When it comes to getting an honest appraisal of the latest beauty products and treatments, beauty blogs seem to be the best place to go. Springing up by the dozen all over the web, these help direct you in your search for the best diets, beauty products, treatments, news and gossip. Here are some of our favourites.

BRITISH BEAUTY BLOGGER
www.britishbeautyblogger.com



Written by industry insider, Jane Cunningham, British Beauty Blogger is one of the UK’s foremost beauty blogs. Its success is well-deserved. Everything featured on the blog has been personally reviewed by Jane, who has been sent things via agencies in connection with her job as a beauty writer, and appraises them in an honest, un-biased fashion. As she says, “I don’t take incentives or kick-backs and never will.”

CULT BEAUTY
www.cultbeauty.co.uk



An online beauty boutique and ezine, Cult Beauty aims to reveal the best kept secrets to looking good. True beauty junkies are identifiable by their bathroom cabinets and shelves, which are cluttered with half-empty bottles and untouched products that have been harvested over the years. Encouragingly, Cult Beauty was started by just such women, so they really know their stuff when comes to quality make-up, skincare and beauty goodies, all of which are covered on the site and linked to from its eminently readable blog.

THE BEAUTY BITE
http://thebeautybite.blogspot.com



It’s probably not all that ‘pc’ but it does help when a beauty blogger, who is posting pictures of herself trying out different products, is herself quite beautiful. This ex-model blogger has lovely, even-toned and clear skin and symmetrical features making it easy to see how different products look. Pictures of products and her trying on products are accompanied by well-written posts describing what each one is like and whether it is worth investing in. The Beauty Bite is a great independent guide to the latest products and well worth bookmarking.

THE TRUTH ABOUT BEAUTY
www.thetruthaboutbeauty.co.uk



Written by make up and hair artist, Aly Hazlewood, The Truth About Beauty brings a refreshing take on the beauty industry, offering well-written, well-researched and dissarmingly honest takes on a variety of different subjects. Aly is particularly interested in natural and organic beauty and tries to champion such products wherever possible. As she says, “it’s not just about how pretty the packaging is, but also about the ethics of beauty products and the industry as a whole.”

BEAUTY WOO ME




Published by a globe-trotting beauty writer, Jessica Teas, Beauty WooMe is the place to come to find reviews of new beauty products and cosmetics before they’ve hit the market. Assisted by two contributors, Julia Rebaudo and Ali Taylor, BeautyWooMe is free from advertorials, though, like every journalist, personality and blogger, it does sometimes receive items and treatments gratis to review. In addition to product reviews, trend spotting and beauty news, BeautyWooMe runs a number of giveaways with great beauty-related prizes – well worth entering.

FOUND, BEAUTIFUL
www.foundbeautiful.com



Adele is a beauty and lifestyle editor with an eye for fabulous things. Her simple but effective blog features no-nonsense product reviews of cosmetics and beauty products. Log onto Found, Beautiful to find out about everything from the new Elemis skincare range for teens to innovative paper lashes featuring designs inspired by Chinese paper cutting. Watch out for beauty recommendations and guest posts from industry experts.

A TOUCH OF BLUSHER
www.atouchofblusher.com



Launched in 2006, A Touch of Blusher is the blog of UK-based PJ, who writes on the latest beauty news and reviews makeup, skincare, and fragrance products. Focusing on Japanese cosmetics as well as western beauty brands, PJ identifies herself as having oily-dry skin and likes lip glosses with a hint of shimmer. Some of her favourite Japanese makeup lines include Lunasol, Coffret D’Or, Lavshuca, Jill Stuart, and Paul & Joe. See the list of skincare products that she is using currently via the right-hand sidebar.

INTOTHEGLOSS.COM
http://intothegloss.com




This blog features editors, stylists and models divulging their products, routines and beauty inspirations and makeup artists, hair stylists and a variety of other beauty specialists discussing their top tools, tricks and visions of what’s to come. Enjoy sneak peaks into live backstage at the top fashion shows, as well as product highlights and the new kids on the block – the assistants and up-and-comers set to shape our idea of beauty in the future. Expect great photography and content and an easy to browse, attractive layout.

Emily Jenkinson

5th May 2011