Beauty Tips

There are lots of great tips for looking your best out there, but there are also some downright terrible ones. Most aren't bad enough to do real damage, but a few are so epically horrible that they're both hilarious and very, very scary. Behold! Five of the very worst beauty tips in all of history. They're jaw-droppingly awful, so to see them in all their infamy, just keep reading.

Summer warmth is giving way to the sweltering heat of the dog days, which is liable to wreck your hair, melt your makeup, and clog your pores. It may seem like a lost cause, but there are actually plenty of clever ways to beat the heat at its own game. To see what you'll need to make it through the heat wave looking totally cool, just keep reading.

Over the millennia, isolated human populations found various ways to keep their hair, nails, and skin in good shape using simple ingredients from the environments around them. Now, with increasing globalization, we have access to a whole world's worth of accumulated beauty knowledge. Keep reading to check out these 10 cool recipes and secret ingredients from spots around the globe.

Now that you have the dos and don'ts of summertime shaving down pat, do you think you have a handle on shaving cream? It's believed that the basic form of shaving cream was used in Sumer well around 5,000 years ago, and there are plenty of reasons we're still using it today — particularly during these warmer months. So to find out a few of the dos and don'ts of this truly old-school cosmetic, just keep reading.

Summer heat can mean lots of skin redness, whether from open capillaries near the skin's surface, sunburns, or heat rash. But if you're having a ruddy old time of it, there are lots of ways to calm your skin down and tone things down. So if you're tired of turning into a splotchy, lobster-like mess, just keep reading.

Wowza, when I saw these photos of Gwyneth Paltrow and Paris Hilton that were taken yesterday, my mouth began to salivate with jealousy over their shiny and bright blond hair. There's just something about having light hair in the summertime that catches my eye. If you go darker in the sun, there's a chance that your beautiful brown shade will oxidise to a red colour; if you go red, you risk turning orange. It made me think the grass is always greener: unless you're a totally natural blonde, you've got the worst type of high-maintenance hair to maintain. So if you're going to spend that kind of time and money on yourself, follow these three tips to keep your blonde bright!

• Is Your Water Too High in Iron?: If your bath or shower water has too much iron in it, your hair could turn from blonde to a reddish brassy tone in no time flat. Check your water supply for iron and simply add a water softener to your filter if necessary. *FYI, washing your hair with Evian or other bottled water, is not necessary.
• Keep Your Hair Conditioned: Bleach tends to strip hair of moisture, so before it becomes too dry and brittle, deep condition it twice a week and be sure to use a moisturising conditioner every time you wash your hair.
• Use a Purple or Blue Shampoo: Since purple is the opposite colour to yellow on the colour chart, a blue- or purple-toned shampoo will help keep your hair colour bright and brassy free. There are even purple styling products on the market now for blond hair that have a violet tone in them. Try John Frieda Sheer Blonde Colour Renew Styling Mousse (£4.19), and see what you think!

Being in the beauty biz for this long, I thought that I'd heard just about every makeup tip and trick out there, but as it turns out, I'm still able to be stumped. Upon meeting with one of the lovely MAC public relations girls, she told me about a little product called MAC LipMix that makeup artists constantly use in editorial and fashion shows.

Naturally, my intrigue was peaked and she sent me a sample to play with! LipMix works as base. It's clear, creamy, and glossy, and it basically allows you to blend it with any pigment that you like to create your own colour. What's great is that it's totally customisable and is a fun way to be able to match your lips, eyes and cheeks if you like.

So far, the only drawback I've found is that it has a bit of a gluey smell, so if you're going to mix it with something, perhaps choose a scented pigment! Lipmix has become so popular with the pros that it's now available in three colours (not clear unfortunately) online for the masses selling for £9.50 each. If you're looking for clear (or other colours and textures), then you'll have to hit up the Soho London store where you can find it in stock. Do you have any secret weapon products to tell us about?

I intentionally misuse makeup every day. In fact, when I'm not testing products, my regular beauty routine consists of at least three cosmetic items that I use for something other than their designated purposes. And a lot of the time, I find that I like products better and get more use out of them when I turn them to "off-label" purposes. Want to see which items in your makeup bag you should definitely try putting to other beauty ends? Then just keep reading.

Whilst spending time with famed hairdresser Charles Worthington, we not only talked about his background, my hair and the 2010 BAFTA Awards, but we also talked about how to keep hair looking its best for a big night out.

Oftentimes, hair is done hours before an event, making it challenging to keep it full and fresh looking. Charles has created amazing red carpet looks for celebrities attending the Oscars, BAFTA's, Brit Awards and many, many other celebrations. To find out some of his best kept secrets for keeping fine and thick hair looking its best for a long stretch of time, just read more