Trying to distract yourself from food? Sit at your desk and take stock of your senses. Start with your nose and identify a smell around you. Then engage sight, sound and touch – everything but taste. It diverts your brain from thinking about food.
If you don't have a dedicated nail oil, squeeze the oil from a vitamin E capsule or a borage (starflower) capsule onto your fingertips and massage into cuticles. Do it daily and you'll soon see the improvement...
Wonderful wisdom from Kahlil Gibran, today – one of our favourite poets and philosophers. ‘Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.’
Need to remove a fragrance you’d spritzed and didn’t love…? Try olive oil. Yes, honestly. Works a treat.
With the Bank Holiday coming up (yay!), don’t be deceived into thinking that the sun in England isn’t as strong as the sun on holiday. As consultant dermatologist Dr. Justine Hextall observes, ‘If anything, people are more likely to get sunburnt in this country because it takes them by surprise.’ And if you’re spending time near a beach or pool over the weekend, she adds, ‘remember that sand and water reflect sunlight, which makes your risk of burning higher.’ Be sure to keep those SPFs handy, then…
To perk up tired eyes fast, apply under-eye concealer to the inner and outside corners of your eyes before blending up and out for a wide-awake look. (Remember: concealer is great for instantly removing under-eye make-up sponges, too.)
If you use a sheet mask, there is often some serum left in the mask when you remove the mask. Squeeze the sheet into a small container (MUJI’s are fab), to use later.
Great advice from the legendary CHANEL perfumer Jacques Polge, now retired – but it still holds true, all these years after he shared it with us. ‘If you wish to build a fragrance, layer it. Fragrances applied under clothing last longer. Look out for complementary bath and body products, too.’
Some department stores now charge for make-up makeover sessions. Although these are usually redeemable against purchase, it’s still worth keeping an eye on which brands are launching new products, as there’s often a ‘window’ at beauty counters when to promote the newness, makeovers are complimentary…
We kinda love Eve Lom’s life philosophy… ‘I enjoy breaking the rules. I sunbathe, love champagne and would never limit myself to one cup of coffee a day.’
Do you immediately throw out the spatula that comes with some beauty products? Try to break the habit and start to use them, instead, to scoop creams out of their pots. Every single time you dip a finger in your moisturiser, you are introducing microbes; the use of a spatula (which you should rinse and dry between uses) keeps products pristine.
Wearing full make-up on a plane is like wearing diamonds on the beach. The idea is to look cared-for and groomed, not fully painted. We like to remove make-up before take-off with a wipe, apply a thick moisturising mask (or sheet mask, if feeling brave), and – before landing – use a tinted lip balm to add a touch of colour to cheeks, as well as lips. Just add mascara – pack a dinky, downsized version in your plastic cosmetics bag – and you’re good to glow.
We recommend everyone uses a hair mask, at least once a week, for optimum shine and hair health. But massage it in – distribution is key. Work it in with fingers or a gentle brush to ensure that every strand is coated and flooded. If the mask gets onto the scalp, don’t worry: many ingredients are as nourishing for scalp as they are for hair, but be sure to rinse and ‘finger-scrub’ properly.
The latest in a long line of tips that ensure that happy feet are ensuring you’re a happy person… We ask: do your shoes fit properly? In the afternoon or evening (when feet are at their largest), place a foot on a piece of paper and draw an outline. Then place your shoe on the paper. No part of the drawn line should be visible…
Timeless wisdom from Jessica Vartoughian, the Hollywood nail guru whose talents were parlayed into a global manicure empire: ‘Nail hardening products are not ideal. They’re a fast fix, but nails should be flexible, rather than so strong you can use them as a screwdriver. If they become that hard, they’ll just snap. Nightly nourishment with nail oil is the answer…’
Here’s Claudia Winkleman on the healing power of sleep (which we echo, 100%): ‘I’ve always managed to stay calm and unfussed and pretty level by doing one thing and one thing alone – napping. My mum brought me up to believe that everything would be better and easier after getting my head down for a bit of shut-eye. She was the only mother on earth who would have let me sleep in all day.’
De-junking your make-up bag for spring? Throw away anything older than two years. If something's a year old, move it 'up front' into your make-up regime – and if you're still not using it, be ruthless. It's gotta go.
If you’ve slept through the alarm and don’t have time to wash your hair, try just washing your fringe and blow-drying it. Pull the rest of your hair back in a ponytail and no one will know.
Want your fragrance to last through to the end of a bottle? Keep it in the box. These are often beautiful in their own right, and it really makes a difference.
As we count down to the next series of Bridgerton, later this month, insights from star Adjoa Andoh. ‘Recently in the mornings, rather than turn on Radio 4 and assaulting myself within the first 10 seconds of waking up with the latest horror, I have 10 minutes of total silence before I get out of bed. Life is so busy and as you get older, you have to actively make space for silence.’ Wise words.