Anti-ageing beauty tips on a budget

Eat blackcurrants

A recent Japanese study has revealed these little blue balls of beauty power can boost blood flow around the body, in turn helping to eliminate dark circles under the eyes - a sign of age, lack of sleep or bad blood flow. So eating more circulation-boosting foods like blackcurrants can help get that healthy glow back.

Top tip: Try throwing a handful into bio-yoghurt or salads.

Practise facial gymnastics

It\'s no new fad and the antithesis to Botox. Exercising your facial muscles will strengthen, tone, and reduce the chance of skin sagging. Dr. Hauschka offer Facial Gymnastics workshops that guide you through exercise techniques for a wrinkle-free face - visit www.drhauschka.co.uk or call 01386 791 022.

Or pick up a book on the subject - ‘Yoga Face\' by Annelise Hagen is a good option, and available at www.deep-books.co.uk or from all good bookshops.

Top tip: While results aren\'t instant, the benefits are long-term and cost you nothing!

Read more about facial exercises here

Sleep well

Good slumber comes top of the list for anti-ageing remedies because that\'s when the body repairs and rejuvenates itself - it also aids the breakdown of carbohydrates and regulates appetite hormones, helping you to loose weight too!

If restful sleep is a problem, it could be due to adrenal stress. Try a herbal remedy such as Stress and Tension Relaxation Tonic from Balance Clinic, (£17.99, 020 7565 0333) - 30 drops in water twice a day and 60 to 90 drops at bedtime - it works like a dream and no baggy eyes in the morning.

Top tip: Eating lots of green, leafy vegetables, vitamin B, calcium and magnesium also helps to promote sleep.

Go jogging

If you wake up with tired, puffy eyes and feel like you\'ve aged overnight, take a brisk walk or light jog to bring you back to health. Regular exercise prevents bone loss and osteoporosis too, and the surge of blood flow and oxygen around the body eliminates toxins for a rosy, perky glow.

Up your Omega oils

Include Omega 3, 6 and 9 essential fatty acids in your diet to feed your skin. These good fats also help to regulate your metabolism and allow the absorption of other vitamins. Fish, olive oil, flaxseed oil, hemp or walnut oil are all good sources.

Top tip: Or try Neal\'s Yard Remedies Beauty Oil - a blend of seven essential oils to drizzle over salads and food - the secret is in the name!

www.nealsyardremedies.com

Cut your sugar

Celebrity-loved skin expert Dr Perricone believes skin damage is caused by cell-inflammation, accelerated by eating high sugar foods. ‘Sugar creates inflammation on a cellular level throughout your body so avoid foods and drinks that convert rapidly to sugar - such as white carbohydrates and fizzy drinks - as the chemical process causes premature ageing to skin.\'

Make it yourself

Mature skin lacks oil and moisture and is consequently prone to dryness and dehydration. Try beauty author, Carla Oates\' homemade recipe, taken from her book ‘Feeding your skin\':

1 tablespoon jojoba oil

2 teaspoons carrot root infused oil

2 teaspoons evening primrose oil

2 teaspoons rosehip oil

3 drops of frankincense oil

2 drops of patchouli oil

Budget buys

Anti-ageing products don\'t have to send you and your bank manager into a frenzy. Try the Dr. Nick Lowe (a well-known dermatologist) range for effective and purse-friendly skincare products - the microdermabrasion scrub is particularly good at getting a brighter glow (and just over a tenner).

Dr. Nick Lowe Cell Renew Dermabrasion Peel, £10.95

www.boots.com

Green tea

Swap normal tea with green tea for its polyphenols - antioxidant-rich compounds that help fight free radical damage. Yummy green tea is a cheap and effortless way to top up on essential antioxidants that help slow-down the ageing process. Hari Tea Persistence of Memory is a gorgeous blend of sencha green tea, gingko, lemongrass and elderflower.

Hari tea £3.99

www.yogamatters.com

Rosehip seed oil

Use this wonder oil to strengthen capillaries, reduce scars and pigmentation, even out skin tone and heal damaged skin - there\'s nothing this oil can\'t do! It\'s rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin A and beta carotenes, and a few drops morning or night will reap optimum beauty benefits for a modest price.

Barefoot Botanicals Rose Fina Face & Décolletage Oil also contains sea buckthorn and frankincense oil for extra anti-ageing benefits.

£26.95

www.barefoot-botanicals.com

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