Shopping for beauty products usually involves running the gauntlet in department-store beauty halls, dodging promo girls intent on dousing you in the latest big-budget fragrances as you beat a path to your chosen counter. It may also mean venturing online, which is undeniably handy for restocking old favourites, but risky with new purchases, as you can’t test them first.

Space NK, for one, has devised a winning formula: calm, boutiquey environs where you can have a squirt and get expert advice before handing over your credit card. Now, though, I’ve discovered a truly magical shopping experience. Lost in Beauty, the latest venture from the make-up artist Georgina Hamed, is a veritable beauty playground. From the flamboyant floral carpet, which once graced a hotel lobby, to the antique apothecary cabinets and the vintage vanity cases on display, it oozes laidback retro cool.

The niche selection of goods befits the discerning Primrose Hill locals - make-up from Becca, nail polish from Butter London, shampoo from the renowned Parisian hair colourist Christophe Robin and Bastien footcare - but what sets it apart is the interactive element. Head downstairs and it’s like stepping into a silver-screen siren’s dressing room. You can be made over by Hamed’s own, trusty hands: she has worked with the photographers Martin Parr and Cody Burridge, as well as celebs such as Cate Blanchett and Sofia Coppola. She gave me a sumptuous mix of dewy skin and smouldering slate grey eyes.

Make-up aside, Lost in Beauty offers an impressive range of beauty services. Hair looking a bit scraggy? Hamed will book one of her fashionable hairstylist mates to see to you. If you’re lucky, it could even be the king of sexy hair, Sam McKnight. The only problem I can see is that it’s such a girlie paradise, you may never want to leave.

Lost in Beauty, 117 Regent’s Park Road, NW1; 020 7586 4411, lostinbeauty.com

Lust of the week

With treatments at lash and brow bars becoming a standard grooming ritual, you have to pull out all the stops to make your eyes stand out these days. The wonderfully theatrical range of falsies designed by Viktor & Rolf for Shu Uemura should see to it. Inspired by the clown Pierrot, the Rombus lashes, adorned with diamond-shaped mirrors, will set you apart on the dancefloor.

£50, from Harvey Nichols; available from June 1

Try 3: cleavage enhancers

We’re not talking about those unattractive chicken fillets you place in your bra. These are cosmetic treatments, designed to lift, firm and even boost that oft-neglected area.

Contains a plant extract said to block fat cells. It’s hard to believe, but breasts really do seem to swell overnight. Rodial Boob Job, £125, from Harvey Nichols

A herby, intensely nourishing almond oil-based serum to make the décolleté appear more luscious. Kimia Neck and Décolleté Serum, £54; 01706 836565

The larch extract tightens skin and the faint shimmer helps to minimise flaws. This Works: Perfect Cleavage, £35; thisworks.com

Times recommends

• The Joy of Sex: why you need help in bed
• Don't move - improve
• Adoption: finding my birth mother