Tried and tested beauty secrets

15:18 09 March 2006

Esme Floyd's beauty bible contains 1,001 secrets and solutions.

Here are some of Floyd's top tips for how to get the perfect pout, sparkling eyes, and the best solutions that nature has to offer.

Natural solutions

• For the smoothest facial skin, copy the Egyptian queens and insist on silk or satin pillows. This will smooth facial wrinkles while you sleep and ensure you wake up looking your best
• It's best to start using anti-ageing creams in your 30s and 40s to get maximum effects. Before that, their richness is too heavy for younger skins
• A carrot mask can work wonders for blemished complexions. Use a boiled, mashed carrot. Apply to blemished areas and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry
• Betacarotene, a powerful anti-ageing antioxidant, is a pigment in yellow and red fresh foods that the body converts into vitamin A to generate new cells. Get your dose from apricots, peaches, nectarines, sweet potatoes, carrots and green leafy vegetables

Make-up magic

• Light-diffusing foundations deflect light from fine lines and contain micro-pigments that give a smooth finish. They have an instant anti-ageing effect and add a subtle glow
• If you want a dewy look once you've applied base, moisten a gauze pad with a mild astringent like witch hazel and gently pat your face. The witch hazel will remove the matt look and leave skin covered, but radiant

Bright eyes

• Don't put eye cream on your upper lids before bedtime or you'll wake up with puffy lids. The cream will prevent delicate skin in this area from breathing
• For a different look on dark lashes, go for a topcoat of plum mascara to complement dark hair and eyes. Applying it over black is an excellent evening option
• To draw attention away from under-eye bags or circles, avoid applying eyeliner or mascara to lower lashes, which could draw attention down instead of up

The perfect pout

• Newly developed lip-plumping glosses, with swelling ingredients such as cinnamon and menthol, can temporarily inflate the pout, mimicking the effects of surgical lip filler such as collagen
• Just as your face needs regular moisturising, so do your lips. Before you go to bed is the perfect time to allow the moisture to sink in. Apply a large dose of lip balm before you go to sleep
• Lips will appear fuller with a spot of gloss in the middle of the mouth, particularly on the upper lips
• To stop your lipstick bleeding, apply the lipstick then dot powder at the upper and lower corners of the mouth and the outside edge to fill in lines. Brush away any excess powder

Spa secrets

• Make your own body exfoliator by mixing ground sea salt with 12 drops of a stimulating essential oil such as grapefruit or lemon. Make a paste by adding water and apply in circular strokes
• Follow Cleopatra's example and add three cups of powdered or fresh milk to a warm bath. The lactic acid in it will soften and gently exfoliate the skin
• Create your own steam room by closing the bathroom door and running a hot shower. Your skin will be warmed and primed for further treatments such as facemasks

Source: The Daily Express