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Trust me, sunscreen is the anti-ager that REALLY works...

PeOPLe are always kindly informing me that i’ve got good skin. i used to say: ‘Thanks, it’s Bobbi Brown’s,’ given i was never without the make-up guru’s foundation. These days i just explain i’m a vampire.

i am pale. So pale that Kate Moss’s ex Pete Doherty once informed me that i was the most sickly looking individual he had ever encountered. Yes, the nation’s most famous former heroin addict deemed me deathly.

Two decades on, it’s pasty payback time, as i am routinely mistaken for being younger than my 50 years. Three times i have been mistaken for my younger sister’s daughter.

For nothing ages you like the sun — no stress, no diet, no years of hard living — and sunscreen is the only proven anti-ageing product. i have never understood women who will spend any money on beauty treatments, only to nuke themselves come summer.

Stress, smoking and sugar age us, but sun is the worst culprit: 90 per cent of skin ravaging is attributable to sun exposure. But it’s never too late to shield yourself.

Moreover, given the extra sensitivity to the sun that comes with hormonal fluctuations and retinol use — one of the most popular anti-ageing ingredients in face serum — middle-aged women can find themselves particularly exposed.

Ahigh factor in your moisturiser or foundation is not enough, while sunscreen requires a generous half teaspoon to cover the face and neck, and more for the hands and decolletage. Use it or lose it, sisters.

i sport Factor 30 merely when sitting at my desk in winter. From now on this will be the bargain that is hawaiian Tropics’ new Mineral Skin Nourishing Facial Milk SPF30 (£8, boots.com).

Light in feel, hefty in coverage, its 100 per cent mineral actives reflect UVA and UVB rays off the skin without parabens or chemical filters, making it brilliant for those prone to acne, eczema, rosacea or heat rash. it doesn’t clog pores or destroy coral reefs, doesn’t stink of coconut, and makes a beautiful base for make-up.

Between April and October, i up my game to a Factor 50. Although protection does not increase exponentially as the SPF goes up — an SPF30 will protect from almost 97 per cent of UVB rays; an SPF50, 98 per cent — i know that, once my face is in place, i won’t be too virtuous about reapplying.

Technology has moved on since my teens, when high SPF meant a petrol-blue gunk that gave skin a sheen akin to that of a dead fish. These days, it’s all about the finish of your dreams.

if i want my make-up to look fabulous, i’ll wear La Mer’s The SPF 50 UV Protecting Fluid (£88, john lewis.com), or a gorgeous Factor 50 by a beauty brand such as guerlain, Chanel or La Prairie.

however, the company i return to year after year for everyday protection is French pharmacy stalwart La Roche-Posay, seen as the purveyor of the world’s most reliable sunscreens.

Abroad, i’ll wear its Anthelios Age Correct SPF50+ (£18.75, boots. com), which reduces the look of dark spots and feels like a fancy face cream. Already damaged skin could not do better.

in Blighty, i might rely on its Anthelios invisible Fluid SPF50+ (£13.50) — and there’s a tinted version, too. For top-ups, i’ll blast Anthelios invisible Spray SPF50+ (£15) over my war paint.

i try to remember to use some sort of lip guard, too. Of late, i have been carting about Piz Buin Moisturising Sun Lipstick With Aloe Vera SPF30 (£4.39, superdrug.com).

hair will also benefit from some protection. i’m impressed by reviews for Michael Van Clarke’s 3 More inches LifeSaver UV Leave-in Styling Treatment (£24.50, vanclarke.com). it conditions, styles and protects without the oiliness of traditional shields. A favourite of curly girls and fine-haired females alike.

if i have to be outside when the sun is strongest, i’ll also don a hat. in the past, M&S has done excellent SPF50 fedoras, but this year the only one i could find had been discontinued.

in spring, instagram exhorted me to buy a Summer Sunscreen Ladies Beach Straw hat from a U.S. supplier (£14.54, newin house.com) and i’m extremely glad it did. Blocking 99 per cent of UV rays, it is light, adjustable, washable, squashable and suitably Audrey hepburn.

Hannah Betts

INSPIRE

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2021-07-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

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