Beauty jargon, unravelled: you might have heard mention of ‘co-washes’. What the hell? Well, they’re gentle, moisture-rich conditioning cream cleansers designed for those with dense, drier, kinky, curly or coily hair (including Afro hair types), to use in place of shampoo – which means they’re formulated without sulfates or other harsh lathering ingredients.
From Nicola Clarke, hairstylist to the stars: ‘Keep tweezers in the car so you can tweak your eyebrows in the passenger seat!’
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.
We hear a lot about ‘gender-free’ perfumes – but that’s how perfume began, with everything shareable. As Les Senteurs’ archivist James Craven observes: ‘Our philosophy is that one wears the scent one loves. Gender does not enter the equation.’ Bottom line: if you like it, wear it. That’s all that matters.
Feeling a bit drab after barely being able to go outdoors in the past few weeks? Us, too. The easiest way to perk up a winter complexion is with tanning drops: pop some in your moisturiser for subtle sun-kissed radiance, and top up every few days. (Looking for great tanning drops? Check out our Gradual Self-Tanners in the Beauty Bible Awards 2020 for our testers’ top suggestions.
If you want clean, shiny-looking nails without a coloured polish, use a top coat rather than a base coat (these tend to be more matte).
Often 'dandruff' isn't actually dandruff. Before you start to use an anti-dandruff shampoo, check out your product usage to make sure you're using them on your hair, not on your scalp. Alternatively, try this home remedy: rub olive oil on your scalp, put on a shower cap and leave it on overnight. Wash hair thoroughly in the morning to remove the oil.
Trying to remove shellac polish at home is fiendish – but it's made a little easier if you use a coarse nail file to lightly buff the surface, before soaking in acetone. Then be sure to slather on lashings of nail oil, to counterbalance the inevitable damage.
If you value your sleep, don’t watch action movies or any noir entertainment close to bedtime. If you do want to watch shows or films like these, view them over the weekend during the day, when the possible stress won’t impact on your sleep state during the work week. (We also avoid late night news programmes for the same reason. There’s nothing we can do about the state of the world, at that point – but it can be enough to disturb our sleep!)
Not sure when shopping for mascara which will meet your needs? You can tell a lot from a glance at the wand: volumising mascaras tend to have fatter lashes, curling brushes are slightly curved (to give a more lifted effect), and long, slim, tapered brushes are better for defining lashes.
OK, so how does Elle Macpherson stay looking quite so fabulous? This probably helps. ‘When I wake up, I think about what my body really needs, whether it’s a swim in the ocean, beach walk, yoga with friends, a bike ride or a boxing class. Mixing it up is fun and helps me stay motivated.’
Consider switching to a bamboo toothbrush (which will biodegrade). You should still replace it every three months, but it won't contribute to plastic toothbrush mountain which goes to landfill every year. (In the US, 4.7 billion plastic toothbrushes per annum!)
What's the difference between different concealers? Concealers housed in tubes or wands generally give lighter coverage (and are often designed for under-eye, with light-reflecting pigments to minimise dark circles). Creams can be applied with small sponges, make-up brushes, Q-Tips or fingers – and are thicker. Stick concealers tend to be thickest of all, similar to lipstick in consistency; smooth onto skin and pat into the complexion,