LUST-HAVE | Filorga at House of Fraser

STORES AND boutiques have made it their business in recent years to stock the best beauty brands and products from around the world. No more waiting until you next travel to France or New York to stock up on your local favourites. You can get them anywhere, including the high street, which wasn't a reality just afew years back.

From Bluebird on King's Road to Content Beauty/Wellbeing in Marylebone, Beauty Cube in Spain or even, yes, House of Fraser, you can get your mitts on exotic beauty goods. In fact, House of Fraser have just rolled out their Apothecary concept in Glasgow, soon to be launched throughout the rest of the UK. They're stocking a private label Apothecary brand that's as gorgeous as any high-end brand out there (including a gorgeous 20 quid candle). Plus, they're carrying brands from far-flung destinations like Hei-She, Hissyfit, Pure by Mary Greenwell, Deborah Lippman, Electric Body, Slendertone, Rosebud, Trilogy, Bliss, Body America, Cereria Terenzi, Banana Republic, Gentry Grooming, Perricone MD and more.

My favourite new brand so far? French lable Filorga. The brand has made injectable cosmetic products for over 30 years and have now brought topical treatments made from the same high concentration active ingredients -- 55+1 to be exact. And they're traditionally used in mesotherapy treatments. Trust the French to bring us such products. They love their 'little' injectables and they love their skincare. Us? It's the slap, to cover up all those skincare transgressions and lazy habits. Whoops. Time to change that, no?

According to the press release, the range employs a patented core formula of hyaluronic Acid and NCTF , and those active ingredients really are identical to the ones injected in mesotherapy.

What else does the press release say? That the range uses a Hyaluronic Acid (HA) with high molecular weight and that "the complete anti-ageing efficiency of the 55+1 (NCTF + that Hyaluronic Acid) ingredients has been proven by a number of studies carried out by an independant molecular and
cellular pharmacology research centre: Stimulation of cellular growth, (+147 %)*, Anti-radical protection, (+90 %)*, Collagenic re-densification, (+256%)*, Slow down of dermal rigidification, (+366%)*

(*series of studies conducted by an independent research laboratory specialised in molecular and cellular pharmacology.)

So that's a bit more science backing up the products than Rodial and their Boob Job, eh? However, not being of a science background I can't verify the validity of their studies but the history of the brand suggests that they take their clinicals seriously.

What do I think? That I saw an instant change in my skin tone and texture when I started using the Filogra Absolute Anti-Ageing Serum, made of 100 ingredients (67% active), including the 55+1 medley, retinol and DNA. How DNA helps the skin, I cannot explain, but the product details state that it is anti-oxidant, moisturising and reactivates fibroblasts.

Since using it, my rosacea has been less rosy (no doubt helped by the Alpha H I've been using in tandem. More on that later), the fine lines under my eyes and on my forehead are dimished and my skin looks more even. Many anti-ageing serums really irritate my skin. I'm not sure if it's the fragrance or if they're meant to do so to inflame the skin and make it look smoother (completely counter-productive) but I have trialled a load and ditched them after a week or so because I simply can't take the way my skin breaks out, turns red and feels uncomfortable.

The texture is less viscous than many serums, having a thicker texture. If you have dry skin, you won't be able to use it alone (like me).

My conclusions: It's in my repeat buy pile for the forseeable future because of the immediate and lasting results in skin texture, fine lines and lack of irritation I've experienced with it.

Filorga Meso+ Absolute Anti-Ageing Serum (£55.00 for 30ml)

FROM THE FRONT | Illamasqua Soho boutique

AN ELDERLY woman, two French tourists, a drag queen in street clothes, a mum and daughter and me... that was the motley crew of customers in Illamasqua's new Soho boutique on the afternoon I visited the space.

It was all black lacquer, antique gold, low lights, artful mannequins, boudoir mirrors and a bijous, gilded makeup school hidden behind goth circus tent-stripped curtains. The space is an homage to playing dress-up with your makeup. The products, from colorful pencils through to base products, ring the room, with the makeup station manned by very good good makeup artists sits in the center, next to the shattered mirror till. And a glass case abutting the left wall as you walk in houses items donated by stars in support of Illamasqua's Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

Highlights of the shop: Being able to play with all the products (including the nail varnishes, liquid metal and pure pigments), all testers are in pristine shape, the shrine to Sophie Lancaster, amazing makeup artists who will do you an entire look for fun (thank you, Amanda!); the makeup remover used in the makeup school (the Crealine H20 cleanser by Bioderma); the makeup school; Alex Box air-brushed mannequins...

Stand-out products: Illamasqua precision ink in Alchemy, Christmas nail varnish duos, liquid metal in Resolute and matte finish lipsticks

I went into the shop a regular girl and came out looking part Debbie Harry, part Jem and the Holograms. Pretty cool...

Check out and enroll in Illamasqua's School of Make-up Art classes.

Illamasqua, 20 Beak Street, W1F 9RE, London, UK

Crealine H2O Ultra-Mild Non-Rinse Face and Eyes Cleanser 250 ml by Bioderma

EXPERT SECRETS | Liz Earle factory seconds ebay outlet

BROWSING A few beauty blogs yesterday, my eyes were scrolling down the page when they stopped and slowly moved back upwards to make sure what I read was correct. Indeed, it was. Liz Earle DOES have a factory seconds shop on ebay where you can buy perfectly wonderful Liz Earle products at a discount because, well, they're factory seconds (damaged packaging, etc.). I'm a lover of good packaging but I'm no snob when it comes to getting the good stuff for a discount because a box I'm going to throw in the bin seconds after bringing my new buy home is scuffed.

Visit the Liz Earle factory seconds ebay outlet.

And thanks to iheartcosmetics.co.uk for the tip-off.