Quick Beauty Fixes - Look Better in 2010

Look better than ever in 2010: put your best face forward this January and start the New Year as you mean to go on – healthy, happy and looking fabulous!

It's the little things that are manageable in January, so forget a dramatic New Year beauty overhaul and turn to these simple insider tricks to help you look and feel better – quickly and easily.

Get a New Year Mood Boost

January blues? Use essential oils as a pick me up. "Lemon oil is a wonderful reviving essential oil; tangy, fresh and dynamic, it lifts the spirits, clears the mind and cleanses," says aromatherapist and Special Little People founder Janine Wood, whose tip is to pop a few drops of the pure oil on paper tissues and stuff them into radiators so the warmth diffuses the smell. "This is the time of year when I also use Focus (my blend for kids, but everyone can use it of course). This is a blend of basil, rosemary and lemon and again it's stimulating, cleansing and energising – a really vibrant blend that dispels those grey days. Pop a few drops on a hanky, keep it up your sleeve and take it with you – perfect to sniff when standing on a crowded tube, it gives you an instant feeling of being in a small, clean bubble of your own!"

Beat Puffy Eyes

"In Chinese medicine, dark circles and bags under the eyes are an indication that there's stress on the kidneys, which makes sense after lots of parties and late nights," says Sally Penford of the International Dermal Institute. "You can't instantly get rid of dark circles, but by helping the body detox, rest and revitalise through good nutrition and exercise you can assist enormously."

Try these top tips for banishing puffy eyes:

• "For a temporary quick fix use products that contain anti-inflammatory ingredients. These will help firm and reduce puffiness," says Sally.
• "Use an eye gel (try Sanctuary Spa Brightening Eye Gel) and keep it in the fridge – when applied it will help to cool the eye area and reduce any puffiness," says Sally Biles, Senior Spa Trainer at The Sanctuary, Covent Garden. Instant cooling fix: Vichy Aqualia Antiox Anti-Fatigue Ice-Effect Stick (available in store).
• Look for products with optical light diffusers. "These will act like a multitude of tiny microscopic mirrors that deflect the light away from the eye and help disguise dark circle," says Sally. Try Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-On Illuminator.

Perk Up Dull Skin

If your skin's looking weary after Christmas, facial massage is your quick fix, says A-list facialist Sarah Chapman, who incorporates deep facial massage in her treatments. "It's the key to giving life to the skin, especially dull, lifeless winter skin," she says. "It helps boost blood circulation, which in turn helps feed the skin cells with oxygen and nutrients. It also aids lymph drainage, helping to remove the accumulation of toxins and waste that can cause breakouts and make the skin look dull."

Easy fix: "Take just a few moments to do little pinches all over the face to encourage blood flow and do a little pressure point massage around the eyes to de-puff and help circulation," says Sarah.

Get Your Glow Back

"Before going to bed apply a damp, hot flannel to your skin for 10 minutes to open the pores and then apply a facial oil," says The Sanctuary Spa's Sally Biles. "This will encourage the oil to penetrate the skin and leave it really soft and glowing." We like The Sanctuary Radiance Boosting Facial Oil.

Plump Your Pout

For a speedy beauty update, head to the lipstick section. "A new lipstick is a great economical way to brighten yourself up from the January lull," says make-up artist Ciona Johnson-King who has worked with Gwyneth and Stella McCartney. "We all want fuller lips but don't necessarily want to endure nasty needles or risk a trout pout in the process," says Ciona, who instead recommends these lip enhancing techniques for a plumper pout:

• In preparation the night before, apply a generous layer of moisturiser over the lips, before you sleep. I find this pumps them up better than any 'lip plump' which just tingles and annoys my lips!
• Using a natural coloured lipliner, outline the lips slightly on the outside of your natural lip edge (try 17 Lip Liner Pencil or No7 Perfect Lips Liner)
• When applying your lipstick (Ciona is a fan of Benefit Lipsticks), apply from the lip line towards the centre, but so the colour fades as you reach the middle of the lips.
• Use a little concealer on the centre of the lips, and fade it into the natural lip colour, top with a clear gloss (this is my favourite technique)
• After applying your lip colour, apply some gloss or shimmer lipstick in the centre of the lips and soften towards the edges.
• Use a highlighter or light concealer on the cupid's bow of the lips to give the illusion of projecting them.
• Use high reflective glosses which kick out those lips.

Get a Boost with Blusher

According to Polly Osmond, National Make-up Artist for L'Oreal Paris, a quick blusher tweak is an easy instant update. "Applying blusher on the apples of the cheeks will give you a youthful appearance," she says. Or, if you're after a sexy, sculpted grown-up look, "apply bronzer or blusher to the hollows of your cheeks." Don't forget your blush colour makes all the difference, too: "Rosy/peachy shades are more youthful," notes Polly. Try L'Oreal Paris Minerals Blusher in Soft Peach or Soft Rose.

Disguise Dark Circles

"To instantly mask dark grey/blue circles under the eye, use a concealer with a peachy tone to warm up the area," says Rachel Wood, Celebrity Makeup Artist for Benefit. "Apply in a "V" shape: start under they eye near the tear duct, then add a touch of product downwards and away from the nose, then go back up the other side and all along the top of the cheek bone to create the V shape, before blending with a small soft fluffy brush. This trick will instantly lift under the eye and mask dark circles," she says. Rachel's product of choice? Benefit Erase Paste. "It has a touch of peach and works as both a concealer and highlighter," she says.

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How to Wear Red Lipstick

Related categories:
Complementary Therapies
Eyes
Blusher & Bronzer
Highlighter
Lipstick
Skincare