I’ll keep this simple. There’s no long routine here, just three small changes that work on real faces, even on hot days when you’re out for hours. Most of them use things you’ve probably already got at home.

1. Treat your T-zone differently from the rest of your face

Your forehead, nose and chin make more oil than your cheeks, so it makes sense to prep them differently. Start with a thin layer of lightweight moisturizer all over, because skin that’s dehydrated can end up looking even shinier, then give it a few minutes to sink in. After that, put a mattifying or pore-blurring primer on just the T-zone, not your whole face. Your cheeks can stay soft and glowy while the shiny areas stay put.

2. Keep your base thin where you get shiny

It’s tempting to put more foundation on the areas that get oily, but a thick layer mixed with oil just slides around and breaks up by lunch. Go the other way. Use a thin layer on your nose, forehead and chin, pat it in with a damp sponge instead of dragging it across, and only build coverage where you really need it. If you’ve got a long-wear or matte foundation, use it on your T-zone and keep something more hydrating for your cheeks. That one small switch makes a big difference.

3. Set it with a light touch, then blot before you re-powder

Dip a small puff or sponge into a little translucent powder, tap off the extra, then press it onto your nose and the center of your forehead and hold it there for a few seconds and dust away. Finish with a light mist of setting spray so everything settles into your skin. Later in the day, when the shine comes back, reach for a soft tissue first and gently press it on. Don’t rub it. Only add powder after you’ve blotted, because powder on top of oil is what turns patchy and cakey.

Prep your T-zone on its own. Keep your base thin where you get shiny. Press your powder in, mist, and blot before you re-powder.

If this helped, forward it to the friend who’s always blotting her nose in the bathroom. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that above so the next one lands straight in your inbox. Paid subscribers also get the deeper dives, which is where I go into much more detail.

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Shine isn’t a flaw, it’s just what skin does, and the goal isn’t to get rid of it completely. It’s to keep it under control so your makeup still looks like you at the end of the day. Prepping the area properly, keeping your base thin and setting it with a light touch will get you most of the way there. You don’t need to change everything at once either, so pick one and try it tomorrow, then add the others once you’ve seen what it does for you. Leave a comment and tell me which one you’re trying first, and if you’ve got a T-zone trick of your own that works, share it with everyone!

I want to make it clear that I like events, and I like the people who put them together. I’ve been going to them for a very long time, so I’ve watched them change from the inside, and that’s the only reason I feel I can say anything about it. Think of this as something to sit with, not necessarily a verdict.

When I first started going to industry events, the guest list felt like it had been thought out. The creators in the room were people who had substance and their audiences actually listened to them. If one of them tried a product and loved it, you saw it in what people bought, talked about and tried. The room felt small enough that you could have a proper conversation, and nearly everyone was there for a reason.

Now when I look around at these events (which by the way I don’t go to as often), there are far more people than before and a lot of faces I’ve never seen before…every time I go. What I find funny is that the creators who’ve been around since the beginning all gravitate toward each other. We don’t plan it…we know each other’s work, we know what each person brings, and we know the conversation will be real.

The funny part is that back in the day we didn’t talk to each other all that much, because we were busy doing our own thing. Now, at these big events, we all end up in the same corner, and without fail we all say the same thing at some point in the night, “who are these people?”. It’s never said in a mean way, it’s genuine curiosity. And what I love about this group is that none of us look alike or sound alike. Everyone has their own identity and their own point of view, and that’s a big part of why people listen to us in the first place.

When an event is built to get as many people through the door as possible, it gets hard to do the thing the event was for. It’s loud, it’s crowded, nobody can really try the product properly and the conversations stay on the surface. The people who’d talk about a launch in a way that actually moves their audience are often the ones standing at the edge of the room, or leaving early. It isn’t great for the brand and it isn’t great for the guests.

Take L'Oréal for example. They do big events with a lot of people attending, but it's people with substance, so it's a room full of all the right people. It isn't really about how big a room is, it's about who's in it. When the right people are there, even a packed event can feel like a proper gathering, with real conversations and people who actually care about what's being launched.

The second half of this is a bit more personal. It covers what I think is behind all this, what I’d love to see more of, and why I’m choosing to stay hopeful. You’ll find all of that on the other side of the paywall for paid subscribers.

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None of this is about being bad at makeup. Most of the women I talk to are really good at it, they’ve just been following the same routine for years, and a routine that worked at 35 can start working against you later. The same handful of habits come up again and again, which is why I’ve kept this list short and why every fix is quick.

1. Too much powder, especially under your eyes!

Powder looks harmless, but it soaks up the little moisture your skin has left and settles straight into fine lines, and it’s usually why you hear mature women talking about why they can’t use too much powder. Under the eyes is where it shows the most. A thick layer there looks dry and creased within an hour, and it makes your whole eye area look older. As we age, we lose hydration and our skin becomes drier, so adding something already dry makes it even worse.

The 2 minute fix: Only powder where you actually get shiny, which is usually your forehead, nose and chin. If you want to set under your eyes, use the tiniest amount on a small brush and press it in instead of sweeping it on. Then mist your face lightly with a hydrating spray, which melts everything together so it looks like skin and not powder. I personally love the Anua Blue Dewy spray. It’s a game changer for mature skin!

2. Concealer that’s too light or too thick

A concealer that’s much lighter than your skin leaves a pale patch under your eyes, and a heavy layer sits in every crease. Together they pull attention to the exact spot you were trying to hide, and that’s one of the quickest ways to look more tired.

The 2 minute fix: Pick a shade that’s close to your skin tone, half a shade lighter at most, with a slightly warm undertone. Put a thin layer on the inner corner and the darkest part, then pat it in with your ring finger until you can’t see where it starts. If you need more brightness, wait a minute and add tiny dot of a lighter one to the inner under eye corner and pat it out.

3. Brows that are too dark or too sharp

Brows that are a shade or two darker than your hair, with a hard edge and a sharp tail, look severe. They drag your face down and make everything else look heavier. Our hair gets softer and lighter as we get older, and our brows should follow it.

The 2 minute fix: Go for a shade that matches the lighter, softer part of your brow, or even half a shade lighter. Fill in just the gaps with tiny hair-like strokes and keep most of the color toward the middle. Finish by brushing through with a clean brow brush so the edges blur.

The next four are the ones I’d put money on you doing without realizing, including the one that adds the most years of all. Those are tucked in below the break for paid subscribers!

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When I say ‘ugly days’, I’m talking about when you feel like absolute rubbish and you wonder what will help. I’ve plenty of clients end up in my chair over the years that tell me they feel ugly today and need a miracle. They sit in my chair tired, stressed, or in the middle of a breakout, there’s no hiding it and no time to experiment, so you find out very quickly what helps and what makes it worse. I have plenty of rough mornings of my own, so everything below has been tested on me first.

1. Put on less base, not more

The instinct on a bad day is to cover everything…and quickly. But a thick layer sits on texture and makes skin look flatter and heavier. Use a small amount in the middle of your face, where the redness usually sits, and let the edges stay bare. Then use concealer only on the spots that need it. Skin that still looks like skin always looks more awake than skin that’s been painted over. It’s important to make sure your skin is well hydrated underneath.

2. Add color to your cheeks before you do anything else

A little color on your cheeks does more to make you look rested than any amount of concealer. Dab a cream blush on the round part of your cheeks and blend it up toward your temples. Stick with a warm pink or a soft peach, since those look like you’ve slept, and keep it light enough that it looks like it came from your own skin.

3. Open up your eyes

Curl your lashes, then use one coat of mascara on the top lashes only. Swap any dark liner on your lower lash line for a soft, flesh tone pencil on the inner rim. Dark pencil makes tired eyes look smaller, and a light one makes them look bigger and clearer. It’s a small change, and it’s one of the quickest ways to look more awake.

The fixes for breakouts and washed-out skin, and the exact order I put everything on when I’m in a rush, are waiting on the paid side…below.

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I’m not writing this as advice. It’s just what I decided to do and I’ll explain why. I know this industry well enough to know exactly what brands look at before they say yes to someone, which is why this decision took me years and not days.

I never lied, I just didn’t announce it…I want to be clear about this part because it matters. I never lied about my age. I just never made a point of it. Every birthday came and went without a post saying how old I was turning. I was strategic about it, and I’ll admit that. My whole business is beauty, and in beauty, age is something people have opinions about before they’ve even looked at your work. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.

What I was actually scared of…The honest reason was work. I didn’t know if I’d still get the kind of work I was getting, the brand deals and the campaigns, once people knew how old I was. That was a scary thought and it also kind of annoyed me that this is how the industry can make you feel. I’d built my career in a region where I hadn’t seen over 40 beauty anywhere, and I wasn’t sure it was ready for it. So I stayed quiet, and at the time that felt like the safest option.

Why 45 was the year…What changed was remembering who I was actually talking to. My audience is mostly based in the US, and over 40 beauty is probably further along than most places. Not as much as it should be, but still better. I also knew I wouldn’t get that time back. I have my mum’s genes of looking younger than I am, so I’d decided I’d rinse that for as long as I could, and I did. Then somewhere before my 45th birthday I felt ready to be vocal about it. So I said it on my birthday. I’m 45 today.

Once I’d said it, some things went quiet and other things got louder, and the brands I thought I’d lose weren’t always the ones I ended up losing. I’ll tell you all of it on the paid side, along with what I’d say to anyone sitting on the same fear right now.

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I don’t pick foundations by how they look in the bottle or in a swatch. I pick them by how they look on real faces after a few hours, and these are some that kept holding up. Between them they cover every finish and coverage level, so whatever your skin does, one of them should work for it.

1. Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

This one has been a makeup artist favorite for years. It’s been recently reformulated, and I think the new version is actually way better. Glycerin, niacinamide, and floral extracts were added, so it feels more hydrating, and it’s slightly more dewy than the original, but not too much. You still get the medium, buildable coverage and the smooth, blendable finish that made it a classic. It’s a really good pick for dry or mature skin, or anyone who wants a healthy glow without any shimmer.

2. Hourglass Illusion Luminous Glow Foundation

This is the creamiest one on the list and great for over 40s. It’s medium coverage with a real glow, it’s moisturizing, and it has SPF 30 built in. Hourglass says it wears for up to 12 hours without creasing or caking, but I do think the way you set your base makes this decision.

3. Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Foundation

Haus Labs has a very light, serum kind of texture. It’s medium, buildable coverage with a natural, slightly luminous finish that sits like a second skin. It’s made with fermented arnica, hyaluronic acid, and squalane, so it feels super hydrating, and it comes in a lot of shades.

The last two are the matte, long-wearing ones, and I’m also sharing exactly how I’d pick between all five based on your skin type. This part is for paid subscribers so don’t forget to upgrade from free to paid!

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When I look at my own audience stats, the over 40s are the ones with the strongest spending power. What I find more interesting is how they spend. These are the reasons I think we’re the best shoppers in the room.

I’ve spent so many years around beauty counters, backstage, and in front of clients, and I’ve watched a lot of people buy things. The women who walk away with exactly what they needed, and never think about it again, are almost always the ones over 40.

1. They know what suits them

By 40 you’ve bought the wrong shade, the wrong cut, and the wrong lipstick more times than you can count, and every one of those was a lesson. You know your undertone. You know which colors wash you out and which fit works on your shape. That’s why you can walk straight past something everyone is raving about, because you already know it isn’t for you.

2. They shop for the life they actually have

Younger shoppers often buy for the life they imagine, the dinner party that never happens or the event they might get invited to. Over 40, you buy for a normal Tuesday. You know what your week really looks like, so the things you buy get used, and the stuff that sits at the back of the drawer with the tags on gets a lot smaller.

3. Hype doesn’t work on them the same way

A pretty bottle and a big claim aren’t enough anymore. We’ve seen trends come around once already, then twice and realized that they always come back. We read the ingredient list, we wait for honest reviews, and we ask what a product actually does before it goes in the basket. It’s hard to sell us something just because it’s everywhere online.

The last four are the ones that save the most money, along with a few rules you can use the next time you shop. This is a free newsletter but upgrade to the paid version so you can read all future newsletters!

4. They spend more on fewer things

Cost per use matters more than the price tag. One foundation that works every single day is a better buy than three cheaper ones sitting in a drawer. The same goes for a good coat, a pair of shoes that fit properly, or a moisturizer that does its job. They’d rather pay more once than pay less five times.

5. They’ve learned to wait

Most impulse buys don’t survive two days. Put the thing in your basket, close the tab or leave the shop, and give it 48 hours. If you’re still thinking about it after that, it’s probably a real want. If you’ve forgotten about it, you just saved yourself some money.

6. They don’t shop to fix a mood

Shopping when you’re tired, bored, or upset rarely ends well. By this age most of us have figured out the difference between wanting something and needing a distraction. We still treat ourselves, we just do it on purpose, not because we had a bad day.

7. How to shop like this at any age

Start with what you already own, because most people have a lot more in their makeup bag and wardrobe than they remember. Test makeup in daylight before you commit to it. Check the return policy before you buy, not after. And when you find something that works, buy it again instead of going looking for something new.

So that’s why I think women over 40 are the best shoppers in the room. What do you think? Leave a comment with the best thing you ever bought after taking your time over it…

After 25 years in beauty, I’ve spent a lot of time around people talking about what they love. Some of it is real, and some of it is what they think they’re supposed to love. After a while you start to spot the difference…

1. Expensive wine

A friend came over a while back. She usually loves super expensive wine, the kind most people can’t get their hands on, the kind you expect to be blown away by because of the price. I definitely didn’t have any of that at home. I had a $20 bottle that I like and think is great, which is exactly why I keep it at home. I poured her a glass and said nothing about it. She had no idea what it was or what it cost, and after a sip she said, “omg this wine is amazing.”

A $20 bottle blew her away. It showed me that sometimes people don’t love the actual thing they rave about, they love that it costs so much. I’ve tasted the kind of wine she drinks when we’ve been out and it’s nothing special. Nothing that hugely stands out in comparison to a cheaper one. I’m not saying everything expensive is not worth it…I’ve had the odd glass of very expensive wine that was better. But my point is, not everything expensive is amazing.

2. Cold plunges

Some people really do love them, and that’s fine. But plenty of others post the video, say they feel amazing afterward, and quietly dread getting back in the next morning. If you like it, keep going. If you’re only doing it because everyone else seems to, you’re allowed to get out and just not do it.

The next four are the beauty ones, and they’re where I have the most to say after 25 years. That part’s for paid subscribers!

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I’ve done makeup for 25 years, a lot of it on mature skin, and I’m 46 myself, so I’m not guessing at what a foundation does on skin like yours. Every one of these gives medium coverage that evens out your skin without looking like a mask.

1. Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

Luminous Silk has been around for more than 25 years! It’s been a makeup artist favorite for of that time. It was reformulated recently, and I think the new version is actually much better, especially for skin over 40. The new formula has glycerin and niacinamide added, so it feels more hydrating, and it’s a little more dewy than the old one, which leaned soft matte. You still get the smooth, medium coverage Luminous Silk is known for, and it blends easily. If you want a bit more coverage anywhere, build it in thin layers instead of putting on one thick one.

2. NARS Light Reflecting Foundation

This one is water-based and light, with medium coverage you can build. It has a blurring effect that softens the look of texture without going flat or powdery. It feels like skin instead of product, which is what I look for on mature skin. Use one to two pumps and warm it on your fingertips before you blend it in. NARS makes a matching setting powder, but I’d only use it where you get shiny, not all over your face.

3. Hourglass Illusion Luminous Glow Foundation

This is one of my recent favorites. Hourglass Illusion is the creamiest one on this list. It started out as their Illusion Skin Tint and became a full foundation with more coverage, and it has SPF 30 built in. It’s medium coverage with a real glow, and it’s moisturizing, so it’s a good one if your skin runs dry. Warm a pea-sized amount on your fingertips, press it in, then buff it out with a brush. The SPF is a nice bonus, but it doesn’t replace your actual sunscreen.

The last two are a brand new foundation that only just launched and a long-wear glow from Dior. I’m also sharing how I apply medium coverage on mature skin, because the right foundation only gets you halfway. That part’s for paid subscribers.

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I’ve spent 25 years doing makeup professionally, which means I don’t watch runway shows the way most people do. To be honest I don’t watch many, but this one I had to. I watch the makeup like it’s doing a job, because it usually is. When it’s actually good, it’s not decoration, it’s part of how the whole story gets told. That’s exactly what happened here.

The casting was the real headline…

The first half of the show was led by older models, women with the kind of polish and presence you rarely see given real space on a runway. And it’s also something I’ve been recently writing about….wishing brands were more age inclusive, but not in a way like it’s a tick box. Most shows still default to the same young, interchangeable faces. Watching women who actually looked like real customers, real grown women, own that runway made the whole thing feel more honest and actually very powerful. You could actually picture the clothes on a real person instead of a teenager who’ll never wear them again after the show ends.

Sam Visser did the makeup, and it was maximalist, bold eye looks on both the men and the women, set against fairly pared-back clothes. That contrast seemed deliberate to me. Makeup that bold takes real skill to pull off without it fighting the outfit. Here it didn’t fight anything, it gave every look a mood and a character before the clothes even had a chance to speak for themselves. I'm not sure if that was the case for anyone else, so I’d love to know in the comments. I’m wondering if it was just me as a makeup artist who saw it that way.

The set was designed to feel like an actual Gucci store, mirrors and all, with models stopping to check themselves out mid walk, like real shoppers instead of robots stomping around, hitting marks. That’s the kind of concept and personality shows used to have, before every collection turned into the same lineup of people just walking in a straight line. It had a point of view again…and it made me enjoy the show.

Honestly, the casting and the makeup took over the whole show for me, more than any single piece of clothing did. I don’t think that’s a bad thing either. I think it might be the biggest compliment a show can get, and here’s why.

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I’ve used more products professionally than I could ever list, on shoots, on brides at 6am, on myself on the days nobody’s watching. When something survives that many years and that many different faces, it’s not hype. It’s just a product that works. Some of these have changed over the years but only to something that works even better than the last. You’ll find the links to all the products later in the newsletter, but let me first explain why they work.

1. A concealer that doesn’t crease by hour 6

On a wedding day or a 12hour shoot, concealer has to hold up under lights, tears, and sweat without settling into every line by lunch. Most don’t. The ones that do share the same thing, a formula that sets soft instead of cakey, with enough pigment that you’re not layering three coats to get coverage. I reach for the same one every single time. I’d suggest letting it semi-dry a little first and then buff in with a damp sponge. If you dampen the sponge with a setting spray first, even better.

2. A setting spray that actually holds up

I stopped trusting setting sprays that just smell nice and don’t do much else a long time ago. A good one keeps everything in place through a long day without leaving skin looking stiff or plastic. On set, that’s the difference between makeup that lasts through 12 takes and makeup that needs touching up every twenty minutes. But it’s not just for setting makeup, in fact there are not many that actually do help to set makeup. I personally rely on setting sprays to help fix makeup in between layers and to dampen my sponge.

3. A cream blush instead of powder

Cream blush blends into skin instead of sitting on top of it, which matters more the more texture your skin has. It looks like your own flush instead of makeup, and it works on every age, however I reach for it even more on mature skin, because powder blush tends to grab onto texture and highlight it instead of hiding it. It’s pretty easy to get cream blush wrong. Some cream blushers that are meant to give a matte finish can look cakey on the skin and actually dry out the look of the skin. You want something that doesn’t stay too ‘wet’ (unless you’re after that look) on the skin and leaves a soft blurred finish.

The last two aren’t makeup at all. They’re the two skincare products I’ve used the longest, the ones that quietly do more for how my makeup looks than anything I put on with a brush.

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You can have a full face of makeup on and still feel like something isn’t quite finished or right. I don’t mean you forgot to apply something. I mean, even with everything on, somehow it still doesn’t look as pulled together as you wanted it to.

Then someone else can wear much less makeup, but everything looks balanced, soft, fresh and intentional.

That’s usually the difference. It’s not always how much makeup you’re wearing. It’s how everything comes together. I mean, how cohesive does it look?

I just want to add that looking polished doesn’t mean looking perfect. It doesn’t mean full glam, heavy coverage, flawless skin or a super complicated routine. To me, polished makeup is makeup that looks like it belongs on your face and that it fits your style and personality. The base is blended, the colors work together, nothing looks too harsh, and the finish looks intentional rather than like products have just been applied one after another.

The base shouldn’t look heavy everywhere…

A polished base usually has some softness to it. It doesn’t look like the same amount of foundation has been applied across the entire face.

Most people don’t need full coverage everywhere. You might need more coverage around pigmentation, redness or certain areas you want to even out, but you probably don’t need the same amount around smile lines, under the eyes, the nose or areas where makeup naturally moves.

When the base is too heavy everywhere, it can make the skin look flat and more textured. When you keep the layers thinner and only build where you need it, the skin looks much more natural but still put together.

That’s what makes the base look polished rather than just covered.

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These are the foundations I think really work for that. They’re all quite different, but they have one thing in common: I can wear them on a normal day without feeling overdone.

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

This has been one of those foundations I’ve gone back to for years, and the reason is so simple. It gives enough coverage to make the skin look polished, but it never feels like a heavy foundation.

I love the finish because it gives the skin a natural glow without looking greasy or overly dewy. It’s one of those foundations that makes your skin look better rather than making your foundation look noticeable. I can wear a thin layer on a normal day, then build it slightly more if I’m filming or going somewhere in the evening.

For me, this is probably the most polished everyday foundation of the four. If you want something that still looks like skin but gives you that slightly more expensive looking finish, I completely understand why this has such a loyal following.

This post is for paid subscribers. For the price of one coffee a month, you can get access to this article + the full archive.

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I honestly wasn’t sure what this month would be like. All I knew was that we’d be in temporary accommodation while the renovations happened in our soon-to-be new home. Beyond that, I had no real picture of how it would feel to live out of a temporary place for weeks.

What I did know was that I’d have less filming than usual. As I mentioned in my last Unpacking, I batch recorded my YouTube videos up until mid October. That meant I had 6 weeks off from filming for YouTube, and I think I really needed it. I’d been going flat out for a long time, and a proper pause from that channel felt long overdue.

I also knew I’d still be filming for my lifestyle channel and creating short form content for Instagram. So it wasn’t going to be a total break, just a lighter one. If I’m being honest, I kind of knew how it would go. I had a rough idea in my head and it kind of seemed manageable.

The one thing I was counting on was my fitness. With a reduced workload, I expected to be so much more consistent. I pictured regular workouts and a good routine in place. That part did not go to plan.

Firstly, I didn’t realize I’d be this busy with short form content. The deliveries kept rolling in from PR agents and brands, and to stay on top of it I need to film pretty soon after products arrive. I can’t let things pile up or I fall behind. On top of that, I still had brand deals coming in for short form content and for YouTube. So I actually filmed more than I thought I would this month, which was the total opposite of what I had planned.

Because I’m not in my usual studio, I had to do a rough set up every single time, and it took me ages. It made me realize how much I miss my studio. I didn’t think a room could make that much difference, but it does. I can’t wait to get into the new one and feel like I’m back in my full creative zone.

The apartment building we’re staying in has a huge gym literally right outside, and it’s my worst nightmare. It’s the kind of gym that never has a quiet moment, and everyone seems to want to share machines. That’s just not me. I’ve perfected my routine over the years, and I can get in and out of the gym within an hour. There was absolutely no way that was happening in this one, so I didn’t join.

That meant doing my workouts at home. Thankfully my PT has an amazing YouTube channel, so I’ve been following her home workouts. But on one particular day my form wasn’t great, and I strained my quad! Then my knees started feeling really weak and sore in certain movements.

It made me feel absolutely awful. I’ve worked so hard for so long, and not having a gym to go to made it worse. It felt like I’d taken a step backwards. I’m recovering now and only focusing on upper body for the moment, which is annoying but the right thing to do.

Nico also took a while to settle into the temporary apartment. It’s a new space with new smells and no familiar corners, and he needed time. He’s finally settled in, and now, of course, we’re packing boxes again so he’s looking at us with a side eye! We’re moving into our new home in two days and I can’t wait!

I’m so glad I pushed myself to batch record before we left our old home, even if it was only for one channel. At the time it felt like a lot, but it gave me a proper break from at least one of my platforms. Having that space let me get excited about certain projects I want to start working on. I’ve got so many ideas, and I can’t wait to share them with you.

Bobby has been at the new home literally every single day, project managing the entire thing. I’ve only visited about once a week, and it’s incredible how much changes in the space of one week. I’ve watched our home come to life bit by bit. Seeing my husband create my dream home has been amazing. I don’t think I’ll ever get over that.

It’s also been really strange not having him at home. We’re usually together all the time, but during the renovations it’s like he has a 9 to 5. He comes home for lunch, and then I see him in the evening. I’ve had to get used to a completely different rhythm. It’s been weird for sure, but mostly it’s been nice watching him get stuck in. I can see how much he’s enjoyed working with a team to get everything ready, and how much it means to him to get it right. He’s so OCD. Like, not a little bit. A lot. So there was no way he was going to let anyone just get on with it.

The injury really threw me off this month. It’s not even the kind of injury I’d usually expect. With my history of a herniated disc and scoliosis, I’m always so careful with my lower back. I think about it in almost every workout. So I really didn’t expect to hurt my quads of all places.

It’s made me realize how much I need to focus on strengthening them. They’re the one area that seems to be the hardest for me to build muscle in, and being 46 makes it even harder. It’s a good reminder that I can’t skip the areas that are difficult just because they’re difficult. But to be honest I think it’s been harder to build them because the machines in my old gym weren’t great and wasn’t anything for quads so relying on dumbbells can only do so much.

I’m actually really looking forward to moving to our new home for so many different reasons. There are the obvious reasons but also the fact there are so many fitness studios literally on my doorstep. There’s a boxing studio that I can’t wait to join! I used to do Maui Thai and had to stop due to my scoliosis. So if I can do anything similar that doesn’t compromise my back issues then I’m up for it.

I started jump rope this month! I started on 1 September and did 10 minutes every single day, right up until I injured my quads. I can’t wait to get started on it again. It’s been amazing for my cardio, and I’m actually enjoying it, which is rare for me with cardio.

The gym in our new community is really nice too, so I’m looking forward to getting going there once my legs have healed. I want to ease back in properly this time and not rush it.

I honestly don’t know if I’m becoming less tolerant with age or if it’s something to do with perimenopause. I just can’t handle laziness, stupidity, bad manners and a lack of common sense anymore. Sometimes I get so frustrated I genuinely worry I’m turning into a Karen. I really hope it’s just hormones and it sorts itself out soon.

I don’t go to a lot of industry events, because I can’t handle the fake chat. Most events have to do with everything but the actual brand, and it can sometimes feel like a competition over who can be the loudest. You can usually tell when an event is going to be a good one. If they say it’s an intimate dinner, I’ll be there. If it’s a pottery class that clearly has something to do with the brand, I’ll be there. Events with substance and education interest me. Events that start at 9pm, focus around alcohol and have very little to do with the brand, do not interest me. I’m getting ready for bed by 9pm…that’s all I need to say.

This month I decided to go to one, mainly because I like the brand, it was during the day, and I happened to be free. It was an absolute nightmare. It was really surprising too, considering the brand. Everyone attending knew how unorganized it was, and even the staff and PR knew. But none of the PR team contacted the creators afterwards to apologize for how embarrassingly all over the place it was.

That’s the part that frustrates me the most. Everyone messes up sometimes. You’d be in a much better position if you owned it and took responsibility. If they had reached out, I’d have been much more inclined to give the next event a chance. Instead, I’m left with just a bad memory.

This month’s purchases weren’t the usual type for me. There were no clothes and no shoes, which is very unlike me. Everything we bought was for the new home.

We bought a new Siemens coffee machine, and I’m really looking forward to using it. I’m also nervous, because I’m so fussy about my coffee, and my Nespresso machine has been amazing for all these years. But realistically, having a pod machine is like having a subscription. You’re forever buying pods, and they’re actually pretty expensive. We decided to splurge on a machine that uses beans instead. I really hope it makes an amazing coffee, because if it doesn’t, my Nespresso isn’t going anywhere.

We also bought a robot vacuum. We went for the Dreame X60 Series, and it’s pretty insane how it works. I’m really excited to see how Nico behaves when it’s on, because he is 100% going to assume it’s a new pet. I’ll be filming his reaction, for sure!

We bought a lot more for the new home too, but I can’t remember what right now. That’s what happens when you’re buying things for a house that isn’t ready yet! Everything is all over the place!

My diet hasn’t been the best this month, and it’s not what you’d think. I haven’t been eating junk or a lot of sweet stuff. The apartment we’re staying in has a really weird hot plate situation instead of a proper hob, so you can’t actually cook anything on it properly. I don’t think we’ve ever used our air fryer this much.

I’ve hardly had any eggs this month, because we haven’t been able to cook them where we are. Look…in all honesty, you can cook here but it’s so long. So any eggs we’ve had are usually on the weekend when we go out for breakfast. I’ve been living off protein shakes and pre-cooked meals, since you just can’t cook much in this apartment. The food I’ve been having hasn’t been bad, but my gut still feels really messed up. I can’t wait to get back to my usual routine.

I really miss greens, vegetables, eggs and homemade food. Cooking is something I love. I find it quite therapeutic, and not being able to do it has affected me more than I expected.

That’s why I’m so excited about our new kitchen. It has all brand new appliances, and I’m ready to have a proper kitchen again. I intentionally designed the whole place open plan so that I’m still part of everything while I cook. I hate the feeling of being stuck in a kitchen away from everyone. I love cooking but also want to be part of the conversation!

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I don’t actually have anything in my cart this month that isn’t to do with home stuff. I did buy a really nice pair of Khaki cargo pants from Stradivarius, which I forgot to mention in my ‘bought’ section. They’re such a nice fit, so I’d go check them out if I were you.

I’ve got an office chair in my cart. Realistically, I need to go and try it out before buying, because a chair is something you have to sit in to judge. There’s also a desk for the studio that I need to see in person first.

Everything else in our new home has been designed and built from scratch. For the studio, though, I wanted something I can easily move around as and when I need to, so I’m better off buying something for there.

So my cart is a little boring this month, but necessary.

I’m absolutely loving the new Louis Vuitton limited edition collection. It’s a collaboration between Dame Pat McGrath and Nicolas Ghesquière. There’s a reel up on my Instagram, so you might want to go check it out. The nude shade is out of this world.

I’m also obsessed with the violet collection from Prada Beauty. The Touch blush is stunning, and I keep going back to it.

And I’m really loving the Refy Blur Liner in Stone. It’s simple, it works, and it’s one of those products I keep reaching for without thinking.

In all honesty, the TV in this apartment is so bad. One side of the screen has lost a lot of its colour, so anyone standing on the left side ends up looking half dead. Because of that, we didn’t want to watch anything decent here.

So we started the SEAL Team series, and it turns out it’s actually really good. It’s the only thing we’ve watched the entire time we’ve been in this temporary accommodation. It’s the kind of show you can put on at the end of a long day without having to think too hard.

We’ve saved all the new stuff, like Lioness, for the new place. I’d rather watch them on a proper screen, in our own living room, when we’re settled. Oh yes, I totally forgot to add we bought a sofa! See what I mean? It’s weird trying to remember what you’ve bought when it’s all being delivered at a later date!

September was a busy month in a small apartment with a bad TV and a hot plate. I filmed more than I planned to, hurt my quad, missed my studio, and missed cooking a proper meal. It wasn't the calm, consistent month I pictured at the start. But I also got to watch our dream home come together, and I came out of it with a lot of ideas and a lot of excitement for what's next. We move in two days, so next month's Unpacking will be written from our new home. I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Until next month…

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These are 5 I still use on myself, and the ones I tell almost every client…

I’ve tested more products than I can count over the last two and a half decades, on myself and on hundreds of different faces. The stuff that actually works is rarely the expensive stuff. It’s usually a small habit nobody talks about because it doesn’t come in an expensive bottle doesn’t sound exciting.

1. Change your pillowcase every week, and make it silk

Cotton pulls moisture out of your skin and hair overnight, and it tugs at your face while you sleep. Silk doesn’t do either of those things. It’s gentler on fine lines, it doesn’t crease your skin the same way, and your hair wakes up less tangled and frizzy. Washing it weekly matters as much as the fabric does. Your pillowcase holds onto oil, product, and bacteria all week, and every bit of that ends up back on your skin each night.

2. Keep a spoon in the freezer for puffy or tired under eyes

Cold metal tightens blood vessels and brings swelling down fast. Keep two metal spoons in the freezer, and in the morning press the back of one gently under each eye for a few seconds. It’s the fastest fix I know for the mornings your under eyes look tired before you’ve even had coffee.

3. Use coconut oil to remove your makeup

Coconut oil breaks down makeup, including waterproof mascara, without stripping your skin the way a lot of wipes do. Warm a small amount between your fingers, massage it over your face, then wipe it off with a warm washcloth. It’s especially good on eye makeup, and skin is left soft instead of tight afterward.

The next two are the ones clients ask me about the most, along with the exact ratios and technique that make them actually work instead of sitting unused in a cabinet. That part’s for paid subscribers.

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After 25 years as a pro makeup artist and now 46 years of age, I can confidently say these are the powders that actually work for skin that’s older. These powders don’t settle, they don’t dry you out, and they don’t make your under eyes look like sandpaper!

The key with powder over 40 is less about mattifying and more about refining. Obviously you want something that holds your makeup in place…but more importantly, something that doesn’t emphasize what you’re trying to soften.

I’m about to share the setting powders that genuinely work for over 40 skin. I’m also going to share how you should be applying each powder so that you get it just right. Because not every powder should be applied in the same way. Here’s how you optimize the right powder to work for you.

This post is for paid subscribers. For the price of one coffee a month, you can get access to this article + the full archive.

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I’ve been doing makeup professionally for 25 years, close up, under bright studio lights, on real skin, not filtered photos. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from looking at that many faces up close, it’s this….most women aren’t doing skincare wrong. They’re doing the skincare that worked on their 25 year old skin….on skin that isn’t 25 anymore.

By the end of this, you’ll know why some of your favorite products stopped working, and what actually helps instead.

Doing this job for 25 years, you don’t just learn products, you learn skin. You learn what decades of sun, sleep, stress, and skincare trends actually do to a face, because you’re touching faces almost every single day.

I’ve sat with brides on the morning of their wedding, worried about a line they’d never noticed before. I’ve had clients swear their foundation “just doesn’t sit right anymore” and blame the foundation. You’ve probably heard this before, but I’ll say it again…it’s almost never the foundation.

This is what’s actually going on, and what I’d change first.

Your skin’s cell turnover slows way down. In your 20s and 30s, skin sheds and renews itself pretty fast on its own. After 40, that slows down a lot, which is why dullness and rough texture show up even when your routine hasn’t changed at all. This is usually the point where I tell clients to stop scrubbing harder and start exfoliating smarter, something gentle and consistent instead of something rough and occasional.

Your barrier gets thinner and needs backup. In your 20s, heavy hydration can feel like overkill. After 40, skipping it is the fastest way to look tired even when you’re not. I check for this the second I start prepping skin for foundation. If it’s under-hydrated, nothing sits right on top of it.

Your makeup has to shift too, not just your skincare. Powder heavy, fully matte routines that looked great at 25 will sit into fine lines and flatten the whole face at 45. The fix isn’t less coverage, it’s smarter placement and softer, buildable layers instead of one heavy one.

Consistency beats any single “miracle” product. I’ve watched more skin change from someone doing the basics every single day than from someone chasing a new serum every few months.

Those four shifts alone will change how your skin looks and how your makeup sits on it. But there’s a more specific system underneath all of it…the exact order I layer products in on my own face morning and night, which ingredients earn a spot on the shelf and which ones I quietly skip, and the three makeup tricks I use on every client over 40 to stop foundation from creasing by noon.

That’s what’s below, for paid subscribers.

This post is for paid subscribers. For the price of one coffee a month, you can get access to this article + the full archive.

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I remember checking my steps constantly throughout the day, thinking about how many I still had left, and sometimes getting to the evening knowing I needed to somehow squeeze in another few thousand. It stopped feeling like normal movement and started feeling like another task I had to tick off. I started to hate it.

What actually worked much better for me was forgetting the 10K target for a while and figuring out what was realistic for me.

Starting low…

I decided to start at around 7,000 steps a day because that felt achievable. I wasn’t trying to become someone who spent half the day walking. I just wanted to move more than I naturally was.

And that made such a difference mentally because I could actually hit the goal without having to think about it all day.

After a while, I noticed I was reaching 7,000 every day really easily. I wasn’t checking my watch every hour, I wasn’t pacing around the house at night, and I wasn’t having to make a huge effort to get there. That was when I knew it was time to increase it.

This post is for paid subscribers. For the price of one coffee a month, you can get access to this article + the full archive.

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When you move somewhere new, especially when you’re trying to build a life there properly, you don’t know if it’s going to work. You don’t know what tomorrow looks like, whether your career will work out, whether the money will keep coming in (this is probably the biggest worry), whether you’ll be able to stay long term, or whether one day you’ll have to admit that it hasn’t worked and go back home. Even when things are going well, I think that uncertainty sits in the back of your mind for years…I know it did with me.

You can live somewhere for a long time and still not completely feel settled, not because it doesn’t feel like home, but because you’re still building and don’t really know how certain tomorrow is. You’re still trying to get to that point where you can look around and know that this is actually your life now, not something that could disappear if one thing goes wrong.

I think there comes a point eventually where that changes, although I think it’s different for everyone. For some people it might take a couple of years, for others it might take ten. But one day you realize you’re not constantly thinking about whether you’ll have to go back. You’re thinking about your future where you are. You’ve built work, routines, friendships, a home, a life. You know how things work. You stop feeling like you’re trying to make it and start realizing that you actually have.

For us, I think that feeling means even more because Bobby and I were always very clear with each other that we didn’t want help from anyone. We didn’t want handouts. We didn’t want to be able to say we built a life somewhere, knowing that actually someone else had funded it or made it possible for us. We wanted to do it ourselves, even if that meant it took longer or we had to go through harder periods. The way we see it, those hard times are what shape you. It’s what keeps you grounded, humble and grateful.

There were times when we had to cut back, prioritize certain things over others and really think about where our money was going. There were things we wanted that had to wait because something else mattered more. And I actually think that teaches you so much. You learn very quickly that you don’t need everything immediately. You learn the difference between wanting something and actually needing it. You learn patience, you learn how to be resourceful, and you become much better at figuring things out because you don’t have the option of constantly relying on someone else.

I think that’s why certain things mean so much more when you eventually get there. You know exactly what it took. You remember the periods where things felt uncertain, where you were working constantly, where you had to say no to things, where you wondered whether you were doing the right thing. And when you finally reach the point where life feels more secure, you don’t take it for granted in the same way.

Being away from family is hard in a way that’s difficult to explain because it isn’t always about the big occasions. Obviously you miss birthdays, Christmases and all the obvious things, but sometimes it’s the completely normal things that get to you more.

You see your siblings going out for lunch together on a random Sunday. They go to a concert together, or they pop round to see your parents, they have dinner together, they meet up because someone happened to be nearby, they know the little everyday things happening in each other’s lives because they’re physically there. And you’re not.

That doesn’t mean you’re any less close or that anyone loves anyone more. It’s just the reality of distance. When people live near each other, they naturally become part of each other’s everyday lives in a way that you simply can’t when you live thousands of miles away.

Sometimes I’ll see my siblings doing something together and there’s definitely a part of me that wishes I was there. Not because I regret the life I chose, but because you can be completely happy with your life and still miss the version of family life you don’t get to be part of. That’s the hard part. Especially, when you all get along well.

I think that’s something even family don’t always see because they still have each other. Their life changes when you move away, a bit, but their entire world doesn’t change in the same way yours does. They still have the same country, the familiar places, the family dinners, the people around them, the routines they’ve always known….just one person is missing. Whereas for the person who moved away….theres a whole lot more missing.

And then there’s the thing people sometimes say, which is, “Well, you can always come back more often.” Technically, yes. Of course I can.

But when you move to another country permanently, your life is there now. Your work is there, your home is there, your responsibilities are there. Going back to the UK isn’t the same as going on holiday, and it costs money.

When we go back, we’re not planning some amazing trip where we wake up and decide where we feel like going that day. We’re not exploring somewhere new or switching off by a pool. We go back because we want to see family. That is the entire reason for the trip. Which then becomes even harder because everyone still has work to go to, so you’re kind of there but not really spending quality time with anyone.

You’re spending money on flights, transport and everything else that comes with travelling, but it isn’t really a holiday in the normal sense. It’s family time. You’re trying to fit months of missing people into a short period, see everyone, spend proper time together, and then you go back home and straight back into normal life.

Obviously I would never say it isn’t worth it, because it absolutely is. But I think people sometimes underestimate what those trips actually are for the person who moved away. They’re important, they’re emotional, they’re expensive, and they’re not always relaxing.

I also think there can be guilt attached to all of it. You feel guilty when you miss something. You feel guilty when someone says they haven’t seen you for ages. You feel guilty when you see family together and know you haven’t been part of those moments.

But at the same time, you can’t build a life in one country while constantly feeling like you should be living in another.

That was something I had to understand for myself. Moving wasn’t supposed to be temporary for us. Dubai became our home. Of course there are people who move somewhere for a few years knowing they’ll eventually go back, and that’s completely different. But if you move somewhere because you want to build a life there, at some point you have to allow yourself to actually live that life without feeling guilty for not being somewhere else. This is where I don’t necessarily take my own advice very well because I still haven’t mastered it.

I genuinely think moving countries also forces you to grow in a way that I’m not sure I would have if I’d stayed where everything was familiar. You become more independent because you have to. You get better at dealing with uncertainty because there’s no choice. You learn to trust yourself more because you don’t always have the same safety net around you.

You also learn a lot about yourself when things don’t go to plan. You learn how you react under pressure, how you deal with money when things are tighter, how you work through problems as a couple, how you keep going when you’re not completely sure where everything is heading.

I think it made Bobby and me much stronger as a team too. When you move somewhere together and you’re both trying to build something from scratch, you really do become each other’s constant. There are times when one of you is more worried and the other one has to be the calm one. There are times you disagree. There are times you both wonder what you’re doing. But you keep figuring it out together.

Now, years later, buying our first home in Dubai has made me think about all of this so much more.

We rented for years. We worked, we built our business, we had periods where things were easier and periods where they definitely weren’t, we kept going without knowing exactly where all of it would lead, but with the same goal in mind. That some day, we will feel fully settled here.

And now we’ve bought our own home in the country we moved to all those years ago.

For me, that feels like a really big moment. Not because I think owning a home is the only way someone can feel settled, because it absolutely isn’t. For someone else, that feeling might come from something completely different.

For me, it’s more about what it represents.

It feels like we’ve put roots down properly. It feels like we can finally look around and say, this is home. We built this life ourselves. No one handed it to us. No one made it happen for us. We had no idea how everything would turn out when we first moved here, and somehow, after all the uncertainty and in the middle of a war, the sacrifices, the work and the moments of doubt, it did.

I think that’s probably one of the biggest lessons moving countries has taught me. You can miss home and still love the home you’ve created. You can miss family and still know you made the right decision. You can have days where you feel left out and still be grateful for the life you chose. It all makes you stronger.

And eventually, after years of wondering whether you’re actually going to make it work, there comes a point where you realize you did.

If you want to read about anything specific, feel free to leave a comment - I’d love a bit of inspo from you!

If you want to read about anything specific, feel free to leave a comment - I’d love a bit of inspo from you!

It really does help when you share my newsletters! I’m on a mission to grow The Beauty Breakfast Club community and it would mean the world if you could share this with whoever you feel could do with joining us! 🫶🏽