Body & beauty

15 Minute Beauty Fixes

Forget botox and fillers – you can knock years off your age with our clever beauty hacks!

Do you sometimes feel your age when you look in the mirror in the morning? Don’t worry – we’ve all been there but there are some brilliant quick fixes to turn back time. Our natural anti-ageing tips will leave you fresh-faced, radiant and ready to face the day in less than 15 minutes – guaranteed!

Scrub up!

As you age the turnover of your skin cells slows down drastically, explains top skin repair expert Lorena Öberg (lorenaoberg.co.uk) “This leads to duller, unevenlooking skin, which is why exfoliating is key for a radiant complexion.” Try the brilliant PMD Personal Microderm (£135, harrods.com), a hand-held exfoliation device that delivers the same anti-ageing results as salon microdermabrasion treatments in just a few minutes a day.

Try face pilates

Your jawline takes a bit of a battering as you get older but facial exercises based on Pilates power can firm up it fast. Start by standing against a wall or sitting on a chair with a straight back, and raise your eyes to look at the ceiling until your head is tilted back, so you feel a stretch in your neck. Then, place your tongue against the roof of your mouth and swallow. Now, keeping your head tilted back and your tongue against the roof of your mouth, roll your head to the left and swallow. Repeat this on the right.

Plump up your pout

New out this month is CACI Lip Plump (from £15, caci-international.co.uk). This is a 15-minute salon treatment which targets the tricky lip-line area with red LED light therapy and wrinkle-busting peptides to stimulate natural collagen production and soften lines and wrinkles. For a quick fix at home, make a DIY lip treatment by mixing organic raw sugar and honey together and massaging it into your lips before you get in the shower, then rinse off with warm water for a soft, plumped up pout!

Treat your tresses

Changing your hairstyle is a great way to freshen up your face, so why not hit up your hairdresser for some anti-ageing advice? “For example, foreheads are one of the first places to show deep lines and so lots of women would benefit from a fringe,” says celebrity hairdresser Darren Scott (darrenscottsalon.com). “Goldie Hawn in particular is a fan of this as it draws attention to her eyes and conceals lines and wrinkles,” he adds.

Get your buzz on

If you need photo-ready skin in record time, take a tip from the bees with the Manuka Doctor Illusionist Rapid Lift Mask (£29.99, manukadoctor.co.uk). The natural face-lift contains purified bee venom to smooth and refine wrinkles and enhance radiance within ten minutes of application.

Go for Gua Sha

Dubbed ‘eastern botox’, this traditional Chinese technique encourages blood flow, drains lymph fluid and firms up facial muscles – and all you need is a spoon and a few minutes out of your day! First, smooth an organic face cream or oil on to your skin then hold a large clean spoon vertically in line with your nose and turn it just so the side touches your face. Starting at the midline of your forehead gently scrape the spoon from the centre of your face upwards and outward all the way up to your hairline. Keep doing this all the way down from the centre of your face out towards your hairline until you reach your chin. Do this once or twice a week for the best wrinkle-busting results!

Achieve pretty peepers

“The skin around the eyes has less supportive collagen structures than skin elsewhere in the body, which means it is more prone to form fine lines and wrinkles,” explains Ian Taylor, cosmetic scientist for Green People. Try the brand’s brilliant Lip and Eye Line Eraser, which contains argan nut extract and has a lifting and tightening effect in just 15 minutes. For a DIY home remedy, skincare guru Ole Henriksen recommends grating rate fresh cucumber, wrapping it in gauze, then placing it over the eye area for several minutes. “The wrapped, grated cucumber will de-puff, lift and firm your eye area instantly,” he says.

Banish blemishes

Uneven skin tone can add years to your face so make sure yours stays clear and radiant with Trilogy’s Botanical Lightening Treatment (£30.50, lookfantatic.co.uk). Enriched with plant botanicals including liquorice and mulberry, it brightens and evens out skin tone and fades age spots in record time!