There’s nothing more frustrating, huh? Hopefully it’s just a phase your body is going through. Are you particularly stressed at work or school or in your personal life right now? Perhaps once these stresses have sorted themselves out, you’ll get back to your regular body rhythm. If, however, you’re finding it difficult to manage your stress levels, you need to start adding things into your lifestyle that will help to calm down your nervous system. Think hobbies or yoga.

Speaking of yoga, many health and sleep experts recommend this pre-bed yogic pose to help you relax and prepare the body for sleep: Lie on your back, your butt to the wall, legs straight up. Close eyes and meditate for as long as possible. (more…)

Lisa Lopez, global makeup artist for hot Los Angeles-based beauty brand Too Faced, talks tips and tricks …

What’s your signature makeup look?

“It’s very glamorous - very forties, very pin-up. Think Veronica Lake. I love that this look is suddenly on the catwalks. And I love that lipstick is back. I think everyone is very happy about that. Lipstick is a more glamorous finish than gloss.” (more…)

Dearest readers: I know you want your beauty questions answered more often than the current weekly update. Please be patient with me: I am planning to redesign the site soon, which will allow for me to answer questions more quickly and regularly. For now, I have devoted the August feature to addressing another twenty of your questions, all answered lovingly and hopefully to your skin and hair’s satisfaction. Kat x

1. I do my own manicures but can never seem to get the right hand to look good. Is there a special technique?

Yep, and it’s called practice. Having said that, I still can’t manage it. But I’ve given up trying to do my own (I get impatient. My hands shake. I try to multi-task and my hard work ends up smudged…). If you’re DIY-ing once a week, you’ll get there eventually. My mum’s a pro at nailing each hand. But then, she’s got twenty-one years on me. And she can do anything: write a thesis, crochet a poncho … Anyway, I did ask her for any tips for you and she said, apart from the practice component, to make sure you keep your hand flat on a firm surface, and to also make sure not to overload the brush with polish - it’s better to add a little at a time and layer up to the look you want. A short brush may also be easier to wield - for instance, the one featured in Bloom Nail Colour ($12 from Myer). Failing that, enlist a friend’s help. (more…)

My yoga teacher insists that inversions (handstands, headstands, etc) are just about the best anti-ageing moves you can make - they literally fight the saggy-skin-inducing effects of gravity. As well as having positive health benefits - like keeping oxygen pumping through the brain. I’ve also heard some yogis believe that inversions can delay the onset of grey hair, although I’m not sure how scientifically substantiated that one actually is. What I can tell you, after spending my morning class in all sorts of weird and wonderful and often agonising positions: nobody looks pretty upside-down. Unless your idea of attractiveness is a sweaty puffy tomato in a singlet and stretchy pants.

You know how there’s that dinner party game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, that shows how any actor can be linked to Kevin Bacon in six or fewer links. Well I think I’ve found the beauty version: Two Degrees of Michael Kors. I was working with a large group of women yesterday, when one girl walked into the room wearing the heaven fragrance. There’s nothing to stop a serious work discussion like a heady dose of beauty talk. Seemed everyone had a story about the fragrance. One had been banned from wearing it by a boyfriend because his ex had worn it. Another got stopped in the street at least twice a day about it. Another had a friend who had a friend who found her husband thanks to it. It went on and on. As for me, well I’m zero degrees. It’s one of my favourites and the one I always drag out when I need to feel much more glamorous than I actually am. But the big question? Can Michael Kors be linked to Kevin Bacon in two steps? Let me try it. Well, Michael Kors is a fragrance by a New York designer. So is Sarah Jessica Parker (you know, she has that clothing range now, called Bitten), who just happened to star in the iconic ’80s film Footloose, starring Kevin Bacon. I think I’m onto something here.