Now is the time of year when hopefully we are enjoying glorious spring weather, with beautiful sunshine and, fingers crossed, not too many showers! Just as we spring clean our homes, so we should also spring clean our skin and make-up.

Exfoliate

You should do this twice weekly to remove dead surface skin and unblock pores. This step is imperative in our weekly routine and often overlooked. When done correctly it gives us a clean canvas for all the moisturisers we then apply to be well absorbed.

Remember to exfoliate your body as well as your face. Briskly exfoliate in an upwards direction before showering, then follow with a cold rinse, which is great for your skin and scalp.

Fake tan season is around the corner so again if you don’t do a really comprehensive exfoliation prior to tanning, it can be really obvious, as the colour tends to sit on any dry surface skin – particularly knuckles, elbows and cracked heels.

Correct and conceal

Before you use a corrector, ensure your under eyes are well hydrated. This is essential so that correctors and concealers do not sit in any lines or accentuate wrinkles. Correctors really are fabulous for neutralising and colour correcting under eye darkness or discolouration.

When you first look at correcting shades, your initial reaction may be ‘this shade will never work’. However, you will be pleasantly surprised. Peachier shades suit fairer skin, while those with a grey/bluish discolouration should look for a pink corrector to neutralise. Bobby Brown has excellent correctors which are expensive, but they last for a very long time and this step is worth the effort.

IT cosmetics from the USA now sell their beauty range ‘IT’ in Boots; their concealers are best sellers in the US. One of their newer products has illuminating light reflecting particles, which give good coverage. Less is definitely more and they really last forever.

Don’t forget to lightly dab concealer on the inside corner of the eyes, which for many of us can look a little discoloured. With just a touch of make-up this area appears instantly uplifted.

When you are satisfied with your correct and conceal, be careful not to ruin the effect with heavy powder, which will settle and look ageing. Laura Mercier has a great translucent setting powder – if you gently roll over with a light brush it will not settle into fine lines. Once again, less is more with any powder.

Neck and deck

This refers to our necks and décolletage; these areas have particularly thin skin and are prone to slackening and ageing before other areas owing to no support. If you protect this area early on it will help to keep your skin firm.

PRAI has an excellent neck and décolletage cream, reasonably priced and very effective. Their beauty salon in the Dorchester Hotel is dedicated to the ‘neck and deck’, but you can achieve similar results for a fraction of the price in your own home!