Great fashion (and beauty) advice: never wear a white that’s whiter than your teeth.
If you’re feeling stressed (um!), organise your handbag. (Chances are you’re not using it right now.) Actually, you should de-clutter your handbag, tote and wallet at least once a week – we promise you’ll feel better for it. On weekends we decant a debit card, a credit card and a small amount of cash into a zip-up purse and can dispense with a handbag altogether. Our shoulders like us for it.
Adding some colour to your breakfast is a great way to boost your intake of emergising vitamins and minerals. Go for a combination of wholegrain carbs, protein and a little fruit. For instance: scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast with tomatoes and mushrooms, or porridge served with fruit. They’ll keep your feeling full for longer, provide energy – and keep you away from the biscuit tin, at elevenses.
Don’t be tempted to over-exfoliate. As superfacialist Alexandra Soveral observes: ‘All those layers are there for protection. If your skin is healthy, its acid mantle – which is a blend of perspiration and sebum – has a pH level of around 5.5 and it thrives on dead and dying cells. Unlike your gut, your skin should be slightly acidic. If you start sloughing off its top layers, you’re compromising it as an environment in which good bacteria can form.’ So: go gently. And occasionally, is the exfoliation watchword.
Wisdom from our beauty editor colleague Kathleen Baird-Murray, in her final Financial Times column: ‘The fastest way to look old is to live with stress. A case in point – recently I caught up with the founder of a famous beauty brand who sold her company a year or so ago. I barely recognised her because the stress of running a successful business had been huge. Her short-cut to looking magically 10 years younger? “Yoga. I have time to do it properly now.” To which end I’d like to add that meditation is pretty effective, too, but you have to commit, and find a method to suit you.’ Right now you don't need to be running a business to feel the huge stress – but in our opinion, the yoga/meditation advice is more relevant than ever.
Invest in a high-quality nail file. The finer the grit, the kinder it is to your nails. (Yet just as effective.)
We’re all learning to avoid touching our faces. But if you’ve greasy hair, keep your hair out of your hands, too: sweaty palms and hand cream residues will make your hair more greasy.
A tip from our facialist old friend Eve Lom, about stopping a spot before it starts. ‘Use a muslin cloth soaked in hot water, then gently pressed onto the area as often as possible, to help disperse the “inflammation”’.
If you suffer from milia – small, seemingly fatty white lumps under the surface – don’t ever be tempted to squeeze them to get rid of them. They’re not like blackheads, and they call for professional removal by a dermatologist or a beauty professional, with a milia surgical needle.
We love this quote from sixtysomething supermodel Mouchette Bell: ‘What I love about make-up is that it has nothing to do with age; it’s about what suits you. I’m all for being dramatic with something like a strong lip. And the fact that fashion is including older people will affect how people perceive them – just to be seen as happy is such a positive influence.’
Observe three minutes of silence a day, for the sake of your hearing. Julian Treasure, a London-based musician-turned-sound-consultant, recommends this practice to reset your ears so tey can better recognise and focus on sounds that really matter.
If your hair is so fine that conditioner weighs it down, try diluting your regular conditioner in a spray bottle, equal parts water and conditioner. Apply the solution in the shower, comb through and rinse. The weakened conditioner gets distributed more evenly, won’t flatten your hair – and the bonus is that it lasts longer, too.
It’s never a good idea to share make-up – especially ‘wet’ products like mascara, foundation or anything that goes anywhere near the eyes. Right now, that makes more sense than ever.
There are advantages to taking your bath late at night. As your body temperature drops, it slows your heart, breathing and digestion, sending a signal to your circadian rhythm that it’s time to settle down for sleep. Always finish a bathing ritual slowly and wrap up straight away to preserve the cosy feeling. And don’t look at your phone again, till the morning.
Turn a traditional lipstick into a lip stain by applying two or even three coats of a deep shade, leaving it on for a few minutes, and blotting it with a tissue so only the pigment remains.
If you’re thinking of embracing your grey, don’t think of it as the end of hair appointments, advises Josh Wood. ‘Most people who go grey will still need enhancement. Without some kind of highlight or lowlight, the natural hair can look really flat.’
Glass bottles and metals cans used for beauty products should be recyclable, so long as they’re empty. If you can’t rinse out a bottle or jar (this goes for plastic, too), then soak it in water and washing-up liquid overnight, and then shake it to clean it before rinsing.
Don’t overpluck the area between your brows. To get it right, align the brow’s starting point with the inner corner of the eye.
If you’ve damaged hair from colouring or over-drying, next time you’re at the hairdresser ask about a style that you can wash-and-go, to give hairdriers, straightening irons and hot rollers a break – at least for a while. After a winter of central heating, hair is particularly vulnerable right now. At the very least, get those ends trimmed.
What’s the best way to start the day? With a stretch. Become aware of every part of your body – from toe to toe, from fingertip to fingertip – and think of it getting stronger. Imagine a surge of energy running along your spine, starting at the lowest end and running through your head as you stretch your hands to the ceiling.’ It’s energising, and unkinks any aches and pains from overnight.