Back to beauty school
Washing your hair and removing nail polish isn’t rocket science, but we think there’s always room for improvement when it comes to your beauty routine. So, sharpen your pencils and get your notebooks ready for our lessons in time-saving swaps and clever tweaks
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LESSON 2
Remove nail polish without staining your skin
Bold colours make for a lovely mani but are messy to clean off – unless you know this trick from manicurist Deborah Lippmann. Hold a cotton pad soaked with polish remover on the nail for 30 seconds. Press down firmly, then slide off the pad, swiping from the nail base to the tip. Nail colours to look out for, include Max Factor Masterpiece Xpress Quick Dry polish in Berry Cute, £4.99, and OPI Nail Lacquer in Dressed to the Wines, £13.50.
1 LESSON 1 Hit the sweet spot with blush
‘If you place it too high, it’ll settle into fine lines around the eyes,’ says make-up artist Pati Dubroff. Start with your brush on the apple of your cheek in line with your pupil. Swirl lightly, then sweep it up along your cheekbones. Don’t forget to smile! ‘This helps you see where to apply product so you avoid any harsh-looking edges,’ Pati says. best loves
Sleek MakeUP Face Form Blush, £4.99 (four shades), a light powder which you can layer up.
3 LESSON 3 Stop eyeshadow from creasing
‘This happens when your eyelids get oily,’ says make-up artist Rebecca Restrepo. She offers this crease-proof prep trick. Before you apply shadow, dab your eyelids with an oil-blotting sheet like Soap & Glory Blot Right Now 30 Blotting Sheets, £4. Pat on concealer, blot again, and you’re primed and ready to apply eyeshadow!
6 LESSON 6 Curl lashes like a pro
Instead of clamping the curler only at the base of your lashes, which bends them to a 90-degree angle, squeeze it at the roots and then move along the lashes, pressing them in a few places as you go to form a soft, natural curve. If you have blue, green or hazel eyes, swipe on some blue coloured mascara to enhance your colour and make your eyes appear brighter.
4 LESSON 4 Ease up on the shampoo
Over-washing hair so it’s squeaky-clean strips it of natural protective oils. ‘You only need a 20p-sized drop of shampoo for hair that’s chin-length or shorter, and a 50p-sized one for hair that’s longer,’ says Michael Shaun Corby, global creative director of Living Proof haircare. ‘Emulsify the shampoo with water, then massage it into the scalp. When you rinse, the suds will run through the clean the ends of hair.’ For a volume boost, we rate Plantur39 Phyto-Caffeine Shampoo, £9.99, which gives body with regular use.
5 LESSON 5 Be clever with concealer
For a flawless look in seconds, blend concealer under your eyes, even if you don’t have dark circles. This makes skin look brighter and more even, so you may find that you don’t need to use as much foundation. We like Nudestix NudeFix Cream Concealer, £24 (13 shades).