Don’t believe all that stuff about letting your nails ‘breathe’ between manicures or pedicures. Lungs breathe, not nails. Respected manicurist Deborah Lippmann advises that keeping nails polished actually protects against cracks and breaks. Just check in between for any fungal infections, which can start small and grow slowly, but once they take hold are hard to get rid of. If nails show minor yellowing, it’s probably staining from dark polish; use a protective coat, in future.

We tend to swim like the Loch Ness monster, which avoids getting water in the ear. But if you don’t have earplugs to protect yourself from swimmer’s ear, and you like to dunk your head, shake your head to drain water after a dip. Then hold a hairdryer on its lowest setting about a foot away and blow air on your ears for two and three minutes, if they get waterlogged.

To help tackle under-eye circles, pick up some parsley. Faclalist Nataliya Robinson (a.k.a. ‘The Skin Whisperer’) recommends making a face mask  by blending a cup of parsley stems with a cup of yoghurt. ‘The yoghurt is full of lactic acid enzymes that have brightening and hydrating properties, while parsley is full of calcium and vitamin K, which are good for capillaries.’ Leave for 15 minutes, then rinse off.

If hair’s suffering from flyaways because of humid weather, make sure you use enough conditioner to really moisturise the hair – but don’t use one that’s too rich. And use minimal friction on hair while towel drying and brushing.

If you have a receding hairline (or just a super-high forehead), don’t pull hair tight if you have an off-the-face style. Push it forward a bit so that it covers the top of your face a bit.

New York manicurist Elisa Ferri has an easy way to ‘set’ polish when you’ve given yourself a pedicure. After varnishing nails, ‘Take a little olive oil and rub it on and around each toenail. It keeps the polish from smudging and makes untended cuticles look less dry.’

We’re starting to get our heads around the autumn make-up shades, and red lips feature strongly. If you’re a klutz with lipliner pencils, get in the habit of holding your liner near the point rather than further down the pencil. The same trick works for eye pencils.

Never trim your own split ends. (No matter how tempting.) Those desk scissors you’re probably using are blunt and can basically shred the ends of hair, making future splits worse.

If you’re working in an air-conditioned office (you lucky thing, you!) then skin may be feeling parched as the aircon’s ramped up. We find that a dab of moisture gel (like Clinique’s), and cream-gel textures, can be gently tapped over make-up to quench skin without disturbing base/blush. Avoid rich creams, though, which work like more like a cleanser and will dissolve your make-up.

We’ve been clipping hair up and out of the way with giant barettes, in the heat. (Accessorise has a great selection.) But be slow and ultra-careful when removing hair accessories, being sure to unclamp gently – it’s all too easy to tug a few stray hairs out every time you let your hair down.

If you’re anything like us, the heat’s been making hair look super-frazzled. We find it responds really well to moisturisation – literally, rubbing some moisturiser between the palms and skimming over the surface of hair, running fingers through the lengths. Restores a bit of shine and tames frizzies.

The heatwave may be behind us – but we're still loving this new trick for applying sunscreen. On the face, hands can give an imperfect application - so use a foundation brush or sponge to apply.' 

Never, ever use tissues to remove eye make-up. They can contain wood particles which scratch the skin.

Ready for one of the most extraordinary beauty tips you’ve ever read? If all else fails and Joan Collins is short of moisturiser, she apparently spreads her complexion with Lurpak. (Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!)

If you’ve put your hair up in a ponytail and it’s left an unwanted kink when you’ve taken it out, Errol Douglas recommends running a little serum through hair and sliding hair straighteners over it, concentrating on any ridged areas.

Been plagued by mozzies this summer? Us, too. According to James A. Duke, Ph.D, author of The Green Pharmacy, rubbing basil on skin keeps away bugs that bite.

We love lip stains. But in this weather, we always apply a coat of lip balm a few minutes before. The effect is more sheer and ‘bitten’ – it doesn’t last quite so long, but it’ll still stay put longer than most lipstick. The sort of make-up that you can apply and forget.

If you have an important hospital or doctor’s appointment, take a friend – or at the very least, record the advice you’re given. It’s just too easy to miss or forget important advice – did he say take that pill at 2 p.m. or 3 p.m…? – and the stress of a medical examination or appointment means that you’re actually more likely to forget what you’re told than in normal daily life.

As it’s the fig season, we’re loving this: aside from the standard cucumber slice or cool tea bag to soothe puffy eyes, cut a section of a fig – which is high in antioxidants – and lay onto skin.

Don’t have ‘layering’ body products to match your fragrance? To avoid scent-clash, use an unscented body lotion as a base and spray your fragrance on top. The lotion will also absorb and prolong the life of the scent.