Beauty to give you a summer glow

It might be summer (sort of) but maintaining a healthy, radiant complexion can still be a tricky business. Here's how to do it...

Having radiant skin isn't just about banishing those eye bags and remembering to cleanse and moisturise - it's something that requires a multi-faceted approach to skincare and an understanding of what causes dull skin and which ingredients can help.

"Radiance is becoming a cult term at the moment and more and more clients are using the terms 'radiance' and 'glow' to describe what they want from their skincare products," says Georgie Cleeve, founder of OSKIA Skincare.

"A brightening effect will give a complexion real vitality and produce a genuine anti-ageing effect, more so than smoothing out little lines and wrinkles. More often than not, it's unbalanced skin tone and hyper-pigmentation that give the skin a dappled and lifeless appearance, so the main radiance boosters are actually those ingredients that even out skin tone and reduce pigmentation."

In a recent study conducted by Good Morning America, skin care and make up samples picked up from ten US-based stores were tested by New York University's microbiology department. One out of every five samples - or 20 per cent - showed significant growth of mould, yeast, or faecal matter. The bad news is that the same bacteria might well be lurking in your own make up bag…

Not convinced? Here are just some of the nasties known to love nothing more than a warm, damp make up bag or an unloved lippie.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacteria commonly found in soil, water and warm, damp environments such as hot tubs and swimming pools. But if you think that steering clear of your local sports centre will help, think again: this bacteria is also found in old mascaras and can lead to painful eye infections.

Escherichia coli, or E. coli is normally associated with food, but it's also commonly found lurking in old make up - especially lipstick. When ingested, E. Coli can cause diarrhoea and

If the summer sun has left your blonde tresses looking distinctly brassy or your brunette bob looking is more beige than brown, don't panic - here's how to ensure your hair colour lasts all summer long.

Colour crisis

It probably won't come as much of a surprise that when it comes to dyed hair, lighter colours, such as silver, light blue and lilac are easier to maintain. But let's face it: Kelly Osbourne's pale purple locks may well work for her, but not all of us are ready to join the blue-rinse brigade just yet.

The bad news for (artificial) red heads is that red is the hardest colour to maintain. Tones — hints of colour added to enhance natural hair colour — are also incredibly prone to fading.

"Reds and tones (such as ash, platinum and added gold) will always fade the fastest," says Scott Cornwall, hair expert and hair image consultant.

"With reds, the artificial colour molecule is very small and can be easily flushed from the hair with water.

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