Expert Skin Care

It's hard to believe that Lulu is about to turn 60, but on November 3 the singer will celebrate her landmark birthday — and she’s never looked better. Today, exclusively with Beauty Confidential’s Elsa McAlonan, she reveals her best all-time beauty tips and the secret of how she stays so young-looking.

What’s the most ageing thing a woman can do when she’s applying make-up?

For young people it doesn’t matter so much,
but when you’re older, less is definitely more - too much make-up can give you the eccentric Aunt Sally look!

If you had only five minutes to spend on your beauty routine, what would you do?

I cleanse, exfoliate (I use Blast To The Past Dermabrasion, £30) then moisturise. It may sound involved but believe me, I’ve got this down to four minutes.

Now you have your own skincare range, Time Bomb, has it made you less or more keen to try other products? What do you spend the most on and what would you recommend other people to do?

I have been a product junkie all my life - I have bought and tried everything on the market and
visited some of the best people in beauty over the years. Time Bomb encapsulates everything I have learned over the years and wished I could find in a capsule collection. It’s the absolute best skincare and body products I could envisage - and I am fussy. I am now able to indulge my love of beauty products and call it research. I am always keen to discover something new, but my advice is always to exfoliate. Get rid of those dead, dry cells then the new skin is ready for moisturising and you find your inner dewy, youthful glow. It’s in there somewhere.

What’s your daily cleansing routine?

It's important to have a regime, and over time it becomes effortless, like brushing your teeth. Always take off your make-up before bed - I am religious about this and always have been - and apply night cream. I am fanatical about cleansing - it’s every bit as important as moisturising and you have got to get rid of those dead skin cells. In the day, wear day cream and eye cream - I carry my eye cream (Smart Eye Balm, £20) about with me and pat it around my eyes all day long. I also exfoliate once a week.

What make-up tips have you picked up over the years?

Because of the shape of my eyes I can wear a lot of make-up. I can do a smoky look in the
evening, but in the day I wear a lot less. Most women don’t deal with lip pencils — they have
been given a bad name, but are essential, especially as we get older. I have perfected, almost to an art form, using lip liner with lipstick and sometimes gloss in order to make lips appear fuller and plumper and more defined, but never with an obvious dark outline. I love Myface cosmetics — lip pencils with coordinating lipsticks and glosses designed for fair skin like mine. It’s impossible to make a mistake. With blusher, mix colour and always apply delicately with a feathering brush. And apply upwards — that’s important as you get older.

What about foundation?

When you are young, it can be thicker, but as you get older it has to be much finer and lighter, as thick foundation can gather in lines and look ageing and dull — and never go too far from your own skin tone. That orange look is so last season, darling!

You spend a lot of time on planes. Do you have a special beauty routine to make sure you look fresh on arrival?

I always slather my Youth Juice Secret Oil (£30) all over, even on my hands, and, of course, I apply my eye cream. Always drink plenty of water — I know many people like to have a drink or two as they are most probably going on holiday, but it does nothing for your complexion.

Your hair looks better than ever. How do you keep it looking so good?

Having a great hairdresser is the answer to that question, and a great colourist. I go to Kevin Moss or Kiki at John Frieda, and they never let me down. As all women know, a bad hair day can mean a bad day in general — so a great cut which is relatively easy to maintain is also important.

Would you consider cosmetic surgery?

I'm not against surgery, just against talking about it — to quote Madonna!

Finally, how do you feel about Botox?

Enough is enough, less is more. Been there, done that and got the T-shirt. Amen!