BORED with the selection of big brand names on beauty counters?

Discover some of the best niche, indie brands that are rapidly becoming bestsellers.

For hair styling tips, look to the range of products by Windle & Moodie. As well as shampoos and conditioners the Windle & Moodie Essential Oils Elixir, £26, is a pre-shampoo treatment; and Windle & Moodie Fortifying Spray, £16, gives extra volume to fine hair.

The Bleach brand of youthful experimentation has brought fun back into the world of hair. Think candy pink and jewel colours gracing the locks of Florence Welch and Rita Ora. Use Bleach Rose Super Cool Colour, £5, for a colour boost that fades with two to 10 washes.

Deep cleanse skin with Glamglow Powermud, £49.99 from Space NK and Marks & Spencer. The creamy clay removes all traces of dirt and makeup to leave skin velvety soft. A blend of deep cleansing oils and detoxing muds, it purifies the complexion.

Fight ageing with Stop ... The Wrinkles Before They Start Eye Cream, £35 from Space NK. The gentle yet powerful formula contains a high concentration of active ingredients to stop lines and added microalgae extract to helps boost circulation and reduce the look of dark circles and puffiness.

Massage Balance Me Super Toning Body Polish, £18, into wet skin and shower off a couple of times a week to smooth and tone. It smells wonderful, thanks to essential oils of juniper, geranium, lavender and bergamot. The perfect wake-up for winter skin.

Run a couple of capfuls of Weleda Wild Rose Cream Bath, £9.95, under hot water for a beautifully scented pampering soak.

The brand's organic musk rose seed oil is harvested in the Chilean mountains. Used locally to produce teas and foods due to its high vitamin content, it was only discovered around 20 years ago that the little seed kernel contained extremely precious oil with remarkable healing abilities. For Weleda, once the seed kernels are hand-picked, they are dried, peeled and pressed to extract the virgin seed oil.

Update your autumn/winter wardrobe with the new nail colours from Eve Snow, £14, from Boots. Fiji is a deep blue, Crazy Horse an elegant plum red and Aria a dramatic silver foil.

Each bottle includes gingko biloba leaf to stimulate nail growth, argan oil extract to soften cuticles and vitamin E to protect nails from drying.

Blanche Immortelle by Atelier Cologne, £85, is pure perfume with 18% concentration. It has top notes of bergamot, mandarin and mimosa, deepening to immortelle absolute, jasmine sambac and Turkish rose with base notes of patchouli, vetiver and sandalwood.

Beauty Buzz

TAKE the pain out of the countdown to Christmas with the Benefit Candy-Coated Countdown Advent Calendar, £60. Open the sweet shop doors every day to find a different treat, including minis of Benefit favourites the Porefessional, Benetint, High Beam, Stay Flawless and Ultra Plush Lipgloss.

THREEoftheBEST

FOUNDATION

BRUSHES

SHISEIDO PERFECT FOUNDATION BRUSH, £29

USE it to expertly apply everything from cream concealer and powder foundation to BB cream - even cream blusher. Beautifully soft to touch, it is perfect for producing a flawless finish.

ESTEE LAUDER SCULPTING FOUNDATION BRUSH, £37

INGENIOUSLY designed to follow the contours of the face for precision application - that means even coverage and no patches. This brush blends effortlessly and saves time.

BAREMINERALS PERFECTING FACE BRUSH, £24

DESIGNED with a fluid reservoir, all you need is a couple of drops of foundation for easy application. Just buff on to the skin for a smooth, streak-free finish.