Start building a collection of fab hair accessories to take you from desk to party in the coming season. You can transform a casual bun into a chic updo by adding an elegant headband or bejewelled pins – a great source is Accessorise, but our new favourite destination for dazzling hair accessories is Anthropologie.

To make polish look as bright and vivid as possible, use base coat and then add a single coat of white polish underneath your colour.

Looking for skin-loving ingredients to add into your diet? Facialist Abigail James recommends flaxseed, chia, açai, spirulina, matcha, chlorella, baobab and something called 'aduna super-cacao'. We love to whoosh them into a smoothie with fresh fruit and/or soya milk, and sip with our other supplements.

Falling asleep in the bath is really dangerous – especially if you've had a drink or two. If you've a tendency to nod off while bathing, set an alarm on your phone for – say - five, 10, 15 minutes, to wake you from your slumbers.

Love this, from the ever-beautiful Brooke Shields: 'When I drink too much alcohol, only have a few hours of sleep, don't eat well and don't sweat, I look five to 10 years older. But putting yourself in the position where you're not chasing youth is the best way to stay young.'

If you're booked in for an anti-cellulite massage – for instance, lymphatic drainage – don't worry if the masseur's only using the lightest of movements. As Kate Shapland of Legology explains: 'The worst thing you can do is to have it slapped, poked and pushed about by a heavy-handed masseur. Anti-cellulite massage should be so gentle that you barely feel it.'

It's best to harden lip or eye pencils before sharpening them. 10 minutes in the fridge will do the trick. If you want to use the pencil straight away, roll it between your fingertips to soften it again. (Obviously you'll need to remove any marks with a wipe or cotton pad soaked in remover.)

If a round brush makes your fringe too curly, try switching to an oval brush (like a Mason Pearson).

It's hard to keep up your motivation to keep fit during the winter months. Try to fit in some exercise in the daytime; if you normally exercise after work, swap to a few early morning sessions. According to fitness guru Matt Roberts, 'Exercising first thing increases the production of "feel-good" chemicals that help counteract the winter blues.'

If you're considering having treatment for broken veins, have a small patch tested – and monitor results. If the problem simply shifts elsewhere (with a new crop of veins), best give up and resort to one of the many, excellent concealers around. Vein specialist John Scurr once described broken veins to us as 'like weeds in the garden...'

Notwithstanding the fact that The Beauty Bible Awards have just been announced, our advice is not to go crazy and introduce too many new products at once. According to dermatologist Doris J. Day, 'Be methodical about it – which means trying only one product every two weeks. This gives you the opportunity to see if this new cream is working for you. Otherwise, you'll never really know where the results are coming from.'

When shaving underarms or legs, change your razor every couple of weeks to avoid razor burn. If you've got dry skin, in particular, shaving can cause irritation. Blades blunt quicker than you'd think. (Putting too much pressure on a razor while gliding it over skin can also lead to irritation.)

Time at the hairdresser is better spent watching and learning than leafing through Hello or catching up on your novel reading. Observe how your stylist blow-dries, sets or otherwise finishes your look – even ask him/hre to let you practice these techniques right there and then, offering any tips or products to help you recreate the look at home.

Don't be deceived. There's no PERMANENT way to get rid of split ends other than trimming them off. Plenty of products temporarily seal them – but the long-term answer lies in your hairdresser's hands. (And it bears repeating: never, ever split them further than nature has done already...)

You don't need a face full of make-up to wake up tired-looking skin. Patting a creamy concealer at the inner and outer corners of eyes and long the cheekbones will instantly brighten the face, says make-up artist Gucci Westman.

For a good night's sleep, the temperature in your bedroom should be between 18˚and 21˚C degrees (64˚ and 70˚F degrees). 

Home haircolouring hint: do not ever think you are more intelligent than the person who wrote the instructions on the packet, which should always be followed to the letter.

If you suffer from floppy hair, be sure always to give it a blast of cold air at the end of your styling session, to 'set' the lift.  

If you have flaking nails, clip them rather than buff away the flakes – which simply things the nail further. Remember: flaking nails are like laddered tights – the more you fiddle, the worse they get.

For an afternoon slump, sprinkle two drops of basil and rosemary oils onto a tissue, and inhale deeply. Much better for you (and even faster-acting) than caffeine.