I've been a Mag Hag for years. First, as a teenager, when I'd rob my mother's copies of Image to feast on the pure glamour of the fashion models, and the sparkle of the socialites pictured in Miranda's Diary. Then I graduated on to British style titles like I-D, The Face and Blitz. While I totally bought into everything I read, and was the only BComm student in UCD to wear Bodymap fish-tailed dresses to accountancy lectures, little did I know that I'd end up indulging this obsession – and get paid for it – for most of my graduate life.

Through the years, and before landing behind the editor's desk at Image, I've been a fashion columnist, a foodie, a beauty editor a health junkie and travel writer. And thanks to all of these great jobs, I've been at the receiving end of a ton of press releases. I've attended some great events, visited some incredible places and been the willing guinea pig for many a specialist's star product.

So, what have I learned? Well, primarily, that there's a lot of 'stuff' out there. There are countless companies and endless people dying to get you to buy their wares. Some will make you feel a million dollars, others will promise eternal youth.

Some will claim to solve all your problems, others will more politely 'address your concerns'. Whether a luxury perfume, a beautiful handbag, an anti-wrinkle cream or a colour of nail varnish, each tempts us by hinting at how much our lives would be enhanced by owning it.

These things might not be essential to our existence, but they add colour, pleasure and joy to our lives. For some reason, women can always find the cash for a beautiful frock or an edgy shoe, and as newspaper editor Anne Harris (a former editor of Image) once remarked, "I don't regret anything I've bought, just the things I didn't."

So, in the interest of sorting the wheat from the chaff, here are some of the fashion, beauty and lifestyle nuggets I've learned along the way. Read on and see if you agree.

Skincare

Predictable and boring as it sounds, there's no beauty product or treatment that'll do more for you than drinking buckets of water and getting loads of sleep. Miss out on liberal amounts of either and skin looses lustre, gets crêpey and lined, and goes blotchy. The annoying thing about both is that they are the Groundhog Day of beauty essentials; no matter how 'good' you've been with them one day, when you wake up the next, you're back to zero and have to start with the good intentions all over again.

So, it's true, you really can never have too much sleep or water, unlike 'non-invasive' dermalogical treatments. Here, the motto should be 'everything in moderation, especially botox... and fillers'. These injectables are indeed precious miracle workers, and thus must be handled with respect. Botox doesn't mean your face has to freeze, or your forehead go shiny. Adopt the 'little and often' approach and frequent a practitioner who will give you a free follow-on 'top up' about two weeks after your first appointment, and you'll get a far more gentle, but still youthful look. As for the fillers, remember it's not the line that's ageing, it's the depth and shadow that the line causes – so don't try and iron your face to smoothness, or puff it out to Kylie-esque proportions, unless you are only going to be viewed at a distance or on telly (and thus be the type of woman that was referred to as a "total Monet" in 1990s cult movie Clueless – only good to look at from afar).

Remember, fillers won't help if your skin has already started to head south – the effect will be like putting an orange in a sock. There are plenty of laser treatments on offer that boost skin smoothing, toning and tightening. It's hard to tell exactly their efficacy, and they are pricy, but above all of them, I rate regular treatments with an IPL laser to make skin glow, remove redness and thread veins and give an altogether more youthful bloom. And it doesn't even hurt.

As far as skincare products go, remember that unless they come over the counter with a prescription, there's only so much they can achieve. Having said that, I think Sisley (for the monied) and RoC products are great for faces, and deliver what they promise. My favourite body cream is Kiehl's Creme de Corps (left). I can't be bothered with extensive routines and layers of products so I keep things simple – Shu Uemura cleansing oil, removed with a spritz of water and cotton wool, day moisturiser (with in-built SPF) and night cream. When I've been burning the candle at both ends, or with the change of seasons, a boost with a month-long intensive serum like Sisley's Sisleya-Elixir works wonders.

And as for moking and sunbathing… do I really need to elaborate? Take up cross-stitch to avoid the former, and invest in the new, Irish-created Tan Organic for a fab, non-orange, smell-free tan.

Make-up

Everyone's taste is different, but having spent two years delving in women's make-up bags for a column I wrote before joining Image, I found a few hero products common to many – Boots cucumber wipes (naughty! Use proper cleanser), YSL Touche Éclat illuminating pens, Mac Studio Fix powder foundation (and Armani fluid foundations), Maybelline mascaras and Smashbox primer.

For my money, I favour Chantecaille 'Real Skin' foundation (from Space NK in Harvey Nichols), Shu Uemura eyeshadow, blush and highlighter (annoyingly, has to be bought in London, or online), Mac gel black eyeliner and slanted brush, Armani black kohl pencil and lip pencils and Bourjois glosses. If ever I'm shopping on eBay, I'll always hunt for any colour cosmetics by former cult London brand, Pout. For a little fix of luxe, Chanel nail varnishes can do no wrong (although Barry M may look the same), and just as men procure flash cars for status, Tom Ford lipsticks pack the same clout amongst the ladies of the Milltown Bridge Club, apparently.

Hair

As the owner of limp, baby-fine tresses, I swear by hair extensions. Thankfully I'm lucky to know – and thus go to – the best woman in the business, Karen Burns in Cowboys and Angels, and have not (touch wood) had any disasters/bald patches/horrors in eight years of faking it. She understands that, for my hair, the bonds need to be tiny and she's professional and patient enough to do them that way. Her extensions are seamless, as invisible as possible, and she's also great at cutting, colouring and cool, non-hairdressy updos. As a bonus, she also gives brilliant fashion tips and shopping advice.

I think Shu Uemura hair products are out on their own the best (but pricey), as is their flat paddle brush (knot-free hair in seconds, great for blow drying too). Redken's anti-snap spray-on conditioner is a lifesaver after colouring. I don't use styling products bar Elnett hairspray, the only product that continuously wins Image Beauty Awards year after year. Apparently, its mojo is in its nozzle, and the way it diffuses on to hair. Bumble and Bumble products are loved by all Image session stylists, especially their 'Surf Spray' (left) for effortless, Elle MacPherson-beach-babe, tousled locks.

Diet and exercise

After a lifetime of fighting, I still haven't won the war and would be most interested to hear from anyone with the ultimate, stress-free solution. The two things I know for sure are that the only regime that works is the one you stick to, and any slim woman over the age of 30 who claims not to watch what she eats like a hawk is telling lies. Oh, and white carbs are evil (but delicious).

Clothes

Regardless of label, price and fabric, it doesn't matter what you wear if your foundations aren't right. Before this year's Derby, I spent a full evening trying on one dress with dozens of different permutations of undergarments to find the best result. (I took so long, my poor boyfriend Trevor hovered at the closed door asking if I was alright on more than three occasions.) My conclusions: anything that sucks in will push out somewhere else, causing bulge, spillage or roll-over. These undergarments are also very constricting and cause you to sweat like a sumo wrestler. I've tried the lot, and always come back to the same item... Marks and Spencer light (not medium, nor firm) control 'bodies'. They currently do a swimsuit style in a stretchy lace that has just the right amount of support and shaping properties without any compromise to comfort or redistribution of, er, 'assets'.

When it comes to clothes shopping, I think women are divided into two definite camps – those who like boutique shopping and the attentive service that goes with it, and those who like department-store shopping, which is usually more impersonal and lets the customer 'graze' between departments. I prefer the latter, but when it comes to significant purchasing (special events, or start of a new season), I employ the services of my friend and style guru Triona McCarthy. She is a wealth of information on what's out there, what suits me, and what's in tune with my style. She's found me pieces on eBay, alerted me to collections and pieces online, flagged emerging new designers, put clothes aside for me in stores, and has endless patience and good nature. She's also a mine of information on what can be altered, where to go, and, in case of dire emergency, will show me nifty shortcut solutions. ("Wear two bras at the same time for the perfect cleavage.")

I believe that one pricier garment will bring more pleasure, and result in more wear, than five cheaper ones and, as I get older, high-street clothes need to be more carefully considered for fear of the mutton effect. BT2 in Dundrum is my failsafe store; I like Sonia Rykiel's 'Sonia' diffusion line (above), See By Chloe, Paul and Joe and think the Selected label is brilliantly priced for funky work basics. I buy one treasured party dress a year – something that is special but transcends fashion – and have built up my 'black tie' wardrobe that way. Vivienne Westwood is great for a bit of classic va-va-voom and always gets admiring glances from men.

In times of misery (and heavy poundage) cool accessories will always dig you out of a fashion hole. A pair of killer heels, statement jewellery (a la Dannii Minogue on X Factor last season), a cute bag, racy lacy tights... with the right accoutrements, any outfit can be saved from the brink of boredom and any high-street clothes perked up without complicated 'Gok-ing'. Check out Alexander McQueen's edgy skull rings (about €160 in Harvey Nichols); snap up a Lulu Guinness lip-shaped clutch (python skin, glittery or studded with crystals, from about €250 in Brown Thomas); or tie hair up in a colourful narrow Louis Vuitton scarf (about €130). AWear have great rings at their tills for just €6 and Topshop shoes, although not the most comfortable, are always on-trend for a fashion fix.

For eternal style and pure class, I treasure three worthy investment pieces that I know will last me a lifetime – my Louise Kennedy cashmere wrap with black leather fringeing, my python skin Pauric Sweeney handbag, and my black patent Jimmy Choo slingbacks.

Gifts

I don't know any woman who doesn't melt at the sight of a Jo Malone carrier bag. Scent, bath oil and candles are the sort of things a girl can never have enough of. As an alternative, my friend, the fashion designer Louise Kennedy, arrived around for dinner last weekend with a bottle of Laudree pink champagne and I thought I'd gone to heaven. Their pretty macaroons (below) are rather divine too. Most men I know can be well catered for in Terroirs wine, food and cigar store in Donnybrook, or Links, who sell silver cufflinks for every taste. An Hermes tie, selected to fit the recipient's personality, is another failsafe winner. For total show-off appeal, and if one is a little 'pre-payday', a baked gift scores serious brownie points. Cupcakes are fussy and can be hard to package (although, check out Meadows and Byrne's cupcake gift boxes), but brownies, tea brack and banana bread are easy and always winners.

When it comes to saying thank you, I'm a big believer in the written note and love pretty stationery. I stock up at Kate's Paperie in New York, Smythsons in London and Paperchase (now in Arnotts, House of Fraser and aWear, Grafton Street).

My little black book - Melanie's contacts list

»For botox, fillers, laser and other non-invasive dermatological fix-its: Drs Jane and Katherine Mulrooney, the Sandymount Clinic, Sandymount Green, Dublin 4, 01 668 9921

»For magic hair: Karen Burns, Cowboys and Angels, South William Street, Dublin 2, 01 679 7654

»For magnificent make-up: Kim O'Sullivan, Armani, Brown Thomas Dublin, 01 605 5555 (€40 redeemable against purchase) or, to your home for an extra-special occasion, Christine Lucignano, 086 381 5085

»For gel nails, magic manis and marvellous medi-pedis, Mink Hand and Foot Spa, Ballsbridge and Donnybrook, 01 636 2100

»For top-notch waxing, with plasma TVs and jars of boiled sweets for added distraction, Ellen Kavanagh at Waxperts, Dun Laoghaire, 01 214 0757

»For fashion and beauty makeovers, wardrobe overhauls, advice and lots of fun in the process: Triona McCarthy, 086 852 5242; trionamccarthy@me.com

»For really good personal shopping: Clara Halpin in Arnotts (equal parts friend, counseller and fashion expert), 01 872 1111; Michelle Curtin in Brown Thomas will also find you the most elusive, adorable pieces.

»For online shopping in addition to asos and net-a-porter: www.luisviaroma.com, www.brownsfashion.com, www.matchesfashion.com, www.shopbop.com

»For the most magnificent, decorated birthday cakes, Gilly Goodbody, 086 607 7455. Those who DIY should check out the cupcake cases, frills and 'sugar diamonds' at Harvey Nichols' food hall, while the very dedicated adore www.lakeland.co.uk for the best assortment of home-baking accessories on the planet.

»Stationery: www.katespaperie.com, www.smythson.com, and for bespoke treasures, www.piccolopress.co.uk