How to be beautiful: Appear well-rested

Where, once, a generous figure was physical proof of a comfortable lifestyle, we now aspire above all to look well-rested. A fresh face implies you were not waiting for the washing machine to finish at midnight, or up at 6am for the commute.

Whatever your circumstances, the great leveller here is nature. The older you get, the likelier it is – even after a good eight hours – that you will leave your bed looking worse than when you got in.

Happily, the fightback starts at zero pence: sleep on your back to reduce puffiness and dreaded pillow creases. If re-educating your somnolent self proves impossible, invest in a silk pillowcase for guaranteed overnight returns (Silkskin pillowcase, £39, silkskin.co.uk).

On rising, a face mask may get odd looks over the kettle, but new formulas really will provide plumper, brighter skin (Chantecaille Biodynamic Lifting Mask, £135, spacenk.co.uk).

Under-eye concealer, unless expertly applied, is a false friend here, so instead curl eyelashes and use a forgiving cream blusher to restore further life to your face (Stila Convertible Cheek and Lip Colour, £16, boots.com_.

The bad news? To fit all this in, you may need to set your alarm a little earlier.