On Beauty: An experiment to give my mother’s skin its mojo back

My mother loves my column. While I appreciate that very much, sometimes I feel she reads it with only one purpose in mind: herself.

She has a cunning knack for picking out the best of the recommendations and then casually commandeering them, not by asking directly but by using the tried and tested technique of heavy hint-dropping and asking questions about how much such and such would cost and where would she buy it. Or maybe there would be some left? Just a tiny bit; she wouldn’t want the whole bottle, oh no, just a teaspoon. So when I wrote about the best glowy foundations recently and she saw me wearing one to test it, she began to wonder how much it would cost and where she would buy some.

Before teaspoons were even mentioned, I handed it over.

But disappointment was to follow. “It doesn’t look as nice on me as it did on you,” she lamented. “It looks dull.”

And thus began our operation to wake up her sixtysomething skin, which, although excellent, was dull and needed to get some mojo back.

My mother has always taken off her make-up with Vaseline and tissues. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Vaseline; the problem was that she was putting other products on top of it – serums and the like – and there is no way they could penetrate a petroleum jelly barrier.

She had never used a cleanser, so my first step was to pick one that would moisturise, emulsify and wash off, so that other exfoliating and hydrating products could sink in afterwards. I knew she would like Emma Hardie Amazing Face Balm cleanser, which is for nightly use with a facecloth. The next step was a very gentle exfoliator to be used a couple of times a week; I plumped for Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant.

Then came a serum (Kiehl's Precision Lifting & Pore-Tightening Concentrate) and a facial oil (L'Oréal Age Perfect Extraordinary Oil), to be followed with with a rich night moisturiser (Lancome Hydra Zen). Two weeks were given to try it all out and report back.

Our experiment was a complete success. She loved the whole routine and found it difficult to single out what she liked best because the combination worked so well. She particularly liked the cleanser; it was a revelation to her how much a good cleanser can improve skin.

In only two weeks, I can see that the texture of her skin has improved. It looks brighter and smoother, with more refined pores, and make-up just serves to enhance the effect.

You can easily replicate this improvement with these or different products, but can I make just one small suggestion? Don’t wait 40 years to do it.

[ @aismcdermott ]

amcdermott@irishtimes.com