Women2Day - Beauty: Be a lazy beauty

Aug 9 2009 By Chester Chronicle

Look fabulous the lazy way with Hannah Sandling's top beauty tips.

WHETHER you love spending hours in the salon chair or prefer a quick preen in front of the bathroom mirror, we all have a lazy side craving beauty shortcuts that save time and money.

Luckily, there's help at hand to do away with laborious beauty regimes in the form of Hannah Sandling's Lazy Princess route.

The stylist and TV presenter admits she's got her beauty prep to full-on glamour down to ten minutes flat: "I have the most ridiculously fast beauty routine," she explains. "It takes me two minutes to wash my hair, I let it dry in the towel and a full face of make-up takes me exactly seven minutes!"

Following on from her first book The Lazy Goddess last year, Hannah's second bible for cash-strapped, time-poor beauty addicts, The Lazy Princess, offers more insider knowledge that will give you a boost in the beauty fast lane.

Hannah says: "Lazy Princess is aimed at a younger audience but there are loads of tips that are very adult-like as well. Why not be lazy and take all the shortcuts you can with your beauty?"

Wave your magic beauty wand and get a little lazy with Hannah's princess guide.

Red carpet princess

Last minute invite on your hands? Don't pass on the party of the year because your tresses are looking lank.

"Take the ultimate lazy-girl option and spray dry shampoo into your hair," Hannah recommends. Leave for five seconds to absorb all the grease and then brush out. Hey presto, you'll look like you've just stepped out of the salon.

"Another good way of camouflaging manky hair is to put sections in rollers, apply a little hairspray to them and leave for five seconds to dry. Your hair will now boast a rather voluminous Hollywood style."

Don't let nibbled, chipped nails ruin your red carpet street cred. Accessorise your glamourous outfit with enviable nails - minus the time consuming manicure.

"If you want a cheat's version of a French manicure, just paint the ends of your nails in white," Hannah suggests. "Another high-maintenance fake French mani tip is to buy a white nail pencil and apply it under the nail. It takes about a minute to do, costs next to nothing and looks very convincing."

S.O.S princess

We've all been there, too many big nights have left your skin with outbreaks and your eyes with excess baggage. Fear not, there are cheap and easy remedies to disguise signs of a rundown princess.

"A facial massage will help stimulate the blood circulation in a flash and flush out those nasty toxins that can cause spots," Hannah suggests.

"You can do this yourself at home with your own face cream, just massage gently in upwards strokes."

If a spot has emerged right at the wrong moment, never be tempted to squeeze. Not only will you irritate it further but you could end up scarring your skin.

Hannah says: "Rather than picking greasy red zits, wrap an ice cube in a clean sock and hold it on the area for a minute or two. If you're going straight out dab some tea tree oil on it, leave to absorb, then cover with a light coating of concealer."

Kick back with a brew at night to relieve tell-tale eye bags. But don't drink the tea!

"To de-puff eyes, pre-soak four teabags in iced water and place over your eyelids," Hannah explains. "When they get warm after five minutes, switch them with the other two teabags in the iced water and leave on for a further ten minutes."

Homebody princess

If you love nothing more than experimenting in the kitchen, try raiding the fridge for ingredients to create delicious beauty products.

Ditch the Nigella act and get out your apron and mixing spoon to concoct some beautifying lotions and potions instead. You can even nibble on the leftovers!

"Your fridge can be a valuable source of beauty treatments," Hannah says. "One thing to bear in mind though is these homemade beauty products don't really have a long shelf life and all need to be used straight away."

Here are Hannah's favourite make-and-do beauty recipes:

1. Run out of moisturiser? "Mash up a banana with a little milk and spoon it on your face for a great natural moisturiser," suggests Hannah.

2. A blender can do all the hard mashing work too, according to Hannah: "Blend a big slice of watermelon in a kitchen blender and apply directly to a cleansed face. It's an excellent natural cleanser."

3. "For a brilliant DIY facial scrub at home, mix two tablespoons each of sugar and lemon juice together and massage gently over your skin for a minute or two," she recommends. "Exfoliate away until you look like a gleaming princess!"

Vacation princess

The sun is shining and sangrias are flowing. It's easy to indulge your lazy side and neglect your inner princess while on holiday. But don't be tempted to frazzle yourself to a crisp in the quest for a week-long tan.

"It's your call," says Hannah. "You can look like a sun-kissed Brazilian babe parading down the beach in your gorgeous Sienna Miller-style dress, all hot and hippy, or more like you're meant to be on a Mediterranean menu - a fresh red lobster."

"To keep your cool by the pool, fill a little spray bottle with water and spritz your face lightly every so often to keep your skin hydrated."

Keep the sun cream on hand and apply at least 30 minutes before you step into the rays so it has absorbed thoroughly into the skin.

"Apply a new layer of sun cream every two hours," Hannah advises. "If you're in and out of the water like a Jack-in-the-box, apply every hour and opt for a water-resistant formula," Hannah advises. "Water-resistant sun protection is also a good choice if you're a bit of a sweaty Betty!"

Transparent-style SPF sprays are ideal for lazy princesses as they require less groundwork to rub into the skin.