BEAUTY CONFESSIONS: ALICE DU PARCQ Beauty & Health Director

London based beauty journalist, Alice du Parcq, originally started off working in the fashion department of Tatler magazine. It wasn’t until she worked at The Telegraph Magazine's style team that Alice got bitten by the beauty bug. Now with over 10 years of experience, she is known for creating intelligent and practical health and beauty pages that are also delicious to look at. Alice found herself back at British Condé Nast working for other titles like Glamour and Brides. Most recently she has joined the Easy Living team as Health & Beauty Director and was a key player in re-launching this glossy magazine.

WHAT’S YOUR BEAUTY ADDICTION?
Can I have more than one?! Fresh breath, clean hair, quenched skin and groomed nails – all simple things that make me feel 'put together'. But if I had to choose just one product addiction, it would be Le Petit Marseillais Lait Réparateur au Karite – it's a big body lotion in a pump bottle that full of Shea Butter and smells of holidays. I buy it in French supermarkets for about 4 Euros. It's the most incredible body lotion – I use it every day, top-to-toe.

YOU FEEL MOST BEAUTIFUL WHEN?
When I've had my hair blow-dried in a salon. It's usually fussy and shapeless, but when I surrender it to a barrel brush and blow-dryer in the skilled hands of a good stylist, it becomes bouncy and soft and it inexorably heightens my self-confidence. It's my safety blanket!

BEST BEAUTY TIP YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
If your mascara gets a bit dry and clumpy, blast it with a hair-dryer for 15 seconds to soften it up. Try it. Seriously, it's an amazing trick.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
Easy and casual, with a flash of fun. Today, for instance, I'm in a black sleeveless cotton tunic, black leggings and mad gold Chanel heels with chains that make me sound like a cowboy.

WHAT’S THE MOST PRIZED POSSESSION IN YOUR CLOSET?
I have two: one old, one new. My 'old' is a cream fringed silk shawl that Karl Lagerfeld gave to my mother as her wedding present. He designed her wedding dress when he worked at Chloe (it was a knee-length, short-sleeved tea dress). My 'new' is my classic steel black-faced men's Rolex – a very precious gift from my husband. I think of him every time I fiddle around with it.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT LIVING IN LONDON?
Its infinite supply of inspiration flashes. Today on my way into work I saw a grown man learning how to horse-ride in the park, and a bold red lip on a mother with her pram. Seeing other people make an effort makes me want to try harder myself.

Lait Réparateur au Karite by Le Petit Marseillais