If there is one thing I'm hoping for, it's that I've inherited some good skin genetics from my gran, Audrey. At 83, my family refer to her as glam-ma as opposed to grandma, as she always looks put together. Plus, people often say she looks far younger than her age would suggest, and I have to agree, I hope I look this lovely at her age.
When I recently visited her for a cup of tea, we got talking about her beauty routine, and naturally, I wanted to know what skincare secrets she might that she could pass on. Going into beauty editor mode, I quizzed her on all things beauty and investigated her dressing table for the best products for mature skin, as well as her all-time favourites that she swears by.
With 55 years in between us, one thing that became clear in our conversation is that there are now just so many beauty brands around to choose from nowadays. Growing up, my gran notes that there were only a handful brands of available to her in her local Boots store. "Outdoor Girl, Max Factor and No7 were three of my favourites." she says, to which my grandad quips: "You've used No7 as long as we've been married!" As such, she has stayed loyal to some of her favourite products for 60 years—all of which are budget-friendly and can be found in most drugstores. "I have sensitive skin, so I like to stick to what I know, and I've never bought expensive skincare" she says. Her routine is very minimal when it comes to skincare and makeup—and very rarely veers away from her favourite brands.
She hasn't followed a specific diet, bought expensive products (apart from the odd moisturiser I may have given her in my job as a beauty journalist) or followed a complicated 10-step skincare routine. In fact, I was amazed to hear that she hasn't diligently avoided the sun over the years, explaining that when she was younger she would often bask in the sun with olive oil on—SPF certainly was not applied. We now know how much the sun's UV rays contribute to wrinkles and pigmentation, so it's remarkable that her skin still looks as great as it does.
The only two hard rules that she's followed? "I don't drink very much alcohol, and I've never used soap on my face," she says. In the beauty climate we live in, it's quite refreshing to hear that using less products is actually better for our skin, and my gran is a great case in point of that notion. After combing through her bathroom shelf and dressing table, I've listed her favourite products for mature skin below and—spoiler alert—they're mostly all very affordable too.
The Best Products For Mature Skin:
Audrey has never used soap on her skin. Instead, she opts for creamy cleansing lotions which leaves the skin comfortably cleansed, but never stripped. Packed with vitamins and grapeseed oil, it also works to boost the complexion as it cleanses.
She also rates Boot's Cucumber Cleansing Lotion to make light work of removing her makeup in the evenings. She likes to apply it with a cotton round to leave her skin feeling gently cleansed. And at £2, you can't go wrong, right?
My gran is also a fan of No7's toning water, which contains vitamins C, E, B5 and red ginseng to help brighten the skin and leave it glowing after cleansing.
For less than £2, this alcohol-free toner leaves skin soothed before moisturiser with its ultra-gentle formulation.
No7's cult Protect & Perfect range comes with rave reviews (just look at the them on the product page), and my gran favours this moisturiser to leave her skin plump and hydrated day and night.
If she can't get her hands on No7, then she usually buys L'Oreal's Wrinkle Expert moisturiser for its affordable price tag and to prepare her skin before makeup. It also helps to plump, boost skin elasticity and hydrate.
For nighttime, she likes to use a nourishing night cream, which she calls 'beauty sleep in a jar'. She says it leaves her skin looking moisturised and well-rested come morning.
I introduced my gran to this oil, which she likes to use occasionally before bed when her skin is feeling particularly dry.
"This goes on easily and doesn't irritate my sensitive skin," says Audrey, thanks to its hypo-allergenic formulation. The cream consistency is also very hydrating to make skin glow.
Audrey says that this was always a staple in her makeup bag, and it's just as good today as when it launched in 1953.
No7's eyeshadow formulas have a silky formula which blend beautifully too the eyelids without creasing throughout the day.
Like myself and my mum, my gran is also sensitive to most lipsticks, but find No7 lipsticks don't irritate her lips.
Audrey likes this volumising mascara in the black and waterproof formula to add definition and lift to her lashes.
Up Next: The Holy-Grail Product My 73-Year-Old Mum Uses to Make Her Look 20 Years Younger
This story was originally posted at an earlier date and has since been updated.
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