Rachel Khoo's kitchen in her minuscule flat in Paris' Belleville district only has two little gas rings to cook on - there is hardly room for a fridge and only just enough space for the micro cooker. Yet from this tiny 21 square metre space, the 31-year-old from Croydon has become a culinary star, presenting her cooking programme the Little Paris Kitchen on BBC2 to an audience of 1.5 million earlier this year. The camera crew and Khoo, with her trademark red lips and vintage dresses, squeeze into the kitchen as she masters classic French dishes without pomp or pretence. If the setting seems unlikely, Khoo's story - the Brit who convinced the French she can cook and one who has produced a best selling cook book - is an even more intriguing tale.

Six years ago Khoo decided to quit her job in fashion PR in London and move to Paris. Her bemused parents and friends thought she was mad to relocate to a city where a mumbled "bonjour" was the extent of her local language skills. But Khoo was determined and headed off to enrol in a pâtisserie course at Le Cordon Bleu. Stints as an au pair and spritzing perfume in a department store funded her studies until she graduated. Next she worked at culinary bookstore La Cocotte, running cookery classes for trendy Parisians. However, it wasn't until Khoo emailed a publisher with an idea for a cookery book that her career rocketed.

Needing 120 recipes to fill the pages of the new book, Khoo opened a pop-up restaurant in her home to test-run ideas. Within hours of announcing La Petite Cuisine à Paris on Twitter, she was booked up for months. With just enough space for two people, Khoo's home became the place to eat in Paris and soon the buzz around the young chef came to the attention of the BBC.

Khoo's easy charm on screen, scouring food markets on her bike, and trying not to trip over cameramen is changing attitudes towards a cuisine that seemed too complex to try at home - it's no wonder Khoo is everyone's chef du jour.

See inside the Little Paris Kitchen

During the mania and madness that is London fashion week backstage, we caught up with Terry Barber, Director of Makeup Artistry for MAC cosmetics, to get the scoop on the make-up looks he's creating as well as his advice on how to cope with the month-long fashion week marathon. Terry's backstage make-up areas are distinctive for their relative calm amongst the frenzy and the models visibly relax as they let him work his magic on their faces ready for their catwalk appearance.

Synonymous with fashion, MAC were the official make-up sponsor of London Fashion Week and you'd be hard-pressed to find a professional make-up artist's kit that didn't contain MAC Face & Body Foundation, Cream Colour Bases and lipstick shades Ruby Woo and Lady Danger. The shows are where their new products are tested and used in action so what's backstage this season maybe on our faces next season.

Born in the Netherlands to a family of couturieres, chemists and beauticians, Ellis was soon doing the makeup for Mario Testino, Karl Lagerfeld and French Vogue, and designing makeup for big name brands. In 2007 she launched her eponymous brand - a selection of clever makeup 'pens' that release just the right amount of each liquid product, created to echo the body's natural water content. And it's all kinds of cool. Meet the legend herself: Ellis Faas.

What or who inspires you?

The people I work with.

How do you conceive your products?

First on myself and after that on models.

What's been your proudest moment?

Getting top grades at make up school.

Which part of the creative process is your favourite?

Creating the colours and fine-tuning them in the laboratory.

What is it about London that inspires you?

The creativity in the streetlife.

Which other beauty product do you wish you'd created?

Crealine Cleansing Lotion.

Who makes up your dream team on a shoot?

Cate Blanchett shot by either Peter Lindbergh or Mario Testino, with Patti Wilson styling.

What have you got coming up? 

We just introduced the Clips, that increase the portability of our products. and next spring we're introducing seven new shades in Creamy Eyes, a textured eye colour.

Text: Grace Timothy