It’s Earth Day - so what will you be doing to honour it…? One of the most important beauty switches is only to use organic cotton wool: a quarter of the world’s insecticides are used to grow conventional cotton. What’s more, if your cotton wool’s not organic, the chances are it’s genetically modified, too.
Not a tip, but a quote from Jamie Lee Curtis that we love (as fellow refuseniks when it comes to cosmetic surgery). ‘Avoid quick fixes,’ she says. ‘Plastic surgery, fillers, injectables… they are simply a way for someone to make money – and you miserable.’
If you have sensitive skin, pare your regime down to a minimum. As Frauke Neuser, phD, principal scientist at Olay Skincare, points out: ‘If you’re using 10 products and each has 10 ingredients, you’re coming into contact with up to 100 different substances each day. Any one of them might be fine on its own, but if the combination overloads the skin, it will react.’
Foundation shopping? Foundations always need to be checked in daylight to ensure the colour matches where the jaw meets the neck. But if you have a more mature complexion, when you think you’ve found a winner, apply some of the foundation to the webbed area between your forefinger and thumb. That skin is extra-wrinkly, so it is an easy way to see how it’s going to settle into expression lines.
If you’re prone to slouching at your desk or slumping forwards while focusing on your phone or tablet, this can actually lead to energy dips. Sitting up straight with your hands behind your head can initiate changes in your energy levels in just two minutes, according to research by Harvard Business School.
Eat your lunch silently and mindfully and you may find that you enjoy it more. Look at what’s on the end of your fork or spoon. Smell it. Appreciate it. And it will taste better…
When you go for a department store makeover, make like a sponge. This is your big chance to soak up what you’re being told, so that you can recreate the effect at home. To really master a technique, ask the consultant to make up half your face – and then you do the other half, as they watch and guide. Always take notes and ideally, have the make-up artist make you a face chart.
For a healthier gut, leave 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. The guy lining consists of a single layer of cells that replenish every 72 hours, but this repair cannot take place effectively if your gut is working hard on digestion at the same time. Leaving 12 hours between meals gives a clear period for the gut to focus on repair and replenishment. But don’t fast for long periods for the sake of your gut – it can overburden the liver.
Here’s Pat McGrath’s signature ‘FMA’ trick – ‘Finger Method Application’ – for longer-lasting lipstick: ‘Swipe a bullet on the back of your hand, and using your fingertip, firmly push pigment onto the lips. Patting makes layers of lipstick rather than one heavy coat, which means more staying power, says McGrath, whose hotly-anticipated make-up collection just landed in the UK.
When you go for a department store makeover, make like a sponge. This is your big chance to soak up what you’re being told, so that you can recreate the effect at home. To really master a technique, ask the consultant to make up half your face – and then you do the other half, as they watch and guide. Always take notes and ideally, have the make-up artist make you a face chart.
If you D-I-Y wax to remove hair, do it once and again a few days later as there are always hairs in the ‘resting’ phase and you can catch them, second time around.
Paul Windle maintains that Bad Hair Days can be less to do with hair itself than your own stress levels. ‘When you try too hard, you overwork hair and things inevitably stick out or go wrong. The best approach is to relax – do what you’d do normally.’
Swimming offers a great workout – but a strong chemical smell can mean that the pool or spa isn’t well-maintained. That aroma is a by-product of human body secretions mixing with the chlorine. A properly cared-for spa should have no smell, and the tiles on the side of a Jacuzzi or plunge pool shouldn’t feel slick.
One make-up casualty when wearing specs is that frames tend to rub away foundation. When you go to the Ladies, take off your glasses and do a quick blend of foundation on the sides of the nose, where the glasses touch, and the cheekbones if yours rest there. If you like to take your glasses off for an evening out, you might want to touch up the area beforehand.
More on using the change of season to boost your wellbeing… Kickstart your morning by opening your curtains and letting daylight filter in as soon as possible, rather than lying or sitting in the dark, advises sleep expert Nerina Ramlakhan, author of The Little Book of Sleep. ‘Daylight helps control your body clock and suppresses the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, making you feel more alert.’
If you’ve been finding it hard to grab your daily 10,000 steps, the clocks going forward offers the perfect opportunity now to take a walk in daylight after walk. Lace up those shoes and make a resolution to get out there, every single day (or evening).
If you like to use a make-up sponge, experiment with damping it slightly (not wet, just damp). It will glide on much more smoothly…
For an eye-widening effect, try applying your mascara in the traditional way, from roots to tips, then take the tip of the wand and stroke it over the lashes at the outer corners. It creates a real ‘false lash’ effect.
Trust us: tanning waters are going to be the next big thing for summer – they’re similar to micellar waters, but with tanning agents. But how to apply? The secret for the most natural-looking finish is to blend with an applicator mitt or beauty blender body sponge, then dry with a hairdryer on cool.
The best time of day for a facial is as late in the day as your salon can manage (preferably early evening, actually). If for any reason you have a negative reaction, skin can recover before being exposed to the sun, and it gives any redness (which should only be minimal, by the way) time to calm.