Cult classic

My love affair with beauty began when I was little. I watched my mum apply a well-used, nude-coloured Dior lipstick and, after she placed it back on her dresser and left the room, I swiped it for my own.

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I'm now 35, a mum-of-two, and I still have it in a little memory box. I'm not sure I ever told her, until now - sorry Mum!

Flash forward to university and, while living off fresh air, crisps and cheap rosé at UEA, a friend of mine gave me a Chanel nail varnish for my birthday. It was a beautiful mushroom-brown colour.

"You may not be able to buy a Chanel bag, but you can afford to wear Chanel on your nails," she told me as I slicked it on with wild abandon.