Always buy shoes with good support, for healthy feet. Very flat shoes such as ballerina pumps, flip-flops and slippers can lead to problems becasue they offer very little support. Lace-ups are great for offering support – but don’t be lazy; be sure to lace them up each time rather than kicking them off and then putting your feet into the laced shoe!
If you make your bed every morning, rather than just throw back the duvet, it might be the gateway to a more productive day. According to findings from a Best Mattress Brand 2019 survey, almost three-quarters of daily bed-makers surveyed felt a sense of accomplishment, compared to just half of non-makers.
We just love this, from Lauren Hutton, on the debate over whether to have Botox or cosmetic surgery: ‘I would rather have a face like an elephant’s bottom. I see an awful lot of women and it looks very scary becasue they’re so smooth and don’t look real.’
They may be hidden under socks right now. But give your feet some TLC last thing at night, suggests our friend, the superpedicurist Bastien Gonzalez. ‘Before going to sleep, massage a water-based cream into your feet in three different directions to relax the skin and activate the blood circulation,’ he advises. ‘For hard skin, use a file or pumice when your feet are wet.’
How often do you buy a product and throw away the packaging without even glancing at the manufacturers’ recommended application tips? Facialist and skincare expert Joanne Evans advises: ‘My number one piece of advice is to understand how and when to apply your products.’
Don’t try to shape nails that are less than one-eighth of an inch long, otherwise you’ll weaken them.
Don’t look at fast-paced, pumping activity to decompress from the stresses of your day. According to personal trainer Dalton Wong, who works with Jennifer Lawrence and Olivia Colman, among others: ‘When people are stressed, they often turn to high-intensity workouts or long runs because they think this will de-stress them. However, the opposite is true – you end up running for your life, and the stress hormones keep getting pumped out. When you’ve had a bad day at work, choose calming workouts such as yoga, Pilaes, walking or simple stretching, which will loosen your joints, elongate your muscles and take your body out of the fight-or-flight mode, which will also benefit your skin. You can always burn calories another day.’
Wisdom from Jamie Lee Curtis that we just love: ‘Kindness is free. It can be life-changing for the recipient and will instantly reset your day.’ (Even a Monday.)
The mind recognises touch as care. So Dr. Kristen Neff, author of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, advises: ‘When you’re struggling with negative thoughts, simply laying your hand onto bare skin over your chest can ground you.’ Try it whenever you’re feeling fraught.
Skincare wisdom from facialist Sarah Chapman: ‘You can get even better results from a sheet mask by layering a serum underneath. It literally presses everything into the skin.; the mask acts like a second skin so you can absorb the active serum faster than a traditional cream mask.’
Not so much a tip, as a quote we love from Lauren Bacall: 'I think your whole life shows in your face – and you should be proud of that.'
Bastien Gonzalez has long been a go-to guru for foot wisdom, for us. Here he is on shopping for shoes: ‘Shoes need to be comfortable. Shop for them at the end of the day, when your feet are at their biggest. Ensure the soles are thick enough to protect you from the floor, but not too high, to guard your ankles and prevent the development of bunions. For open-backed sandals, opt for a closer fit so they feel secure on your feet and don’t flap. If not, your heel will develop cracks and your toes will start to clench, which can lead to hammer toes.’
We love this, from aromatherapist friend Annee de Mamiel. ‘Put a red dot on your wallet, desk, computer screen, anywhere you are likely to see it often. Every time you see that red dot, stop what you are doing and take a deep, calming breath. See it as a moment to be still.’
Never wear a white shirt or scarf that's whiter than your teeth, or they'll look more yellow than they really are.
We love a smoosh of blusher to put the colour back into cheeks when we're out and about – but on this front, all lipsticks are not created equal. Sheer, translucent lipsticks work much better than creamy or matte. And when you use on your lips as well as cheeks, it gives an overall toned-in appearance.
Just came across this wonderful quote from Marlene Dietrich. 'Darling, the legs aren't so beautiful. I just know what to do with them.' Sit in a chair in front of the mirror and play with positioning your legs to see which is most flattering. If it was good enough for movie goddess Marlene...
Fretting about frown-lines? Ironically a highlighter can help (it doesn't actually highlight them, but has the opposite effect). Dab on a small amount of liquid highlighter, over foundation, and using a flat foundation brush blend it outwards, to add a soft focus veil of light to the skin and blur away any fine lines. If you've greasy skin, opt for a powder formula. We think you'll be amazed...
From our hair guru friend Philip B: 'For healthy hair, maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet, with a simple daily multi-vitamin.' But there's one food that hair particularly loves, he adds – our friend the avocado, rich in unsaturated fat, B vitamins and amino acids.
Having a salon manicure? 'Don't be afraid to ask for a new emery board to be used on your nails,' advises New York supermanicurist Ji Baek. Unlike other tools, you can't sterilise emery boards, so they can harbour germs.
Do you need much more persuading to de-junk for the New Year? Jamie Lee Curtis recommends that we 'Sweep regularly. Not the actual act – though this can be meditative and helpful, but we all need to de-clutter. There are so many who have so little; what you no longer use can be a whole new wardrobe or library for someone else.'