Hot off the red carpet, mamas, here’s the scoop on how super-stylist Kerry Warn, international creative consultant at John Frieda, created Nicole Kidman’s gorgeous, easy-looking up-do for Cannes …

‘I wanted to create a fresh, almost casual glamour look,’ says Kerry, who has worked with Nicole on her movies, editorial shoots and red carpet appearances for years. ‘So we opted for a soft, loose chignon’.

Here, then, is how to do it, in Kerry’s words.  Read more.

FAB freebie alert!

A couple of weeks back, I picked out some gorgeous highstreet sunglasses, inspired by Cannes!

These ones, available from June, are thrown in FREE as part of a 3 for 2 offer on all Bourjois make-up (so you get the product deal, PLUS the shades) …

… and, impressively for a freebie, they’re great! Classic, big and black  - trés chic! Cute case, too!

If you’re humming and ha-ing about what to treat yourself to, may I suggest the AWESOME new 1 Seconde Nail Enamel, for starters, which I previewed here.

I promise you, it’s fantastique!

Today, I’m thrilled to begin a new, regular feature at nonstopmama – My beauty secrets – by interviewing homes, crafts and cooking mama Cherry Menlove about her busy mama beauty tricks and tips …

Cherry’s first eBook - Cherry Menlove’s Easy Jubilee (a snip at 99p!) - is THE perfect read right now for celebratory decorating, baking and craft ideas. It’s as warm, inspiring and packed with lovely ideas as her much-loved  website on homemaking and family life …

… and, whilst this mama is still searching for her crafting mojo (I try and stay out of Sunday School make-and-do projects – the results are frankly embarrassing), I feel some Jubilee cupcakes coming on and have my copy downloaded and ready to dive into for inspiration!

Nonstopmama asked Cherry for her busy mama beauty secrets …

• What are your everyday make-up must-haves?

I feel that a good mascara is important for me. I’ve been through a few of them, some cheap and some expensive and I find most the Maybelline mascaras work pretty well. I have also worn MAC ‘Captive’ lipstick since 1998 and still love it.

•  How do you style your hair in a hurry?

When I’m rushing about I wash it, brush it using a Tangle Teezer (the best!!!) and put it wet into a plait. When I’m off out, I use those tiny wee bulldog clips to keep it back and huge amounts of Elnett.

•  Any bodycare favourites and products you love?

I dry brush my skin every day before having a shower to wake me up a bit and keep it all smooth and I quite like Palmer’s Natural Bronze tanning lotion to get me going on the first occasion that my bare legs make an appearance. It’s a scary time!

•  Nails – nude, bright or au naturel?!

Au naturel for everyday and Rimmel Lycra Pro Nail Polish in Celebrity Bash when I’m feeling fancy. I’m not kidding, it’s my favourite red nail colour. I ALWAYS have my nails short, really can’t get to grips with long nails.

•  Any beauty indulgences you try and make time for?

A long, hot bubble bath. But when it comes to products, I love products and have no problem buying products. If I had millions of pounds I would use Sisley and La Prairie skincare for the rest of my life. But I don’t so I’m sticking to Nivea and Rio Rosa Mosqueta oil. I do however insist that my husband buy me perfume for Christmas and birthdays so I always have some. I wear it daily, even if I’m slopping about. I wear Eau du Soir by Sisley.

•  What’s the best beauty trick you’ve ever been shown?

Rio Rosa Mosqueta oil on a clean face before bed and sleep, whenever I can get it. I am absolutely convinced that sleep is one of the best healers in the world for a tired face and body. But with two year old twins I have to take it when it comes.

Thanks for talking to nonstopmama, Cherry!

Look out, too, for Cherry’s first book (in hardback), The Handmade Home, due out later this year.

You can also stay up to date with Cherry on Twitter and Facebook, and read her monthly crafts column in Sainsbury’s Magazine.

If the Jubilee mani I posted earlier this morning still looks too much like hard work, you could always take the short cut with these FAB LCN stick-on crowns (£2.10 a pack, available in black or white) …

There’s a bit of diamanté sparkle in there (which you can’t clearly see in the pic) – just plonk at the base of your nail, on top of your regal colour of choice!

What could be easier?

Fancy trying out a Jubilee mani for the weekend?

As soon as this lovely idea dropped into nonstopmama’s inbox from Revlon, I HAD to share it with you …

What I especially like – and, I think, is super-clever – about it is that the tricky, sticky-on nail art bit is restricted to just one nail  (or the ‘signature nail’ as Jenny Longworth, who created the manicure for Revlon, calls it).

Easier to do and with even more of a ‘WOW!’ factor than ‘blinging’ them all. And certainly less fiddly!

What you need is pretty simple, too: a base coat, a glossy grey/neutral shade, a sheer sparkle polish and a few sparkly, diamanté nail ‘gems’ or similar. For this, you could raid your children’s craft kit, or you can even pick them up at pound stores!

You’ll also need a top coat to seal it all, or you might find you lose your gems in your Jubilee cake mix.

Here’s the full step-by-step from Revlon, including the colours used (although you can improvise, of course, with whatever you have to hand). Read more.