BEAUTY / GROOMING
THE NEXT 48 HOURS
For those with barnets in need of urgent attention, many hairdressers have extended their opening hours to cram in as many last-minute appointments as they can.
“Ask for a haircut that will still look good as it grows out in the next month or two,” hairdresser Desmond Murray says. The clever way to frame your face is with “curtain bangs” – a longer fringe that has its shortest point at the tip of the nose, graduating longer down the sides (think Goldie Hawn and Sienna Miller). It looks chic and also allows you to clip it back or tuck behind your ears as the style grows out.
Colourist Anita Rice from the Buller & Rice salons suggests: “By gradually lightening your hair with pieces of highlight or balayage, you can give the overall appearance of lighter hair without dealing with the obvious regrowth of block colour.” If you do want a quick manicure or pedicure before
Thursday, many mobile booking services including Blow LTD, Beautii and Ruuby all have appointments available nationwide for the next 48 hours.
THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS
If you’re desperate for a style update mid-lockdown, hop on to hairdresser George Northwood’s excellent Youtube channel for easy-to-follow tutorials. Also invest in an array of hair masks and conditioners – particularly important in winter. One of the bestselling products since the first lockdown is the No. 3 Hair Perfector mask by Olaplex (£26, asos. com). ASOS, Space NK and Cult Beauty all reported this hair hero among its top performers. For a good bath time all-rounder, the new Rose Pink Clay Mask by Aromatherapy Associates (£40, johnlewis.com) is a nourishing treatment that can be used on the face as well as the hair. For beauty treatments light therapy is proven to boost your serotonin and dopamine levels for an instant feelgood factor.
The beauty team swear by the Boost at-home light therapy mask by The Light Salon. It’s pricey at £395, but you can use the at-home device as often as you like for a quick 10-minute session. It helps to stimulate collagen and is instantly relaxing.
As for your bathroom cabinet, invest in a good ceramide-rich face cream to tackle any dry skin brought on by the cold weather. Kate Somerville’s Delikate Recovery Cream (£69, cultbeauty.co.uk) is instantly soothing, as is the High Performance Moisturiser by ADC Beauty (£55, harveynichols.com).
For at-home nails, nail expert Marian Newman regards a cuticle oil such as Solaroil by CND (£6.95, lookfantastic.com) as “the single most effective product to keep your nails in good nick while you’re at home”. For a quick paint update, she’s been using a nail brightener to make the nails appear healthier in a flash. Try the Je Glow Nail Brightener by Le Mini Macaron (£12.99, lookfantastic.com). It’s easy to use and you don’t need an overly steady hand for good results.