One of the unequivocal truths about being a woman interested in the beauty business is that your radar is always on alert for new products in the market. Now, it is not lack of choices we have to contend with but a multiplicity of them and sometimes this can be quite a daunting task. Do you stick to one brand and all its various offerings or do you mix and match and create your own unique, fiercely guarded beauty basket?

Ingredient stories and brand mythologies can be quite seductive. For instance, SK II, a Procter & Gamble brand, based its entire strategy on a 'magic' ingredient called 'pitera' which was supposed to have anti-aging properties and was derived from sake, the Japanese rice wine. Dove promotes 'one quarter moisturising cream' as its magic ingredient. Annick Goutal's éclat, vitalité and puretée (brightness, purity and vitality) come from rose sap - a key ingredient in this Paris line of products.

Dr. Hauschka, a strangely popular cult brand in the US, I am told, sells on the principle that the creators chant and meditate over each bottle of cream and lotion before it is shipped out into the international market. Onyx has launched a line of luxury cosmetics in Mumbai, based entirely on minerals.

On the other hand, there is very rational scientific data from the world of cosmeceutical-Q10 based on collagen was Nivea's big breakthrough a few years ago, Lancôme reinvented its luminous technology based on light refraction, L'Oréal has its omega ceramides for hair. Aloe Vera, soy, alpha hydroxy acids, algae, Dead Sea salts, glycolic peels, even botox, have all had their moment in the sun and manufacturers are still looking for the Next Big Thing. La Prairie does not reveal the magic ingredient in its skin caviar but something must be working if women are willing to be put on a waiting list for it.

I stumbled upon a magic formula from Clarins called Beauty Flash. I have not found it on the shelves of late. My friend Tish, a Filipina with creamy magnolia flawless skin, had recommended it. According to her, it was the ideal product for any career woman who was on and off flights. You just put it on your dull, ravaged, airline exhausted, jet-lagged face before making it to a meeting and voila, your face suddenly took on a tranquil serene glow that said you had stepped out of your boudoir, not off a 16-hour flight. Beauty Flash helped all of us and this had nothing to do with vanity - it was survival because we worked on a big beauty brand.

Shu uemura balancing and cleansing oil is another brand I recommend - it takes off make-up, especially heavy eye make-up and grime. As you swipe off the balancing oil, massage in some water and it becomes a cleanser, lifting off oily residue, then it tones and leaves your skin moisturised but never stripped dry. A Tokyo-based company, shu uemura, was recommended by Haruko, a Japanese colleague, who always disapproved of my sloppy beauty habits.

In Japan, as we discovered on our trips, there were nine steps to get your face ready and another nine steps to take off the pollution and ravages of the day. This was before the make-up went on. In my opinion, 90 minutes was an amazing dedication of time to skin care and beauty. I prefer one-stop brands like shu uemura, which was a discovery. I have found that the recommendations made by my friends usually work well for me. At one-tenth the price though, I was thrilled to discover Boots No 7 eye make- up remover - ideal for anyone who uses kajal/kohl and eyeliner. L'Oréal's hydrating cleanser had the same impact on me but again it vanished off the shelves just as I was getting used to it.

There is always a mix and match of store, luxury and mass prestige brands on any woman's shelf because when you find what works for you it doesn't matter - trust your instinct and stick with it. Pond's cold cream, for instance, is not a snobbish or fashionable choice but will still soften dry winter skin better than many more expensive products. But equally trust your instinct when it does not work for you.

DiorSkin is a terrific range from Christian Dior that has an illuminating compact powder which glides on smoothly and refracts light particles so your skin creates the illusion of luminosity adjusting to sunlight as well as interior lights. You don't need base, foundation or anything else. This great product worked wonders for me.

Chanel's unique blood-red shade has few equals. Called 'Pirate', it is a classic colour and immediately catapults you into diva category. It's a must-have if you are over thirty. The Body Shop has a banana pulp conditioner for dry and treated tresses that rehabilitates hair, restoring the heaviness and texture. It's like putting a mashed ripe banana on your locks. Dove's weightless conditioner and shampoo, on the other hand, worked well for me in the US but made my hair too limp in India.

To find your beauty and brand equilibrium you need to experiment until you have that beautiful 'aha' feeling of knowing something - or then perhaps everything - in your beauty basket is just right for you. We all know the joy of that moment. The moment when your skin and face and hair are in perfect sync with your mood and you know that the ensuing lift will leave you with a high that few drugs or intoxicants can promise or match.