This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
I have been looking through my bathroom shelf for skincare and my makeup bag to find the products that I have either loved in 2021 or I have discovered and are fast becoming all-time favourites. Of course, skincare and makeup for older women are personal choices, and we all have different needs. Therefore, I have tried to choose items that could work for everyone.
U BEAUTY – Multimodal Defender
I have been using the U Beauty Multimodal Defender cream for over three months, and my skin has never been better. Unfortunately, I have photo-damaged skin, probably when we didn’t wear sunscreen. We used to smother our skin in baby oil and bake in the sun. I wish I could turn the clock back, but I can’t, so the only other way is to find a product to rectify the damage. This one from U Beauty is doing the job. You can apply it morning and evening, but I use it every evening and morning if I am not wearing makeup. The reason for this is I wouldn’t say I like it under makeup. However, it gives your skin a glow and makes it look so smooth that it does not need any foundation or tinted moisturiser.
There is also a great new offer for all U Beauty lovers:
U Beauty’s Annual Subscription Event Starts Now: Get 25% off + Free Shipping for life. Click HERE for more info. Regular deliveries can be customised to suit you.
LOOK FABULOUS FOREVER – Primer collection
There is so much to love about this beauty brand because owner and founder, Tricia Cusden, understands mature skin. Do you remember the mantra, blend, blend, blend? Well, nowadays it is Prime, Prime, Prime. And guess what LFF have three primers for lips, eyes and face. So if you care about your makeup and want it to stay in place, then Primer is the product you need.
The Silk Face Prime fills pores and fine lines. The Never Feather Lip Prime protects lipstick from bleeding and keeps your lip line looking sharp, and the Smooth Out Eye Prime saves eyeshadow from migrating into fine lines and reduces crepiness.
Grace’s Marvellous Mother-in-Law has been using the LFF face prime for some years, and she always looks immaculate and very polished. She is an icon for both Grace and me, so we love her tips, and it was she that first got me into wearing primer.
I use it for a special occasions as I don’t wear foundation or lipstick daily, but I love to make myself up for an evening out.
For more info, click HERE.
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Age Correct SPF50+
I have been trained by the Skin Specialist to always wear an SPF50+ even on these grey days or when I am inside. There are some great ones out there, including the Skin Specialist recommended to me, Heliocare. It comes in different formulas, so do choose the right one. There are good instructions to aid you in this.
More recently, I have been using La Roche-Posay Anthelios Age Correct SPF50+. It’s non-greasy yet ultra-moisturising, sits seamlessly under foundation, and I don’t leave the house without it. This suncare has true skincare efficacy; the formula is enriched with Hyaluronic and is designed to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and dark spots and improve skin elasticity. I can’t say yet whether that is true. However, I know that I am protecting my skin as best I can from future sun damage.
JONES ROAD BEAUTY – the new Bobbi Brown range
Bobbi Brown is back. Twenty-six years after selling her eponymous cosmetics company to Estée Lauder, the makeup maven has opened a retail store in Montclair, New Jersey, USA, called Jones Road and launched a cosmetics line called Jones Road Beauty. This new makeup brand is perfect for the natural-but-better makeup look, and now it finally ships to the UK! Bobbi Brwon’s philosophy is that the world doesn’t need more beauty products. It needs better beauty products. Clean, strategic, high-grade formulations that work on every skin type and tone—and that are as simple to use as they are to master
I feel as if I have grown up with Bobbi Brown. When I started to be interested in makeup there, she epitomised women of my age. So it feels good to have a range of makeup now designed by a 64-year-old woman who understands skin.
I have tried a few items, and these are three of my favourites:
Her Jones Road Lip and Cheek Stick is a winner for me. I love products that do two jobs, and whilst some brands say they do, I often find they don’t really. For example, if it is a good blusher, it doesn’t go easily on lips. However, I have the Jones Road one in colour English Rose, and it is perfect on my cheeks, and as an everyday lipstick, it is also great. Just the right amount of colour without looking too made up.
I also love her Eye Pencil – so soft and draws a perfect line without pulling the skin. It also stays put, or you can smudge it with your finger.
Finally, the Face Pencil is a concealer, but you can put it just where you want it because it is a pencil. It covers redness and dark spots, corrects discolouration, and lightens dark circles- while remaining virtually undetectable. There are 25 shades and a perfect ‘shade finder’.