Flawless without Photoshop

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ageing, aging, beauty, Britney Spears, celebrities, Cindy Crawford, crows feet, dark circles, decleor, Decleor Anti-Wrinkle Starter Kit, Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk, Decleor Sculpt Stretch Mark Restructuring Gel-Cream, dehydration, dermalogica, Dermalogica Age Reversal Eye Complex, Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream, Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, drier, hyperpigmentation, Kim Cattrall, Madonna, Penelope Cruz, photos, photoshop, prematurely aging, puffiness, re-touching, skin sensitivity, smooth, smoother, smoothing, wrinkles

It’s a sad fact that we very rarely see an untouched image of celebrities these days, no matter how flawless they actually are in real life. This unrealistic standard is so hard for ‘normal’ women to live up to, especially when we don’t even know what’s real and what’s not. Today, we take a look at five “before and after” shots of some of the most famous, and beautiful, women on the planet and makes some slightly more realistic suggestions of how to take care of your skin without the need for Photoshop.

Madonna

Given the fact that Madonna is 58 years old and is a life0long smoker, we think she looks pretty amazing in the first picture, but whoever retouched the second image obviously believes that her skin has too many wrinkles. She could probably benefit from using Dermalogica Age Reversal Eye Complex which helps with wrinkles, crows feet, puffiness, dark circles due to hyperpigmentation and skin sensitivity due to dehydration. It is suitable for drier/prematurely-aging.

Cindy Crawford

Cindy Crawford may now be 50 but she’s credited with being one of the world’s first supermodels and, in our opinion, still looks incredible. Obviously, it’s inevitable that skin will change texture, and the skin of a fifty year old will rarely be as smooth and taut as that of a 20 year old, but using Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream daily can help to firm and re-texturise the skin, giving a more youthful appearance.

Kim Cattrall

Kim Cattrall is best-known for playing Samantha Jones in Sex and the City and is ageing better than most of us could ever hope to, which is why it baffles us that they chose to retouch her photo in the first place. We’re guessing that she already uses a good anti-wrinkle kit because her skin is so radiant and youthful, and we’d recommend Decleor Anti-Wrinkle Starter Kit if you want similar results.

Britney Spears

Proving that even younger women aren’t immune to the compulsive need to retouch images, 35-year-old Britney Spears has been given the treatment here, where they appear to have darkened her skin and sculpted her bottom. For results that don’t require a PC, try using Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk to give yourself a natural colour, plus Decleor Sculpt Stretch Mark Restructuring Gel-Cream for a smoother rear-end.

Penelope Cruz

We’re not quite sure why magazine editors feel the need to make celebrities appear as though their skin has the same texture as glass, but Spanish beauty Penelope Cruz was obviously considered far too human in the before shot, despite being basically flawless. If you’re worried about the texture of your skin, you can always use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant to help you to appear slightly smoother.

Game of Thrones Beauty

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actresses, aging, cosplay, decleor, dermalogica, fantasy, Game of Thrones, moisturising, skin routine, waxing, women, wrinkles, youthful

Whether you’re a fan of the show or not, there’s no denying that Game of Thrones has become hugely popular in the last couple of years, even appealing to those of us who would usually turn over such a fantasy-based show straight away. There are so many amazing female characters who ooze strength as well as beauty and with the show set to return very soon, we thought we’d take a look at a few of them.

Daenerys Targaryen (Mother of Dragons)

With a title like “Mother of Dragons”, you could be forgiven for thinking that this lady has dry, scaly skin, but in fact she’s a fearsome leader and true beauty. Given the fact that the actress who played her is rumoured to have made a complaint about how much time she spent naked on-screen, we’re sure she must have a very strict regime of waxing and moisturising during shooting!

Sansa Stark

The character Sansa is supposed to be in her early teens, so it’s no surprise that she’s still youthful and radiant but her colouring seems to make her look extra flawless at times. Her russet locks are a stark contrast to her alabaster skin and she gets to wear some amazing costumes, given the fact that she’s almost royalty.

Brienne of Tarth

For me, there are very few women on-screen who are more kick-ass than Brienne of Tarth. This giant of a woman stands at almost 6ft 3in and has a real rough-around-the-edges look, favouring suits of armour over gowns. However, her skin always looks blemish-free and flawless (albeit very often muddy and weather beaten!), and given the fact that she’s technically a ‘Lady’, we’re sure she knows the importance of a good skin routine!

Melisandre

Melisandre, also known as The Red Woman, is actually a priestess and performs some pretty mind-boggling magic, usually involving some sort of fire. She’s played by Dutch actress Carice van Houten who is almost 40, but looks barely a day over 30 with her complete lack of wrinkles or dark spots.

Margaery Tyrell

Margaery is a real force to be reckoned with, with her fresh-faced good looks and incredibly scheming mind, as well as having her brilliant grandmother (played by 77-year old Diana Rigg who is still a very beautiful lady) in her corner. Margaery has got the Throne in her sights and we can imagine she’d do anything to get there, but along with her ruthlessness goes an innate morality which makes her a really interesting character.

Beauty Icons Over 50

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aging, complexion, crows feet, dark spots, Eyes, fine lines, over 50, plumping, skin, smoothing, wrinkles

It’s easy to think of a whole bunch of women who we consider great beauties, who are all in their 20’s and 30’s, but let’s face it, it’s a whole lot easier for younger women to look good when the signs of ageing are still decades away! Today, we want to take a look at some of the older women in the spotlight who’ve been around for years and who are still looking incredible.

Helen Mirren

Probably the first over-50 female to spring to mind is the great Dame Helen Mirren, who’s been wow-ing us for years with her youthful good looks and ability to wear a bikini like a woman half her age. Helen is actually 71 this year and shows that growing old gracefully can be done without turning to drastic surgical procedures. We’d love an insight into her skin routine!

Tilda Swinton

We were genuinely shocked, when researching this article, to discover that Tilda Swinton is actually 55 years old. Considering she’s often photographed without a scrap of make-up, it’s clear to see that Tilda’s face is resisting the signs of ageing in an almost super-human fashion and her piercing green eyes and alabaster complexion remain youthful as ever.

Iman

Wife of the late, great David Bowie, Somali supermodel Iman is actually SIXTY years old and has the wrinkle-free complexion of a teenager. Eyes are often the first place to betray our age, but Iman’s remain as smooth as they were in her twenties.

Diane Keaton

Miss Keaton has been divisive in her style over the years, showing up to awards ceremonies in masculine tuxedos, but the 70-year old grandmother never fails to look youthful and radiant. The Oscar-winning actress has been on our screens since 1970 and the only signs of ageing she seems to show are her beautiful smile lines, perhaps hinting that this lady has had a happy and fulfilling life.

Michelle Obama

Being married to The President of the United States of America is enough to turn anyone grey, but Michelle Obama has handled the job with grace and beauty, remaining youthful throughout. Only a scratch over fifty, at 52, Mrs. Obama has skin which most 20 years olds would be jealous of and cheekbones to die for!

Beauty Icons Over 40

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aging, beauty, older, over 40

So often, younger stars such as Rihanna and Emma Watson are held up as examples of great beauty, and while there’s absolutely no doubt that these girls are blessed in the face department, it is difficult for those amongst us who are over 40 to relate to them. Unless you’re lucky enough to have seriously good genes, there’s a decent chance that your face will have started to soften a little and some of the early signs of ageing are starting to creep in. Anti-aging products can help, but we thought we’d share with you our favourite beauty icons over 40; women who are ageing beautifully and with oh-so-much grace…

Dame Helen Mirren

Ever since those shots of Dame Helen rocking her bright red bikini, there’s been no doubt that this lady has embraced the ageing process and made it her bitch. She wears her hair soft around her face to highlight her incredible features and knows exactly how to dress to accentuate all of her assets! We think Dame Helen rocks and we hope to look half as good as her by the time we’re 70 (yes, really, she’s actually 70!)

Monica Bellucci

Monica Bellucci is an unfathomable FIFTY ONE years of age and shows barely any signs of getting older. Still considered one of the sexiest women in film, Monica proves that age really is nothing but a number whilst staying sultry and seductive as ever.

Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams seems to have been on our tellies for ages, with roles in shows such as Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives, and there’s a good reason for that – the star is now 52 years old and has been on our screens for over 30 years with her acting and singing careers! Having said that, she’s barely aged a day in that time and her daughter Melanie knows why, saying “My [Mum] has such a natural approach to beauty. Sure, she’s game for a glam session when it’s appropriate but within our family, we’ve always been taught that less is more.”

Sofia Vergara

Best known for playing Jay Pritchett’s young, glamorous wife ‘Gloria’ in Modern Family, Sofia Vergara is actually now 43 years old herself! The Colombian beauty doesn’t eat red meat and has never smoked, both of which have probably contributed greatly to her lack of aging – she also says that Sofia Loren is her beauty icon and she’d never leave the house without make up!

Ming-Na

Ming-Na, best known for her role in ER and being the voice of Disney’s Mulan, is perhaps the most remarkable of all the ladies we’ve listed here. The Macau-born Chinese actress looks barely a day over 21, but is actually FIFTY ONE! Her make-up at events is always neutral and beautifully subtle, so we know she’s not hiding a whole load of wrinkles anywhere, so we can only assume that excellent genes and an amazing beauty routine have kept her looking so fresh!