It brings a light to your eyes and a smile to everyone’s lips, especially yours. And lets face it, better to have lines which turn upwards after a lifetime of laughter than those which turn down from a life of sorrow.

About 80% of sun damage during a person’s lifetime comes from “incidental exposure”, that is while out walking, shopping, gardening etc. Only 20% actually comes from “intentional exposure” to the sun, such as going to the beach on holiday abroad.

So we need to protect the skin with a sun screen all year round.

Make-up brushes, sponges, powder puffs should be washed and air-dried thoroughly on a regular basis, because they can harbour bacteria. A dirty brush can even cause breakouts….

Soak your brushes in a mix of hot water and anti-bacterial soap for 15-20 minutes. Leave them out to dry. Between cleanings, use tissues to wipe off your brushes. If the bristles stray off in different directions after prolonged use, simply cut them back

For an evening out, find make-up products that will fit into a tiny bag. Put a little lipstick on the tip of a retractable brush - its lighter and more compact than a tube. Do the same with with powder and a retractable mini powder brush.

Never use a tester on your lips - its unhygienic. Test lipstick on your fingertips instead of the back of your hand: the colour and texture are closer to those of your lips.

If you want lipstick to last, use pencil first as a base. Outline and colour in your lips with pencil (nude, if your lipstick shade is light), and apply your lipstick on top.

To avoid lipstick on your teeth, run your index finger through the middle of your lips and pull it back out. The excess will come off on your finger, not your teeth.

Outline your lips in pencil before you apply lipstick or gloss if you don’t want your lipstick to feather.

If your lipstick shade turns out to be brighter than you thought it would be, colour in your lips with a pencil a few shades darker than your lipstick and layer the lipstick on top. Or coat the lipstick with a darker lip gloss, which will turn down the heat!