Wahanda Expert Panel

Alcohol, stress, cold winds and ferocious central heating are all seasonal triggers that can exacerbate rosacea says Red magazine’s beauty editor at large Rosie Green. Here’s her guide to keeping the frustrating condition under control in cold weather.

One in ten people are affected by the skin condition rosacea. It is more prevalent in women, fair skinned Celtic types and those of us over thirty. Hmmm. Well, I tick all those boxes and over the years stress and lifestyle factors have meant my rosy cheeks have developed into something more, er, pronounced. In fact I have spent over a decade attempting to keep my fiery face under control.

So what exactly is rosacea? Dr Brandt, a US Dermatologist says "rosacea is a non contagious vascular condition." By vascular he refers to our blood...

Few things are more daunting than arriving in a department store perfumery with the task of choosing a scent for someone special. The choice of perfumes is vast, with accompanying glossy marketing campaigns vying for your attention and telling you practically nothing about how each product actually smells. The answer is often to ignore the parfums du jour and look back to the greats. Tried, tested and loved by millions, these familiar classics - both modern and old - can often be the safest bets. Give these perfumes with love and see them received with deep gratitude.

Chanel No5When all else fails, there will always, always be No5. Coco Chanel’s first perfume (called No5, after the formula chosen from a shortlist of nine blends), is arguably the most iconic scent of all time. The simple,...

Boy do we like to over think things. Especially when it comes to meditation - the magical bridge to the here and now and some much needed R&R for the body and soul. Meditation is medicine for the mind. The antidote that can create space and time wherever we find ourselves, helping us heal from the very inside, out and cope with the frenetic lives we lead today. Healthy mind, healthy body, right?

But for many of us Westerners the very thought of meditation and slowing down our thoughts puts our head in even more of a spin. Our mischievous monkey minds are up to hi-jinks most of the time as it is, our fickle attention swinging from this thought to that, through the vines of our internal jungle. Then, when we consciously start to quieten those thoughts and drop down from those vines to find...

As the beauty editor of HELLO! it is my job to interview the celebrities who appear at premieres, on red carpets and at VIP parties, but it’s also my aim to get the gossip from the experts in the know who help them to look their best. And it’s interesting that, over the years, certain hints and tips, products and potions appear time and time again. It doesn’t matter if the celebrity in question is rock and roll Rihanna, prim and proper Nicole Kidman or funny and fab Cameron Diaz, the same concealers, brightening powders, skin sheens and soft focus foundations are used to make them look their best.

So can they also work for your Christmas party? Of course they can. Here’s what the experts use to rock the red carpet.

The Flawless FoundationsIf you want your base to last throughout the...

Making merry with our friends and getting to wear our favourite sparkly clothes – we all love festive soirees but we want to look our best. Thankfully there are fast ways to slim thighs, clear complexions and get locks looking luscious if you’re short of time. These six A-list-approved diets, skincare regimes and haircare tips will help you to get fighting fit and fabulous for when the mistletoe comes out.

Little black dress dietJames Duigan, author of Clean and Lean, £12.99, (Kyle Cathy) and personal trainer to Elle MacPherson and Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley, recommends his 14-day diet, which offers a fast track way to detox. “It’s all about ridding your body of the nasty toxins that cling on to the fat leaving you with squishy flesh around the legs, hips and back,” says Duigan. “Eat...

Remember when facials consisted of a cleanse, a spot-squeeze, a mask and a goodbye? Those days are (thankfully) long gone from any reputable salon. Now the emphasis is on truly bespoke, personalised skincare that bridges the gap between a cosmetic doctor’s appointment and a traditional spa treatment. 2012 saw several new trends making it big:

The Oxygen FacialAnd breathe. The biggest facial of 2012 at London medispa and celebrity hangout BeautyWorksWest was the Intraceuticals Oxygen Facial. A favourite of supermodel Miranda Kerr and singer Katherine Jenkins, it involves using oxygen under pressure to infuse serums and hyaluronic acid into the skin.

There are three different facials to deal with different skin woes - from acne to wrinkles - but each leaves skin bright, firm and lifted....

So why do you want to diet, anyway? Diets are all a bit last year, you know. The latest trends, diet-wise, are less about juice fasts or detailed meal-plans and more about eating right for life. But don’t worry, they still ‘work’. I say that because while we all pay lip-service to the concept of eating better for all the right reasons (steady blood sugar levels, better concentration, better sleep), let’s face it - at this time of year, the main reason for watching what  we eat is to slip more easily into our slinky party dress. Whatever your motivation, this is what’s on the menu…
 
PrehabThe new view in health and fitness is pre-hab rather than re-hab, and the same goes for eating: get your food intake under control now, and there will be less damage to undo in future (just think how...

We went backstage at London Fashion Week to find out which trends you’ll really be wanting to rock next summer; there were triangle-shaped afros, six tone nails and (deep breath) green faces. London Fashion Week proved to be its usual melting pot of the weird and wonderful.

Yet somewhere between cartoon faces and ‘beautifully feral’ hair, (no – not a clue either) there were some really wearable trends that you’ll want to take from backstage into your own bathroom. Here’s our top five.

1. The impeccable pony

Whether you looked left or right, London Fashion Week was full of side partings. The easiest way to work this is to take a tip from stylist, Luke Hersheson at DAKS and copy his newly neat pony. Wave goodbye to your baby hairs by spraying L’Oréal Professional Infinium Hairspray, £10...

As if the world of yoga isn't daunting enough (all those bendy people with their legs behind their heads!), there are so many different types of classes these days, it's hard to know what's going to suit you. With 28 years experience as a Health & Beauty Journalist on glossy magazines and having just got back from a remote ashram in India, I’ll help you decide whether you should go hot or Hatha, Iyengar or Kundalini in my expert guide to the major yoga styles.

Hatha

All yoga has its roots in Hatha. In the ancient yogic texts, it's the name given to physical practice (postures and breathing) to balance mind, body and spirit. 'Ha' means sun and 'tha' means moon, and the word is sometimes translated as the union of opposites. When a class is labelled Hatha, it tends to have a gentle pace...

Whatever the weather at home, we all know the soul-boosting benefits of a holiday abroad. Whether it’s a long weekend’s city break or a long-haul beach trip, time away gives us that much-needed opportunity to switch off from a busy working week and relax, with nothing more complicated than a good book and a cool cocktail.

A little holiday sun (under sensible SPF supervision, of course) is also often the tonic we need to restore our inner and outer glow, but how to combat those inevitable post-holiday blues caused by a fast-fading tan?

The answer is with a little help from some glow-giving essentials that will help you prolong that holiday feeling (and fabulous honey-hue) long after the sun has set.


Skin saviours

You may have relished getting some sun on your face while you were...

Like a lot of people, summer is my favourite season and although the sun has barely raised its head this year, I still live in hope that it will come out to play.  The summer always inspires my cooking and brings a smile to my face; quite simply when the sun is shining everything seems fine.  

The summer has a special place in everyone’s heart; from childhood it represents long hazy summer days away from school books and now that I am a mother it is also a time in the year when I get to spend some quality time with my daughter. 

The summer is also a great to time to gather friends and family and with a little help from the weather al fresco dining is simply heaven. There are few things better than being surrounded by the people you love sharing dishes and catching up over platters of...

Thanks to the internet, the beauty world is now one and interest in products from across the globe has never been higher. Taking inspiration from beauty around the world means we have more knowledge about cultural beauty ideals and also easier access to new beauty rituals and global cult products. Stellar products that are heading our way - or have very recently arrived - from across the globe are set to shake up and wake up our beauty routines.

BB beautiful

Dr Jart Water Fuse Most Moist BB Cream comes from Korea and is a legend amongst BB (Blemish Balm) creams. A BB cream must give coverage, provide skin care elements (such as sebum control or anti-ageing), moisturise and contain SPF to differentiate from usual tinted moisturisers.

Originally created for women who had undertaken...


This summer is all about illuminating the skin with a retro twist for the ladies, while men are going for that 80s/90s Miami tan. We’re also embracing the Olympian tan, which is about working with the lines on the body to achieve an athletic and toned appearance – here’s how to get the look...



The Pin Up Tan

This summer is all about luxury Hollywood glamour with an art deco feel; bronzed, dewy, golden-looking skin with a flawless finish. This is about using your self tan to add a golden sheen to the skin and then adding products to give it a flawless complexion. Marilyn Monroe, a true Hollywood legend known for her starring roles in 'Some Like It Hot' and 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes', was very much an advocate for glowing illuminated skin, knowing that the way the light hit her would...

It’s a very shallow thing to admit, but waking up with a flat stomach is – for me anyway – one of the great pleasures in life. As fleeting as the joy may be, there is a certain triumph associated with being able to do up your jeans without a struggle, especially as the flatness positively ripples over the rest of your body – you feel like there is less of you everywhere, just as you do when with a tan – and of course your mind. Flat stomach = good mood day.

I know I’m not alone in this, so I say thank the lord for instant inch-loss treatments, the best of which give you similar diminishing (or ‘flattening’) benefits as an all-over body quick-fix.

To be clear, the best way – the only way – to view quick slimming treatments is as a fast and temporary fix. I say this because sometimes...

Forget irritability and cravings, The De-Stress Diet can help you lose weight and make you feel good long term – what better impetus is there for sticking to a healthy lifestyle, says co-author Anna Magee

Stress affects sleep, skin, mood, even your heart health and now, mounting evidence has uncovered a strong link between chronic stress with excess weight. When we’re stressed, our bodies create the hormone cortisol that encourages the body to release calories, fat and energy into the bloodstream. That cortisol not only signals the body to store stubborn fat around the belly, hips and thighs, it can make us crave the sugary and fatty junk foods that feed stubborn fat.

A diet and lifestyle addressing stress is the key to long-term weight loss and a calmer mind but it’s the one thing...

Why is it so important to have well-groomed, defined brows?Defined eyebrows give you a manicured look, structure to your face and accentuates the effect of the eyes. If there’s one aspect of your appearance that you maintain, it should always be your brows. They have the ability to make a big difference to the way you look and how confident you feel.

How can the shape of our eyebrows transform our look?Eyes are the most important feature of your face and professionally manicured eyebrows make an enormous difference. For older people, a well styled brow can be the equivalent to a mini-face-lift, yet is inexpensive and takes just a few minutes.

What are the trends for brows at the moment? Is the bushy "scouse" brow something we should be copying or is it just a fad?The ‘scouse’ brow,...

What is aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils extracted from plants for therapeutic purposes and can work on a physical as well as emotional level to improve one’s general state of health and wellbeing.

I was hooked on aromatherapy from the very first day I started working with essential oils and saw how incredibly powerful they are at delivering incredible results. On a physical level, because essential oils are made up of very small molecules, they are able to penetrate into our blood stream and help many problems. They are used extensively in the spa sector, to help ease muscular aches and pains, improve circulation and ease sinus congestion. Within skincare, by penetrating into the deeper layers of the skin, they can help to optimise the cellular renewal process,...

Every celebrity and nearly all major brands have them: a PR team of dedicated professionals to manage their image, change how they are perceived and draw attention to the good things that they do!

There is a great quote that reads ‘everything you say and do is public relations’. Hiring a PR agency or a publicist is just a way of focusing and refining the messages that you want to send out, but the truth is we are sending out messages all day long with the things we say, do and put out into the world.

The truth is, the same marketing and PR principles can be applied to your own life to take you from where you are to where you want to be, whether it’s drawing more attention to your business, playing up your good points at work for that promotion or deciding to change your image for a...

With many statistics now citing work and emotional stress as the new main cause of illness, it may be time to do a health check on whether you allow regular time for your mind and body to recharge.

With ‘burnout’ on the rise, we often need a reminder that pushing on through and then expecting two weeks’ holiday every 6 months to counter that, doesn’t really add up. This can be especially true when the idea of the holiday on the horizon even stops us looking at how we are living life in the here and now.

When we may have slipped into the idea that unless it’s exotic or outside our back yard, then it’s not really ‘getting away’, we may be missing the truly simple pleasures that are around us all the time. Personally I find the packing/flying/being away combo can often be a lot less de...

This spring plays host to a variety of fresh and fun looks for nails, from striking neons and cool and flirty pastels, to simple buffed and bare nails. But it’s not just colour that’s getting us all excited - the nail finish is just as important, with high gloss, matte and dual tone finishes all getting the nod as on trend looks. No matter what your skin tone, your age or your nail length, there’s definitely a nail look to suit you this season - so let’s all give a manicured high five for spring 2012.

Buffed and bare

Right, let’s get back to basics. The easiest, most fuss-free way to get bang on trend spring nails is to go for healthy nails that are ‘au naturale’. Backstage at Christopher Kane’s spring/summer 2012 show, models’ nails were simple and chic, with the Leighton Denny...

1. Mix it up

If you want to burn fat, tone up and boost your energy, you have to mix up your body plan.

While cardio training (anything that gets your pulse up like running, swimming and skipping) is great for heart health, you need resistance training (circuits and weights), to create tone and definition, and to turn your body into a fat burning machine so that you satisfyingly burn more calories, even at rest.

Stretching is so important. It improves your posture – so you look slimmer – and is the best antidote to high intensity exercise, which tightens muscles.

Research also backs up the fact that we respond better to a mix of exercise, as we stay more mentally focused.

And don't underestimate muscle memory. Our smart bodies get used to workouts so fast, and efficiently start...

You may only just be summoning the courage and motivation to bring out your neon nail shades and candy pastel make up, but amidst a flurry of heels, camera flashbulbs and competitive dressing, the last few days have seen London Fashion Week bust out the looks we’ll be wearing in autumn. So take a deep breath and get ready for hair ribbons, retro lips and the Russian flush - because before you know it, summer looks will literally seem so last season.

Make up

The Tonal Eye: Oh how fashion loves to play with us. Come autumn, you’ll be expected to work slept-in, sludgy eyes in seamlessly blended, multi-tonal caramel tones. A tricksy one to wear without looking plain tired, your best bet is to take a tip from make up artist, Wendy Rowe who blended new sable and mulberry shades, (coming for...

Sleep is something we all take for granted. It’s what we do at the end of every day. It’s natural - isn’t it?

Well, not anymore, to judge from the conversations we are all having at work and with our friends, or from snatches overheard on the bus. Lack of sleep is the new dinner party conversation - it has overtaken property prices, school fees and downsizing. It is, in fact, the new sex - it seems no one is getting enough.

Why, at a time when more of us are fitter and healthier than our forbears, are we suddenly shying away from sleep? We eat a healthier diet, we take more exercise, we do yoga, Pilates, deep breathing...we even meditate - and yet sleep is evading us as never before. The reasons could be many – stress, worry, exhaustion, change of diet, small babies or jet lag.

The good...

So what can we expect from the world of anti-ageing this year? I'd bank on seeing a lot more companies trumpeting about the science behind their products. Why? Quite simply because there’s the demand for it. We’re all a bit fed up with being promised a facelift in a jar and we just don’t believe it any more.

So, for a start, I think more and more of the big brands who can afford to will start doing proper clinical trials on their products and publishing the results in credible scientific journals, in the same way that drugs companies do.

Boots No 7 were among the first to do this with their Protect & Perfect range which flew off the shelves, and in recent years Olay and Clinique have followed suit with their Pro X range and the Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector, respectively. I’d...

Vowed that 2012 is going to be the year when you finally shape up and slim down – but secretly disheartened by the fact that you’ve made this resolution before, only to fail? What’s called for are some new success-guaranteed weight loss tactics that’ll transform your mindset along with your eating and exercise habits. Here are eight easy mind tricks from clinical hypnotherapist Lisa Jackson that will set you firmly on the road to Destination Dream Weight.

1. Create a Goal Group. Surround yourself with supportive people who want you to reach your slimming goals, such as colleagues who’ll accompany you on lunchtime walks or friends who’ll swap healthy recipes or fitness DVDs with you.

2. Harness hypnosis. Whenever you need to turbo-charge your motivation, perform this simple hypnosis...

Welcome to the Wahanda Expert Panel - your insider guide to the world of health, beauty and wellbeing. Each month, our experts will be sharing professional tips and advice exclusive to Wahanda - giving you the lowdown on the latest beauty and fitness trends. We can't wait to learn what they have to say...

Here to guide you through January with her pick of the best bootcamps is Katy Young, Deputy Health and Beauty Editor at Harper's Bazaar. With ten years' experience as a beauty journalist under her belt, Katy is also dedicated to finding new fitness solutions in her spare time. Over to Katy!

The Camps

On the beach

Just thinking of the beach is enough to make you want to whip into shape pre summer. So where better to do the body prep than on Holkham Beach - one the UK’s most beautiful...