The YOU Beauty Awards 2025

From the thousands of new and classic products jostling for attention, our panel of expert judges, along with you, our readers, have chosen the 44 best buys of the year

The supermodels’ secret weapon

To celebrate his 70th birthday next month, hairstylist Sam McKnight opens up his starry photo album

Ageless Beauty

In our makeover column, Rosie Green helps readers rediscover their hair and make-up mojo

Can this cleansing water truly work as well as lotion?

I’ve spent 30 years going to spas and these are the ones I love

YOU loves: Jo Malone

Your any-age spot-survival guide

The green guide: The Body Shop Skin Defence SPF 50

How sustainable is your bathroom cabinet? Alice Robertson challenges beauty’s eco credentials

I’ve used this serum every day for a decade (and here’s what I look like up close)

As a beauty editor, Rosie Green (pictured) is inundated with new products, but there’s one she’s stayed loyal to - for good reason

Can this tinted balm really hydrate lips for 24 hours?

Help! I need a make-under

After realising an excess of beauty enhancements weren’t making her look younger, just weirder, Rosie Green is paring back her look

The super 8 skin healers

A healthy skin barrier will ward off everything from wrinkles to blemishes. Alice Robertson shares how to boost yours

Blue eyeshadow is back

…but, asks Rosie Green, on an older face, can it flatter or will it just say fancy dress?

How I made £30 million from painting your nails

When Thea Green had the idea to bring New York-style nail bars to the UK she changed the face of our high street and made a fortune in the process

The only five skincare ingredients proven to work

Alice Robertson cuts through the confusing claims of some manufacturers with her guide to the select group of goodies supported by hard science

The original sex kitten

She was just 24 when this photo was taken, but Brigitte Bardot had already changed the face of 1950s Hollywood

YOU loves: The Poetry Business School

Trend watch

Mind the gap: Gym kit

Scarlett Dargan imagines this week’s generational debate

I’ve joined the Reform(er) party!

It’s the fitness class of the moment, with studios popping up all over the country and a host of honed and toned A-list fans. But can a ‘decrepit fella’ also feel the body-sculpting benefits of reformer pilates, wonders Tom Parker Bowles

Don’t ever tell me I’m too old for my long hair

Her unruly curls were a teenage torment until Sam Baker, 58, was given some surprising styling advice

Book offer: Greekish

Trend watch

I used to be addicted to alcohol, now I’m addicted to work

Suede’s greatest hits

No, not the 1990s band but M&S’s spring must-have. In 2015 its suede skirt was a sell-out when the high-street giant faced hard times. A decade on, this cropped jacket is the one all the fashion editors are waiting for, including Sophie Dearden-Howell

Mind the gap: Nightlife

Scarlett Dargan imagines this week’s generational debate

Why Gen X is having the best sex

From Nicole Kidman’s erotic onscreen antics to Gillian Anderson’s steamy fantasies book, middle-aged women are getting passionate everywhere you look. Long may it last, says Tiffanie Darke, 53

‘Oh my god, Mum, you’re going out with an influencer!’

For over two decades PAUL LAMB toiled away laying hedges in Somerset fields, then, five years ago, he became an overnight Instagram sensation. Now he gets recognised in pubs and has an enthusiastic celebrity following – even his girlfriend’s teenage daughter is impressed

Book offer: Indian Kitchens

Trend watch

Mind the gap: hydration

Slow-roasted 30 garlic cloves lamb shoulder

Everyone needs a good roast lamb in their repertoire and this is a simple recipe to learn by heart. Make it yours however you like: add more or less garlic, consider different woody herbs such as bay or thyme, try a different vinegar… Just keep the technique and overall flavour balance the same and it will quickly become a welcome, classic addition to your table.

Golden fish soup

In English, ‘fish soup’ doesn’t sound particularly sexy. Greek ‘psarosoupa’ is mysterious and alluring and somehow promises so much more. This version is gently spiced, with lots of flavour and sweetness coming from the attention you give to the base. The fish is easily adjustable to whatever is fresh and available.

Roasted lemon, oregano and feta potatoes

You know when something is simple and obvious and so good that you kick yourself for not making it more often? These potatoes are just that.

Baklava cheesecake

I don’t want to gush too much about this recipe, but I must. I’m obsessed. It combines all my favourite flavours (honey, nuts, rose, cinnamon) and textures (crunchy, creamy, chewy). And it looks so great.

Whole roast cabbage with spiced butter

In this recipe an underrated ingredient becomes a worthy hero.

Charred green beans, asparagus and almonds

I love cooking any greens this way, so they blister and char slightly in an almost dry pan.

‘I didn’t cook, so I kept books in the stove’

The former Vanity Fair editor, 75, tells Tom Parker Bowles about side-splitting dinner guests, his caviar connection and the reason he always has olives in his fridge

Cinnamon bun pudding

A wonderful alternative to the classic bread and butter version

Eating out: Dorian, London W11

In London’s Notting Hill, Tom finds a secret dining space with surf, turf, style and swagger

Drinks: Charlotte’s Easter reds

Mussels in ginger, coconut & red chilli broth

Pondicherry (more recently known as Puducherry) used to be a French colony, and classic dishes of French heritage have evolved over the years to reflect the tastes of residents. This is an area famed for its fish and seafood and I love the gentle, coconutty backdrop of this broth, as well as how it accommodates aromatic lemongrass and chillies, plus zesty fresh ginger.

Chana dal with spinach

It’s usual to use chana dal for this dish, but you could also make it with split yellow peas. Both have a robust, almost meaty flavour, which stands up well to leafy green vegetables. Add the softened spinach at the last minute, so that it retains its fresh grassy-green colour. This dal is finished with a fried tarka flourish, made with sizzling spices, garlic, ginger and the sharpness of green chillies.

Salmon with red chilli & ground fennel

My dad loved salmon and in the last few years of his life he’d have lunch with me at home. ‘Fish on Fridays’ was a weekly ritual and this dish, with its sweet-sharp, citrus-rich marination, was one of his favourites. It’s quick to assemble, and I’d often serve it with potato vinaigrette and a leafy salad, but sometimes I’d flake the cooked salmon into buttery rice with plenty of chopped coriander.

Chicken in cumin & ground coriander yogurt

This is a simple and comforting curry made with everyday spices and simple ingredients. Because winters can be long and harsh for Himalayan hill and mountain communities, dried ginger rather than fresh is often the preference because of its long shelf life. It’s a spice that blends well with the earthy notes of toasted cumin and the astringency of ground coriander.

Lamb shanks with kashmiri chillies & garlic

I first tasted this dish, called laal maas, in Rajasthan, when the temperature outside was edging north of 48°C. Slow-cooked meat, cloaked in a soft tangle of buttery chillies and garlicky onions, isn’t for the faint-hearted - but this rich and indulgent recipe is utterly delicious and one of my all-time favourites. If you can, make it a day or two before you need it, so that the flavours have time to develop.