Beauty rules: embrace or expel

Forget the rigid rules of yesterday and embrace a new set of beauty maxims that allow you to shine – imperfections and all.

1# Steal tricks and style inspiration from celebs you covet. You needn’t recreate precisely, instead take a little of their style and mix it with your natural mode for a unique take.

2# Don’t overlook your local pharmacy: a glut of glossy/cult bargains can be found (think Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara – apparently a fave of Gisele Bundchen).

3# Pass over convention for comfort. Traditional beauty rules would have you cover that initial grey hair at first sight, wouldn’t in a month of Sundays see you stepping outside with fingernail polish that didn’t exactly match that worn on your toes and certainly wouldn’t allow you to pluck those stray hairs sitting above the brow – god, no. Thankfully, our modern beauty motto is a lot less strict, meaning you can relax, have a bit of fun with your beauty regime and if plucking that hair above your brow ends in disaster, simply pop to the local brow bar for a quick fix.

4# Ditch the helmet in favour of hair that moves. Loose, wavy, “bed head” hair is better than the traditional “set” style any day. Not only is it possible to achieve in the comfort of home without forking out for a senior stylist, it’s more manageable and manoeuvrable, meaning you can go from work-place pretty to out-on-the-town temptress without having to brush out a stack of stiff hairspray.

5# Don’t shroud your imperfections, show them off – they’re what makes you you. Take freckles, for example; no longer thought of as a flaw but instead a peppering of prettiness, they’re cute, they’re quirky, and coveted by many. So don’t cover them up with matte foundation and concealer, emphasize their cuteness with light coverage and a dewy finish (a base like Rimmel London Recover Illuminating Anti-Fatigue Foundation will do the trick).

And, of course, who could forget the ultimate law of looking and feeling fabulous: make your own beauty rules!