5 Top Skin Care Tips

1. Moisturise. And not just your face - the neck, elbows, heels and hands shouldn't be neglected. They may not be the first to be noticed, but if they're not looked after, it'll show. Don't be persuaded into buying a specific product for each area though - a good balm will work wonders on elbows, hands and heels and you can use the same moisturiser for your decolletage as you do on your face.

2. Always protect yourself from the sun. We all still love the healthy glow we get from a suntan, but we also know about its long term damaging effect. Use a good sunscreen and stay out of the midday sun.

3. Don't forget to cleanse your face properly in the morning - many of us (and yes, I'm as bad as anyone at this!) hurry through the morning routine and whilst we know that it's the ultimate skincare sin not to remove make up at night, we don't really worry so much about cleansing in the morning. But during the night the skin has time to breathe and it's natural detoxifation processes take place so the surface of the skin needs to be thoroughly cleansed before putting on any moisturiser or make up.

4. Try and keep your hands and products clean. This avoids contamination and delays products going off and if you are using natural products with minimal preservatives this is especially important.

5. Look after yourself - no smoking, not too much alcohol and good nutrition and exercise can do as much for your skin as any products.

Trilogy Skincare - New In

In case we didn't have enough fabulous brands, we've found another fantastic one for our ethical beauty fans!

Like all our ranges it has high levels of natural ingredients and doesn't contain any SLS, parabens, mineral oil, formaldehyde or other 'nasties'. So why do we think it deserves How on Earth's ethical approval?

Many reasons: Firstly, none of their ingredients, formulations or products are tested on animals, only willing humans. Their ingredients policy also means that all products are free from nanoparticles, GM ingredients, palm oil and there are no synthetic colouring or fragrances so even though the ingredients listing includes parfum, you don't have to wonder what kind of concoction is hidden beneath.

As to Trilogy's eco side - all the contents and packaging are biodegradable and the company has recently shown their commitment to reducing their carbon footprint by becoming carbon neutral, certified by CarboNZero. We know it's not ideal that the products are made in New Zealand, but we appreciate that they are brought over to the UK by sea freight, not air.

To top it off, the amazing Rosehip Oil is certified organic and is sourced from a fair trade farming co-operative in Africa.

So we think we can trust Trilogy's sustainability mantra: Maximum effect on the skin, minimum effect on the environment. And we haven't even started on why they're so great for your skin! Find out more at Trilogy skincare.

Click here to buy Trilogy products.

RSPCA standards too high for Tesco's

Much to our disappointment, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's campaign to pursuade Tesco's to raise their minimum standards for rearing birds has failed to be backed by the shareholders at the AGM. The motion proposed that Tesco adopt the RSPCA's freedom farm standards on how birds are fed, exercised and transported for all birds they sell.

Unfortunately less than 10% of the 75% needed voted in favour of the policy change, which was not entirely surprising given how difficult Tesco's made it for the proposal to be put forward. Our only hope is that the supermarket giant are doing what they claim behind the scenes to improve conditions for the majority of chickens. They still insist on selling the £1.99 birds (which clearly don't meet the standards!) so we need to vote with our wallets and show them we're prepared to pay the extra.

You can see Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's interview following the vote here.

Times Online.

Get gorgeous hands in ten minutes!

This only takes ten minutes and can be done while you're watching tv so there's no excuse! And, except for in deepest, darkest winter, our hands are one of the few parts of the body that are always on show, so it's worth taking care of them.

Firstly, remove any old nail polish with cotton pads or buds.

Next you'll need to thoroughly moisturise your hands and nails. You might like to try one of our eco hand creams such as Barefoot Botanicals' Rosa Fina Hand Cream or Weleda's Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream. You may also want to use a separate product for your cuticles such as Burts Bees' Cuticle Cream. Once softened, using a cuticle stick, gently push back the cuticles.

Assuming your nails aren't so long as to need cutting, shape them to your preferred shape using a double-sided emery board. Use the more abrasive side of the board to start with until the nails are roughly the right shape, then switch to the softer side to smooth off the edge. Then spend a few minutes shining the nails with a buffer. You'll be surprised how shiny they can look without any polish.

Many of us would love to have long nails, but our lifestyles (jobs, children, housework etc.) make it impractical. Focus on taking care of your hands and nails regularly rather than worrying about them being the ideal length.

If you have the time, you can then apply nail varnish. But consider when you're next likely to be able to spend the time to redo the polish - well-shaped, healthy, shiny nails are far preferable to 4-day old polish which is starting to look chipped and cracked. Plus, nail varnish normally contains masses of the chemicals many people are trying to avoid. If you are going to use polish, try a brand called Suncoat which is one of the least toxic on the market.

Try and do this once or twice a week to keep your hands and nails looking gorgeous - we promise you'll notice the difference. And if you're forgetful, try associating a particular program with getting your nail kit out - you'll be done before the ad break!