Beauty tips and tricks: Pearls of wisdom from Barbara Bush

The former US first lady says a decent string of pearls was her weapon of mass distraction from laughter lines


Here at Beauty Tips and Tricks headquarters we are always looking for ways to stay more youthful. We met a woman in her 80s once who swore by a jaunty beret and a colour-coordinated silk scarf to keep her looking as though she was “still at the races”, as she put it. Former US first lady Barbara Bush, who turned 90 last week, says a decent string of pearls was her weapon of mass distraction from the old laughter lines. “The pearls are to cover the wrinkles, which they no longer do,” Bush said, adding that the classic beads at her throat only worked for so long, because “you can’t wear pearls all over your face”.

While being interviewed by her granddaughter Jenna Bush Hager on NBC, Bush also explained why she never dyed her hair when it started to go grey. “I wanted to play golf, I wanted to play tennis, I wanted to swim. And my hair turned, as I’m sure someone else will tell you, orange, green, yellow, depending upon how much chlorine [was] in the pool. So I decided to go white.” Keep it pearly white and keep on moving, was the simple message from this new nonagenarian.

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