So last year I talked about the big influences my mother had on me. This year I thought it might be fun to reverse that. Mama Bunting is so fantastic – a loyal follower on IG and YT, she watches every video. When I asked her which one was her favourite, she said “the one where you tell the people what mistakes they’re making”, which cracked me up. And she’s incredibly supportive - she’s such a great Flawless advocate that when she was at duty free in Belfast Airport, she did such a good job of representing the brand, it resulted in a purchase from a lady who told me all about my mum’s reverse sales strategy via Facebook!
So let’s look at the Jedi mind tricks I’ve played with Mum when it comes to beauty…
Lesson #1 - is the biggy:
No more tanning. Growing up, my mum loved a tan. She’d use carrot butter, Hawaiian Tropic…anything she’d see fellow bronzers using by the pool on holiday that she felt must be the key elixir to turning golden. That was the 80s…Nowadays, I’ve convinced her that if she wants to avoid brown spots, broken capillaries and saggy cheeks, daily sunscreen is a must. Thankfully she’s a fan of Flawless Daily Sunscreen and she loves the fact that its souped-up with Niacinamide as she’s not one for extra steps in the morning.
Lesson #2
Stop taking skincare tips from people with completely different skin. Her sister Helen is a total magpie for products and like most women, that influences Mum to make random purchases based entirely on the premise that Helen recommends it. Now Helen is very fair and prone to redness…Mum is meanwhile olive-toned, pigmentation-prone and oily…They still do the odd swap, but thankfully it’s much less common than it used to be!
Lesson #3
No more facewipes! My mum has always had good skin, so she has always been a bit spoilt. So putting a good cleansing routine in place took a bit of a struggle, and she’d still cut corners from time to time as she prioritises sleep above pampering. But with a daily sunscreen habit in place, she now gets that cleansing at night needs to be a bit more considered.
Lesson #4
Put some definition back by enhancing the brows. This is a very recent action point – on a trip home she ‘borrowed’ my Kevyn Aucoin Brunette Eyebrow Pencil which was of course a bit on the dark side……but I think she could see the potential for adding a in a little face-framing definition. With the correct shade, it makes a big difference to amping up her natural look.
Lesson #5
Embrace sheer, cream-finish products and stay away from powder/colours that aren’t modern by playing with the new translucents for a wash of colour. Mum’s staples as a young woman were a strongly pigmented coral lipstick, a flash of peachy powder blush with not much else. At the time her hair was very dark and this was a strong, glamorous look, a la Elizabeth Taylor, the beauty icon of the time. As she’s got older, she’s gravitated towards a lighter hair colour. A softer palette becomes much flattering, as do textures that meld with skin and boost luminosity. I’ve loved introducing her to the likes of Stila Convertible Colour in Peony and Burberry nude-tones for lips, still with that corally tone she loves. It’s still her look, just softer.
Lesson #5.2
Avoid drying hair styling products as hair quality changes with age. It’s key to recognize that many volumizing products to help boost thinning locks may also contain a lot of alcohol – a disaster that can result in sticky, dull hair, especially if it’s coloured regularly to cover grey. Prioritising texture over volume by keeping short hair cropped more closely makes it easier to maintain – and using a weekly mask to restore lustre is a treat she’s really embraced.
Lesson #6
Supplement smartly. Mum really enjoyed my recent video on supplementing for menopausal skin – and taking regular vitamin D at a dose of 2000iu has resulted in a big boost in energy and joie de vivre. I’ve also encouraged her to try to make a smoothie a day packed with goodies like blueberries, spinach and chia seeds for an antioxidant boost – she’s growing to love her Nutribullet!
It’s such a pleasure helping my beautiful Mum make the most of her looks – but in the end, her smile lights up any room and is really the most important beauty hack of all.
