Confession – I really don’t enjoy the winter: it’s dark, dreary and damp and by it’s end I am craving sunshine and colour. As I get older I also find the winter harder to navigate – the lack of sunshine can decimate energy levels and generate a dose of the blues. Hence I am determined to adapt lifestyle choices to make this winter a positive experience. Specifically I intend to indulge in a cocooning self-care regime, get plenty of fresh air and exercise (rain or no) and to stimulate my brain with interesting TV, books and films.
Another confession: I feel that winter ages my faces – the glow of summer is gone and the darker, harsher days make skin look duller, dehydrated and tired. This year, I want to stay looking healthy and happy, despite the Irish weather. I have therefore decided to adopt as my mantra, the advice of Lucille Ball: “The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age.”
Joking aside, attitudes to ageing have changed dramatically. Today women over 40 are actively maximising their lives: juggling careers, family responsibilities and multiple interests. The term “middle-aged” seems strangely archaic as women are re-defining their middle and later years as an adventure rather than a wilderness of invisibility.
Women simply don’t define themselves by age any longer. A survey for a UK newspaper suggested that 90% of 40 plus women don’t even feel middle-aged, while 80% perceived that society’s assumptions about middle-aged women don’t accurately represent them or their lives.
Because of youthful attitudes, better health and the more relaxed nature of contemporary fashion there is now little difference between how a woman dresses at 25 and 55. Women over 40 no longer yearn to be 25 again; they are however interested in looking like the very best version of themselves. Women over 40 care deeply about their well-being – physical, emotional and spiritual and are taking care of themselves more carefully than any previous generation.
We are no longer fixated with wrinkles – radiant skin is rather the new measure of a fresh face. The trend now is towards a long-term, self-care attitude. Environmental and lifestyle factors including climate, sun, pollution, diet and stress management are as important as any cream. This development also reflects the holistic approach people are taking towards health and wellness – with more focus on mind, body and soul than just physical appearance.
Personally, I want to age healthily, not fight an exhausting and futile war against every line and wrinkle. If I am constantly trying to retrieve yesterday’s version of myself, then how can I live a happy, fulfilled life now? Nobody can defy ageing but they can navigate it skilfully with a healthy lifestyle, self-care and positivity.
That isn’t to say that I won’t use all the tools available to keep looking my absolute best. Ergo my beauty routine, which to me is like a giant self-hug - exactly what we all need to release endorphins and replenish ourselves to cope with the daily juggle.
Just as we layer up clothing to combat the chill of winter weather, I like to layer my skincare as autumn morphs into winter and the central heating is switched back on. The best way to avoid a dull, dry complexion for the next few months is to adopt a skincare regime that will nourish, protect and soothe skin as it faces external aggressors including heating, cold and wind.
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Some of my favourite beauty heroes to maintain best face forward for winter include:
Decleor’s Aromessence Lavandula Iriss Firm Oil Serum, a beautiful product made from 100% naturally derived ingredients, which firms facial contours and imparts a flattering glow.
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Next I adore a nourishing, comforting moisturiser. Winter can rob skin of life and an upgraded face cream can restore radiance.
Nuxe Nuxellence Youth and Radiance Revealing Day Cream, conveniently suits all skin types. This indulgent cream, helps to maintain skin’s optimum energy levels: I like to massage it in thoroughly to promote circulation and add colour to cheeks.
Nora Ephron wrote an iconic book called I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman (read it, it is wonderful). In it she drily observed: “You have to cut open a redwood tree to see how old it is, but you wouldn't have to if it had a neck." I can empathise. The skin on the neck is thinner than facial skin, especially prone to the harsher elements of winter weather and often neglected. I find
Clarin’s Super Restorative Neck Concentrate the perfect treatment to banish dreaded crêpey skin texture.
As winter nights are longer and we sleep more, it’s a good excuse to maximise rest hours to repair weather-weary skin.
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair is an iconic skin care product for good reason: it dramatically reduces the appearance of all signs of ageing. This miracle serum, glides onto the skin promoting a hydrated and radiant morning face. It almost makes waking up a pleasure.
I also nurture extremities such as lips and hands. Both are exposed frequently during winter and can suffer painful sensitivity to cold and wind.
Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Lip Protectant Stick goes everywhere with me in winter as does a tube of Nuxe Nuxuriance Anti-Ageing Hand Cream. Containing Moringa Oil, it smooths and softens parched hands.
I prefer to think of this routine not as anti-ageing but as positive-ageing. I hope it will help me be a “perennial” person who blooms again next spring despite the ravages of winter. I will be a year older next spring but also a year wiser and more experienced. As Coco Chanel observed: “after 40 nobody is young, but one can be irresistible at any age”.
