The shine, the stickiness, the irritating oiliness. Oily skin can be a pain. But maybe the ways we were using to wash down the oil on our faces was actually making it worse. Read on to get over the old soap and water routine.

Around 30 to 40 per cent of us are born with overactive oil glands and the situation is aggravated by hormonal changes such as those experienced during adolescence, pregnancy, and diet. Climate is a key factor too. It is said that oil production de increases 10 per cent for every one degree increase in temperature, which makes residents of our part of the world very vulnerable indeed!

Nails as any man will tell you, are the focal point of much eroticism. Check out Uma Thurman in ‘Pulp Fiction’ with her red, red talons. Or Jessica Rabbit, the ultimate sexual Venus trap, in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’. The shape, the length, the color of the nails is all clues to the persona of the wearer. Sweet preppy college girls might have unvarnished oval nails, while club-goers might slather on black or Chanel Vamp into lone talons. Gently elongated fire engine red ovals might look ever so tempting for a seductress.

Just the term “night cream” can summon up visions of Fifties housewives slathered in a thick layer of greasy vanishing cream, rollers in place, ready for a good night’s sleep. But that image of night-time skincare is out of date, as modern formulations are light, easily absorbed and contain active ingredients that seem better suited to a chemistry lab than our faces.

Gone are the days when sleeping was a passive beauty process. Now those precious eight hours are the best time to pamper your skin and hair.The latest generation of night creams contain active ingredients that help skin to retain a healthy moisture balance, without the need for oils and creams that could block the pores.