Bare-faced chic: Get your skin into great condition for minimal make-up
Q How can I go bare-faced this summer with no foundation, as my skin's far from perfect?
A The
secret is to get your skin into great condition, so you can comfortably
wear minimal make-up. Use a gentle exfoliator, such as bNatural Organic
energising Facial Scrub, £4.49 (Tesco), or Dermalogica Daily
Microfoliant, £35.10 (0800 591818 or dermalogica.com/ uk), to keep
pores clean and slough off dead skin cells.
Olay's principle scientist, Dr Sian Morris, advises: 'An exfoliating
daily face wash or scrub should be your first step. This will help
reveal the newer, fresher looking complexion behind the dullness. Then
look for foundations or tinted moisturisers with SPF15 protection -
never go bare-faced without it.'
Try Oskia Micro exfoliating Balm, £46 (Liberty or 020 7734 1234), which
has tiny grains to really clean the skin, and Clarins Gentle Refiner,
£22.99 (clarins.com), which is a creamy exfoliator that leaves skin
feeling fresh and cleansed.
Then use a moisturiser with a touch of selftan such as Olay Complete everyday Sunshine, £7.49, or Dove Summer Glow Daily Face SPF15, £5.99 (both Boots).
Q I'd love to paint my toneails a pale summer colour, but they're stained, please help
A Foot expert Margaret Dabbs says: 'The discolouration can be due to bruising under the nail, thickening from damage to the nail bed, an underlying fungal condition or prolonged wearing of nail polish. Fake tan can also cause staining.
'Thickened and stained nails will always be improved by buffing because, as the nail layers reduce down, the nail colour lightens.
'Buffing also helps to reduce ridges and gets rid of white patches, often due to dehydration.
'Always wear a base coat, and follow with two coats of polish and a top coat.' Good buffers include Ms Manicure Call Your Buff 6 Way Buffer, £2.99 (Boots) and Sally Hansen 7 Step Buffer and Ridge Reducer, £2.99 (Boots), which shape nails as well as smoothing, cracking and peeling edges and removing stains.
For a pale summer colour on toes, try Ciate Paint Pots in Beach Melba, £9 (ciate.co.uk) which is a lovely nude pink, or for a brighter touch, Barry M's Ice Cream Nail Paints are fun, £2.95 each (Superdrug).
Skin tool: L'Occitane Olive Gentle Body Scrub
Q How can I get rid of dry patches on my knees before self-tanning?
This can be especially annoying when applying self-tan, as the tan tends to turn dry patches orange. There are some great body scrubs around, but for stubborn dry patches try a scrub mitt, such as Boots Expert Exfoliating Mitt, £1.99 (Boots).
Do this once a week, after having a soak in the bath to soften skin, and use a gentle body scrub, such as L'occitane organic olive Gentle Body Scrub, £14, (loccitane.co.uk) every other day to get rid of dead skin cells and product build-up.
Never scrub skin until it gets red or sore - a general guide is to scrub gently for no more than ten seconds on each patch of skin.
Mathilde thomas, founder of the Caudalie skin and body range, recommends using a foot cream on very dry areas, as they are thicker and more nourishing than many body lotions. try Scholl Hard Skin Softening Cream, £5.99 (scholl.com), which contains acids to break down hard skin cells. or Lotil Cream, £1.99 (Boots), which is really rich and suitable for dry, cracked skin.
Ritual: Daily brushing will help improve skin tone
Q What's the best way to give dull skin a healthy boost?
A Paisley Arnold, founder of Purity Organic Skincare, recommends starting with a thorough exfoliation for face and body to slough away dead skin cells and help shift toxins, followed with bursts of cold water to tighten pores and improve circulation.
Splash the face three or four times with cold water, and if you can stand it, turn the shower to cold for a few seconds right at the end before getting out.
'exfoliator should be applied to damp skin in a circular motion working towards the heart and then rinsed off with warm water,' she says. 'Finish by massaging the skin with a nourishing moisturiser.
'Daily body-brushing will also help improve skin tone. And sensitive skin types can mix a small amount of facial exfoliator with their cleanser to gently exfoliate and brighten comfortably.'
Secret weapon: Kerastase Brume jour Protectrice
Q The sun makes my highlighted hair brittle, what can I do?
A It's best to protect hair from the sun, so wear a hat or use specialist product s . Benjami n Ahrens of hari's salon in London advises: 'Protect hair properly with a UV filter spray - try Kerastase Brume Jour Protectrice, £17.90 ( 0800 316 4400 , that ' s designed for coloured hair.' The SU range by Davines essential protects hair from sun, seawater and chlorine. It includes Protective Moisturising Sun Cream, £16, a cream-gel to protect and restore, and Moisturising Softening Leave In Mist, £16.60 (0203 301 5449).
Use Schwarzkopf Gliss Shea Cashmere shampoo and conditioner treatment, £1.99 (Superdrug), to repair hair, or leave the delicious smelling Aromatherapy Associates enrich hair Oil £22.50 ( aromatherapyassociates.com) on overnight for hair that's beautifully soft in the morning.
Lush Retread Intensive Conditioner, £8.60, i s excellent for rehydrating hair, while Marilyn, £7.60 (both lush.co.uk), enhances blonde highlights while preserving condit ion. For great value, try Tommy-Guns Colour Save Intensive Masque to protect colour and condition, £5.99 ( tommygunshaircare.com or 0845 688 0188).
BEAUTY DECADES: Liquid foundation
Clinique Even Better Make Up SPF 15, £20, counters nationwide This lightweight oil-free mix contains antioxidants and a high vitamin C content to help restore uneven skin tone and, with continued use, diminish discolouration and sun damage. The mineral-enriched formula glides on easily, smoothing over fine lines and wrinkles.
Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, £30, spacenk.co.uk This luminous, rich cream provides buildable coverage, forming a lightreflecting layer to leave your face radiant and glowing. ideal for covering the first signs of wrinkles as well as skin conditions such as rosacea. Deeply hydrating and long-lasting.
Match day makeover: No7 Purifying Sauna Mask
World Cup Treats
Football windows rejoice
There's no escaping the World Cup, which starts tomorrow. So, to mark it, many top beauty and spa brands have come up with 90-minute pampering treats for the football widows among us.
Boots' 90-minute Match Day Makeover is a selection of treats for at-home indulgence, including No7 Sumptuous Bath Soak, £9; No7 Purifying Sauna Mask, £11.25; Boots Ingredients Honey & Jojoba Hair Mask, £1.95. And if there's extra time, 17 High Gloss Nail Polish in Risky Red, £3.49; and No7 Stay Perfect Nail tip Whitener, with two coats of polish and a top coat.'
Good buffers include Ms Manicure Call Your Buff 6 Way Buffer, £2.99 (Boots) and Sally Hansen 7 Step Buffer and Ridge Reducer, £2.99 (Boots), which shape nails as well as smoothing, cracking and peeling edges and removing stains.
For a pale summer colour on toes, try Ciate Paint Pots in Beach Melba, £9 (ciate.co.uk) which is a lovely nude pink, or for a brighter touch, Barry M's Ice Cream Nail Paints are fun, £2.95 each (Superdrug). £7.25, to paint on an England flag design. Spa Queen Karin Herzog's Chocolate Wag Bag, £80 ( KarinHerzog.co.uk) contains a set of six chocolate pampering products - everything you need for luxurious facials with enough for ten friends. Perfect for a girls' night in. And Lastminute.com has a range of 90-minute spa experiences at luxury hotels across the country, including London Hilton Park Lane, Norton House Spa in Edinburgh, Rookery Hall in Cheshire and Ardencote Manor in Warwick.
Transform your hair: John Frieda Frizz Ease Hair Serum
HOW SHOULD I USE.....
FRIZZ EASE
The first in an occasional series which looks at iconic beauty products and explains how they should be used, by the people who created them.
Every minute, three bottles of John Frieda Frizz-Ease are sold somewhere in the world. It took years to develop the original formula hair serum, which fights the humidity that causes frizz. you need to use only a small blob (the size of a 10p coin) to make hair more manageable. But do you know how to use it?
Creator John Frieda explains: 'With Frizz-Ease, it's all about the application. you should apply it to dripping wet hair. After shampooing, blot it, but don't towel dry it. Put the serum on while the hair is wet - it will seal the cuticle and coat every single strand, and temporarily change the surface texture of the hair from coarse to smooth.'
Bling bling: Day-to-night eyeshadow in purple haze from myface cosmetics
Best blingtones
If you're at a dayintonight summer event and need a longlasting eye shadow that will stay looking great, myface cosmetics has a good range of on-trend vibrant eye colours. Their single blingtones, £9.99 (Boots), have a smooth, foil-like quality. They have a high shimmer to them but are not glittery, so you don't end up with annoying bits of glitter on your cheeks. Their staying power is pretty good, too. Our current favourite is Purple haze, which can be applied lightly as a wash of colour or layered on for a more vivid look.
Less is more: Tough of Light mascara
LIGHT TOUCH
For the Sexy Mama
Less is more with summer make-up, which is why we like Touch of Light, £10 (thefragranceshop.co.uk), a multi-purpose highlighter with reflective properties to enhance even the dullest complexion.
Pop on a little 2true Cheek 'n' Lip Tint in Blush Pink, £1.95 (superdrug), to give cheeks and lips a natural rosebud tint.
Clarins Instant smooth Compact Highlighter, £23.50 (clarins.com), is a handy non-oily compact that gives an instant glow, while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
And if you're worried about shine, the Balm's sexy Mama, £16.50 (cultbeauty.co.uk), is a light powder that hides blemishes while looking completely natural.
- Shocking new footage of ISIS massacre in Tikrit
- Genesis Rodriguez Gomez collapses during a lift attempt
- Appalachian Bear Rescue save black bear cub
- Shocking video shows driver barrel into four women
- Solar cycle: The sun's 11-year heartbeat explained
- Mexico's Security Commissioner on Guzman's prison escape
- Awkward moment Federer sidesteps Djokovic in corridor
- El Chapo' Guzman being taken into Altiplano prison (archive)
- Worst parallel park ever? Funny CCTV shows driver's struggle
- Drug lord 'El Chapo' Guzman escorted to prison by helicopter
- Djokovic tries and fails to rip shirt off during Wimbledon...
- Real estate agents produce amazing video to sell $33m home
- The hole that led the world's most wanted man to freedom......
- Stunning Serena proves JK Rowling was spot on! Williams wows...
- 'Yes, my hands are full! Sometimes with glasses of wine':...
- ISIS's female Gestapo wreaking terror on their own sex: They...
- Apple announces updates for its new operating system......
- John Gotti personally executed the real-life Joe Pesci...
- Donald Trump demands apology from his critics after escape...
- Their sickest video yet: ISIS release footage of their...
- Bill Cosby's wife claims alleged victims 'consented' to...
- #ThisIsACoup: Greeks react with fury at new €86bn EU bailout...
- A quickie Vegas ceremony in a blue mini dress vs. a...
- Hop on board! Raft guide rescues an abandoned bear cub from...