Are you tired of seeing pictures of beautiful young girls advertising anti-ageing cosmetics? Me too. Don't get me wrong — I love beauty, and I genuinely appreciate youth. But when it comes to mature skin and anti-ageing, we want models who are 40 plus: real people, real skin. This is me — I'm in my 50s. I haven't had any cosmetic surgery, botox, or fillers. I don't even have facials. The photo isn't enhanced — I just got lucky with good lighting. Funnily enough, I took it sitting in my car waiting for a juice client to arrive.
I truly believe my skin looks healthy because of my diet and lifestyle — which means you can get more youthful-looking skin too.
Here's my honest take on what actually works: the cosmetic ingredients worth investing in, and how to get that glow from the inside out.
What Makes Your Skin Glow?
I get asked this question all the time. You are the sum total of everything you put into your body — both good and bad. Your skin is your largest elimination organ, and any bad habits are likely to show up there first.
Water
Water is top of my list. I drink 2 litres of good quality filtered water every day, adding fresh lemon juice to a couple of glasses. Without adequate water your skin will look dry and begin to sag — eight glasses a day will plump it up and give it life. Water cleanses the system of toxins and supports the liver in flushing them out. Constipated? Drink more water. Skin looking dull and tired? Drink more water.
A Plant-Based Diet & Juicing
A predominantly plant-based diet fuels your body with the nutrients needed for good skin and supports healthy elimination. Plants are especially high in Vitamins C and A — both essential for skin health. I eat this way and juice every day religiously. Juicing is a wonderful way of getting a high concentration of nutrients into your system quickly — juices are rich in water, vitamins, and minerals in a highly bioavailable form.
Which Vitamins Are Key for Healthy Skin?
There are three essential vitamins for skin health: Vitamins C, A, and E.
Vitamin C is needed for the production of collagen — vital for firm, youthful skin and for smoothing fine lines. It's also a powerful antioxidant, mopping up free radicals caused by internal processes and external pollution: cigarette smoke, radiation, processed foods, alcohol, and medication. Topically, Vitamin C is one of the most effective brightening and firming ingredients available — which is why I've added it to my skincare range. My new Radiance C Elixir | Activate + Brighten delivers a concentrated dose of Vitamin C directly to the skin, activating radiance and targeting dullness, uneven tone, and fine lines.
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin found in nuts, vegetables, fish oil, whole grains, and apricots. It reduces inflammation, helps with hyperpigmentation, increases blood circulation, and improves skin tone.
Vitamin A supports the skin's immune system — speeding up healing, preventing breakouts, and acting as a highly effective hydrator that locks in natural moisture. Foods rich in Vitamin A include orange and yellow vegetables and fruits, broccoli, spinach, wheatgrass, chlorella, and dark leafy greens.
Omega fatty acids work with the water in your skin to keep hydration levels balanced and prevent moisture loss — essential for that plump, dewy look. I take Zinzino Balance Oil daily — a next-generation omega-3 that's one of the most bioavailable on the market and one I genuinely notice a difference with.
My skincare range is packed with all of these important vitamins and minerals so your skin gets a healthy dose of beneficial ingredients topically every day too.
Do Topical AHAs and Retinol Make a Difference?
Definitely yes — but every great skincare routine starts with a clean canvas. My Renew Cream Face Wash is the perfect first step: a gentle, nourishing cleanse that removes impurities without stripping the skin, leaving it perfectly prepped for everything that follows.
Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) are a group of natural and synthetic ingredients that exfoliate the surface layer of skin to reveal a smoother, more even tone. We use AHAs in both our Renew Collagen Day Cream and Skin Regenerative Night Cream.
Sodium hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid) is small enough to penetrate the upper layers of skin, hydrating from within and locking in moisture to give a plumped, youthful appearance.
Retinol is another name for Vitamin A. Retinols promote firmer, more radiant skin — they seem to instinctively know what ails the skin and sort it out, whether that's a dull complexion or fine lines. We use Vitamin A in its most natural forms: wheatgerm and evening primrose oil.
It's important to remember that AHAs and retinols, as powerful as they are, are not enough on their own. You need good organic natural oils and emollients to soften and nourish the skin too. That's why we use only the finest natural oils — avocado, apricot kernel, Marula, almond, shea butter, and coconut — ingredients that are literally good enough to eat, leaving your skin with a genuinely radiant glow.