Did you know that hair conditioner works to help prevent rust on tools…? Give the toolbox an overhaul: simply condition them (literally) with a touch of product, on a clean cloth.

If you have annoying flyaways along the forehead – which often happens when hair grows back after a post-pregnancy ‘fall-out’, by the way – brush them into place with an eyebrow brush doused in hairspray. (A clean toothbrush also works well, too.)

This season’s lipsticks too strong for your blood? Turn them into a really longlasting stain by applying three coats of a deep tone, leaving on for a few minutes then blotting with a tissue so only the pigment remains.

It always bears repeating, but never rub wrists together after applying a scent: the rubbing motion crushes the fragrance elements, altering their development. Experts sometimes refer to it as ‘breaking the heart’ of a perfume…)

If a mushy eye pencil is too smudge-y, put the cap on and let it sit in a glass of iced water for a few minutes.

Always start a blow-dry with the under-layers. If you start drying your hair with the top layer, you end up scooping wet hair from the underneath and pulling it through the brush, re-wetting areas that are already dry.

It’s the time of year when chest rub can come into its own, but here’s an alternative use: use it to soothe aching feet. Try applying a thick coat of chest rub and covering feet with a pair of socks before going to bed at night. When you wake up, sore tired feet will be both moisturised and rejuvenated.

Truly make facial massage an anti-ageing habit. ‘It stimulates circulation, which helps feed the skin and drain away toxins,’ advises superfacialist Sarah Chapman, adding: ‘We hold a lot of tension around the outer corners of the mouth, which pulls them down and starts the creation of jowls. Loosening this tension achieves an instant lifting effect. And if your skin looks dull and tired, a good cleansing massage followed by a washcloth to mildly exfoliate will bring it back to life.’

If your bathroom cupboard’s cluttered and products are hidden at the back making it hard to reach them, invest in a ‘Lazy Susan’ – one of those circular storage solutions you’ll find online at stores like Lakeland. The ‘turntable’ means you can access everything easily.

When drying skin after you’ve washed your face, never rub: simply blot the face with a soft, clean towel to avoid skin appearing blotchy.

If you’re polishing toes, start polishing on your left foot, from little to big toe ­– and on the right foot, from big toe to little toe. If you’re left-handed, work from right to left to avoid smudging.

Feel stressed before big events? (Of which there are lots, at this time of year.) Breathe deep. Most adults don’t know how to breathe fully; we breathe in a shallow way with the chest muscles when we’re feeling angst-y. A deep diaphragmatic breath sends an impulse to the brain that tells the body to relax.

If you have brown eyes, make-up artist Gucci Westman suggests applying a little bronzer under your bottom lids to intensify the colour.

If you aren’t taking seriously the threat of blue light in terms of skin ageing, listen to Dr. Howard Murad. ‘We are at the early stages of understanding the long-term impacts of blue light on skin, but our initial estimate is that four days in front of a computer exposes the skin to a total irradiation as intense as 20 minutes in the midday sun.’ So: wear your sunscreen and power up the antioxidant protection, at your desk…

Might a little crystal healing prove helpful at the moment? Crystal enthusiasts believe that these powerful stones work on an energetic level to bring about vibrational healing, via stones placed around the house and on the body. Try amethyst to help you relax, lapis lazuli for peaceful thoughts and hematite or moonstone for deep calm.

It might be tempting to skimp on cleansing in the morning – but either wash with a facial wash, swipe with a flannel or use an AHA- or toner-infused pad, to sweep over skin thoroughly. Oils and dead skin cells build up while you sleep and your daily skincare will be absorbed better by clean skin.

If you’re finding it hard to motivate yourself to exercise, lay out your exercise clothes the night before. It makes it harder to goof off when you’re lying in bed looking for excuses. (Even 10 minutes of walking is better than nothing.)

How do you choose specs to suit your face? As a rule, square or wide frames suit round faces; longer faces need bigger frames with a deep bridge; square faces look best in round frames or a top-heavy style, and heart-shaped faces can pull off almost any shape. Basically, avoid matching the shape of your frames to your face shape. (As trying on glasses in store has been challenging since the start of the pandemic, we’re rather loving Specsavers virtual try-on, on their website.)

There is only one style of comb that should ever be used on thick hair: a wide-toothed plastic comb. Pay a little more for something that’s smooth, and always de-tangle from the tips, working up to the scalp.

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...)