Get your pucker on girls! Cupid's arrow is pointing straight at your pretty pout this Vday, begging for some hot coloured hues. So what better time to try out the season's biggest beauty trend?

Red lips ruled the runway for Spring '12, and - almost halfway into New York Fashion Week - I can officially report that it's a recurring theme for Fall '12 as well. Invest in this bold look now and you'll have a kissable pout well beyond love's special day.

Like in any industry, beauty companies tend to follow each other's lead. Tinted moisturizer, added SPF, and organic ingredients are just some of the recent trends that we have all benefitted from. Others, like vibrating mascara wands for instance, we've happily gone back to doing without. The latest beauty craze, however, is likely here to stay: it's an emerging product called BB cream and nearly every brand from the drug- to department store level is on board.

I recently spoke to Pierce Rees, beauty expert for Shoppers Drug Mart, to get the 411 on this new cream everyone is talking about:

Rimmel Glam'Eyes HD Eyeshadow in Black Cab, available at mass retailers across Canada in February 2012.
Suggested retail price is $7.49

I love the look of a slick eyelid. Rather than a matte or glittery finish, it's a modern alternative with seasonless appeal. The only trouble is, I can't seem to find a formula or a technique to keep the colour from creeping into my crease….until my friend, Toronto-based makeup artist Vanessa Jarman, recently shared her secret.

"You've got to set it!" she exclaimed. I followed up for some tips and tricks to share with you and I'm happy to report—it's an easy 2-step process.

Because of my pale skin, I've always shied away from dark lipstick. No need to look any more ghostly, I thought; but as it turns out I was wrong. When worn the right way, dark lipstick can be a dramatic look loved by all.

5:10 - Jump on my bike en route to the venue.

5:12 - Crap! My tire is flat.

5:14 - Jump on the streetcar.

5:35 - Getting off the streetcar I notice a taxi stopped in the middle of Queen Street. A man jumps from the car, hair perfectly gelled, phone pressed to his ear. As he whizzes past me and into the nearby fabric store, I see that it's Stephen Wong, one half of Greta Constantine. Last minute run, I suppose. He looks stressed.

We're constantly being warned to "read the label" because it's important to know what's in our food, cleaning supplies, and especially our beauty products. The goal is to avoid dangerous chemicals and harsh toxins that can be easily absorbed by our skin, but some of the latest beauty items to hit stores are dangerous for a different reason. These ingredients won't harm you, rather they are being marketed to appeal to the bad girl in all of us.

Malin + Goetz has developed a new fragrance containing rum for an extra sweet and sultry scent. How intoxicating!

Bored of your beauty routine? These outrageous new beauty products push the boundaries far beyond mascara and lipstick. Check out the latest in makeup...or should I say facial accessories?

Paper Eyelashes
Inspired by Chinese paper-cutting, the London-based company Paperself has created laser-cut eyelashes. From peacocks to butterflies, keep your eyes aflutter with a myriad of images that attach just like falsies. As the company boasts, it's like jewellery for your lashes. Available at Sephora.com.

Makeup guru Diana Carreiro recently enlightened me with loads of new beauty tips. I listened closely since the woman looks nowhere near her age and has made hundreds of models and celebs sparkle with her magic wand, or rather her makeup brush (same thing).

As Diana spoke, I could barely keep up with my notetaking. "Exfoliate your cheeks before applying blush" reads one. "Generationals" I can make out of another…shoot what does that mean? Is it a Dermalogica product? She swears by their skincare and I'm telling you she has the skin of a 16-year-old...g-e-n-e-r-a-t-i-o-n-humph, oh well.

Beauty trends can be tricky to follow. Colour schemes aren't exactly universal and depending on your skin, 'au natural' may not be an option. Luckily this season there are a few major stories that flatter across the board, like bold red lips, full brows, and tons of blush. The trick to making them oh-so-fall-2011 is in the application.

Celebrity makeup artist Diana Carreiro shares a few of the techniques:

Despite ten years of interviewing makeup artists and skincare professionals, I recognize that I am not one of them. In fact, even with all of the many fabulous tips I've picked up over the years, I'm fairly certain that some of my practices would garner a big old tsk tsk if those pros ever found out…so naturally I'm going to put them on the Internet. Wacky as they may be, I stand by these little tricks of mine, and perhaps you'll see some merit in them, too.