The Dormouse and The Teapot team know that nothing makes you feel as gorgeous as a lovely afternoon tea, but did you know the ingredients of your 3pm treat can make you look as gorgeous as you feel ?

So when you make your next afternoon tea, set some ingredients aside and nurture your outside as well as your inside.

Before your pour a cup...

Tea treat for puffy eyes

Steep 2 bags of teas in hot water for 4-5 minutes. Caffeine is a natural diuretic, meaning that it pulls fluid out of your system. Tea bags can be used to help alleviate the puffy eye syndrome; it helps by constricting blood vessels to reduce swelling. It’s great if your use herbal teas such as chamomile, hibiscus as well. Herbal teas contain important anti-irritants that soothe and reduce eye puffiness. Now lie down, close your eyes, and place a tea bag over each eye; then cover with a soft cloth. Relax for about five to ten minutes. Remove the tea bags and examine your eyes. The puffiness should diminish. If the result is not to your liking, re-cool the tea bags and apply to your eyes again.

Milk bath

Pamper yourself with a milk bath. Heap into a muslin bag a cup of ordinary laundry starch oatmeal and powdered skimmed milk, lower this into the bath water into your bath tub and relax for 10 minutes. Follow by rubbing yourself with the bag for 10 minutes and pat yourself dry.

Plunder those sandwiches...

Cucumber tonic

Grated cucumber, applied over the face and neck for 15 to 20 minutes, works as an excellent tonic. Regular usage prevents pimples, blackheads and dryness of face.

Egg conditioner

To add body, bounce and shine to your hair whip up one or two raw eggs. Massage this mixture on your hair and let it stay for half an hour or so or until dry. Shampoo your hair as normal. The protein in the egg coats each hair shaft and adds body and thickness. Follow this procedure twice a month for bouncy, soft and smooth hair.

Save the sweets...

Strawberry mask

Mash 3 large strawberries and apply the pulp as a mask and leave it for 10 minutes. Wash it off with rose water. Strawberries are slightly acidic, containing Vitamin C. It leaves the skin sparkling and shining.