Firstly cleanse your face in your normal cleaner to ensure it is as clean as possible.

Prepare your mask by mixing 1 teaspoon of the mask powder with 1 teaspoon of water in to a small bowl and mix until a smooth paste is formed. If you wish you can also add a facial toner for extra help in revitalising the skin (I used Dr Hauschka's Facial Toner).

Before you add the mask it's highly beneficial to steam the skin. To do this fill a medium sized bowl with hot water and add an essential oil or similar (as I was on a role with the good doctor I used Dr Hauschka's Facial Steam Bath). Lean over with your face just above the water line, place a towel over your head and bowl and breath in deeply for anywhere between 3 and 15 minutes, depending on your skin type (3 min for sensitive skin, 8 for normal to dry skin and up to 15 for oil skin).

Immediately afterwards pat dry and apply your already prepared clay mask. Leave on as above for the steam bath (ie 3 min for sensitive skin, 8 for normal to dry skin and up to 15 for oil skin).

Remove with muslin cloth and rinse thoroughly. If in the evening apply your normal toner. If daytime apply toner and moisturiser.

The condition of skin varies with age from person to person but generally speaking the natural response to aging is similar. At forty, collagen in the skin starts to break down. The skin looses some of its elasticity and vibrancy. Fine lines start to become more prominent around the eyes and mouth. As menopause passes oestrogen levels drop and with it so does the skin. By sixty wrinkles are deeper and discolouring more evident. In essence as time goes by the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin, becomes more fragile and we need to take better care of it.

To counteract the maturing process, it's helpful to use skin lifting and firming moisturisers. Facial oils are great for aging skin as they replenish the dryer areas and often include rose hips which contain antioxidants and essential fatty acids - well known for their anti-aging, line reducing properties.

Vitamin A has been proven to decrease the effects of sun damaged skin. As it naturally decreases in our bodies with age, using products high in this vitamin A, in addition to using SPF for UV protection, will at least slow damage caused by the sun.

Exfoliate with a brush or scrub regularly to remove dead cells and improve skin texture. Take care to make broad strokes towards the heart to help remove toxins from the upper layers of the skin by increasing circulation in your lymphatic system. The same goes when applying cellulite and moisturising crèmes.

And a final tip many women forget to apply moisturiser to the neck and décolletage. This area, along with the hands, is often one of the first areas to show the clocks ticking so try not to forget these areas in your daily routine.

Three of our favourite products for mature skin are:

Energy Sensation Moisturiser by Lavere

Pure Organic Rose Hip Oil by Trilogy

Rosa Fina Radiance Anti-Ageing Day Cream by Barefoot Botanicals

The organic health and beauty industry naturally (pardon the pun) contributes to the protection of our environment by virtue of safer, more eco conscious practices and standards. As consumers we also have the power to help create a more eco-savvy society by refining our beauty routine and choosing our products wisely.Here's a couple of tips to set you on your beautiful greeny way:

The obvious one from our point of view is to choose products with organic ingredients. Organic farming practices are less intensive on the land. Plus chemical free is better for you, better for the earth.

Use a little less of everything. I'm one to talk in this area. I adore how my cleanser leaves my skin - so clean particularly on a grimy day, say if I've been out for a night with more eye makeup on than usual or cycled in heavy traffic. I wash my face once in the morning and twice in the evening on these days. I figure it's ok every now and then especially if for general use you're not overly lavish.

Divide your cotton pads in half - that way you can cleanse your pores with four clean sides of material rather than two. Even better use a muslin cloth instead. Their washable so you can be reused many times.

All-in-one products are great. Lavera offer a 2 in 1 cleanser / eye makeup remover that is certified by BDIH. Trilogy have a moisturiser which is aptly titled Everything Balm and is great for all skin types including baby skin. It can be used as a massage oil, body moisturiser, lip balm and nail cuticle softener. Balm Balm is another multipurpose product that can be used all over the body (a famous songstress apparently uses it to shine her hair).

Towards the back end of the school holidays kids tend to get a bit itchy for new things to do. Getting them involved in the kitchen during mealtime can be a little testing so why not put them on snack duty. It will keep them busy (and fed), for a few milli-moments at the very least. Healthy, tasty, easy snacks are what it's all about. Homemade organic houmous is rich in fibre and protein. Guacamole is also an easy one and the avocadoes are a great source of Vitamin E. The kids can toast bread and break it up into chunks to dip or, with a bit of help for the younger ones, slice up red peppers, carrots and cucumber into colourful soldiers.

Wraps are always fun and easy to make. Giving kids the freedom to add whatever they want stimulates their creative minds - so long as it's edible of course and you have a fridge stocked with fresh veg rather than processed foods.

It's up to us to encourage children and involve them in the kitchen from a young age to establish healthy food habits and attitudes later in life. If you are an enthusiastic cook you're less likely to opt for the takeaway Chinese and instead whip up a quick stir fry... in theory at least.

The menstrual cup is a great way to save some pennies and be less wasteful each monthly cycle. But some women have a few questions before making the switch.

What does it feel like? Nothing is the simple answer. You cannot feel it inside you and you don't need to change it as often as you would a tampon or pad. A woman with an average discharge might at the beginning of her period change it every eight hours. Every day after that, once during the day and once before bed, is sufficient.

The seal on the cup is brilliant so it won't leak. It's as easy as a tampon to put in. It contains no harmful chemicals and is non-absorbent, which means even on light days it doesn't cause dryness.

Cleaning is one concern some women have when considering the cup. It really is fuss free. Some women at the beginning and end of a period boil it on the stove or in the microwave; others wash it with hot water and soap under the tap. The Mooncup, in particular, is a great, easy to use alternative to tampons and pads.

If you have any other questions on using a menstrual cup please do we'd love to make a convert of you!