Archive copy by Jenni Baden Howard

Glowing Skin

If months of cold, wintery weather have left your complexion dry and drained of colour, you can put the glow back for summer in no time at all. ‘It’s always possible to improve the appearance of tired-looking skin,’ says top British make-up artist Ruby Hammer, co-founder of the funky and affordable Ruby & Millie make-up range. ‘One “hero product” which I swear by on early morning photo shoots is a revitalising face mask by the French skincare company Guinot called Radiance Comfort Mask (£18.50). It’s a creamy, non-drying mask that instantly gives the most weary-looking faces a fresher, brighter look and helps to alleviate puffiness or darkness around the eyes. I use it on myself and on models when they’re exhausted but need to look healthy and bright-eyed.’

Two other skin-brightening face masks worth looking out for are Eve Lom’s Rescue Mask (£19.50), loved by beauty editors (for stockists, tel: 0171- 935 9988) and The Body Shop’s Honey & Oatmeal Scrub Mask (£5.15), which exfoliates and moisturises winter-weary complexions in one treatment (and it smells delicious).

‘Another little trick to “wake up” tired-looking skin is to simply fill up a sink with icy cold water and place your face in it,’ says Ruby. ‘It immediately refreshes the face and has a tightening effect.’

In her indispensable book Bobbi Brown Beauty (Ebury Press, £14.99), the American make-up artist-to-the-stars offers the following advice for mornings when you look tired: ‘Do something cardiovascular. Go for a run, fast walk or swim. Exercise will get rid of the puffiness in your face and open up your pores. It will help energise you for the day and will make you feel better. Even ten minutes will help.’

Like Ruby, Bobbi recommends taking the time to apply a creamy, rejuvenating face mask followed by an extra-generous application of moisturiser, to help soften the skin and give it an immediately plumper, more well-rested look. ‘Remember to give creams and lotions a few minutes to absorb before applying your make-up,’ she points out.

Instead of using foundation, try switching to one of the latest lightweight tinted moisturisers (and concealer where needed - see BRIGHT EYES) to add colour and luminosity. ‘Foundation can actually accentuate tired skin and appear heavy on the face,’ cautions Bobbi. Three hot new summer buys: Beauty Without Cruelty’s Natural Look Tinted Moisturiser (£3.95) in Fair or Medium, part of a new colour cosmetics range now arriving in shops (stockists and mail order, tel: 0181- 979 8156); Givenchy’s super-sheer Teint Minimal (£22), available in a choice of 6 shades from Champagne to Bronze and Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 15 (£28), in 5 shades, which slips onto the skin to provide a smooth, natural-looking coverage (available from June at Harrods and space NK apothecary, mail order tel: 0870- 1699999).

‘If your skin is looking sallow, choose a make-up base which has some pink in it,’ advises Ruby, who also suggests customising your normal foundation or tinted moisturiser by applying Ruby & Millie’s colour-correcting Base Enhance (£10) in Purple beforehand. ‘This always works wonders on tired, dull skin,’ she says.

Lightly dusting a bronzing powder onto the cheeks, nose and forehead will also turn around pasty-looking skin in seconds. Try The Body Shop Colourings’ Tinted Bronzing Powder (£5), which comes in a choice of 2 shades. Apply bronzing powder sparingly using a large face powder/blusher brush for the most natural results. Bath & Body Works’ Retractable Blusher Brush (£9.50) is a generous size and the twist-up packaging means it can be squeezed into most make-up bags (at branches nationwide, inquiries tel: 0171- 580 0707).

At night, try mixing a small amount of facial self-tanner with your normal moisturiser or overnight cream (about one part self-tanner to two parts moisturiser) and you’ll wake up with glowier skin which doesn’t look obviously tanned. Even easier, snap up Bobbi Brown Essentials’ new-for-summer Sunless Tanning Face Gel (£15), an oil-free formula which gives washed-out skin a flattering (and not at all orangey) glow (inquiries, tel: 0800- 525501).

Moisturising facial sprays are always refreshing on bleary-eyed mornings (keep a small spritzer handy during the summer months and use it as a skin pick-me-up). Among the best are Darphin’s Nebulskin Aromatic Spray (£15), with delicately aromatic plant extracts (stockists, tel: 0181- 847 1777); The Body Shop’s new Energising Face Spritz (£3.45) with essential oils and Paul Mitchell’s hydrating Awapuhi Moisture Mist (£2.10), a non-aerosol spray in a travel size which can also be used to pep-up lifeless locks (stockists, tel: 01296- 390590).

On days (or nights) when you want to look as radiant as possible, create a trick of the light by wearing something light close to your face (a white top will help to bounce light off your skin; crisp white tablecloths do the same in restaurants). ‘Pearls (real or imitation) draw flattering, reflective light to the face,’ notes Bobbi.

Bright Eyes

Say goodbye to telltale dark circles and put the sparkle back into tired, bleary-looking eyes. ‘For puffy eyes, I always apply for a couple of cold teabags,’ says Ruby. ‘Simply wet two tea bags and then put them in the freezer for a couple of minutes. If I’m on a shoot, I’ll often use a couple of cotton wool pads soaked in cold water instead. Close your eyes and rest them on your lids for a few minutes. The problem usually subsides within a few hours of getting up and moving around, anyway.’

Sleeping on a pillow which is sufficiently raised can help to prevent puffiness in the first place (try dotting your pillow with a 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil, too, to help ensure a good night’s slumber).

Most soothing eye gels and creams contain ingredients renowned for their soothing, decongesting properties such as Cosmetics To Go’s Gourmet Lite Around The Eye Emulsion (£3.50), which feels instantly refreshing (mail order, tel: 01202- 621966) and Prescriptives’ new Vibrant Instant Eye Brightener for Dark Circles and Puffiness (£23) with “micro-light illuminators” which also help to reduce “panda eyes” (on counter from May). ‘Applying gentle pressure to the eye area with massage can also help to drain away a build-up of fluid,’ adds Ruby.

To conceal dark circles, Ruby recommends moisturising the eye area before applying a pre-make-up base such as Ruby & Millie’s Pre Base (£8) - ‘It has a slightly pink tone in it which lifts the graininess underneath the eyes,’ she explains, or try Cosmetics A La Carte’s Colour Corrector (£20) in Peach (inquiries, tel: 0171- 235 0596), followed by a light-reflective concealer. Choose one that’s especially designed to counteract darker undereye shadows such as Estée Lauder’s Disappear Smoothing Creme Concealer (£13.50) or Bobbi Brown Essentials’ Professional Concealer (£13.50). Go for one shade lighter than your skin tone to “lift” the whole undereye area.

‘Concealer should be applied to the entire area under the eye, from the innermost corner out to the outer corner using a gentle, patting motion,’ explains Bobbi. ‘For the innermost corner, use a concealer brush as this is the darkest area and often hard to reach.’ Tesco’s make-up Lip/Concealer Brush (£3) is perfect for the task.

Last, but not least, keep brows well-groomed. Maintaining a clean, neat shape by plucking out stray hairs and “fixing” brows with a stroke of clear mascara or dab of gel or balm really helps to “open up” the eyes.

Shiny, Vibrant Hair

‘Dull, dry, lifeless hair is often simply the result of product build-up caused by conditioners, serums and styling sprays,’ explains Daniel Balbes, creative stylist at Michaeljohn (appointments, tel: 0171- 629 6969). ‘Using a special “deep- cleansing” shampoo will help to remove any build-up and leave hair looking and feeling clean, healthy and revived.’

Designed to be used as a revitalising treatment every two weeks, Aveda’s Hair Detoxifier (£8.50) contains sage, a natural astringent and moisturising aloe extract (stockists, tel: 0171- 410 1600); Origins’ No Deposit (£8.50) works in the same way and is recommended “if your hair acts bored” (stockists, tel: 0800- 7314039).

Look out, too, for shampoos containing stimulating extracts such as menthol or tea tree essential oil. ‘As well as awakening the senses, these shampoos leave the scalp tingling,’ says Balbes. ‘Rinsing with cool water will further encourage blood flow to the scalp.’ Try Michaeljohn’s Salon Formula Tea Tree Shampoo (£2.99) with tea tree and peppermint essential oils (at Sainsbury’s), Paul Mitchell’s excellent Tea Tree Special Shampoo (£6.95) or Nirvana Natural’s Wild Mint Shampoo (£3.50) with invigorating organic mint (stockists and mail order, tel: 01344- 360931).

To pump-up limp-looking locks, Balbes suggests applying a volumising product such as Michaeljohn’s Root Lift and Thickening Spray (£3.19) or Sam McKnight’s Big Mousse (£3.95) after shampooing. ‘Towel-dry hair and comb the product through from roots to mid-lengths before you blow-dry. Finish the blow-dry with your hairdryer on a cool setting and then run through a small amount of serum to help reflect light and boost shine.’

A word about colour: ‘The wrong hair colour can drain all the life from the face and leave you looking drawn and tired,’ says top British colourist Jo Hansford, who recently tinted Cate Blanchett’s tresses a lively honey blonde. ‘If your skin is naturally sallow, blonde hair will make you look washed-out. Very pale skin and dark hair is another trap: unless the hair has a definite tone and the cut is very sharp it can be very dulling. Dark hair needs a good shine, or you can lighten the hairline to give the features a lift and brighten the eyes.’

According to Jo, even the most subtle colour change can make a big difference in ‘waking up the face and hair’. In particular, she suggests a technique she calls “tipping”: ‘Slices of colour are placed throughout the hair and the ends tinted with a complimentary shade which frames the face and gives the skin a sparkle,’ she explains. ‘This idea can be adapted to suit all hair colours and lengths, including longer hair. People forget about the skin on their neck and how this can affect the way they look, so the “tips” of colour should be focussed on the hair that sits on the neck to keep a softness in that area.’

If you don’t want to go for a permanent colour change, Jo recommends enhancing your hair’s natural tone and shine with a chemical-free vegetable colour, available at most salons (Jo Hansford’s Vegetable Colour, from £28, is available by mail order if you send the salon a recent photograph of yourself, inquiries, tel: 0171- 495 7774).

Finally, a great way to give yourself an instant “lifted” look - especially around the eyes - is to pull your hair back into a tight, smooth ponytail. The higher the ponytail, the more “lifted” the effect will be. What could be simpler?