It's fully-updated, packed with loads of new winning Tried & Tested products and (good news for all those of you who've written in to ask): the paperback of our latest 'bible' has now arrived in the bookshops, price £14.99!  Or you can order your copy for just £10.49 from www.amazon.co.uk by clicking right here… (We're thrilled: it's a runaway bestseller.)

As those of you who were on our panels know, we spent months earlier this year analysing the hundreds of new products that have been launched since the hardback of The 21st Century Beauty Bible came out two years ago. 

Because we're all too aware that the cosmetics world changes fast, we once again embarked on this exhaustive (and exhausting!) round of testing to find the latest and greatest of the new products, across 32 categories from miracle creams to self-tanners, mascaras to concealers, relaxing bath treats to cellulite-busters. And the results in this book are compiled from the forms scrupulously filled in by over 1,060 s, in total, making this the biggest independent consumer test of beauty products carried out anywhere in the world.  Ever! 

Every product was sent to ten women unlike most Tried & Testeds, where one product goes to one woman, one to another, which can only ever give highly subjective results.  What we've found is that if a product gets rave reviews from ten women, you're pretty likely to feel happy with it too. For would-be natural beauties, we highlight the products that are all-botanical (using a unique 'daisy' rating system) and for women who want every last liposome that science can throw at their complexions, there are all the high-tech choices, too. In each category, we give you the top scorers and the best budget buys.

The 21st Century Beauty Bible is much more than a guide to the best products, though. We also give you everything you need to know so that you can look and feel gorgeous - in no time flat! It's crammed with all the insider knowledge, shortcuts and tips to looking lovely and feeling fantastic, for women everywhere, at every age. We include all the insider beauty advice we've gleaned from the top professionals in hair, make-up, skincare and wellbeing. For the growing number of you who look for more natural and holistic products, there are also simple recipes for effective natural hair and beauty treatments that can be made easily at home. And there's much, much more...

We often hear from readers who've been collecting our books since the very first one came out, eight years ago - and we are thrilled that you find them so invaluable. And if you want to get your hands on the updated version, order here...

David Downton: illustrator

The wonderful line drawings in The 21st Century Beauty Bible are by David Downton, who did the illustrations for both our earlier books and for The Green Beauty Bible. We love his drawings for their sheer timeless elegance so it's no surprise that his main work has been in covering the couture shows in Paris, as well as working for magazines and newspapers, also beauty companies. David's current projects include drawing Linda Evangelista for Visionaire, working with Philip Treacy - and there are plans for a book, next year. Check in with his website www.www.daviddownton.com for more of what David's up to - and have a look at his beautiful portfolio of Erin O'Connor...

If you’re concerned about what you put in your mouth – as we are (we buy mostly organic food) – then the next logical step is to think about what you’re putting on your skin. That’s what inspired Jo to write The Ultimate Natural Beauty Book (which is being published by Kyle Cathie, famous for creating truly lush and gorgeous-looking books, including our own Beauty Bibles and Feel Fab Forever). As Jo says, "My first foray into making cosmetics was concocting rosewater for the fairies I was convinced lived under our weeping silver birch – but I’ve become a bit more expert since then!" So recipes in this book include Geranium Cleansing Balm, Vitamin-Enriched Moisturiser, Lavender & Rose Dusting Powder (the recipe for which we bring you here), and over 100 other simple (and often very inexpensive) recipes for alternatives to store-bought cosmetics.

As Jo writes in the intro, "I’m no Nigella Lawson or Jamie Oliver, let alone a three-star Michelin chef." And in fact, the recipes in The Ultimate Natural Beauty Book use ordinary kitchen equipment and ingredients which, in many cases, you can find in your larder, the fruit ‘n’ veg counter at your local supermarket or natural food store – or even your back garden. (As Jo says, "I originally wanted to call this book Grow Your Own Cosmetics, because every recipe has something that you can grow – but I didn’t want to put anyone off who doesn’t have a garden, or green fingers!"

Because every book about making your own cosmetics featured photos of brown gunk – or didn’t have pictures at all – Jo was determined to make the book look stylish. "My friend Annie Hanson – who’s successfully taken up photography as a second career, in her late 40s – took the pictures, over the space of last summer, at my home in East Sussex. I wanted this to be a lovely, colourful gift you could give to friends – or a treat for yourself – and I’m really proud of the results, even though it was a challenge to make, style and photograph over 20 different recipes each day!"

www.amazon.co.uk are offering The Ultimate Natural Beauty Book for £10.49 – a saving of £4.50 - but to give you a taster, here’s the recipe for Rose & Lavender Dusting Powder…

ROSE PETAL AND LAVENDER DUSTING POWDER

110 g. (4 oz.) cornflour
55 g. (2 oz.) baking soda
Approx 25 g. (1 oz.) dried lavender flowers
Approx 25 g. (1 oz.) dried rose petals
2 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops rose essential oil

Jo writes: "Personally, I prefer not to use talcum-based products; talcum has a health question mark over it, if it’s breathed, as it’s related to aluminium. Happily, I’ve found that botanical alternatives are just as effective. To make this recipe, put all the dry ingredients in a food processor and whizz until it becomes a fine powder. (The roses and lavender will become tiny coloured flecks in the powder). Add the essential oil drop by drop and blend again; these enhance the fragrance. Then, using a sieve, shake the powder as if you were sifting flour, until it becomes a fine, soft texture. Put in a clean container and dust onto the body using a powder puff – or put in a sugar shaker, and ‘sift’ onto skin after the bath."