From dry, bumpy legs to sagging posture, these are the eight mistakes that are making your body look older – and our beauty expert tells you how to smooth and lift skin
When it comes to beauty, we often limit ourselves to the neck up. The face is our focus and what lies beneath is barely visible.
We might be able to get away with this in the winter. But as we approach the spring comic, the horror will become reality.
When people talk about bodies “looking their best,” it’s often a euphemism for “thin.” I don’t mean this. I’m talking about giving our areas under the collar some of the care we give above. Here are some of the blunders we make – and what we can do to improve our habits…
Unable to scrub
The first trick for 40+ bodies is exfoliation. Dry brushing the body is the cheap, easy and mess-free way to lose dead cells. The Organic Pharmacy Skin Brush (now £16, debenhams.com) has natural bristle fibers and a (removable) wooden handle for full reach.
If you prefer a gritty scrub, Weleda’s Birch Body Scrub (£10.95, boots.com) contains natural wax beads to gently scrub away used cells.
Hannah Betts explains that the purpose of moisturizing is not to apply a dense film, but to apply nourishment to it
Being a sud dud
Some people don’t feel clean without a luxurious foam. However, foam is the product of soap-based surfactants that have a higher pH than the skin and can cause irritation, stripping away the oils and proteins and drying it out.
I love Bioderma Atoderm Cleansing Oil (now £14.40 for 1 litre, boots.com). It’s packed with nourishing lipids and is so gentle that you can use it on your face and body. I’m also keen to try Dove’s new Advanced Care Body Wash (from £3, ocado.com), which launches today and is billed as being as mild as water.
Apply
The purpose of moisturizing is not to apply a dense film, but to apply a layer of nutrition. This doesn’t have to be expensive. The sublimely scented Marks & Spencer Apothecary Warmth Hand & Body Lotion (£5, marksandspencer.com) wins my vote.
But splash it out, if you need the boost to moisturize: the aromatic Nudestix NudeBody Peptide Body Creme (£29, lookfantastic.com) is rich, yet non-greasy, with natural acids to exfoliate, and natural oils to to provide softness.
No ‘second sight’ routine
Your neck, décolleté and arms form a kind of ‘second face’, an area that can be just as tempting if you take good care of it. Ignore it at your peril.
You don’t need site-specific products, but make sure your skin care extends at least to your décolleté. Give the area extra care with Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Moisturizing Body Serum (£24.95, boots.com).
For subtle highlights, French women prefer Nuxe’s classic Huile Prodigieuse Golden Shimmer Multi-purpose Dry Oil (from £18, lookfantastic.com). I’d rather add shine and shield with Supergoop’s Glowscreen Body SPF30 (£35, cultbeauty.co.uk), a shimmering sunscreen in four shades with a golden pearl effect.
Leggings of it
Middle-aged calves are often: terribly dry, patchy (with infected hair follicles), or terribly dry and patchy. For the former, look for This Works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle (from £10, spacenk.com). For the latter two, Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion (£22.50, boots.com) removes all kinds of bumps.
Getting tango
If you’re embarrassed to bare your limbs without fake tan, remember: pale is beautiful, just like dark is beautiful.
If you like artificial bronze, exfoliate and moisturize first. Apply it with a mitt like St Tropez Tan Dual Sided Luxe Tan Applicator Mitt (now £4.50, boots.com). And use Isle of Paradise Over It Magic Self-Tan Eraser (£15.95, boots.com) before reapplying.
Sloppy slouching
Your grandmother was right: good posture costs nothing.
Perfume thrift
Many women only spray the scent above the shoulder, while it could be a total treat.
Where should you apply fragrance? Wherever you want to be kissed and/or where you radiate the most warmth.
RACE YOU TO IT!
(£34, cultbeauty.co.uk)
This is causing a riot among tinted moisturizer lovers, who can’t believe that it looks natural, without makeup, and that it’s genius makeup.
If you hate foundation but still need a little extra, this is the concoction for you: a moist, realistic, Parisian glow with skincare benefits.
APRIL FRIZZ FIGHTERS
(£29, cultbeauty.co.uk).
A glycolic acid-based rinse-out treatment for hair that is twice as polished.
(now £7.30, boots.com)
Powered by keratin repair technology, this oil is proven to fight frizz from within the hair.
(£6.99, superdrug.com)
This now contains ceramides and smoothes the hair cuticle, causing 86 percent less frizz.
(£26, boots.com)
Apply this plant-based drink to damp hair to block humidity without weighing it down.
MY ICON OF THE WEEK
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst, 41, wore Lisa Eldridge’s Velveteen Liquid Lipstick in Ribbon to the Oscars
For the 41-year-old’s dewy look at the Oscars, make-up artist Melanie Inglessis mixed Gucci’s Éternite de Beaute Foundation (£47, sephora.co.uk) with Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Glow Serum (£37.50, cultbeauty.co. UK) . She finished with a swipe of Velveteen Liquid Lipstick in Ribbon by Lisa Eldridge (£21, lisaeldridge.com).
COSMETIC DESIRE
At this budding and blossoming time of year I’m beginning to wonder if there is life beyond my beloved Diptyque Feu de Bois Classic Candle (from £56, libertylondon.com).
The brand offers some delightful spring options: the honeyed blossom of Mimosa, or the sparkling green Muguet (lily of the valley). My choice has traditionally been the powdery Iris, but this year I’ve switched to a Diptyque Violette Classic Candle (from £56, libertylondon.com), which exudes a similar elegance, plus the sweet, velvety caress of this little wildflower. . For its 60-hour smolder, this is reminiscent of Parma violets, Guerlain cosmetics and my violin-loving mother. Bliss.