As the former Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue (and the magazine’s longest serving Editor), Alexandra Shulman has tried and tested many beauty products over the years. She knows her stuff. So when she says that these five are her all-time favourites, you know they’re good.
Our beauty shopping list just got longer…
Clarins Beauty Flash, £28.95
This has been around for decades. I have used it since my 20s and it never lets me down. I’ve tried countless illuminators and rejuvenating potions and none are as good a quick fix as this. I wear it alone or under a little foundation and it makes my skin look brighter and better.
For some reason I am superstitious over it and tend to limit the occasions that I use it because I feel it might lose its power if I apply it too often. So who knows? Maybe it would do the trick every day.
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Fushi Passion Flower Capsules, £8
Although these are not strictly beauty, they are my best tip. I get mine from Fushi although there are many brands. They are a very mild herbal tranquilliser/sedative which I first used to help me deal with my fear of flying. I take one when I wake on the day of travel and then one before flying if it is a morning flight and they completely take the edge of the fear. Admittedly I also use alcohol but not always. You don’t get the kind of woozy feeling something like Xanax or Valium gives you and you are 100% there.
I also use them if I wake in the middle of the night with motormind – those thoughts that go round and round. They will almost always, quickly, send me to sleep for a few hours which is intriguing since if I use them during the day on planes they don’t make me sleepy at all.
Miss Dior Original Eau de Toilette, £55.25
I love this. I first started to use it on a holiday in Italy many years ago and I have worn it ever since. Whenever I spray it on (I always spray) someone will say, ‘what’s that lovely scent’ and I tell them. If they are cab drivers, they say, ‘I’ll tell my wife about it’.
It’s very light and doesn’t last long on me but I love the instant hit that I get with the smell which reminds me of falling in love in the sun and feeling wildly excited about life. The only problem is that it is getting harder and harder to find as the new formulation is the one most places stock.
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de Mamiel Restorative Cleansing Balm, £62
I have recently become a huge fan of the de Mamiel brand of skincare. I am not someone who uses the same skincare range all the time but this is my current one.
Their restorative cleansing balm is heavenly and I use it every morning with a hot cloth. It makes my face feel clean enough to face the day, particularly since I am not one for removing make-up at night.
The scent is delicious. I have just started using the stress response serum which also has a delicious smell and I like to think is doing something good for me. I am lucky to have good skin so much of the product I use is about how it makes me feel rather than how it makes me look.
Dior Addict Lip Glow, £28
I like to wear lip colour but unfortunately deep matt lipstick doesn’t suit me so I tend to use tinted balms or glosses. Dior’s range of lip colour is my everyday choice. It enhances your natural colour and depending on which one you choose will add a bit to it. In the summer I like to wear the orange, but usually I will go for pinkier tones.
READ MORE: Is it time to give your midlife makeup bag a makeover?
