We’re women in our 50s – people always think we’re 20 years younger… here are the £2 anti-aging tricks we swear by
MANY of us will go to great lengths – and expense – to make sure we keep our faces wrinkle free.
So much so, that the number of cosmetic procedures carried out every year has doubled since 2021.
All that work comes at a high price, beyond many budgets.
So it is no surprise people are turning to TikTok for inspiration, where #antiageingtips has had more than 358million views.
YASMIN HARISHA speaks to three women in their fifties about the budget-friendly skin hacks they use which have left them looking a good 20 years younger than their age.
Sipping a cocktail at her local pub, Ajeng Partadinata noticed a man eyeing her up.
He was considerably younger than she was but after they shared some small talk, she realised he simply wasn’t aware of the age gap between them.
“When I told him my age, he couldn’t believe it,” says Ajeng, a 52-year-old make-up artist.
“He thought I was in my twenties or thirties. But it didn’t stop us from talking — and dating.
“If anything, I think it made him like me even more — he liked how I was clearly a woman who looks after herself.”
And it is not thanks to Botox or filler.
Ajeng, who is divorced and lives in Crystal Palace, South London, credits her youthful looks to the products in her kitchen cupboard.
She says: “I work with catwalk models, actors and musicians on a daily basis.
“They all ask me for my anti-ageing beauty tips and expect me to name an expensive cream.
“Instead I leave them gobsmacked when I reveal that PG Tips tea bags are my secret weapon and keep my skin looking amazing.
“I grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia, and women there follow centuries-old beauty regimes based on natural products to keep skin looking amazing.
“I don’t throw my tea bags out after I’ve made a drink with them — I use them to cleanse my face and wash off make-up.
Soap and water
“I empty out the tea bag leaves into a bowl, infuse it with some water and a tablespoon of honey and massage it all over my face before rinsing.
“I also freeze old tea bags and use them to help with puffy eyes.
“It acts as a great exfoliating scrub, and helps to unclog pores.”
She adds: “Men never guess my age because of my youthful complexion.
“I once dated a man who was 16 years younger than me, and no one could ever tell the age gap.”
Another firm believer that you don’t have to spend a lot to look good is Dawn Burnett, 56.
The single events manager, who has a 14-year-old daughter, Niara, says her youthful looks are down to a cream from the local Pound shop.
Dawn, from Sydenham, South London, says: “My mum is 75 years old and looks at least 20 years younger.
“And when I first meet people they are shocked when they learn I’m 56. They think I’m at least 20 years younger, if not 30.
“From an early age, Mum taught me soap and water is better than high-priced potions and creams.
“And that’s something I swear by.
“For the last decade I’ve washed my face with Asda’s Tea Tree foaming face wash, which costs £2.
“Afterwards, I pat my skin dry, before applying Aqueous Cream with Aloe Vera, which costs £1.25 from any cut-price supermarket or Pound shop.
“I can’t live without it.
“I also use Superdrug’s basic 99p wipes to get the bulk of my make-up off.
“I often get chatted up by men in their mid-thirties as they think I’m their age or younger.
“I’ve frequently been asked if I’m single by younger men, while I’m shopping on the high street.
“Some of my friends are envious of my skin and they are always asking me for my secret.
“I do think some other women get jealous of how young I look, but I can’t help that I’m wrinkle free and loving life.”
Dene Moore, 58, from South-East London, is mistaken for a woman 20 years younger and she’s convinced it’s partly due to drinking vinegar.
She says: “This may sound as if I am blowing my own trumpet but when I meet someone new they often ask the same question, ‘Are you in your thirties?’.
“When I tell them I am two years off 60, their jaws hit the floor.
“I’ve been blessed with good genes but wasn’t always this healthy-looking.
“A few years ago I was two stones overweight and going through the menopause. I felt bloated and craved carbs a lot of the time.
“I was uncomfortable with how unfit and unhealthy I felt.
“Then about four years ago, a friend of mine told me about apple cider vinegar and how it can help with weight loss and also looking younger.
“Apple cider vinegar with ‘mother’ means it hasn’t been filtered and contains a higher amount of enzymes, proteins and friendly bacteria.
“I started putting a teaspoon in warm water and knocking it back once a day.
Within a few months, my middle-age spread was diminishing and my face was less puffy.
“I then started drinking a smoothie of kale, celery, spinach, ginger and apple juice each day.
“My skin appeared so much more radiant and I realised that what’s inside is as important as what’s going on outside. I even dropped down to a size 12.
“I worked as a receptionist for a PR company at the time and someone said I was photogenic so I applied to a modelling agency and, to my surprise, was taken on.
“It has definitely given me a huge confidence boost.”
- Additional reporting: Nikki Watkins