Dame Joanna Lumley, a bold lip and a dark eyeliner pretty much go hand in hand, paired with a signature Patsy Stone cigarette, of course. Then again, its been more than 20 years since the final episode of Absolutely Fabulous aired on our TVs and, nowadays we’re more likely to catch the 78-year-old actress in Netflix’s Fool Me Once or her Radio 4 sitcom, Conversations From A Long Marriage.
Regardless, there’s no denying Lumley is a national treasure and looks, pardon the pun, absolutely fabulous as she nears her fifth decade on our screens. Indeed, her beauty has followed her from the start of her career in 1976 through to today and, in a bid to get to the bottom of her sheer, your-skin-but-better glam, we reached out to the woman behind many of Lumley’s looks, make-up artist Mira Parmar.
Speaking to The Independent, Parmar shared everything from her favourite kohl pencils to the newly launched concealer she loves using on mature skin. Scroll on for all her tips and tricks.
What are the best techniques for blurring fine lines?
“The key to applying make-up for mature skin is less is more,” Parmar states. This is an attitude shared by renowned make-up artist Lisa Eldridge and, as such, it comes as no surprise that Parmar opts for Eldridge’s eponymous brand when approaching fine lines.
“I’m loving the Lisa Eldridge pinpoint concealer,” she says. The concealer (£27, Spacenk.com), which is uniquely packaged in a pencil-style applicator, was only launched industry-wide earlier this month and, in addition to tackling fine lines, Parmar explains that it’s “brilliant at pinpointing problem areas like rosacea and fine veins”, which often become more apparent as the skin gets older and thinner.
When it comes to what to avoid, Parmar recommends that those with mature skin “steer away from heavy skin products and powders, as they tend to sit in fine lines.” Likewise, she adds that products with shimmer and sparkle can also draw focus to these creases in the skin.
As for the lighter products she recommends? “Powders like the By Terry pressed hydra powder (£42, Spacenk.com) are brilliant for mature skin – leaving skin smooth, fine lines blurred and skin looking like skin,” Parmar says. The latter component is perhaps Parmar’s signature as a make-up artist with all her clients, from Lumley to Celia Imrie, appearing true to their natural selves with pops of glam across the lips and eyes. This, Parmar tells us, isn’t by coincidence. “All celebrity clients are different but, on the whole, I love to enhance their features and just create a better version of themselves,” she explains.
“Both Celia and Joanna love a red lip, so when I work with a red lip I try to keep skin and eyes paired back so it looks more natural.”
How should you prep mature skin?
“The best way to prep mature skin is to use a moisturiser with great skin ingredients – like hyaluronic acid which plumps skin and hydrates,” Parmar divulges. Her product of choice? Absolute Collagen’s boosting face serum (£31.50, Amazon.co.uk), which boasts not only hyaluronic acid, but glycerin, peptides and fine-line minimising bakuchiol.
As for the rest of the face, Parmar suggests investing in a good under eye cream to prepare the skin for under-eye concealer. “It makes a great base to prevent caking,” she explains, adding that “oils are also fantastic for moisturising mature skins.” For her, it’s the Skin Rocks support oil (£60, Spacenk.com) and Summer Fridays heavenly sixteen oil (£55, Cultbeauty.co.uk) that she reaches for time and time again.
“And don’t forget about the lips,” she warns. “They need moisturising, too – I love the Laneige lip sleeping mask [£19, Sephora.co.uk].” Well, alongside our team here at IndyBest, that’s another member of the K-beauty brand’s cult fanbase.
To top it all off, Parmar says she loves prepping mature skin with a face mask like Sarah Chapman’s skinesis 3D moisture infusion (£50 for four, Cultbeauty.co.uk). “This creates me a perfect canvas to start,” she adds.
Does make-up need to be applied differently on mature versus younger skin?
“I don’t apply my make-up differently but I do look at the products I am using and tailor it to the certain skin types I’m working with,” Parmar explains, adding that she opts for formulas rich in “skin-loving ingredients” for her more mature clients. In the same breath, she mentions Merit’s flush balm with vitamin E (£26, Meritbeauty.com), the Hourglass vanish concealer with nourishing squalane (£19, Spacenk.com) and Hildun Beauty’s silk to set kajal/kohl liner with soothing chamomile flower extract (£16, Hildunbeauty.co.uk).
Intrigued by the prominence of cream formulas in her aforementioned trio of products, Parmar explains: “I love layering cream products because they leave the skin looking plump, hydrated and fresh. They leave the skin glowing through without looking cakey.”
To really hammer in this freshness, Parmar leans into the power of hyaluronic acid once more. “Hyaluronic settings sprays are beautiful,” she affirms, recommending By Terry’s hyaluronic glow setting mist (£39, Cultbeauty.co.uk). “After application it leaves the skin fresh and dewy looking,” she says.
Regarding her go-to tools for application, the good news is that Parmar sticks with a set of trusty make-up brushes. “I use brushes on all skin ages/types and love the flawless finish it gives, leaving all skins looking like skin,” she explains.
After more mature skin tips and tricks? Check out our complete guide to anti-ageing skincare, according to dermatologists
