“Nail art is a very inexpensive opportunity to be creative. It’s a colorful distraction and every day you can do something new with it! What I call drybrush nails is such an easy technique; you don’t even need a tutorial. I also call it ‘the wet paint manicure’ because it looks a but streaky. First, paint your nails a base color. Then, take a second color and when you take the brush out of the bottle, you wipe off all of the polish until almost all of the polish is off the brush and then you take the brush and streak it across the nail. Repeat with as many colors as you like. Mostly I like to do it randomly, but you can make it more placed and do it up the middle of the nail. The best part about it is that every color combination looks good. So whatever colors you have at home is going to make for a beautiful look.”

Give Yourself A Full Spa Experience

“Giving yourself weekly facial at home is a great way to get results above and beyond what your normal skincare routine offers. An at-home facial will take about 25 minutes.

Step 1: Start with a thorough yet gentle cleanse to remove all traces of makeup, sunscreen, oil, and debris from skin. This will create the ideal foundation for the rest of the facial, and ensure the following steps are as effective as possible.

Step 2: Apply a thin layer of an exfoliating peel which dissolves cellular build up to provide a really nice exfoliation.

Step 3: Follow immediately with a facial mask. For oily skin, use a non-drying, clay-based mask or a hydrating, gel based formula. If your skin is dry, choose a moisturizing oil-based mask. Leave the mask on for fifteen minutes and then rinse off gently with a washcloth or baby washcloth (for sensitive skin types) or a facial sponge.

Step 4: Finish off with an alcohol-free toner to remove impurities from tap water then seal everything off with a moisturizer. Dab on an eye cream to finish it all off.”

Try Out Gua Sha

“I highly recommend folks at home try out a simple gua sha routine. A gua sha stone is easy to find online and is reasonably priced. You use the flat stone pulled slowly across the contours of the face after applying a serum or oil for ‘slip’. It’s great at releasing tension within the facial muscles while also sculpting and lifting, releasing puffiness and excess fluid. It’s incredibly relaxing. It’s a routine that can be as quick or as long as you want it to be, so with more time to do these things it’s great to deepen your gua sha routine if you have one in place already.

First, make sure your skin is cleansed and you have a serum or oil applied so you don’t drag and pull the skin with the stone. Start by slowly running the gua sha tool around the back and front of the neck to open up the lymph pathways before starting on the face. No matter what routine you try, the concept is always to move the stone outwards and upwards up the neck and face. You want to move everything towards the lymph nodes behind the ears and at the base of the neck. A gua sha routine could be performed once or twice a week, or every day. There are no rules! I personally like to do it just before bed as I find it very relaxing.”

If you’re tired of the usual manicure every single time, try the newest trend in gel nails: Mirror chrome nails!

Mirror Chrome Gel Nails 101

Gel nails are the obvious choice when getting a manicure these days because they last 3 weeks without chipping. Chrome nails, also known as mirror nails or glass nails, are a step up from gel!

Chrome nails may cost a bit more than what you usually pay at the nail salon, but they’re definitely worth it. And they’ll be great for parties to compliment your outfit and your makeup!

Prefer to DIY your nails? Check out this easy tutorial to get gorgeous-looking mirror chrome gel nails at home.

Things You’ll Need to Have Mirror Chrome Gel Nails

• Black Gel Polish
• Gel Top Coat
• Chrome Powder
• Eyeshadow Applicator
• UV lamp

Mirror Chrome Gel Nails Instructions

Step 1: Black Base Polish

Prepare your nails like what you would usually do with gel nails. To create the full effect of the mirror nails:

• Apply a double coat of black gel polish
• Cure the gel for about 10-20 seconds under UV light to dry it instantly

Once this is done, apply a clear gel top coat and cure under the UV light once again. Now your nails are ready for the loose chrome powder!

Step 2: Buff on the Chrome Powder on Your Gel Nails

Use an eyeshadow brush to pick up an ample amount of chrome powder.

Dab on the powder to your UV-dried nails and start buffing. Make sure to put just enough pressure to create friction on your gel nails.

It might not come out right away but after a few rubs, the silver chrome effect will come out. It should look similar to foil.

Step 3: Clean Up

When you’ve applied the loose chrome powder on all your nails, brush away the remaining powder around the nails. These little buggers might be a bit harder to brush off compared to glitter.

Tip: If the cleaning part isn’t your style, you can apply liquid latex around your fingernails. The excess powder will stick to it instead of your skin.

Step 4: Apply Top Coat

Satisfied with your mirror chrome gel nails? Don’t forget to apply another layer of the clear top coat. This will help lock in the powder and retain the mirror-like effect.

Step 5: Cure Again

After everything, cure your new gorgeous nails for 60 seconds. Using alcohol, clean up any excess chrome powder around your chrome gel nails and then start enjoying people’s attentions!

When you need comfort but you’re either prone to spots, or are so dry you never get spots

Definitely don’t feel left out if you don’t enjoy sheet masks. Old school cream masks have been reinvented to be more effective than ever, though are still just as soothing as you remember. The aptly-named SOS mask range from Clarins includes hydra which is like a fix-all, cosy blanket, though one that is not too heavy for oily skin, while the mango seed oil in  ives it a more nourishing feel suited to very dry skins. Try using this style of mask once a week after cleansing – apply, leave on for as long as you find comfortable (with soothing masks like these, rather than those with active ingredients, that may be much longer than the usually recommended 10 minutes), then continue with the rest of your steps for comfortable, plumped up skin.

When you want to indulge in sensorial self-care

Overnight mask

The results of using this mask are certainly pleasant enough, but it’s the very act of using this that I really find the joy in. For a start, it comes with a masking accessory that is as practical as it is beautiful. A single white camellia petal, icon of the house of Chanel, is reimagined in silicone, and engraved with the signature interlocking Cs. You apply the mask to the petal and then use the petal to brush it ever so gently onto the skin, whereupon the gel texture transforms into tiny droplets that burst as you push them into the skin with your hands. It’s the wonder of a good science lesson (“how do they do that?”) combined with the pleasures of kindergarten (the joy of finger painting, reimagined for adults), and is taking masking to a whole new level. Plus, it will help any skin’s hydration levels.

When you want to do something but don’t feel like being covered in product

Eye Mask

I may have made plain my overall dislike of sheet masks, but I am very willing to make an exception for these miniature versions, which allow you to mask without a face full of goop. To the sceptics who may query if these are really any different to just applying an eye serum, I am happy to report that they are, as the fabric crescents allows much more product than you’d normally apply to the eye area to stay perfectly in the intended place. (This isn’t just based on feeling, either: due to the packaging, which keeps the fabric separate from the serum for optimum freshness, you can see just how much product is included. It’s generous, to say the least. And secure – popping the liquid barrier was the only part of using these eye masks I found tricky.) As with the full face sheet masks mentioned earlier, these would be best used just prior to an event for which you’d like to look particularly fresh; you won’t still see the results of these the next day, but for the entire day on which I had applied them and into the evening, the fine lines around my eyes were incredibly plumped up, and all without any irritation of my sensitive eye area.

When you’re mad at your face

Enzyme Peel

Getting angry at your own skin may be counterproductive, but let’s not pretend it doesn’t happen. I find myself most cross when a look in the mirror reveals either a visage that is grey (dull, dry and uninspiring), or bright red (hello, breakout city). Either way, the key is to deal with the problem much more gently than you’d like to, or you will only wind up making things worse. , a mild chemical exfoliant, is a useful option for restoring life to lacklustre skin without antagonising it.

If spots are your issue, particularly whiteheads, banish any thought of squeezing and instead try , the third member of its useful SOS trio. Pleasingly green in colour and botanical in scent, it relies on kaolin clay to draw the offending impurities up and out, but its soothing glycerine base means skin is calm after use, not dried out such that it’s ready to produce more oil than before.

When your face is mad at you

Cream Masks

This much-lauded product, best used when you’ve overdone it (be it on actives the day before or alcohol the night before) and need to apologise to your skin, is the cashmere blanket of face creams. And for all that it’s known as a beloved mask, I really do mean a face cream. The directions say to leave on for 10-15 minutes and then remove with a cotton pad, but that seems criminal. Instead, my favourite way to use this is by applying a thinnish layer, much like you would a night time moisturiser, just before tucking yourself into bed. (Ideally one freshly made up with monogrammed silk sheets, naturally – this product deserves it.) Expect to wake up to plump, calm, smooth skin. If you are an adult acne sufferer like I am, and your spots generally only appear on the chin and jawline, try using it on areas of the face which aren’t affected, such as the forehead and cheeks, so you can still enjoy a comforting treat. And for those who don’t adore rose, fear not: its scent never veers into the dreaded powdery, old lady territory, and is luxurious rather than overpowering.