Modern life might be fun but stress, pollution and an unbalanced diet can play havoc with the skin, so here's how to put that right.

We all know it's important to protect skin from the sun's rays and to pack the body with vitamins if we want a glowing complexion, but what if your lifestyle means skincare has to take a back seat? Stressful jobs can have a huge effect on the face, with dark circles, a sallow colour and dry patches all side effects of lack of sleep and a pressurised job. Being busy can also mean we snack on the go rather than eating a balanced diet, while city life can play havoc with skin.

Pollutants such as exhaust fumes, smoke and cleaning products increase free radicals in the air. When they come into contact with the body, they decrease collagen production and elasticity meaning it's goodbye glow and hello fine lines and dullness.

Taking yourself off to live an environmentally friendly life on a farm is one answer, but if that sounds a bit extreme there are a crop of products on the market which can help too.

Vichy Idelia Life Serum is billed as a "skin idealiser", especially formulated for those whose skin reacts to pollution, smoke, stress or an unbalanced diet. It is the result of ten years of work and within four weeks dark spots should be reduced, wrinkles and crows' feet ironed out and luminosity should be restored. We have used this and believe it holds up to the claims. We were also impressed that it is suitable for all skin types and leaves the face velvety soft after the first application.

If your lifestyle has played havoc with your skin tone, Lancôme has it covered with its new Dreamtone, Beautiful Skin Tone Creator lotion. This works to banish dark spots, uneven colouration and irregularities like sallowness, dullness and blemishes. There are three versions available so it's important to choose one which is right for you. Level one is for fair skins prone to redness, level two is for medium ladies who can look sallow and level three is for dark skin with blemishes.

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L'Oréal Paris' Skin Perfection range is aimed at women in their 20s and 30s whose jam-packed lives might be showing on their faces. Chiefly it tackles irregular tone, open pores and uneven skin texture - all of which can be caused by stress, fatigue and an unbalanced life. Plant sugar helps tighten pores, exfoliators remove dead cells from the skin's surface and bark extract acts as an anti-redness agent. With moisturisers, serums, eye creams and blemish balms to choose from this should have all your pollution problems covered.

If the pore reducing element of that range rang a bell with you, Lancôme Visionnaire 1 Minute Blur is another product worth mentioning. This has a gel-like consistency and is smoothed on to help cover conspicuous pores and smooth out fine line and other trouble spots. The skin will have a silky feel to it after application and look radiant and even, with no shine detectable.

Sampar products were created with cities in mind, so if you need a super moisture hit go for its Ultra Hydrating Fluid. As well as hyaluronic acid and white lupine extract, both of which have intense moisturising benefits, it contains the company's Urban Advance Complex. Shea butter serum, mint endorphin and probiotic sugar combine to create an anti-oxidant shield which puts right any pollution damage and boosts skin's natural defences. Those after a pampering product could also look to the line's Urban Express mask.