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PROBLEM
‘I’ve always loved beauty products but never really know what to do with them. I get flummoxed by all the information and choice out there – you can spend a fortune going from A to Z and back again. I am switching career direction and, after years in marketing, looking for a new challenge. As I’m now based at home, I spend most of my time with a bare face and hair pulled back, so I need an easy look I can do every day. I’m really keen to learn what works with my fair skin and red hair.’
Mairead Herlihy, 50, is an ex marketing professional embracing a career change
SOLUTION
Ruby Hammer MBE, 63, an iconic make-up artist with her own range, believes make-up is all about the three Es: empower, educate, enhance. She asks Mairead about her life and beauty goals and, as she does her face, explains techniques and product choices. The aim is Mairead as the best version of herself. Ruby’s tips? ‘Invest time. And reassess. What worked five years ago will be different to your needs today.’
Jumper, £89, marksandspencer.com
THE PREP
Ruby sweeps Aveda Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant (£23, johnlewis.com) over Mairead’s face. ‘It creates a better surface and brightens the skin,’ she says. She applies Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (£21, spacenk.com) to Mairead’s lips and leaves it ‘to hydrate’, then dots on Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Eye Base (£32.80) and Face Base (£43.20, bobbibrown.com), gently massaging it in ‘so the skin glows’.
THE BASE
Mairead’s fair skin is prone to redness so Ruby uses Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser Eye Color Correcting Concealer in Green (£9.99, boots.com). ‘If you can see green, you’ve used too much.’
She buffs Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (£47, johnlewis.com) all over using a Zoeva Foundation Buffer Brush 104 (£22.50, zoevacosmetics.co.uk)
for a seamless finish. ‘Remember to do the neck and ears!’ Ruby rates the base as it’s ‘good for mature skin and looks great in every light, but go to the store for colour-matching’. Under the eyes, Ruby likes creamy serum concealers; here it’s. ‘It’s expensive but excellent and doesn’t sit in the lines. I apply it at the inner and outer corners of the eyes, and on the lids,’ she says. Ruby sets the base with Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder (below right, £38.50, lauramercier.co.uk).
THE MAKE-UP
‘For natural brows I like a powder product,’ says Ruby. She chooses Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in Taupe (£22, anastasiabeverlyhills.co.uk), using the angled brush from her 01 Magnetic Brush Set (£25, rubyhammer.com, which includes a wand and three brush heads). ‘Go a shade lighter than you would think, start in the arch and work lightly outwards.’
For eyeshadow, Ruby uses Charlotte Tilbury Palette of Beautifying Eye Trends in Super Neutral (£49, charlottetilbury.com). ‘I’m doing a pale wash on the lid, mid-brown on the lower lid up to the crease, and smudging a dark brown into the lash line to define, using my smudge brush.’ She ends with L’Oréal Paris Panorama Mascara (£12.99, boots.com).
Next it’s blush. ‘Don’t put it low on your face as it drags it down.’ Ruby uses her Cheek Colour in Pink (£24, rubyhammer.com), ‘on Mairead’s apples not the hollows’.
Ruby says of lips, ‘even a swipe of lip balm will add polish’. She uses Jones Road The Lip Pencil in Rose Nude (£24, jonesroad beauty.com) on the lipline and lip, adding Nars Explicit Lipstick in Adulterous (£34, nars cosmetics.co.uk) on top. ‘Its satin formula amps up volume,’ Ruby says. She notes Mairead’s colouring needs ‘a browny pink not a shocking pink’.
THE HAIR
When asked the single thing Mairead could do to refresh her look, hairdresser Alex Szabo says, ‘Wear it down! It’s so much more flattering on the face.’
To create more volume, he runs through Schwarzkopf Professional Osis Grip Extra Strong Mousse (£13.49, sallybeauty.co.uk), then smooths the hair with a big round brush and a blow-dryer, making sure to get plenty of root lift at the crown.
‘This gives the face youthfulness, as does a layered fringe.’ Alex uses GHD Curve Tong Classic Curl (£106, johnlewis.com) to create soft waves, and ends with Maria Nila Ocean Spray (£22, marianila.co.uk) to add further oomph.
MAIREAD’S VERDICT
‘I’ve got a spring in my step and so many tips from Ruby. I’ll always work in my skincare before putting on base now, and apply foundation from my mid-forehead outwards. And I’ll be buying Ruby’s brush set. This has given me the confidence to do my make-up for a friend’s wedding.’
DO YOU NEED MID-LIFE MASCARA?
‘Watery eyes are a midlife challenge, mine start streaming the minute I leave the house,’ says YOU features director Kath Brown. ‘So once I hit 60, finding a smudgeproof mascara was vital. Rather than try waterproof versions, I put four easily removed brands to the test. All stayed put, but did they make my lashes flutter?’
L’Oréal Paris Paradise Big Deal Mascara (£12.99, superdrug.com)
‘I was impressed with this budget buy. The formula is light and clump- free, and two coats give good length and volume. A great everyday mascara.’ 5/5
Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara (£28, sephora.com)
‘I was put off by the brush size and the thick formula, but this lengthens, curls and adds volume. With all that, I expected panda eyes. But there were no smudges by the end of the day.’ 4/5
No7 Define & Enhance Mascara (£15.95, boots.com)
‘The conical brush makes application easy. It’s fine for a minimal daytime look if you build up the layers, but there’s little lift or volume if you prefer a bit more va-va-voom.’ 3/5
Lancôme Lash Idôle Flutter Extension Mascara (£26, selfridges.com)
‘A precise brush with ultra-fine bristles lets you coat thin lashes, which helped define my eyes. Good for lengthening, but you need several coats for volume.’ 3/5
Hair: Alex Szabo.
Make-up: Ruby Hammer
