Clean and natural products seem to be trending in the beauty business right now. Seems like consumers are wising up to the fact that healthy-looking skin comes from - wait for it - healthy skin! Take a look at the ingredients on the labels of your facial products- you're probably applying 100s of chemicals every day, and not all of them good for you.
Why not dump your time-consuming 12-step beauty regime, along with all the wasteful plastic packaging, and give yourself some bonus time in bed?
In the morning, just splash your face with cool water. If you need more cleansing, try a gentle facial soap, or an apple cider vinegar face rinse.
If your skin feels a little dry, try cold-pressed oils like coconut or olive, or buy a natural moisturiser in non-plastic packaging. If you apply sunscreen each day, try a natural brand that comes in aluminium casing.
ABOVE: SHADE SUNSCREEN IS SPF25 YET MADE FROM ONLY 4 NATURAL INGREDIENTS
Instead of throwing out soaked cotton balls, treat yourself to soft and luxurious reusables - face cloths, muslin cloths, make-up pads and konjac sponges. Your skin will thank you for it.
ABOVE: 3 STEPS IN ONE - A KONJAC SPONGE CAN CLEANSE, EXFOLIATE AND MOISTURISE.
What does a cotton bud have to do with a seahorse? Nothing. Seriously, there's no connection. So it was heartbreaking to see exactly that image as a finalist at the Natural History Museum's Wildife Photography competition.
SEWAGE SURFER © JUSTIN HOFMAN, TAKEN IN INDONESIA
If you need cotton buds, make sure you use a brand with paper sticks. Plastic cotton buds may seem harmless - but those little suckers are one of the most common kinds of beach litter in Britain.
If you want to go one better with ear-cleaning (and save money), why not go Mimi-kaki like the Japanese! The Japanese have been cleaning their ears with bamboo scoops for centuries, and there's even a category of "mimi-kaki fetish" men who love to have their girlfriends or wives clean their ears. There's an idea for next Valentine's day!
