From our wise beauty editor colleague Kathleen Baird-Murray, some advice for young women starting in their beauty journey. ‘You can hide a multitude of sins with good hair colour and a great cut. Find your people, stick with them, and a special relationship will ensue: half friend, half therapist.’
Boob chafe can be a problem in hot weather. Wherever your bra traps sweat, it can also irritate hair follicles or create conditions that lead to soreness, redness and breakouts. Apply a dusting of cornstarch powder before you get dressed, under each boob, to help keep the area dry.
In hot weather, avoid spraying fragrance on skin that’s going to be exposed to sunlight. Try spritzing the inside of your clothes or even your bra! The material will fix the fragrance.
Are you after a last-minute spa or hair appointment? Check websites or call salons first thing in the morning; a lot of cancellations are left on voice mail overnight, or appointments changed from bed the night before! Also, evenings and Saturdays get booked up first, so try for a weekday.
Keep a spray toner in the fridge – or your favourite facial mist – to spritz your skin throughout the day. It will help keep make-up fresh and rather miraculously help to cool you down all over.
When the temperature soars, choose a liquid liner that dries instantly on the eyelids, rather than a wax pencil that will break down and run in the heat.
Counterintuitive but excellent blusher tip from make-up artist Lisa Eldridge. 'To me, blusher is there to bring out a flush in the cheeks, which can be natural or bold,' she says. Lisa suggests choosing a 'colour opposite' for a brighter blusher. So, if you have sallow skin, use a cool-toned pink (it will show up on the skin more). If you prefer a subtle blusher effect, try a warmer tawny shade.
Skin prone to redness and sensitivity? Switch to cleansing with lukewarm water. Modern cleansers are actually designed to be most effective when used with lukewarm water, which breaks down dirt and make-up without stripping skin of the natural oils needed to protect it. You get all the benefits of warm-to-hot water, as even lukewarm activates the cleansing ingredients to maximise effectiveness, but it reduces the risk of broken capillaries and over-stimulation, which is especially important for sensitive skin.
According to Liam Stapleton, sports medicine podiatrist at Benenden Hospital, a sedentary lifestyle can make blood pool in the veins, so feet swell later in the day. Older people in particular should shop for shoes in the afternoon, when feet have swelled. Getting up for a brisk walk at points throughout the day can help restore good circulation and prevent swelling. 'You need to walk as though you're about to miss a train, not as though you're going shopping,' he says.
We should change our breakfast-eating habits seasonally, says nutritional therapist Henrietta Norton. Perfect for this time of year, on one of the less-hot days: warm, unsweetened or stewed seasonal fruit with added spices such as ginger or cinnamon. Add some crushed linseeds and a drizzle of organic pouring yoghurt. If it's sunny and warm, a green smoothie of mixed berries, a handful of spring greens, half an avocado, a dollop of raw honey and some almond or coconut milk is perfect.
Do you pootle through the weekend and end up feeling like you've wasted all that leisure? Not that there's anything wrong with cloud-gazing, thumb-twiddling or napping, but if you're the type who feels like time has slipped through your fingers, take 10 minutes mid-week to schedule in some 'anchor' events – cinema, brunch with a friend, shopping. They'll help contribute to the feeling you used your time well.
Straight from the horse's mouth: Pat McGrath's wisdom on applying mascara. 'Push the mascara into the roots of the lashes and then pull and wiggle the excess through to the tip. You should use more product at the base than the tips of the lashes To amp it up, repeatedly press at the root for more depth.'
Scenting the home with pine essential oil has been proven to improve energy, sleep, the immune system, cardiovascular health and the parasympathetic (rest and recover) response. Reach for that aromatherapy diffuser, now!
For a happier digestive system, chew your food well. Digestion is a demanding task requiring a great deal of energy, especially when it is forced to deal with improperly chewed food. Take small bites, chew until the mouthful is liquefied or has lost its flavour, then swallow completely before you take another bite.
Ditch the wipes. Really, DO ditch the wipes. Apparently, 80% of plumbing blockages in UK sewers are attributed to wipes (face wipes, derrère wipes, baby wipes...) If there's really no alternative (and we would point you in the direction of a stack of flannels), then put the wipes in the bin (or, if they're compostable, the compost bin).
Feeling stressed? Tidying your desk may really help. Research by Catherine Roster at the University of New Mexico identified a vicious circle in which stress and high work demands increase indecisiveness and our propensity to accumulate work-related clutter. This clutter reminds us of tasks left undone, increasing stress levels still further. Spending five minutes creating some order around our keyboard and screen may be repaid many times over may well make us more productive.
Not yet a convert to double cleansing? Facialist Nichola Joss starts by taking her make-up off the minute she walks through the door. 'I start the first part of my cleansing ritual as soon as I get home,' she explains. 'The first cleanse removes make-up, grime and pollution; the second cleanses the pores and nourishes. I then put on my army of defence – retinol serums, for instance – so they have time to absorb and start doing their work. At bedtime I massage in a facial oil, which relaxes the muscle tissue, nourishes the upper layers of skin, traps the retinol I've applied earlier and reactivates it. And this eases me into a good night's sleep...'
If you're a fan of body brushing, switch to a more delicate, softer facial brush for the décolletage and neck. Just 10 seconds of gentle, northward strokes will rid the neck of any dry, flaky skin.
If you're someone who meditates but you know you have a tricky week ahead – a packed schedule, travelling for work and/or staying in a hotel with noisy neighbours – pre-plan for failure. Happiness expert Gretchen Rubin recmmends that you anticipate as many challenges as you can and specifically think about what you'll do and say to overcome them. (For instance, a walking meditation in a nearby park, rather than trying to zone out the person in the neighbouring hotel room who's got breakfast TV on too loud...)
For a soothing soak, try Himalayan salts, which contain the same trace minerals as the body. 'As you bathe, they enter the body to replace lost minerals and diminish toxins,' says Anita Kaushal, co-founder of Mauli Rituals. She recommends adding to a warm bath and bathing for 20 minutes once a week. If dry, itchy or irritated skin is your problem, meanwhile, try Dead Sea salts, said to improve skin's barrier function and also improve its texture.