Cult beauty products

By KAY MONTANO

Last updated at 22:52 11 November 2007

Make-up artist to the stars Kay Montano shares her beauty secrets. This week she reveals the 'hero' products that have stood the test of time:

(Clockwise from top left) Guerlain Terracotta Teint Dore Moisturising Bronzing Spray For Body, £15, 01932 233887

Clarins Eau Dynamisante Eau de Coeur Collector 2007, £23.50, 0800 036 3558

Lancome Nutrix Royal Intense Restoring Lipid Enriched Fluid, £40.50, available nationwide

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, £19, 020 7574 2722

Penhaligon's crystal atomiser, £95, and (next to it) Lily & Spice Hand And Body Cream, £35, www.penhaligons.co.uk

Dior Creme Abricot Fortifying Cream for Nails, £15.50, 020 7216 0216

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Intensive Moisturising Treatment, £22, 020 7629 4050

Chanel No.5 Eau De Parfum, £45.50/50ml, 020 7493 3836

Estee Lauder After Hours Slim Compact Lucidity Translucent Pressed Powder, £30, www.esteelauder.co.uk

(In centre) E. Coudray Esperys Perfumed Bath Mousse, £20.50, 020 7376 0324

KAY MONTANO SAYS...

Working in fashion means that I often talk about the latest beauty products and the trends that inspire them. But to be honest, the contents of my bathroom cabinet are not entirely made up of products labelled 'hot', 'new' or 'cutting-edge'.

I am occasionally lured, like a magpie, by the glittering packaging of a new product, but generally I'm the kind of person who has one finger on the pulse and one finger (painted or moisturised) in what actually works - regardless of whether it's old or new.

And even if it is fashion and fads that kick-start consumer trends, it is satisfied customers who decide whether a product really can stand the test of time and remain on - while flying off - the shelves amid the heavily advertised competition. This is why I often suggest products that have been around for so long that they are truly worthy of the title 'vintage'.

For 50 years, Philip Kingsley has been working as a trichologist. His clients have included Renee Zellweger and John Travolta, and he is known in the industry for being truly innovative in haircare. His Elasticizer Intensive Moisturising Treatment was the first pre-shampoo conditioning treatment, and the fact that it celebrates its 25th anniversary this year is proof that the product stands up to the latest haircare 'advancements'.

Most successful brands have one or more of what are known in the industry as 'hero' products. They stand alongside the trend-based collections that include colours or formulas more suited to the whims of fashion. One product that has consistently earned the title of hero product is Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream, created in 1934.

It still has a distinctly oldfashioned, medicinal and strangely comforting smell that I am sure would be concealed in perfume had it been created today. This, plus the rather odd- coloured, thick texture has become a trademark and part of its enduring appeal; models and actresses frequently ask me whether I have it.

If a vintage beauty product were a classic song, then the perfume Chanel No 5 (created in 1921) would be Marilyn Monroe singing 'I wanna be loved by you'. Classic, sexy and the epitome of everything that is, has been and always will be iconic. Marilyn herself said it was all she wore in bed.

These products are perennial beauty must-haves that are never 'in' or 'out'.