By Emma Raho – Staff Writer

It’s safe to say 2020 is unlikely to go down as many people’s best year ever. However, in the spirit of positivity, I’ve been pretty stoked to discover I have inadvertently learnt a few useful things about skin care, hair care, and beauty products – probably because during lockdown I had some time to actually focus on what I was reading and actually implement the techniques rather than juggling several tasks at once. 

Here are five things I learned this year that I definitely deserve a gold star for.

1 – double masking is a thing and it’s glorious. I got this tip from the lovely Clare Jennings. It’s exactly as it suggests. You pop a clarifying clay or mud mask on your face and straight after, you slap a moisturizing sheet mask on as a chaser. That’s literally it. Results were pretty spectacular given how easy it is. 

2 – it’s a really good idea to make an investment in high quality staple products. There are certainly products you don’t have to spend a fortune on, but it’s a good idea to get the best cleanser, serum, day cream, night cream, sunblock, and eye cream you can afford. Your skin will thank you and you will be repaid in real, tangible results. I’m loving Ultraceuticals and the Emma Lewisham Supernatural range right now.

3 – taking daily collegen gives your hair, nails, and complexion an amazing boost. My hair in particular has definitely grown faster than normal. There are many different brands out there, at the moment I’m using the Dose & Co vanilla creamer which is conveniently available at my local supermarket.

4 – you can make your own skin refresher/ toner out of tea. After you’ve dropped a small fortune on your staple products this inexpensive and easy wee hack is a welcome relief. All you need is a couple of green tea bags and a spray bottle. Boil the jug until hot (not boiling), pour into a jug or mug with a couple of tea bags. Steep for about two hours and pour into the bottle. For extra luxe, put it in the fridge in the summer.

5 – if you have dry or mature skin, mix a couple of drops of rosehip oil in with your foundation. You’ll need to play around with the ratios but I’ve found it prevents my foundation drying out and making me look like I’m 90.

I hope you found these helpful and if you have any top tips or hot hints we’d love to hear them.