L-R some of my beauty essentials: Elemental Herbology Bio-Cellular Super Cleanse, Lush Tea Tree Toner & Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Treatment (the stuff of DREAMS).
Whilst on the train, Mum and I were catching up about all things beauty. Well known for being the Barnes beauty obsessive, I pour over skincare blogs and coo over all thing make-up, pretty much on a daily basis; coveting the latest palette release from Nars or pining over foundations with promises of dewy skin and just the right amount of coverage.
As I was extolling the virtues of Caroline Hirons’ blog, singing the praises of Biologique Recherche P50 and how double cleansing has transformed my skin, Mum brought something really interesting up which I think needs a li’l mention.
When she was younger, her mother (my Granny) had never used a concealer until my Mum and her sister bought some when they first spied it on the high street. Now I know what you’re thinking; she had NEVER used concealer. I know. I can’t imagine a life without concealer. That would be a blotchy, red world I wouldn’t wanna live in.
I have always heard about Granny’s exceptional skin, using only Wright’s Coal Tar Soap (!), a flannel and moisturiser, then finishing things off with a bit of rouge and a dash of red lipstick. She wouldn’t have even needed the concealer even if it was a fixture in her make up bag, the lucky gal.
This minimal routine obviously treated my Granny well – I always remember she had baby soft skin and a beautifully even complexion, two areas which I definitely lack in. So how was Granny’s skin so amazing even though she used hard soap didn’t deep cleanse and used hardly any other skincare? Now I know everyone’s skin is completely and utterly different, but how amazing is it that 2 generations could get away with literally the bear essentials and still look unreal, and mind-baffling to think how drastically beauty routines have changed over the past few decades.
It made me think about how many products I use on a daily basis to cleanse, cover and correct. I daily use 2 cleansers, toner, serum, moisturiser and SPF. Primer, foundation, concealer, highlighter and not to mention how much I use on my eyes to make me look some form of awake. I need all of these things to help me look relatively OK.
We obviously now live in a world which is rife with the pollution, high stress levels and an uncountable amount of other day-to-day factors which take themselves out on our lovely faces but I just think it’s such an interesting piece of social commentary as to how much we use now, but back in the day, women barely used a scrap and looked bloody great.
What kind of skincare routines have women in your family adopted? Are there any old-school routines you advocate over hot cloth cleansers and Clarisonics?
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