Beauty: first aid for sensitive skins

I have recently experienced skin irritation on my face for the first time in years. One morning, my face began to itch, down the sides of my nose and around my jawline. The slightest scratch made the itchiness erupt into a hot, red blotch that refused to back down, however much concealer I piled on.

It's a damning indictment of my nerdish personality that when a skin emergency occurs, I'm positively delighted to have the chance to fix it. I'm intolerant of antihistamines, so I first took off all my makeup with Aurelia Miracle Cleanser (£34), a lovely, concentrated, extremely gentle organic cleanser that smells not very nice but works very well. (Cetaphil, £7.79, is also marvellous, though you'll need to cleanse twice if wearing foundation.) I followed with something I've kept for such emergencies for the past 25 years: Clarins Sensitive Skin Beauty Repair Concentrate (£40). I can't tell you how reassuring it is to know a product does exactly as it has promised, for decades on end. Within hours of massaging in a few drops, the itching had stopped and the redness had vanished. I kept it up for the next fortnight, following with Avène Tolérance Extrême Cream (£14.50) as moisturiser. It's like the whole thing never happened.

Sali loves… nude palettes

Smashbox Full Exposure, £36, smashbox.co.uk
This new bumper palette features 14 universally flattering shades to be worn as shadow or liner, separately or layered for depth. Top-quality double-ended brush, too.

Sleek I Divine Eye Shadow Au Naturel, £7.99, superdrug.com
No one does blush and eyeshadows quite as well for the price. These 12 highly pigmented, quality nude shadows come in at a little over 65p each. Fantastic.

Urban Decay Naked 3, £37, debenhams.com
Essential industry kit. This features 12 nudes with a slight rosy tinge; they're especially gorgeous on olive, brown and black skins.