Body & beauty

8 Beauty Hacks The Experts Swear By

Top tips from our award-winning brands to help you look and feel fantastic

Make sure you look and feel fabulous this summer with these expert tips

1. Get your morning and evening routine sorted

Having a good skincare regime in place and sticking to it is key to younger looking skin, says Claire Vero from Aurelia Probiotic Skincare. She recommends starting and finishing each day by cleansing your face thoroughly to remove dirt and grime and to ensure you feel fresh and renewed. Her go-to product is Aurelia’s Miracle Cleanser, the winner of the cleanser category in Natural Health International Beauty Awards.
“Along with its antibacterial bamboo muslin, this cleanser gently buffs away daily impurities and make-up for clear, balanced skin,” she says. “Massage the lightweight cream straight on to dry skin morning and evening for the best results. The cream texture allows skin to stay hydrated and supple, and by removing with a soft bamboo muslin cloth, your face will rinse completely clean, leaving behind no residue or a feeling of tightness.” For more top tips for healthy skin and a balanced lifestyle, take the Aurelia Skin Tool – an online skin consultation taking you through your day in eight steps to help you achieve your most beautiful skin. You can take the tool here.

2. Apply a face oil at night

Face oils offer your skin a nourishing boost, helping to diminish signs of ageing and restore your skin’s health glow. Jo Foster, founder of night-time skincare brand Kiss The Moon – which came highly commended in the Luxe Range category in the Natural Health International Beauty Awards this year – says that she applies her face oil every night to benefit the most from its properties.
“During the day our skin really needs help to defend it from the sun’s harmful rays, so the priority here is to have something with good UV protection. Plus of course, through the day you also want something that sits happily with your make up – so a cream or lotion is often the best bet (you can add a drop of face oil in if you want to use your summer daytime cream all year long but need to make it a little richer for the colder months).”  She continues: “Overnight the priorities are different. As skin repairs itself while we are sleeping, that’s the perfect time to apply an oil. Applying a face oil before bed also means you can put it on to just-cleansed skin for maximum benefit. Just choose one that has the right carrier oil as its base. You want something that is rich enough to nourish, but that absorbs quickly enough to ensure no residue on your pillow. Our main carrier oil is apricot kernel oil for just that reason. Because skin and sleep are so interrelated, each of our After Dark blends are made with hand-selected essential oils that help to relax us in to sleep mode as well as nourish. A double-whammy of night-time TLC. We see this as a vital part of our night-time skincare routine as without beautiful sleep it’s impossible to have beautiful skin.”

Buy the oils here.

3. Make sure your nail polish lasts

The right nail polish can make you feel fantastic – but only when it lasts. There’s nothing worse than chipped and peeling nails, especially when you’re trying to make a good impression. Michelle Sutton from NATorigin (which was awarded a highly commended accolade in the Organic Range category of the Natural Health International Beauty Awards for its make-up collection), has a few top tips for making sure your nails look the best they can.
“For bright, summery toenails that last all holiday, paint them after a bath or shower to remove any oil or grease from the nails but before applying any creams or body lotions,” she advises. “It’s worth taking the time to let them dry and finish with a coat of clear enamel to avoid chips especially when wearing sandals and flip-flops. NATorigin nail enamels (£11) are gentle on the skin and nourishing to the nails due to a formulation based on 83 percent natural ingredients sourced from corn, potato, wheat and manioc (Brazilian arrowroot).They are easy to apply and provide a long-lasting shine and perfect hold.”
Buy the nail varnish here.

4. Use a face mask for 10 minutes a week

“Using a face mask as part of your skincare routine is a great step towards younger-looking skin”, says Victoria Young from Yes To, a brand which came highly commended in the Natural Range category of the Natural Health International Beauty Awards.
Face masks provide a blanket for your skin, allowing all the active ingredients to penetrate your complexion and work their magic. Some masks focus on drawing out impurities, while others tighten and tone or hydrate and moisturise.
Victoria uses the brand’s 96 percent natural Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask, which she says is ideal for combination or acne-prone skin. She explains: “This mask combines lycopene-rich, organic tomatoes which are a natural source of anti-oxidants for clearer skin, with activated charcoal, a natural detoxifier to help draw out impurities, purify and deep clean skin. Its botanical blend of aloe, watermelon, pumpkin and chamomile extracts condition whilst its rich and creamy formula instantly transports you to a calming oasis. Apply a generous layer to clean skin, leave on for 10 minutes and enjoy looking like you’re in a spa brochure before rinsing.”
Buy the face mask here.

5. Stock your cupboards with versatile products

The best way to make the most out of your beauty products is to buy those that do more than one job, according to Sarah Cox from Zephorium, who adds that the right sort of body oil can not only hydrate your hair and skin, but can also cleanse your complexion and more. That’s why she loves using the Rose Quartz Body Oil by Zephorium – which was the winner of the Body Oil category in the Natural Health International Beauty Awards.
“This is one of the most natural, nurturing and versatile products you can use on your skin,” she says. “Infused with a combination of top quality pure rose aromatherapy, homeopathic rose crystal and a positive affirmation to soothe the heart chakra this outstanding oil has many uses. Use as the ultimate massage oil, a cleanser to remove make-up, a hair oil, or pour into your bath!”
Buy the oil here.

6. Take your make-up off every day

It may be the golden rule of good skincare but many of us still leave our make-up on over night. Melissa Gooden from skincare brand Triology says it’s one of the biggest mistakes a woman can make – touting blocked pores, bacteria build-up and breakouts as potential results of the bad habit. Plus, leaving your leaving your make-up on has been proven to cause premature ageing – something we all want to avoid. To make sure you allow your skin the best chance of renewing itself at night, Melissa recommends using Trilogy Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm (RRP £19.50) – which came highly commended in the cleanser category of Natural Health International Beauty Awards.
“This melts away make-up like nothing else, even long-wear formulations,” she explains. “With skin-soothing mango butter and coconut, sunflower and rosehip oils, this lush certified natural balm melts on contact with warm skin, massaging easily onto the face and dissolving away every trace of make-up, along with any impurities and the remains of the day, leaving your skin perfectly cleansed, hydrated and supple.”
Buy the cleanser here.

7. Use an oil to balance your skin

Whether you suffer from oily or dry skin, the first step towards improving your complexion should be to restore balance. Vicky Osborn from Badger Balm UK (whose lip balm was highly commended in the Natural Health International Beauty Awards), says that the right sort of oils can be used to help with these problems.
“While oils are especially beneficial for extra-sensitive skin, they can be used for all skin types. Natural oils can nourish dry skin, be used to balance out combination skin and even help to treat oily, acne-prone skin,” she explains. “Our skincare range harnesses the power of precious oils to cleanse your face and replenish moisture, thereby bringing nature’s balance to your skin.” She adds: “The first step is to use a natural cleansing oil to dissolve congested facial oil and replace it with fresh, plant oils without stripping the skin. Secondly you can use a face oil, designed to help balance the skin with beneficial oils without blocking pores. And finally, we also offer an intensive beauty balm formulated for sensitive areas such as under eyes or particularly dry patches.”
Buy the oils here.

8. Look at the ingredients in your skincare

Finding products which use the most effective ingredients possible is a sure-fire way to ensure you’re doing the best for your skin. Tracey Foy from Mel Millis – the winner of the Luxe Range in the Natural Health International Beauty Awards – says that not only should you be looking for natural and organic skincare brands, but also those which contain pure and nutrient-rich ingredients, including amino acid peptides, bioactives and prebiotics.
“In the Mel Millis range these ingredients are all used to restore balance to the skin, protect it from environmental damages and guard against the ageing process. Our products also features skin-reviving duos like baobab and immortelle (the ‘everlasting’ flower with potent anti-ageing benefits), and sea plant algae and hyaluronic acid, alongside pumpkin, arctic cranberry, evening primrose and rosehip organic plant extracts, These are designed to feed the skin with exceptionally high concentrations of actives to maintain a healthy, well balanced structure. For us, it’s not just about what’s in a pot, it’s how the ingredients are delivered.”
Find out more here.