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For a more beautiful you, think apples!

by Caroline Hogg

Invigorating, soothing, refreshing and nourishing, apples and their pip extracts are the ideal ingredients to look for in your summer beauty regime

Kick-start your day

There's nothing better than a fruity wake-up call to revive the senses. So treat and scent your body at the same time, starting with your shower or bath. Philosophy's new An Apple A Day range (0870 9908452) is designed to 'lift the blues'. It includes a luxurious bath, shower and shampoo 3-in-1, a glycerine-based Hot Salt Scrub to slough off dry skin and soften, and a rich Body Butter that melts on your skin, leaving you silky smooth. Prices start at £10.

For the more budget conscious, check out Boots' fragrant Natural Collection Apple & Lime Bath Essence, Bath Pearls, Shower Gel, Scrub and Body Cream, from £1.99. Indulge in an aromatherapy treat using the antioxidant and firming benefits of apple seed oil, which you'll find in Clarins Toning and Relaxing Body Balms (£24 each).

Make your own

A natural, homemade skin treat is easy to achieve, is cheap, and you can eat the left-overs! For an invigorating, skin-brightening face mask, cut and mash a whole apple - try Pink Lady® - then add a tablespoon each of rosewater and non-fat yoghurt and a sprinkling of porridge oats. Cover your face and neck for 15 minutes before rinsing off with warm water. Pat dry and moisturise. You'll be amazed at how much clearer your skin looks.

Hair

Keep hair healthy and smelling fragrant with Alberto Balsam Juicy Green Apple Shampoo and Conditioner (99p each). For a truly organic experience, try Lavera's new Apple Milk Shampoo, (£5.75 - 0800 169 2579/www.SoOrganic.com). Certified by the Vegan Society, its apple extracts help to stimulate the scalp as it cleans. And if you regularly use styling products, make sure you remove any residue build-up and excess oil to put the shine and bounce back into your hair. Frederic Fekkai Apple Cider Clearing Rinse (£13 - 020 8740 2085) does just that.

Skincare

Apple extracts are chosen for their active enzymes, antioxidant, hydroxyl-acid, firming and nourishing amino-acid benefits. Phew! It's also one of the ingredients along with wheatgrass in celebrity beauty guru Janet Ginnings' Indian Infusion Petal Toner (£18.80) and Fruit & Nut Scrub (£27 - www.indianinfusion.com). For your moisturiser, reach for Mary Cohr's New Youth (£59.50 - 0808 100 3102). Its apple pip extract helps in the fight against ageing by boosting skin renewal and stimulating collagen and elastin production, to keep your skin supple.

As a complexion pick-me-up, Clarins Total Double Serum (£46) contains 42 active ingredients, including apple pip, to help re-hydrate, firm and refresh tired looking skin, and is best used at night.

In your bid to send under-eye bags packing, try Benefit's Eyecon Brightening Eye Cream (£21.50 - 0808 238 0230). Apple fruit, sweet almond and japonica leaf have been combined to help de-puff and fade dark under-eye circles.

Pamper your skin with a weekly mask. Skin Benefits Fruit Yogurt Mask (£3.99 - 020 8559 8244) for three, includes the apple variant for its nourishing effects, and works in just five minutes.

Smile please!

Okay, this is a cheeky one, but I just had to ask top make-up artist Ariane Poole 'what about the apples of your cheeks?' She said: 'Smile like a Cheshire cat and the part that bulges the most, and where you would naturally blush first, is the right place to apply your blusher. Aim slightly higher to give a lifting effect to mature skins. A peachy-pink is best. My favourite is Quad Blush (£18.50 - 0845 6018360). Mix the shades to get just the right effect.'

Pick a fruity scent

Before you leave the house, spritz yourself with the ideal summer fragrance: DKNY Be Delicious EDP (£27). The blend of apple, exotic flowers and woods makes it refreshing and feminine for warm days. And for evenings, green apple and tangerine top notes in Guess For Women EDP (£25) dries down to bring out the warmer cedar wood, amber and musk for a more sensual scent for when the sun goes down.