is never truer than in the winter, when parched legs need that little extra attention in order to allow moisturiser to have any affect. I have said it before, and I can’t help saying it again, exfoliation rarely tops our to-do lists, but the rewards you reap when you slough away those dead skin cells are pretty special.

For many, in-grown hairs can be a big bugbear. Sometimes a wax is endured (during) and enjoyed (afterwards), only to be blemished by the unwelcome bumps of the little devils. Thus a brilliant tool that should be close to hand is Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads. The witch hazel extract and lavender oil sooth and calm inflammation whilst salicylic acid exfoliates (oh how I hate to go on – but it is this that stops the hair getting ingrown), leaving you bump free and smooth.

Creating Crowning Glory

Last but not least, a must have tool for the hair. I am a strong believer in the excellence of Mason Pearson. These brushes date back to 1885, and are beloved by stylists and hair aficionados the world over. The most popular is the Boar Bristle and Nylon mix, for normal and thicker hair – it stimulates the scalp and increases blood flow to the roots and it is without a doubt one of the best hair brushes going. It takes only a few strokes through your hair to realise this, you can feel the decades of work and refinement in every one! But I think the thing I love most about it, the brilliance of the brush aside, is its somewhat vintage appearance. From the box it comes in to the golden writing on the handle, this is a beauty tool that will look beautiful on your dressing table. Partner your brush with a hard working, precision comb. Kent’s hair comb ensures no hair will be out of place, partings will be perfect and tangles and knots non-existent.

Loose waves are a perenially glamorous style, but too often they veer into the tight curls and perm territory, topped off with a crisp edge thanks to over generous Elnette application. In London, Daniel Hersheson’s blow dry bar offers a very popular Wavy Gravy style, promising the groomed yet tousled hair that would have Olivia Palermo asking for your secret. This look can be achieved at home with Daniel Hersheson’s Waving Tongs. They feature a clever barrel designed to ensure you steer clear of those Miss Piggy curls with ease.

Now… the next job is to find a beauty kit bag big enough to fit all the above!

Daniel Hersheson’s must-have blow dry: the Wavy Gravy