To the more mature ladies... what's your no1 beauty secret?

[peachesandcream2021]

What's the one thing you've done for years and years which you'd never go without?

Botox and exercise 5/6 times per week.

I suspect that smiling and laughing and having a positive approach to life might actually take many, many years off. My mum and grandmother were bitter, unhappy old women who had mouths like cat’s arses due to being constantly pursed with disapproval.

Exercise.

Totally agree
Speed walking gives you a firm arse too.

Vitamin c

Sleep and reduced stress

Lol at Christine, never smiling! She looks good, but not 35. Was it worth it?

Smiling is my beauty secret! I figured whatever else is collapsing/wrinkling/expanding, if people see a smiling person (not manically, just a pleasant face, smile when appropriate, confident) then that will offset pretty much everything else. My mum is very smiley and looks amazing for her age, people gravitate towards positive people.

Tess looks well but she looks her age and nothing wrong with that. I think she looks like she's had Botox. Mid face slippage.

Christine (70) looks 60s I suppose. Why put so much effort into an unlined forehead though.

Oily skin really helps. I’ve smoked for 45 years and grew up in hot sunny countries without ever using sunscreen until I hit 50 and noticed my decollete was looking leathery. I just extended my entire facial skincare routine down to that area, started using SPF, and a year or two later it looked really good, so it’s never too late!

My dry-skinned redheaded friends and family have many more wrinkles than me, even the never-smokers amongst them. To be fair, I’ve cleansed-toned-moisturised since I was about 14 and none of them did, but I really think it’s my oily skin that makes the most difference. I use facial oils despite my oily skin, they don’t seem to make the oiliness any worse, I’m a big fan and recommend them to anyone with any type of skin.

As well as oily skin, middle-aged myopia really helps! Without my reading glasses on and in the absence of a magnified mirror, I look about 30.

Walk at least 5 miles a day.
Drink loads of water but never drink alcohol.
Smile and be nice to people.

the woman who hasn't smiled since the 80s

That level of vanity would even make Narcissus blush.

Oily skin does seem to help @MavisMcMinty

Sleep. Especially with small babies. Your face never recovers from a lack of sleep.

Ditto

It's difficult to decide on just 1 beauty secret! Mine would have to be happiness - if you are happy then you look great, even if you are wearing a bin bag and have a few pounds to lose or more lines than you would like. If you wear a big smile then you instantly look better.

As well as this, I'd say that Botox, decent sunglasses and a bit of lippy are my must haves.

Not sure about beauty secret but it really is my tip for always looking better in photos. I think people notice the smile before the rest of the face.

😂 a dirty mirror has the same effect 🤓

Find healthy foods that you really enjoy eating, then eat them for the majority of your diet. I think I eat really healthily and I really enjoy all my meals.

I’ve also found exercise and a sport that I love (bouldering). I (nearly) always enjoy working out and I’m stronger, and more agile at 45 than I have ever been past the age of about 13!

Sleep, retinol, spf50 and plenty of sex.

And not too much to drink.

Spot on. I don’t notice or really give two hoots about the moisturised, botoxed, well exercised, glossy-haired, sober mature women. I gravitate to the smiley ones who look like they’ll tell me some juicy gossip or make me laugh. This thread really misses the point of what beauty really is. It comes from within.

Hmm. She looks absolutely amazing.

UVA rays are the ageing ones. They are the same strength the whole year round, whatever the latitude and do penetrate clouds and windows. If you care about ageing you do need SPF all year round even on a cloudy day in Scotland. If all you are concerned about is sun burn then yes once a year in Majorca will maybe suffice.

I get it, I love the sun. But I put my body in it not my face! I’ll accept a slightly wrinkly body as the sun makes me feel good.

@MorrisZapp Angie from hot and flashy used to live in Maine and now lives in Florida. The amount of radiation from INDIRECT light is negligible. She leads a very active, outdoor lifestyle and would absolutely benefit from sunscreen for that purpose. Also, anyone who wears sunscreen only on their face is absolutely risking skin cancer and aging everywhere else - especially in places like the neck and décolleté where the skin is thinner.

I'm not an expert and I'm fairly young (32), but I've heard countless times in Japan that massaging your scalp is important to keep wrinkles at bay. Something about your scalp and face muscles being connected and if your scalp is tensed up, your face muscles are gonna be too. Locals also wear SPF50 all year round and use parasols even in winter. Everybody is expected to always stay thin and there's a lot of peer pressure that comes with it.

I've also heard people say that European women who live in Japan appear more youthful than their counterparts in Europe. It's very subjective, but I do sometimes feel that there's maybe a bit of truth to it. I am not sure what's the exact reason though - I doubt everybody's religiously massaging their scalp every night (like I do 🤭), so it's probably one of those other things

I live in Aus and am just about to order two UV-reflective parasols. (One is a really pretty, pagoda-style that is kind of ridiculous, but why not feel as glam as possible when embarrassing your teenagers) The other is a more utilitarian, handbag style to chuck in my backpack. (Midlife crisis change of career study.)

Forgot to attach… The pale blue one is coming to school with me. It’s got a hideous, silver reflective outer layer. Might be responsible for planes falling out of the sky this summer due to pilots being blinded by the reflection, but my skin will be okay. Trying to choose between the other three. (Leaning towards the white)