From the eternally fascinating Angelica Huston: ‘Contrary to conventional wisdom, the older you get, the less make-up the better. Plus: baby oil is genius and always has been.’ (Agree – or not…?)
Having trouble sleeping? Try a blend of essential oils, swished straight into bathwater: three drops of clary sage, two drops of vetiver and a drop of valerian. (You can also add these to a cup of milk, then add that to the bathwater and disperse with your hands.)
Cooking, believe it or not, is a great time for handcare. When you’re making a salad or frying a dish, put a teeny slurp of the oil in the palm of your hands and massage into skin. (Be sure to avoid using knives before it’s sunk in, so your hands don’t slip.)
Just the simples of all skin recipes: apple juice contains a fruit acid called malic acid, which is naturally exfoliating. Simply take a small glass of organic apple juice; dip a cotton pad or two in the juice and sweep over skin. (We suggest you then drink the remainder!) Leave on for a few minutes, rinse off and moisturise.
When using a new depliatory cream, always do a patch test 24 hours before – and never, ever leave it on skin for longer than recommended. (Set the timer on your phone, to be sure.)
Suffering from flaky scalp? Include in your diet foods with plenty of B vitamins (brewer’s yeast, soybeans and wheat), as well as vitamins A (carrots, green and yellow vegetables, fish liver oil and yellow fruits), E (wheatgerm, soya products, leafy greens and wholegrains) and F (sunflower, safflower and soya oil, together with peanuts and avocados). The mineral selenium is also important: find it in wheatgerm, bran, tuna, onions and broccoli.
No matter what the formulation, it’s the wand design that affects how a mascara boosts your lashes. Fat brushes with widely-spaced spirals deposit more mascara on each lash for a thickening effect, while skinny brushes deposit less colour and give greater definition. Curved brushes make it easier to reach shorter lashes on the inside corners (and there are now special ‘dinky’ brushes specifically for these hard-to-reach areas). A brush that’s tapered on the end, meanwhile, gives great control of combing through colour. As for the new generation rubber brushes? We find they’re great for women with sparse or stubby lashes, as they beautifully grip each one.
Make this the year you move away from negative people in your life. It’s possible quietly to see less of certain people who constantly complain about how they don’t do this or can’t do that, or who are like a broken record talking about negative events, both in their lives and globally. Not saying you need to cut them out entirely – but maybe meet for a coffee rather than a long dinner, and seek to surround yourself with people who buoy you up, rather than drag you down.
Happy New Year to you! And a little inspirational wisdom from Audrey Hepburn, who said: ‘Nothing is impossible. The word itself says “I’m possible!”’
Looking forward to a fit New Year? If you’re a gym bunny, make an appointment to check in with your instructor to check that you’re using the equipment in the optimum way and haven’t developed any bad habits.
If you’re suffering from static hair (a side-effect of a centrally-heated atmosphere), add a drop or two of vitamin E oil to the palms of your hands, rub together and skim them through your hair before bedtime.
Stuck outdoors on a cold day? Keep moving. Whether you’re cheering on a family member from the sporting sidelines or waiting for an overdue train, try to keep moving. Walk up and down the pitch or the platform to boost your circulation, rather than allowing the cold to rise through the soles of your shoes.
If hands are cracked in the cold weather, don’t merely slather on more lotion; exfoliate with a gentle scrub, too, to improve cell turnover and stimulate collagen and elastin production.
If you're using an oil treatment on your hair, these work as a pre-shampoo treatment. Then wash twice; the first lather removes the bulk of the oil, the second lather gets hair properly clean, rinsing away any debris.
Best time to tweeze? After a hot shower when pores are open. (Just de-fug that mirror, first.)
To make sure powder doesn't settle into lines, experts recommend pressing powder onto the face with a velvet puff, then dusting OFF the excess with that big, fluffy brush.
We all know about washing our make-up brushes. But don't overlook those teeny brushes that live inside your eyeshadow or powder compacts; these need regular cleansing, too.
We love a bath at any time of the year, but we love its therapeutic effects in this busy-busy-busy season. To enhanc relax, swoosh a kilo of magnesium or even sea salt under running and mix in well. 20 minutes is optimum for relaxation, whereas for a more tonic effect, go for a much shorter bath.
Love party hair accessories, hate the way they slide out of your hair? You’ve two options. A spritz of dry shampoo will add grip, but alternatively, try twisting the hair before fixing the accessory. (Something that clicks into place is also likely to grip better than slides.) And to be triple sure, finish with a texture spray, to help with hold.
If you’re planning to self-tan before a party, be sure to exfoliate well and lavish on plenty of moisturiser (face or body), for a more even finish. Think: enzyme exfoliators for the face (gentler than grains), and an oil-based scrub for the body. Skin is drier in winter and the active ingredient in most self-tanners – DHA – clings to dry, papery and hard skin, delivering very uneven results.