The days are getting longer, the sun is getting stronger and we’ve reached the point where we believe it’s wise to apply a daily SPF. Many make-up products now claim an SPF on the packaging, but don’t rely on this – you’d have to apply so thickly that make-up would be mask-like to take advantage of the full SPF rating. Think of it as a useful little extra bonus, nothing more.

Aim to shape your eyebrows every four weeks. ‘Don’t pluck in-between – you won’t achieve that clean, sharp finish,’ advises Vaishaly Patel.

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A study from the Stanford Medical Centre found that a six-week course in mindfulness and CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) helped insomniacs to get to sleep twice as quickly as before.

Did you know that wolfing down your food can lead to weight gain? According to new research, slower eaters have lower BMIs and smaller waists – so the motto is: chew, chew, chew…

Feeling stressed? Our go-to is the Calm app’s Breathe Bubble. The bubble expands and contracts and the idea is that you follow the rhythm to slow your breathing. Works wonderfully.

A simple way to up your intake of selenium and vitamin E: so long as you’re not sensitive to wheat, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of wheatgerm over your breakfast cereal, yoghurt, or whizz it into a fruit smoothie.

A staggering 78% of us look at our phones in the final hour before bed. That blue light is bad for sleep patterns. (Even the presence of a phone in a bedroom can apparently upset sleep.) Our new tip is to put the phone to bed in a nice box, at around 9 p.m. It’s not guaranteed to stop you looking at it – but the effort required gives pause for thought and is often enough.

If you have sensitive eyes and are still using cotton wool balls, switch to cotton pads. They shed less fibre. (We like the organic cotton pads from Simply Gentle, which you'll find in good natural food stores.)

British bathrooms are so cold right now that some body oils will solidify! If you're planning to apply after a bath or shower, fill the washbasin with hot water before your soak/shower. Place a flannel in the bottom to prevent glass breakage, and pop the oil in the basin to melt. It'll be deliciously warm, too, when you're ready to massage it into your limbs...

Even the best therapist isn’t psychic. So to get the most out of any spa treatment or therapy, communicate, communicate, communicate. Don’t like having your bottom massaged? Say so. Not keen on the music? Tell her/him. Too hot or cold? Gently communicating about anything that’s bothering you will make for a much more relaxing experience. 

For extra precision, hold your lip pencil near the nib when lining your lips. (And never use a pencil that's too sharp; blunt the tip on the back of your hand.)

We're pretty much always inspired by how Elle Macpherson stays quite so glow-y... Here's one secret of her top-to-toe radiance: 'I dry-brush, wet-brush, use scrubs in the shower – I’ll try any scrub! I find it’s the best detox for skin and helps boost my circulation, shed dead skin cells, and nourishes and renews super-dry skin. I then moisturise top to toe with coconut oil and slather myself in SPF.'

After flying, massage your serum into skin until you’ve really saturated it – this really transforms dull, dry and travel-weary skin. (It’s good after a long flight, too.)

We can't quite believe our friend Bobbi Brown is 60. (She recently reinvented herself as an inkeeeper, in New Jersey – but watch this space, because her new (and very timely) thing is wellness. Key to looking and feeling fantastic is to keep moving, she says. 'The thing is, my mind still thinks I’m 32 in all sorts of ways. I love to move. Moving my body makes such a huge difference in how I feel—I don’t have an age when I’m in the middle of exercising. Moving to hip-hop, disco, kickboxing, bootcamp—whatever it is, if I’m moving, no age.'

Create your own leave-in conditioner by pouring regular conditioner and water into a spray bottle (three parts water to one part conditioner). If hair tangles or frizzes during the day, a few spritzes with your D-I-Y lightweight conditioner can help get it under control, too.

Fretting about the 'flu? If you've escaped thus far (and it's felled so many people we know), then it's time for some immune-boosting. Our friend, Ayurvedic herbalist and Pukka co-founder Sebastian Pole, has this advice: 'In winter, it's worth getting the kettle on to brew up herbs made with immune-strengthening herbs and fruits, such as ginger, echinacea and elderberry. The fiery heat in ginger gets the blood pumping and clears congestion. Elderberry, as well as being a source of vitamin C, is one of the most powerful system-boosting natural remedies around, that has been shown to fight 10 different strains of the flu virus and reduce both the duration and severity of colds and flu.'

Keen to cut down on packaging waste? A friend carries a tin cup with her, having found that (almost) every fast food and coffee chain is happy to fill it for her, avoiding a one-use cup. (Of course, this only really works if you’re drinking in situ.)

Do you find your hair grips and slides slip out of your hair, especially when it's clean? Spritz them with hairspray before you put them in.

If you're a contact lens wearer and your mascara's running dry, it's OK to use a few drops of the sterile lens solution to thin it. But nobody should keep a mascara for more than three months before replacing it.

Getting foundation on a white shirt is an occupational hazard, if you get dressed before doing your make-up. There's not much you can do to remove it immediately but before putting it in the wash, squirt a dollop of shaving cream on the spot to pre-treat it.