Though it may not feel like it, we have officially entered spring. As pretty pastel shades smattered through magazines begin to filter through to our wardrobes and makeup bags; attention starts to turn towards achieving the ultimate body-con figure.

Whether you’re a bikram yoga devotee or spinning enthusiast, although exercise is essential it’s only half the battle. Eating healthily is a fundamental part of staying fit. But if like the rest of the SheSaidBeauty team, you’ve gorged on one too many Easter eggs you’ll need a few tips on how to get the most out of what’s on your plate.

We’re not talking fad diets here, there’s no cutting carbs and certainly no starvation tactics. Let’s get back to basics; the recommended daily intake for women is 2000 calories.  When filled with plenty of high fibre, low saturated fats which is built around three decent meals a day with room for snacking. Like mum always said – eat your greens.

Tempted by sweet treats by the till? Grab an apple before you reach for a Galaxy.  A bunch of Fairtrade bananas will keep those mid-afternoon tummy rumbles at bay and are much better for you than sneaking biccies. Whatever you do, don’t shop on an empty stomach.

Get in the habit of only buying what you need. We’re all guilty of gravitating towards what seems like a great deal with ‘Buy one get one half price’ on pizza. Though more often than not, it ends up at the back of the fridge and eventually in the bin, along with the cash you spent on it. Ready meals may seem convenient but are rarely good for you (horsemeat with your pie madam?) or work out dramatically cheaper. Make a list and stick to it to keep groceries within budget.

When you’ve got a spare hour or so, rather than sitting with a box set of Girls, why not rustle up a dish that will last a few days? Also try making your own lunches for work rather than splurging on a cheeky burrito. You don’t need to be a Michelin-starred Masterchef to boil some instant couscous and roast a few veggies. Grab a little hummus et voila! Dinner is served. Just think – the money saved can go towards those shoes you’ve been eyeing up for the past few weeks.

Superfoods loaded with claims of extra nutritional benefits do tend to have premium prices. Though your favourite celeb may be feasting on goji berry extract multivitamin smoothies, you can get all you need from your five a day fresh fruit and veg. As much as we love a miracle product, you can’t beat goodness from Mother Nature.

Eating right helps work towards a healthy body and glowing skin, and that’s always on trend. It is possible to be frugal and fit, it just takes a little organisation and savvy shopping which luckily we females have down to a tee.

Full list of products:

Louis Vuitton Make-Up Bag

Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Silky Curls Smoothing Balm

OPI Start to Finish Base & Top Coat

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in 307 Blood Orange

NARS 13 Brush

& Other Stories Eye Colour in Birrus Rust

Colour Me Beautiful Lip Pencil in Crimson

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium

Mac Studio Moisture Tint SPF15 in Medium

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl

MAC Bronzing Powder in Matte Bronze

The Body Shop Face & Body Brush

The Body Shop Blusher Brush

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Majella

MAC Matte Lipstick in Lady Danger

MAC Powder Blush in Well Dressed

Maybelline New York The Colossal Volum’Express Mascara

MAC Studio Finish SPF35 Concealer in NC20

L’Oréal Paris Volume Express Million Lashes

The Vintage Cosmetic Company Lip Brush

MAC Prep & Prime Lash

& Other Stories Eyeshadow Brush

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

Lancôme Baume in Love in 110

Boots Salon Smooth Nail File

You will have seen water decals on many nail art blogs and incredible manicures around the internet and here in the She Said Beauty office we love them! They can add a whole other dimension to a manicure in one go and create art that even the best nail artist couldn’t replicate. We’re here today to show you just how easy they are to use with this simple and very subtle spring floral manicure.

Start by prepping your nails for the manicure ahead. Taking time at this stage will help your designs stay longer and help prevent the polish from lifting or chipping so soon. File to one length, push back your cuticles, buff with a white bloc and dehydrate using a cotton pad soaked in nail polish remover. Apply a base coat – we love NARS Cosmetics Base Coat.

Paint your nails whatever colour you like – we’ve uses Ciate Paint Pot in Pocket Money with Sonnetarium Indie Polish in Strawberry Smoothie over the top and Korres Nail Polish in Peony Pink. Be sure to choose a very light colour for your water decal base to prevent it showing through the design and ruining the look of your manicure.

Cut out your water decal (we’ve used these adorable Flower Decals from Pretty Little Nails)  as close to the edges as possible and using a pair of tweezers hold it into a bowl of water for 25-30 seconds to set the glue working.

Take your decal between your thumb and forefinger and gently slide the design away from the backing paper. you can throw the backing paper away as we just need the clear design part of the decal.

Press the decal onto your nail being sure to hold down all the edges to prevent lifting or creasing in the design. Hold here for up to 2 minutes until the glue has adhered to the nail. The time you need to hold the decal down with depend on the size and shape of both your nails and the decals. You can use kitchen paper to blot off any access water before pressing the decal down – this may help speed up the process but don’t be disheartened if you need to hold your image down for longer to make it stick.

And there you have it! Seal in your decals with a generous layer (or two) of  your favourite top coat (we love Essie Polish Drying Top Coat) and add any design you like to your other nails – we’ve applied some small round studs from Born Pretty Store by sinking them into a layer of clear polish.

Have you tried Water Decals on your nails before? Why not give them a go and tweet us your best picture @SheSaidBeauty!

There are a couple looks that seem to fit with a particular season: bronzed summer skin, red holiday lips, spring pastels. Thing is, pastels aren’t for everyone — so here’s a spring look that can be adapted to suit anyone, no matter your opacity preference or skill level.

START WITH THE SKIN

Like all spring makeup looks, this one starts with a fresh, even canvas. Start by prepping your skin with a brightening or smoothing primer — we used the whimsically packaged shu uemura UV under base brightening mousse SPF 30 PA++, illustrated in blue as part of the this year’s Spring/Summer ob for shu uemura collection.

Follow up your primer with a light-to-medium coverage foundation (think MAC Face & Body), adding extra coverage only where needed. Brighten the eye area with a highlighting pen, like the classic Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat, then minimize shine in the t-zone by dusting on a translucent or light-coverage powder.

DEFINE THE FACE

Next, use shadows and a hint of colour to add definition to the face. Start with your brows — pick a hard wax pencil (like the shu uemura hard formula pencil) to softly define them in short, soft strokes.

Then, to keep your eyes from fading into the background against a bright lip, add dimension with one light and one dark eyeshadow: we used Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin to prime the eyes and brighten the inner corners, then layered the buttery-smooth Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Fuller Fudge overtop, through the outer third of the eye.

Add two coats of a lengthening (and, preferably, volumizing) mascara–we’re crazy about Annabelle Expandable Mascara for short, stubborn lashes,–then blend just a hint of colour onto the cheeks. For a fresh look, flawless cheek without a hint of a sticky finish, we applied YSL Crème de Blush in 07 Rose Quartz with a foundation brush to the apples of the cheek, and blended upwards toward the hairline.

ADD THE LIPS

Finally, it’s time for the star of the show: the lips. The great thing about a bright spring lip is that it isn’t boxed in the way pastel eyes are: whether you like pinks or peaches, opacity or translucence, there literally is something for everyone. 

For this look, we wanted to share a bright, “juicy” pink lip with you. Nearly-opaque but still a little more spring than summer, this look layers the super-pigmented Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Plushest Punch underneath the fruity-smelling shine of the new Burt’s Bees Lip Shine in Blush, creating high-impact, low-maintenance lip.

What does your favourite spring lip look like? Let us know @SheSaidBeauty with #SpringLips !

Benefit are extending their Flawless family with the arrival of Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer. Working like a magnet, the primer locks in your foundation helping it last a whole day and some.

Unlike other primers, Benefit’s offering comes in a stick, is super silky and makes your skin feel completely smooth and perfected- not a bad base for make-up!

The Flawless family already includes Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation and Hello Flawless Custom Powder Cover-Up with SPF15  – used altogether and your make-up will be there for the long-haul!

Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer will be out in July priced at £24.50

Looking for a new summer scent? This could be the one for you.

Givenchy Dahlia Noir L’Eau is the brighter, prettier cousin of Givenchy’s dark and sexy Dahlia Noir. Like her cousin she’s bold and beautiful but that’s where the comparisons stop.

The green ‘juice’ just screams summer, as do the rose petals, patchouli, cedar and musk it contains. It’s a summer scent destined to be worn with silk skirts and light-as-air blouses.

If Dahlia Noir l’Eau is destined to scent your summer than you should know that there is also a Perfuming and Moisturizing Skin Dew to accompany it. Layering your fragrance will make it last longer.

Dahlia Noir L’Eau is £47.50 for 50ml and available now.

We love.

SheSaidBeauty’s Social Analyst & Customer Communications Manager, Yeshna Mistry, lets us snoop inside her make-up bag:

“My makeup bag is a mixture of budget and big name brands. Finding a good colour match foundation has always been tricky, so when Chanel expanded their colour spectrum you can imagine my joy. It smells amazing, and with a base of Smashbox’s Primer underneath and a little Porefessional over the danger zones, you really get that ‘flawless skin’ look.   On the other hand MUA’s palette is a steal at £4, great as an affordable version of the Urban Decay Naked Palette. All the essential shades at a mere fraction of the price.”

Dior Gift with Purchase make-up Bag

MUA Undressed Eyeshadow Palette

Chanel Perfection Lumiére SPF10 in 50 Beige

Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curlers

Benefit POREfessional

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

MAC 187 Brush

Bobbi Brown Bronzer Brush

Benefit Erase Paste in no.3 Deep

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in 17

Benefit BROWzings in Dark

Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzer in 02 Brunettes

MAC Studio Fix in NC43

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

YSL Touche Éclat in 3

Bourjois Blush in 15 Rose Éclat

Dior DiorShow Mascara in Black

Lush Emotional Brilliance Translucent Face Powder

MAC Viva Glam Lipstick

Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

MUA Professional Eye Primer

We’re in love with these limited edition Aromatherapy Associates Beauty Bags.

The larger of the two (Ultimate Beauty Bag) would make the perfect weekend away wash-bag while the smaller one (Little Beauty Bag) is just crying out to be our make-up bag.

What do you think?

Aromatherapy Associates Ultimate Beauty Bag (£18) and Little Beauty Bag (£12) are available here

So. Ombre is over (we know this because hair supremo Tracy Hayes told us so), and crazy colour’s in. Think Charlotte Free, Chloe Norgaard and, um.. Dame Helen Mirren.

Feeling frightened? Ok. Deep breath. The good news is, colours were not all born equal. There’ll be one out there for you. “This summer it’s all about colour,” explains celebrity colourist Tasha Stevens, “ but there’s still lots of tones to choose from – take the plunge to bright, bold rainbow shades, or play it safe with softer pastel hues.” And yes, Tasha’s done wild cards Little Mix, but she’s also worked with the likes of Ella Henderson, Tulisa and Caroline Flack’s hair. So she’s as impartial as they come in this.

So now you’re up for it? Um, hell yes. Now then: do try this at home…

One wash: Kevin Murphy Color.Bug

The perfect solution for will-I-won’t-I colour-ers. Color.Bug is essentially a lump of coloured chalk that you draw onto the areas of hair you want. The colour pay-off is instant and uber opaque, so you can see exactly what’s going on as you colour. And there’s no need to worry – it gradually fades with wear, then washes off entirely. All four shades (orange, purple, pink and neon) are pretty bright – alter the intensity by mixing your chosen colour with the white ’Bug.

Top tip: “If you want to go bright, wash-out your natural colour first with a coat of white,” says colour queen Lisa Shepherd.

Three washes: L’Oréal Paris Feria Pastel by Préférence 

For something with a little more longevity but still no real commitment, condition hair with L’Oréal Paris’ latest colour toy: Feria Pastel Toning Conditioner. The three shades are super-light chalky pastels (lilac, pink and peach), and go on as a tint rather than a full-on dye. Plus, they contain pearl extract, so will leave hair super shiny, too. Needless to say, this is going to work better on blonde hair.

Top tip: Shepherd suggests using pastel colour just on the ends of your hair, for a “grungier twist, which is very on-trend this season”.

Three to 30 washes: Fudge Paintbox

Fudge Paint Box was one of the original tubes of crazy colour, offering us a mad spectrum usually reserved for East London types or Hallowe’en, way before the trend went viral. So it’s only fair to remember these grandfathers of colour. Choose from 15 full-on shades, or pair with Whiter Shade of Pale, for a more pastel-y hue.

Top tip: Choose your bright shade on your natural tone. “Purple hair will be the biggest and most popular for those with light blonde hair, and darker tones should try ink blue and even green,” says Shepherd.

Colourist Lisa Shepherd at work

There are so many amazing nail trends for this season that we’ve been struggling to choose which ones to give a go ourselves, but when we saw this look at Rodarte we suddenly felt inspired. Here in the SheSaidBeauty office we thought this was the perfect opportunity to try out a similar look using just three polishes, and once we broke the design down into a few simple steps it was so easy to create. It’s a classic basket-weave (remember doing those at school?) – you could go the whole-hog and track down some material to create this look exactly, but we’ve decided to make it a bit more wareable by layering polishes and sticking to an accent nail.

First things first, prep your nails. File them down to one length and push back your cuticles. Give the a light buff with a white bloc and dehydrate your nail beds using a cotton pad soaked in nail polish remover. Next paint your nails with a good quality base coat (we love Nails Inc Silk Base Coat) and two coats of your first polish – we’ve used Essie Nail Polish in Master Plan and painted all of our nails apart from the ring finger which we’ve only painted halfway up.

Leave this layer to dry for a minute or so and then take your second colour (we’ve used Barry M Nail Polish in Peach Melba) and paint a diagonal stripe across the botton half of the nail. Once this has dried take your third colour (we’ve used China Glaze Call of the Wild) and paint another diagonal stripe crossing the other way over the second colour.

Take your first colour and paint another diagonal line from the opposite direction to the last colour overlapping the top. Next, take your second colour and do the same going the other way.

Repeat again with your third colour and back to your first.

Finish off your look by repeating these steps right to the end of the nail. You can make your stripes as thick as you like – the thinner they are the more stripes you can fit on your nail. Finish your manicure by cleaning up the edges using a cotton bud dipped in nail polish remover and apply a good top coat – we’ve used Lancome Le Vernis Top Coat.

You can create this look with as many colours as you like – get creative with different combinations and tweet your best picture @SheSaidBeauty