Thought you needed to pay a fortune for good beauty products? Think again. Simple is celebrating after its award-winning Kind To Eyes Conditioning Eye Make-Up Remover triumphed in the Sunday Times Style Beauty Awards 2009.

More than 22,000 Sunday Times readers voted in the publication’s online survey for their favourite products of the year. And the Simple Kind To Eyes Conditioning Eye Make-Up Remover swept the board as the best eye make-up remover, receiving more than 4,000 votes.

Simple is also the UK’s best-selling make-up remover, with one bottle sold every 30 seconds. We're big fans of it here in Life & Style and can confirm that it's gentle even on sensitive eyes, and won’t aggravate sensitive skin because it doesn’t contain harsh colour or perfume. It's also oil free so there's no greasy residue.

Simple Kind To Eyes Conditioning Eye Make-up Remover - £2.99 (RRP) and can be found in Boots and Superdrug stores nationwide.

Aldi has launched a revolutionary new wrinkle cream called Wrinkle Stop, which contains Syn-Ake.

What on earth is Syn-Ake? It's a synthetic substance developed from the venom of an Asian snake which mimics the effects of Botox. We've seen this little number arrive on Harley Street where it is sold for up to ten times the price of the £5.99-tag Aldi are placing on the product.
 
To mark the launch, Aldi has developed a site where you can upload images of yourself and see how you'll look in years to come: www.wrinklestop.co.uk. Only for the very brave.

Apart from scaring you senseless, the site can a: at least make you appreciate how gorgeous you look now compared to the wrinkly version of you that awaits and b: make sure you definitely start looking after your skin so that you can preserve your youthful looks for as long as possible.

Feeling game? Check out www.wrinklestop.co.uk and upload a passport-style image. If you dare...

The British honey bee is dying out and experts are not quite sure why.

Aside from the impact the loss of the bees could have on our countryside, the implications of the declining population has even hit the cosmetics industry.

Nearly 650 brands of mascara, 600 lipstick products and 450 moisturisers would cease to exist if the honey bee died out, according to The Co-operative Group.

In some areas of the UK, honeybee numbers have dropped by as much as 80 per cent, while bumblebees across the country have declined by 60 per cent since 1970.

The cosmetics industry is one of the largest users of beeswax. It can be found in a wide range of cosmetics ingredients such as honey, wax, propolis and royal jelly, and is one of the oldest cosmetic materials known to man. Its functions as a preserve and a barrier against air and moisture have long been noted. Ancient Egyptians, including Cleopatra, regularly used beeswax in a wide variety of beauty products, from skin creams to lipsticks and nail polishes.

Beeswax is a by-product of the bee pollination process. The number of cosmetics products containing beeswax include:

Mascara -  643 products
Lipstick - 589 products
Moisturiser - 453 products
Lip gloss - 400 products
Face moisturiser - 211 products
Lip balm - 482 products
Eyeliner - 196 products
Concealer - 156 products
Hand cream - 139 products

From a dermatological point of view, beeswax is well tolerated by the skin, adds to skin softness and elasticity, and rarely causes sensitivity problems. Beeswax also contains natural antibacterial and germicidal agents and antioxidants.

The Co-operative Group has launched its Plan Bee campaign, a 10-point plan to save the honeybee and prevent the decline in population. It is also providing £150,000 for research into the decline of the honeybee, the UK’s largest private donation for bee research.

What can you do?

Paul Monaghan, Head of Social Goals at The Co-operative says: “We can all do our bit to turn things around. Whether it’s a lush rural retreat or tiny urban window box, we can plant and garden in ways that help the honeybee thrive."

Bees love wild flowers and The Co-operative Group is now sewing fields with wild flower seeds to encourage the growth of the bee population. If you have a garden, try to have an area where you can allow wild flowers to grow, preferably near a compost, which bees enjoy. Or if you live in a flat, make a window box filled with bright flowers to encourage the bees to pollinate.

Find out more here.

For women tightening the purse strings help is at hand. Latestinbeauty.com provides women with an array of beauty products to try at home before they buy, meaning they can make an informed decision before making a purchase.

Membership to this online beauty club is free. Simply register by entering some personal details for your profile and the site will recommend brands suited to your needs. Follow the pages through to choose one product from each category; skin care; make-up and fragrances; hair and body. To complete your order text the site for a reference code, costing just £1, and you will receive your three samples through the post in just a few days.

Re-visit the site to give your feedback on the brands sampled enabling you to then choose your next selection of samples, limited to one collection per month. Look out for some additional offers only available at LatestinBeauty.com including prizes and discounts when purchasing full size products.

Members can now benefit from a new and exciting offer from Estée Lauder, a one week supply of its Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher. The silky serum is applied to clean skin prior to moisturising making pores appear 1/3 smaller instantly. It also includes an invitation for a complimentary iMatch™ foundation consultation in-store and a 10-day supply of your perfect foundation absolutely free.

Additionally, LatestinBeauty.com is currently offering John Frieda, L’Occitane, Hugo Boss fragrances, Virgin Vie and Mary Kay to ensure you know exactly what to expect before you pay full price. Some samples are limited so to make sure you can try your favourite brands, or discover a new one, log-in quickly.

Sign up today to try before you buy!

www.latestinbeauty.com

For a tingly-fresh, sparkling complexion, we recommend trying out a brand new beauty from Elemis's Tri-Enzyme programme, the new Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask.

Simply apply the fragrant gel to cleansed skin and leave for 8-10 minutes before removing with warm water, and your skin will feel rejuvenated.

Designed to help the skin’s cell-renewal process, which slowly declines as we age and results in a dull, lifeless complexion, the Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask works naturally to stimulate the skin’s function by accelerating cell‑renewal and removing ‘dead skin cells’.

'This is a safe, yet highly active treatment gel mask that promises to leave skin appearing instantly smoother, shine-free and more radiant,' say Elemis.

We put it to the test and found it ideal as a twice-weekly treatment for boosting the complexion. The skin feels deep-cleansed and looks fresher and brighter immediately after use.

'Sadly, in the last few years we are constantly seeing client’s skin that has been harshly damaged from highly abrasive and chemical treatments leaving skin extremely thin, sensitive and tired,' said Director of Product and Treatment Development, Noella Gabriel.

'At Elemis, we are proud to be able to offer a safe, yet powerful resurfacing programme that works naturally with the skin’s natural resources. It is our promise that we only create products that adapt to individual’s skin as everyone’s skin is different. This Gel Mask gives skin a remarkable, visible radiance.'

Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask, £45 for 50ml.

Visit www.elemis.com to find out more.