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The biggest beauty breakthroughs of 2011

A serum that makes brown spots disappear; a cream that blurs lines in less than a minute; a lipstick that suits everyone. This isn't a list of things that sound too good to be true—it's just a few of this year's most memorable beauty innovations. By Natalie Silverton

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Lipstick gets personal

This made-to-measure lip balm hit the shelves in August and got all the beauty editors chatting with its claim to adapt uniquely to the heat and moisture of your lips to give you a bespoke colour. That’s what we call clever.

L’Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Universal Lip Glow, £8.49, www.boots.com

See also: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
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Line-blurring lust-have

Using optical prism technology, fine lines and flaws effectively blur in 40 seconds flat. Since launching in October, one Nanoblur is sold every 10 seconds. A firm favourite of make-up artists and celebs, it became the backstage beauty buzz at the MTV EMA’s.

Nanoblur, £19.99, www.boots.com

See also: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
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Best tress tamer

According to Kerastase this became the fastest selling product launch in its history. Containing four precious oils, just a few drops can be used before shampooing as a pre-cleanser, to supercharge your conditioner or as a styling product and finisher, all without weighing your hair down. Hair never felt so luxe.

Elixir Ultime, £33.50, Kerastase or 08003164400

See also: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
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Ground-breaking night treatment

Containing an ActiveSoil Complex (yes we said soil!), bareMinerals skincare had a pre-launch waiting list of 100 customers. Living up to the hype, Pure Transformation Night Treatment has been clinically proven to kick start the skin renewal process, increase cell turnover, smooth skin tone, and leave skin with a luminous morning-after glow.

bareMinerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment £45, www.bareminerals.co.uk

See also: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
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Prescription-mimicking serum

A simple plant extract competing with the most widely prescribed wrinkle fighter known to man - Incredible right? An extract of the bark of the Anogeissus tree in Ghana was found to mimic the action of prescription retinoids. Origins discovered it had 88 percent of the visible-wrinkle-reducing power of a retinoid, without any of the photosensitivity, dryness, or redness.

Origins Plantscription Anti-ageing Serum, £45 (for 30ml) www.origins.co.uk

See also: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
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F1 crows feet zapper

Just as the Clarisonic revolutionised the way we cleanse our faces, this iPod-size device has changed the ‘gentle tap tap’ way we apply eye cream. Where normally the cream might sit on the surface, sonic waves vibrate 125 times per second to massage the anti-ageing eye serum in more deeply and effectively.

Clarisonic Opal Sonic Infusion System, £155, 0800 988 4864

See also: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
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Affordable gene cream

Those lucky enough to reach 100 years old apparently have a highly active ‘youth gene’. But we all have this gene – it keeps our bodies healthy and boosts proteins to help skin cells act younger. Avon’s new skincare helps to stimulate this gene with in-gene-ius results: The Treatment Concentrates makes skin look up to 10 years younger in eight weeks.

Avon ANEW Genics with YouthGen Technology, Treatment Cream, £23.50 and Treatment Concentrate, £30, www.avonshop.co.uk

See also: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
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Life changing hair fix

Enjoy three good hair days straight. Spritz this heat-activated spray onto wet hair, blowdry, and take the irons through. But instead of your style kinking hours later, it will remain sleek for up to three more days. Farewell frizzies, hello more time in bed.

John Frieda 3-day straight Semi-Permanent Styling Spray, £6.99, www.boots.com

See also: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
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Mascara worth waiting for

As Shakespeare might have said: ‘Love looks not with the eyes but with the mascara wand.’ This year’s love interest thickens individual lashes instantly (the tapered tip reaches tight corners). It also contains a phyto-peptide formula that strengthens lashes in their natural growth cycle. Throw out thy falsies immediately.

Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara, £9.99, 0800 085 2716

See also: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
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The new super foundation

This is the next best thing to your skin being enhanced with the digital retouching techniques of a professional photographer. This high tech foundation formula optically refines the skin’s surface, while expandable beads fill in open pores, wrinkles and fine lines. Perfect ‘lit from within’ skin with no retouching involved.

Givenchy Photo’Perfexion Light Evanescent Fluid Foundation, £30.50, 01932 233 824.

See also: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
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Under-eye magic wand

This goes beyond cover-up, and is packed with triple-optic technology that instantly makes dark circles appear lighter. Used regularly, its soothing ingredients also massage away under eye baggage, and the cooling ceramic tip acts like a mini fridge for your peepers!

Estee Lauder Idealist Eye Cooling Illuminator, £40 (15ml), 0870 034 2566 or www.esteelauder.co.uk

See also: 10 beauty tips for a ra diant Christmas
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The new cult cream

BB isn’t just short for Big Brother. It happens to be this year’s hot new cosmetic skin trend. Originally sold as Blemish Balm, it soon became a phenomenon in Asia as a multitasking moisturiser, radiance booster and flaw fixer. Garnier’s European-friendly version comes in light and medium shades and contains skin-smoothing mineral pigments and a radiance-boosting formula.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-in-One BB Cream. £9.99, www.boots.com

See also: 10 beauty tips for a ra diant Christmas
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Visionary anti-ager

It took 2,412 tries before scientists perfected the new molecule – LR2412 - in this multitasking serum. As effective as gold standard retinol at correcting pigmentation and plumping up wrinkles, it’s also safer. With Selfridges selling over 50 a day, devotees claim it eradicates the need for Botox. Want to get lineless? Get in line.

Lancome Visionnaire (LR2412) Advanced Skin Corrector (30ml), £57, www.lancome.co.uk

See also: 10 beauty tips for a ra diant Christmas
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Expert-driven skincare

In June a limited stock of 300 kits were released for pre-sale, and sold out in 39 minutes. Created from the advice of world-renowned dermatologists it delivers clinically proven anti-ageing benefits and is so significant a breakthrough that study results have been published in the British Journal of Dermatology. Impressive.

Olay Professional Anti-Wrinkle Kit (Age Defying Day Moisturiser SPF30, Wrinkle Smoothing Cream (for night) and Deep Wrinkle Complex), £44.99, www.boots.com

See also: 10 beauty tips for a ra diant Christmas
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Skincare with feelings

This psychodermatological skincare line created by Dr Linda Papadopoulos is the first of its kind in the UK. Papadopoulos worked with scientists to combine anti-ageing actives with nootropics (such as sea star wort and hibiscus extract), which release feel good chemicals in the brain to calm skin. Stressed skin was so 2010.

LP Skin Therapy, from £15.28, www.qvcuk.com

See also: 10 beauty tips for a ra diant Christmas
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Next Up: 10 beauty tips for a radiant Christmas
Radiate on the dance floor this Christmas with our brilliant beauty buys for face, hair and body. By Rebecca Barnes

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