We have to admit, this is one of our favourite categories with our annual awards. We wouldn't be into beauty if we didn't like pretty packages after all! Again, it's a tough one to judge as brands go out of their way to indulge us and attract us to their products, but our readers have risen to the challenge and crowned the Stella McCartney Print Edition trio of fragrances as the Best Packaging of 2011! Inspired by McCartney's Spring 2011 collection, which featured tulips, poppies and peonies, the bottles house the first fragrance, Stella, and were limited edition.

People toss around the terms "bun" and "chignon" a lot, but are the two interchangeable? No, actually, at least not in English. "Chignon" is the French word for bun, but in its Australian and British usage, it's an abbreviated term, originating from the phrase "chignon du cou," or "bun at the nape of the neck." But you can become an expert on the differences between the two now.

Kate Middleton was one of the standout stars of 2012 so it makes sense that people would be inspired by her beauty look for parties this holiday season. Her famously sleek, yet bouncy blow-dries have earned her a place on our Best Tressed list so we're sharing how to emulate her style, along with her classic makeup palette in today's how-to. Get the royal treatment now.

• There's a parody nail polish line for The Hunger Games featuring shades like Reminder Purple: "Reminder, this is a death tournament, not a fashion show" — Elle
• Aussie haircare brand Evo is launching in the US — Racked
• 30,000 French women may have to get their breast implants removed because of a rupture risk — Yahoo
• Codie Young rocks an array of high-fashion headpieces in Vogue Italia — Fashion Copious
• Lady Gaga is busting out the bow hairstyle again — Daily Mail
• Botched "cosmetic tourism" ops are on the rise — Sydney Morning Herald
• The most controversial beauty ads of 2011 — BellaSugar US
• Rihanna is a huge fan of CND's Shellac, most recently choosing Black Pool — Us Weekly

This was pretty much a one horse race from the start with Burberry Beauty shooting to the front of the Best Beauty Release of the Year as soon as the voting opened. The end result saw the new makeup range from the British fashion label take home 51 percent of the total votes. So what did our readers love so much about the release? Was it the fact that the brand stuck to what it does best — timeless classics — in sheer, natural-looking and long-lasting formulas? Or the fact that the packaging was luxe, yet tough with a cool factor that was off the charts? Or maybe it was because the three faces of the line, Lily Donaldson, Nina Porter and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, looked flawless in the Testino-shot campaign? Or all of the above . . .

Naya Rivera is the latest star to sign up as a spokesperson for Proactiv, joining Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne and many more as global ambassadors for the acne-fighting brand. The Glee actress revealed the news via her Twitter account, saying she was "proud to be the new face of Proactiv Solution" and is excited for her fans to see the commercial. The 24-year-old, who plays Santana on the hit show, said she was put onto the brand by a makeup artist on set after her skin started to break out: "It sort of just came out of nowhere. It was like adult acne, and I was like, I've had great skin my entire life. How am I dealing with this now at 24?" No doubt her fans will relate to her honesty about a problem that affects so many.

Lancôme's newest leading lady, Emma Watson, clearly has made quite an impression on the Parisian brand and its fans. Earlier this week we announced that the 21-year-old British beauty had been named Best Beauty Ambassador of the Year for her turn in the Trésor Midnight Rose fragrance campaign and now, images of her latest gig for the beauty giant have reached the web. Still in concept stage, the Rouge in Love collection is an early-2012 release and, judging from what we can see here, it will feature pretty pinks and reds. We know they won't, but we'd love for these concept images to be used instead of an actual campaign — they're beautiful.