How I acquired one of the best legs of my life over 50 by following 6 easy guidelines, says magnificence guru ROSIE GREEN. They’re so easy. Any lady can do it – veins vanish and my thighs have by no means regarded higher
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Some people (I’ll see you in the comments section) think it’s unseemly to show your legs past a certain age. That come 50, hell post 40, our pins should not be seen in the flesh. That they need to go into retirement and live out their days shrouded in black 80 deniers.
It’s true that time takes its toll on the legs. Post hitting half a century, spider veins have formed on my thighs and at my ankles. Varicose veins just appeared from nowhere, snaking down my calves like malevolent purple worms. Pesky brown pigmentation patches have popped up too. And white spots! No one warns you about those. Oh yes and my skin is thinner, more crepey and a lot, lot drier. Shin dandruff is real.
At 51 I still want to get my legs out, writes Rosie Green, but it takes work to keep them smooth and (relatively) blemish free
But still, I refuse to hide my legs away. At 51 I still want to get my legs out. And so I do. But it takes work to keep them smooth and (relatively) blemish free.
When I saw Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on Strictly last Saturday night flaunting their bare, beautifully bronzed legs in black minidresses my first thought was it’s great to see a 56- and 53-year-old sticking two fingers up to the ‘age appropriate’ posse. My second was kudos to them because getting pins to look like theirs do post fifty takes effort and investment.
But if you are prepared to put the time in you’ll be rewarded with the kind of ‘status legs’ sported by the Duchess of Sussex, Victoria Beckham and Gwynnie. Exactly how do you get them? Here are my six steps. The good news? It’s mostly faking it.
1. Prep your skin
Nothing revolutionary here – it’s all about consistency. Daily body brushing then a cleanser containing a dead skin cell shifting acid (I like Ameliorate Transforming Body Wash, from £14.25) and a body scrub which does more of the same (I like Biossance Squalane + Enzyme Sugar Body Scrub, £22 at Sephora). Then really massage in an unctuous cream (my current indulgence is Uni 24-Hour Body Serum, £25). One good thing about being older is you are less hairy so battling with growth is significantly less onerous and just requires a quick once over with a Gillette Venus Razor (£9.99 at Boots).
Rosie Green says there’s no reason to cover up your legs just because you’re over 50
2. Avoid this food
Actresses avoid salty foods the night before getting their legs out at awards ceremonies. Why? It can make your body hold onto water and thus look heavier and puffier. Another red carpet trick is to really massage body lotion into your pins pre event to keep skin glowing and plump.
3. Apply (a lot of) fake tan
The Strictly stars are vocal about their love of fake tan as it’s key for disguising blemishes. Truth is I wouldn’t conceive of baring my legs without a liberal coating of it. I think you can afford to go a couple of shades darker on the legs than you can on the face. Before any legs out event I book in with spray tanner James Harknett (find him on Instagram at @jamesharknett_tan) who nails that expensive bronze we all crave. He has an A-list roster – think Ryan Gosling – and has some rules for beautiful post 50 pins.
If you are tanning at home he suggests opting for the hydrating Three Warriors Self Tan Mousse, £34.99, applied with a brush (their Beauty Buffing Brush is £12). For a finishing layer he opts for Bare By Vogue Instant Tan, £18, which he says ‘is ideal for legs and doesn’t transfer to clothes’.
James says prep is crucial for clients in this age category, with diligent exfoliation being key. This is because skin cell turnover decreases with age and so older skin is more likely to suffer from dry areas and these turn patchy when you self-tan. He also says shave at least 24 hours before a tan and keep kneecaps and heels extra hydrated.
When it comes to fake tan I think you can afford to go a couple of shades darker on the legs than you can on the face, writes Rosie
4. Invest in body make up
My friend, the makeup artist Aimee Adams (who is also Tess’s go to glam woman) has taught me layering body make-up over fake tan delivers a ‘soft focus effect that blurs blemishes and gives the skin a glow.’ She loves Charlotte Tilbury’s Supermodel Body Body Highlighter, £48, and a brand call Melanie Mills, whose Hollywood Peach Deluxe Gleam Face & Body Radiance, you can find at birchbox.co.uk for £39.50. ‘They use in on America’s Dancing with the Stars’ says Aimee ‘it’s amazing but very pigmented.’ She also recommends layering on ProBody Glow, £29.99, a balm that gives limbs an extra gloss. And finally she suggests using a setting spray (try E.L.F. Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray, £11 at Boots) to stop any colour transfer.
5. Research the tweakments
To tackle that varicose vein snaking down my calf I went to see Mr Kyriakides, a consultant at The London Clinic. He used EVLA (which stands for Endovenus Laser Ablation) heat energy to destroy and collapse it. It’s uncomfortable and requires the wearing of not so sexy support stockings for a week or so, but it means I can now wear a mini dress with confidence. Mr Kyriakides then performed sclerotherapy on those pesky spider veins – injecting a foam through them and so blitzing the stagnant blood vessels. EVLA from £3500 and Sclerotherapy from £400.
Rosie tried EVLA and sclerotherapy to tackle the stubborn veins running down her calf
6. Do leg toning exercises
Within my twice weekly weight sessions I do some exercises specifically to tone my legs. My trainer Jodie Brinson regularly tasks me with calf raises, telling me to put my feet on a step, with my heels hanging off it, and then raise up onto my toes. I have to hold at the top for 5 seconds – and then repeat this 15 times. I do this set three times.
For my inner thighs Jodie gets me to do adductor lifts and then wide leg sumo squats holding a heavy weight. For quads I do wall sits – where you stand with your back to the wall, slide down till you form a seated position (but with no chair) and hold for an agonising 45 seconds. Repeat three times.
