Diet, exercise and sleep are the long-term habits that lay the foundations for looking good. But sometimes you just need a quick fix to look better straight away.

Savvy cosmetic choices and easy tricks of the beauty trade do the job for a lot less pain than going under the surgeon’s knife.

1 Mist your face. Dull, dry skin magnifies fine lines, so spritz on this recipe whenever skin feels tight. Combine in a spray bottle 1 cup still mineral water, ½ cup witch hazel and 3 drops chamomile oil. Stored in a cool dry place, it keeps indefinitely.

2 Try a cold teaspoon. Believe it or not, this is the make-up artist’s secret weapon. Place two in the freezer for a few minutes, and then hold over puffy eyes. The spoons' bowls fit the contours of the eye perfectly and, unlike cucumber slices, the metal stays cold long enough to do the trick.

3 Smooth wrinkles. The new light-reflecting foundations and powders literally scatter light over the surface of your skin, blurring flaws and evening out tone. To further downplay wrinkles, dot along them with a light-reflecting pencil, blend the edges, and then dust with translucent powder.

4 Lift droopy eyes. The first step: Gently tweeze your brows, as having more of the brow bone showing gives the illusion of lifted lids. Then use a neutral-coloured eye shadow - a bone or pale pink - rather than dark colours, which can make your eyes look heavy.

5 Get rid of under-eye circles. Some people are born with a propensity towards dark circles; others develop them as the skin in this area begins to thin. Use an opaque concealer that's a shade lighter than your foundation. Blend with your ring finger, then set with a layer of translucent powder.

6 Erase lip lines. Those fine lines around your mouth are here to stay, but you can at least stop lipstick from accentuating them. Dab foundation around your lips and blend, then blot with loose powder. Choose a light-coloured lipstick and sheer gloss. Dark colours make lips look narrower.

7 A lash curler makes you look more alert. Heat it with a hair drier for a few seconds before using.