We’ve all seen them, and most of us have been them, the lobsters on the beach desperate, after a long English winter, to soak up every ray of sun without a thought for the UV damage.

The problem is, after months of hardly seeing the sun, and certainly no strong sun, our skin isn’t ready for the real thing.

Those who rush to the beach or pool side immediately after disembarking from the plane and sunbathe for 5 hours straight all too often end up looking like a flaky lobster for the rest of the holiday.

Pain, blisters, difficulty moving, cancelling tours due to the discomfort are the all too common symptoms of the desperate English holiday maker. And the worst part is the tan doesn’t stick. In fact, there is no tan!!!

This seems to be something that people too often forget. If you burn badly you simply peel. It won’t miraculously turn into a tan, it’ll just be red, painful, itchy and flaky. And by the time you get home you’re either patchy or pasty white again.

So what can you do???

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What’s new in makeup this season? It’s grey outside and on the railings of all the shops, but what does that mean for our faces?

You’ve probably given your skin a good old makeover, but now is the time to start chucking out all of last seasons half used cosmetics and give your bathroom cabinet and face an over-haul. Since the sun has gone on holiday you can’t rely on your tan and minimal make up to look great anymore. You need to look more glamorous and more polished during this season. Velvety shades are the way to go for the winter woman.

Matte understated shades such as coffee, chocolate and smoky shades for eyes and berry tones for lips and cheeks replace the fresh summer face. And YAY! Gloss is back in again and so are our beloved fruity and spicy tones of cosmetics.

Here are some tips you can use this season:
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Early to bed, early to rise, makes a girl healthy, wealthy and hot

We all have bad habits when it comes to our health and beauty regime, we all know what we should be doing, but it’s far easier to smoke that pack of cigarettes, drink that 4th Cosmopolitan, go to bed with your make up on and ditch your morning run than stick to a routine. Who among us hasn’t made umpteen New Year’s resolutions, and failed on the first day (surely that’s not just me?).

You need to find a routine that suits you and isn’t too stringent, otherwise your going to chuck the whole thing. Here are a few tips that could help you stay looking younger, more vibrant and feeling healthier.

Keep away from the chocolate trolley, keep fruit or nuts on your desk to help stave off those mid afternoon munchies.

You can get a wide range of nuts, seeds and dried fruits that can replace naughty crisp cravings and keep you fuller for longer.

Cereal bars are handy, easy to pop in your handbag and you can trick yourself into thinking your scoffing a choccie bar.

Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, its not as difficult as you might think. Juice, tinned and dried fruit count towards it. When serving your plate put on an equal amount of veg and carbs. You will still feel full but will also be eating healthier.
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