Stimulating the pressure points on feet relieves stress. Feeling angsty-y? Press your thumb into your solar plexus point, which is located just below theball of your foot. Hold for one minute and repeat on the other foot.
From Sarah Wilson, author of the bestelling ‘I Quit Sugar’: ‘Don’t be afraid of fat. Protein needs fat to be absorbed; so do a lot of the nutrients in your vegetables. It saturates us. I don’t mess with my food any more – I eat chicken with the skin on, eggs are eaten whole and yes, I do sometimes cook my vegetables in butter.’
Exfoliate eyebrows to remove make-up build-up, next time you’re using your usual (and it really should be gentle, too) facial scrub.
If any eye product at all irritates – cleanser, cream, mascara, eyeshadow – give it up. Constant rubbing breaks down the collagen and elastin fibres, producing wrinkles in the lower lids in particular.
Test your multivitamin: drop it into a cup of warm water and stir. If it hasn’t dissolved in 30 minutes, chances are it’s not breaking down properly in your stomach, either.
Saturate a cotton wool ball with your favourite perfume or Cologne and drop it into the vacuum cleaner. As you hoover, the scent will be released and gently freshen the room.
If you suffer from under-eye bags, start your day with sports – especially yoga, we’re advised – to increase circulation, and the blood flow will support the filling-in of skin wrinkles, and the dispersal of excess fluid.
Just the quickest skin-blitzing scrub for winter-dry skin (and we’re all getting it!): create your own exfoliating body scrub by blending sugar with safflower, grapeseed, olive or jojoba oil until it has the right paste-y texture. Massage into skin to slough away dead cells, then rinse. Almost certainly you won’t need to moisturise.
From Thandie Newton: ‘I never powder my whole face; I keep certain areas looking shiny. It gives a much fresher look.’
Is your desk ageing you? If you constantly lean your face in your hands at your desk in the same position day after day, you can create lines similar to those caused by always sleeping in the same position. Sit up straight, feet on the ground (it’s better for your back, too). Need help improving your posture? Find an Alexander Technique practitioner, for some instruction.
If you have annoying flyaways along the forehead – which often happens when hair grows back after a post-pregnancy ‘fall-out’, for instance – brush them into place with an eyebrow brush doused in hairspray. (A clean toothbrush also works well, too.)
Use long-lasting lipstick as a ‘base’ for your regular lipstick, in a similar shade – so that when your shiny/lustrous tone wears off, there are still hours of colour left to take over underneath.
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.
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.
If choosing between two shades of foundation and neither is quite right – but you love the texture – go with the darker one. You’ll blend it well but it’s much easier than with a too-light shade.
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.’
There are commercial coffee ground scrubs available, but have you ever considered making your own? Add a slosh of warmed coconut oil to a handful of coffee grounds for a great instant body buffer. (But do it in the shower to avoid the ‘gritty bottom’ effect.)
Just a handy household hint to reduce stress levels: if a drawer is sticking, remove it and rub a candle on the runners. The drawer should open more smoothly when you slip it back into place.
Suffering from dry hands? If there’s anyone who isn’t, they’re not washing their hands properly. Or enough. But it’s possible to reverse the cracing, dryness and soreness, according to Dr. Ifeoma Ejikeme, founder of the Adonia Medical Centre in London Best way to moisturise? Generously apply cream to both the front and back of clean hands, paying attention to moisturising between the fingers – it’s the area most likely to suffer.