Image Magazine Beauty Awards 2011: Sneak Peek

It's one of the stalwarts of the beauty calendar and Image's 2011 beauty awards will hit newsstands tomorrow in the May issue of the magazine. Edited by Liz Dwyer - a woman who is never afraid to ask the hard questions of brand reps when they make ridiculous claims, for which I admire her greatly - I love Image's beauty pages for several reasons. They're the best, for starters, I used to work there for seconders and I've put together their awards myself so I know first-hand how impartial, rigorous and down-right labour-intensive the process is, as well how much care and attention to detail is devoted to the process.

With judges including celebrity facialist Anastasia Achilleos, Celia Holman Lee and makeup artist and blogger Ellie Balfe, I'm expecting great things of this year's beauty bundle. I had a little chat with Liz yesterday ahead of the mag arriving on shelves too and we can expect some surprises, apparently, including lots of what the mag is calling Chiconomista products. That's not all - Liz has dished on five great-value products from the many that are featured in Image's 2011 edit exclusively for Beaut.ie, so we get to be ahead of the curve. Oooh - get us, eh?

1. BEST INEXPENSIVE MOISTURISER
   Neutrogena Multi-Defence Moisturiser SPF 25, €9.49
   “If we could get everyone in the country to wear this daily, we’d be laughing. It has a decent SPF, good protective ingredients, a nice light texture, most skin types can tolerate it, and it’s unbeatable value for money.” Dr Rosemary Coleman
2. BEST INEXPENSIVE LIPSTICK RANGE
   Topshop Lips, €12
   “The counter at Topshop can be a little off-putting, but the products are outstanding value and my kit is now full of them. The lipsticks have a brilliant consistency, colour and staying power.” Christine Lucignano
3. BEST FOUNDATION
   Lancôme Teint Miracle Foundation, €35.50
   “I’m wearing this foundation today, which, given that my baby kept me up all night, says it all really. It has a superfine texture, gives flawless but very fine coverage, comes in lots of wearable shades (especially for pale Celtic skins) and just seems to miraculously light up your face.” Ellie Balfe
4. BEST NAIL POLISH RANGE
   Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish, €5.25
   “This genuinely dried in 60 seconds and remained glossy for four days, but I’d advise using a topcoat for extra hold and shine. Rimmel has a great, fun selection of colours to choose from and they’re as cheap as chips.” Una McGurk
5. BEST STYLING PRODUCT
   John Frieda Frizz-Ease 3-Day Straight, €6.98
   “This stuff is amazing. It’s like a mini twelve-week blowdry every time you use it. It’s made from keratin (hair’s natural building blocks) and keeps hair straight, frizz-free and so much healthier looking for up to three days. You simply spray it in before blowdrying and watch the magic happen.” Helen Reavey

Image May 2011 is on sale tomorrow at all good newsagents, €4.25.