Hayley Sparkes exclusively spoke to Express.co.uk about how women can look younger naturally and inexpensively, offering skincare, haircare and beauty tips.
Having a good skincare routine is essential when it comes to maintaining a youthful look.
The “best” thing a woman can do in terms of her skin, according to Hayley, is invest in a dermaplaner, a small vibrating razor which removes hair from the face.
“We all have little tiny hairs on our face, often referred to as peach fuzz.
“And what happens is, if we don’t remove the hairs and also the dead skin cells with a treatment like dermaplaning, when you put your skin creams on they don’t absorb into your skin, but sit on top of the peach fuzz.”
This means that makeup can look patchy.
Priced at only £20, Hayley recommended that every woman should have a dermaplaner in her cupboard and you can find it on Amazon here.
“Seriously, this is like the best thing that anybody could do in their routine because it will smooth out the skin, make products work more effectively or make your makeup lay beautifully. Your skin feels like a peach.”
Hayley’s next tip was to invest in a good eye cream, as the skin around the eyes ages quicker than other areas.
“Eye cream does need to be specifically formulated for around the eye area because it will be lighter and it will be more gentle on that skin.
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“If you put on anything too heavy, it can actually make puffiness and dark circles worse.”
One anti-ageing method that is totally free and works wonders for the eyes is “a good night’s sleep”.
“I recommend these little eye masks from Sensory Retreats.”
“They activate as you open the packet and gently warm up, helping your eye products sink in.”
She continued: “They help you relax switch off and a lot of people find that they they have a much better night’s sleep because the sensation of warming of the eyelids is really soothing and relaxing.
“It’s literally the best thing and obviously we all look more youthful if we’ve had a good night’s sleep.”
A surprising tip that Hayley told Express.co.uk is that correct eyebrow shaping is essential for maintaining a youthful appearance.
“Eyebrows are so important because they frame the face and the eyes.
“Thin eyebrows are very outdated and they’re actually really ageing.
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“Filling in and defining your eyebrows can actually lift the look of your face and take years off you.”
Hayley personally invests in semi-permanent makeup to keep her brows in tip top shape, having over-plucked them – as many did – in the 90s.
As a result, as well as being a “massive time saver not having to fill them in”, they look pristine “24 hours a day”.
But for those who don’t want to go down the semi-permanent route, there are “so many options when it comes to filling in your brows”.
“You can just choose powders, pencils or stencils – you name it.”
In a similar vein, having long lashes can take years off your face, according to Hayley.
“A lash promoting serum can help your lashes to strengthen and grow. I’ve had great results with RevitaLash in the past.”
Priced at £110, a slightly more affordable alternative Hayley recommended is Instant Effects Lash and Brow Volumiser – “it actually does work”.
As for makeup, Hayley pointed out a common error among women: “Heavy makeup, whether you’re 16 or 60, and I think that’s the mistake a lot of people make at all ages is heavy makeup.”
But the two makeup products she absolutely swears by are blush and highlighter.
“I think a lot of people’s makeup can be very dull and very flat.
“A rosy glow is very useful, and almost childlike to have those kind of like rosy cheeks.”
She continued: “I just love blusher because it instantly gives a different dimension to your face. It just perks you up.”
Many believe that the secret to applying blusher is to do a “fake smile” to find the apples of the cheeks – “but if you un-smile, the apples of your cheeks then drop back down”.
To avoid adding blush too low down on the face, Hayley stated: “Feel with your fingertips where the top of your cheekbones are and and travel up towards the hairline.”
As for highlighter, unfortunately as we grow older we lose our “natural radiance”.
“Highlighter is one of my absolute all time favourite products in the world. I think it’s one that probably in my years of makeup artistry most women don’t have in their makeup bags.
“It’s such a quick way to add a youthful glow back to the skin and you can mix it in with your foundation.”
Optimal parts of the face to add highlight to are between the eyes, Cupid’s bow, under the brow bone and the cheeks.
Hayley Sparkes’ final tip for looking younger is to take care of your hair.
“If you’re somebody that dyed your hair but you have grey roots on show that really ages people. I think little root touch-up sprays are just brilliant.
“And you know if you’re too busy and you haven’t got the time to dye your hair, just taking seconds to spray away those roots is going to help take years off because grey roots are massively ageing.”
During trips to the salon, Hayley suggested asking a colourist for lighter pieces around the front of the head to frame the face.
She said: “It can can help to warm up your complexion and be quite flattering.”
As for going fully grey, Hayley praised “style icon” Miranda from the Sex and the City spin off, And Just Like That for embracing her greys.
However, “while grey hair is great and I’m all for women embracing their grey hair, certain colours will drain you”.
“You do need to be honest with yourself or ask someone whose opinion you really do value and hopefully they’ll be able to tell you whether you have the right skin tone and complexion to pull off the shade of grey that you naturally are.”
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