Edwina Ings-Chambers is an award-winning beauty journalist based in London, and has held beauty director titles at You Magazine, The Sunday Times Style and the Financial Times, where she was the newspaper’s first beauty editor and established its inaugural beauty column. Here, she provides her insight into expert skincare for mature skin.
It’s the eternal question: how to best way to navigate the ageing process with grace? Because the truth is, of course, nothing can prevent the signs of wisdom and experience from making their eventual appearance. But I’m here with the good news, which is that, when it comes to maturing skin there are plenty of ways to keep things feeling and looking more youthified. So, here are some key observations of mine.
Add definition and warmth
As we age, the features on our face start to look softer and less radiant, so it’s helpful to add some emphasis. If you don’t tint your brows then try a brow gel such as Milk Makeup Kush Fiber Brow Gel. It’s a tubing formula that wipes off with warm water, coats individual hairs well and is alcohol-free, so no crispiness. Eyes might need some extra definition, so use an eyeliner and mascara to help address this. Cosmetics à la Carte does a great Superwear Gel Eyeliner Pencil and its Intense Volume Mascara is so good that it’s a regular sell out.
Adding a touch of warmth always gives more life to the face and I never go a day without bronzer. Tom Ford’s Soleil Glow Bronzer is a favourite, but if you prefer something dewier then Cosmetics à la Carte Cosmetics Enhancer Sunkiss offers both a glowing hint of colour and a hit of hydration – always a good thing.
Milk Makeup Kush Fiber Brow gel at Space NK, £21; 27 Duke of York Square SW3
Cosmetics à la Carte Superwear Gel Eyeliner Pencil, £30; Intense Volume Mascara, £32; Cosmetics Enhancer Sunkiss, £48; 192 Pavilion Road SW3
Tom Ford Soleil Glow Bronzer, £55; 201-202 Sloane Street SW1
Cleansing is key
Facialist and brand founder Sarah Chapman agrees. “So many people rush through this first step, but it’s such an important one if you’re looking to maintain clear, bright and healthy skin at any age,” she says. “When your complexion is properly cleared of makeup, dead cells and impurities, your rejuvenating serums are able to penetrate more efficiently.” Spend 1-2 minutes every evening really working your cleanser in. Try Sarah Chapman Skinesis Ultimate Cleanse.
I’d also recommend a good exfoliating mask twice a week and am a long-term devotee of Amanda Lacey’s Revealing Pink Mask: it’s effective, a joy to use and exudes old-world glamour.
Sarah Chapman Skinesis Ultimate Cleanse, £54; 259 Pavilion Road SW1
Amanda Lacey Revealing Pink Mask, £142; amandalacey.com
Don’t stop at the chin
Please remember skincare – and ageing – is about more than your face. “We actually have a treatment [menu] called Don’t Forget the Neck, because most do,” says uber facialist Teresa Tarmey, who has a residency at The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel. “The neck is much thinner in terms of skin thickness, and it typically ages faster than the face. My favourite treatment for it right now is Opus Plasma (an electric plasma technology to boost collagen – and thereby firmness) and we’ve had some amazing results.” But keep expectations realistic. “It’s not easy to lift,” cautions Tarmey, “but we can absolutely make a difference.”
The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel, 75 Sloane Street SW1; book here
Make your skincare count
You don’t need a lot, just the right ingredients. Sarah Chapman recommends vitamin A (aka retinoids) as her “number one for anti-ageing. It repairs DNA damage, counteracts sun damage and normalises sebum production,” and she has it across her range, though her latest A1 serum is a favourite of the beauty pack. I love vitamin C to help even out skin tone, and Sarah and I are both on the peptide trail: “They’re amino acids that act like messengers, triggering certain processes in the skin,” she explains.
But a great moisturiser that really plumps and juicifies the skin is key too, and I haven’t met a woman over 50 yet who hasn’t loved Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream.
Sarah Chapman A1 Vitamin A Power 1 Face Serum, £90; 259 Pavilion Road SW1
Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Magic Cream at Harvey Nichols, £79; 109-125 Knightsbridge SW1
Go gently into tweakments
The tweakment that’s worked best for most women I know is Profhilo which is a ‘skin booster’, explains Mr Dominic Yue, consultant plastic surgeon at the Cadogan Clinic. “It’s an injectable product with a high concentration of hyaluronic acid, a molecule we have in our skin naturally, and is what most dermal fillers are made of. This particular formulation does not fill or add volume, but treats skin quality and focuses on hydrating deeply from under the skin where surface skincare products cannot reach. Supporting the stimulation of collagen and elastin, it adds elasticity, firmness and tone.”
Cadogan Clinic, 120 Sloane Street SW1; book here
