Our poor skin! Snow, wind, rain, central heating – no wonder our skin is rarely at its best at this time of year.

All the external conditions prevalent just now can really show in the condition of the skin. Lines and wrinkles, dry patches, dullness – all signs of a dehydrated skin that crying out for attention. Surprisingly even oily skins can be worse at this time of year as the top layer of skin dries out, the body feels it needs to produce more sebum, hence further breakouts.

The secret to beautiful winter skin is balance. Skin needs to be protected and nourished without being bombarded with heavy, greasy formulas. We need our products to sink into the upper layers of our skin rather than just to sit on the skins surface.

This may mean reapplying a lighter moisturizer during the day, or if you are a foundation wearer, choosing a product that will ‘drip feed’ the skin throughout the day.

Elizabeth Ardens 8 Hour cream is an icon in the beauty industry, providing moisture all day long under make up, as is Decleors Hydra Floral which will soothe, smooth and plump up the skin without being greasy.

If you have an oily skin you must thoroughly cleanse the skin without stripping it bare before adding your moisture layer. Try Liz Earles Cleanse and Polish for a clean but not stripped result and finish with her Skin Repair in the light formula, a wonderfully nourishing moisturiser with a matt appearance that will protect and soften without oiliness.

Mature skins can really suffer at this time of year as with dehydration, any lines and wrinkles appear more pronounced and the texture of the skin can be quite rough. Use products with plenty of ‘slip’ that will avoid any puling on fragile skin.

With age our collagen levels are depleted, causing a loss of elasticity and skin can be damaged more easily by rough handling, so avoid any products that drag on the skin.

Gatineau do a fabulous Omega moisturiser for dry or mature skins that smoothes on beautifully and provides everything you need for a more youthful, plump dewy look, or check out the L’Oreal counter for the over 50’s range as promoted by Jane Fonda.



Get your nails into great shape this spring with Avoplex Oil for OPI. A professional salon brand, OPI products are fantastic at restoring your nails to their perfect best, Avoplex Oil is an easy way to really moisturise nails and cuticles at this time of year when everyone’s nails extra dry, causing splitting and snapping.

Paint on as you would a varnish then gently massage in for best results. The oil can be applied on naked nails or over your manicure without spoiling it.

If you’re having difficulty growing your nails or keeping them in good order, have a look at OPI’s Nail Envy, a really easy to use treatment that will help to strengthen your nails without making them too brittle. Follow with one of their fabulous nail colours for a really long lasting manicure.



A good mascara can really make the difference between a good face and a great face! The eyes are so important in a made up face – whether you do foundation or not, bold eye make-up, or a more natural look, mascara is really the key to opening up the eye and making the best of whatever eye colour you have.

For most of us a great black mascara is an everyday must have, with most of us choosing it as our Desert Island product. It’s definitely worth investing in a really good quality mascara especially if your eyes are a little sensitive.

A great brush is an absolute must, beware of the gimmicky brushes on the market at the moment they sound fascinating but don’t necessarily do the job better than a traditional brush.

Better to put your money into a really good formula that won’t smudge or clump and that will remove easily without pulling and tugging at the delicate skin around the eyes.

We particularly like Chanels Inimitable which has a fab brush and really lengthens and adds volume without clumps and we use Gainteau’s Floracil to remove every trace gently but effectively.