beauty

"Less is definitely more": 40 women over 40 share the beauty advice they swear by.

When it comes to beauty for women over 40, it's a bloody crowded market.

There are squillions of "anti-ageing" products on offer, promising to wind back the clock on things like wrinkles, pigmentation, varicose veins, thinning hair and the other fun natural processes our bodies throw at us as we get older. Not to mention the 'mature beauty' markup - why is it products seem to elevate in price as their target demographic ages?

WATCH: Zoe Foster Blake chats to Mia Freedman about how her beauty routine changed after kids. Post continues below video.


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And while we might want to invest in an eye cream that actually does the job, by now most of us know a good lipstick can be just as much of a youth serum. Forget anti-ageing; these days beauty is about doing what makes you feel like a solid 10/10 no matter what your age.

Which is why we turned to the You Beauty Facebook community, and asked 40 women over 40 for their best beauty tip. And not just when it comes to products - we wanted to know about the stuff that can't be bottled, too.

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Here's what they had to say.

1. "If or when you start getting crow's feet around your eyes, just a bit of Botox can look really nice (find an injector who understands the meaning of the words ‘subtle’ and ‘natural’). You’ll see instant results (well, one-to-two weeks after your treatment) and you’ll also ensure those lines don’t get too deep. I started at about 28. I’m 42 now."

2. "I would try every new product out there, and now my skin has become quite sensitive. I should have just used what worked and stopped with trying so many active products."

3. "Drink the wine. Eat the cheese."

4. "In bed, lights off at nine, eight on Friday. Go out Thursday or Saturday night. No apologies."

5. "The right foundation or BB formula and colour adds luminosity, glow and colour back into your face, giving you more even, healthy looking skin. My number one tip is to match your foundation or BB colour to the skin on your decolletage (by the time you get to our age there’s a pretty good chance you’ve copped some sun damage on your chest, so the skin here is often a completely different colour to your face). Choose lightweight, light-reflecting liquid foundation formula and steer clear of full coverage matte finish formulas."

6. "40-year-old here! I have anti-wrinkle injections on my forehead and between my brows. Yes, it makes me look fresher and my skin just looks better and brighter, but most importantly I don’t look as tired or cranky - and when I’m talking to my children it doesn’t make me look so angry! It sounds crazy but because I can’t pull the big frown face or cranky lines, I seem to be able to control my emotions better."

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7. "I’ve just turned 40 and am so glad that I’ve always followed a simple skincare regime and used the best skincare that I could afford. Nothing fancy, just a good cleanser and moisturiser and now that I’m older, a serum as well."

8. "Do what you can with what you can afford AND STAY OUT OF THE SUN!"

9. "I’m 40 in six weeks (eep) so not sure if I count, but 10,000 per cent microblading my brows. I’m very pink-toned and fair skinned, and I can’t tell you the difference in feeling semi ‘done’ in the mornings. I also reckon it takes a few years off which can’t hurt!"

10. "Buy the spendy products - but age and time have taught me savey ones can be worth their weight in gold."

11. "My advice is to remember five years from now you’re going to think you’re beautiful."

12. "I'm 51, I look back at photos of myself in all the past decades and see what I never saw. I’m always shocked at how fresh and beautiful I look. If only I was aware at the time."

13. "What I wish I’d discovered earlier is the Dr Jart Re-cover cream; I’ve wasted so much money buying ‘natural’ looking foundations but none of them cover redness, this one is the bomb!"

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Listen: On the You Beauty podcast, we speak to a skincare expert who specialises in skincare consultancy for women and men over 40. Post continues below.

14. "I’m 51 and only started wearing SPF daily a few years ago, in fact I think it was because of Leigh! I have quite a lot of sun damage which is so ageing but I feel like I have it under control now by using SPF and Vitamin C."

15. "Always sunscreen. Wish I started using it every day when I was young (pigmentation is so hard to get rid of, even with good skincare)."

16. "Minimal makeup - dewy tinted moisturiser, cream blush or bronzer and an eyelash tint."

17. "A good skincare regime (Vitamin C, HA, Retinol, AHA) always."

18. "I'm 42. I started a skincare routine in my teens, Mum took me to good old Ella Bache. That's my biggest tip. Always, always get help from a pro, and learn about your skin type. You don't need to spend all the money all the time, but going for a facial every now and again is the best for feeling good about yourself."

19. "Take your makeup off each night!"

20. "WEAR SUNSCREEN!"

21. "I wish I hadn’t sunbaked until I was 25, and I wish I had used sunscreen daily both on my face and hands! This is the advice I give my 16-year-old niece."

22. "A tan, a blow dry, a massage and exercise - I do feel good about myself when I do it."

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23. "I started getting botox three years ago and get it three times a year, and that makes me feel good. I would've started earlier if I had my time again."

24. "My greys make me anxious, so getting them covered is money well spent. It's what makes me feel good."

25. "I'm 54 and I think the most important thing is actually allowing yourself the time to look after yourself. It was about 10 years ago when I finally realised that unless I prioritised myself in my life, nobody else would. That was when I started looking after my skin, taking time to do my makeup every day (because it made me feel like I could take on the world) and investing in me."

26. "Paw paw cream on my eye wrinkles!"

27. "Popping on a gorgeous lippy always makes me feel good about myself."

28. "Using a gradual tanner like Dove. I cannot tell you how much better I feel with it on instead of pasty winter skin."

29. "I think the main thing as you get older is lots of hydration and dewy make up - which sometimes goes against what you think you should be using!"

30. "A magnifying mirror. Your eyes are not what they once were. Will help to avoid many a mishap."

31. "Sunscreen. Start wearing in your teens if you don’t want to look like a crocodile skin handbag at 40."

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32. "Less is more. 'No makeup makeup' hides wrinkles so much more than all of the makeup."

33. "The best thing about being 40 is you do YOU! And with so much more confidence and aplomb than you did in your twenties."

34. "I've been using Amolin nappy rash cream for 61 years!"

35. "Serums are actually worth the money. You need them more the older you get. Not for wrinkle shaming; it just keeps everything hydrated and supple and dewy."

36. "Silk pillow cases. Unless you want to iron your face in the morning, these eliminate those oh-so-sexy sleep creases."

37. "Take your bloody makeup off before bed. Don’t ruin the silk pillow case."

38. "My best beauty advice is moisturiser in the shower on wet skin - on your body and your face!"

39. "I’m 44 and my big tip for ageing skin that is starting to get a bit dry and flaky is to add a drop of jojoba to your foundation, concealer and even cream bronzer and blushes - it goes on like a dream and makes your skin look plump and juicy (in a good way)."

40. "Embrace your age. I’m so lucky to still be here. So many aren’t."

What would you add to our list? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature image: Getty.