She’s the ex-hairdresser who turned Bowie into Ziggy Stardust, then set off around the world in his entourage. Ronson relives those wild days – and recalls seeing a darker side of David

One Saturday morning early in the summer of 1971, Suzi Ronson was busy at work at the Evelyn Paget hair salon on Beckenham High Street when a couple walked past pushing a pram. The woman was wearing black jeans and a furry jacket, the man was in a flowing gold midi dress. “Everybody rushed out to have a look,” recalls Ronson, who then went by her maiden name Fussey. “Everyone was like nudging, poking each other, asking, ‘Who’s that?’ Then someone whispered, ‘It’s David Bowie.’”

Ronson had vaguely heard of Bowie: the success of his Space Oddity single had made him a local celebrity and the singer’s mother was a client. But she recalls: “He was in an arty clique, not my world.” However Ronson would end up becoming part of Bowie’s world, the only working woman in his touring party – as her new memoir Me and Mr Jones relates.

Got a beauty dilemma? Our expert is here to offer advice. This week, an anonymous reader asks for assistance choosing a look that lasts

There are so many lipsticks to choose from now, which is fun but can be overwhelming. The longest-wearing formulation is liquid, which forms a sort of seal on the lips, but many people find them drying. The next best thing is a matt lipstick bullet, offering staying power without parched lips.

Start with picking a colour you love. You told me your outfit and colourings: a cream dress suits bright red. If you’re new to red lipstick, I’d recommend a brown-ish red such as Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Walk of No Shame . Or try something with a hint of orange, such as Chilli, a warm, brick red, or Lady Danger, a vivid coral, from Mac’s reformulated Macximal Silky Matte range .

Medical botox is growing and for some, it can drastically improve quality of life

What does someone who gets Botox look like? Taut, rich, fake, “done”? Anyone who pigeonholes such people is at least a decade behind the times and unaware of how toxin injections may be helping their friends, colleagues and neighbours with a number of non-beauty-related complaints, from excessive sweating to teeth grinding.

I suffer from neither, but Dr Joanna Christou of the Cosmetic Skin Clinic in London treats these and many other complaints in the same way she softens my frown lines.