Best Beauty Apps

The ultimate mobile workout guide, whether you want to tone your whole body, concentrate on strengthening your core or work on tightening your bum, this app has every option covered and thanks to the easy graphics and simple instructions, even first time exercisers can use it. We particularly love the Muscle Finder tool that allows you to work out routines to train individual muscles, making your workout that much more bespoke.

Fitness Buddy, 69p

It goes without saying that our app is one of the best around for beauty. Providing all the latest beauty content from the site, including celebrity trends (see how Alexa pulls off a red lip or Diane Kruger, a retro hairstyle) and catwalk hair and make-up, it’s invaluable for keeping you up-to-the-minute with all that’s happening in the world of beauty. And we don’t like to brag, but the graphics and design are pretty spot on too, making it a dream to use.

ELLE app, free

With dark, wintry mornings on their way, getting up and out of bed can be even harder than usual. By analysing your sleeping patterns (it takes into account when you go to bed and how long you sleep for, on average), this app aims to wake you up during a period of light sleep - meaning less of a rude awakening and more of a gentle, alert rising. The best thing about it is the more you use it and log your habits, the more accurate it becomes. For anyone that finds it almost impossible to rise and shine, it’s a godsend.

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock, 69p

If you’re an exercise-phobe who wants a kick-start, try this app, which promises to get you from couch potato to veritable athlete in just 9 weeks.  With three workouts a week that alternate between walking and jogging, the idea is to build up your fitness, endurance and strength slowly and steadily until you feel confident and able enough to run distances. Warm-ups and downs are included too, and because of the gentle way in which you build up, it never feels like you’ve been thrown in at the deep end.

Couch-to-5K, £1.49

If you’re anything like EBT you change your nail colour on an almost daily basis. While that can mean uncovering some new favourites it also means that you could be stuck with an unflattering shade of pearly pink that you wish you’d never tried. That’s where OPI’s app steps in – you simply choose a hand that matches your own skin tone and you can ‘try on’ as many different shades as you want. Quick and fun, it’s a polish lover’s dream, and not a cotton pad or bottle of remover in sight.

OPI app, free

The beauty of running is that it can be done any where and any time, but this genius app is particularly useful thanks to its multi-tasking ability – not only does it track your running progress, plan routes, record your pace, distance and timings, it also gives you feedback on how you’re doing. Nike athletes provide tips to improve your runs and you can even get your friends involved – every time they comment on your run status you get mid-training cheers. Motivation to keep going on those early morning runs, if ever we heard it.

Nike+ GPS, £1.49