There is such a mind-shift in the beauty industry at the moment and for older women it’s a change we’ve waited a long time for. Beauty isn’t all about how young you can look; that’s an old style goal – beauty now is about confidence in yourself and not chasing the unattainable but valuing what you have.
The main focus of the L’Oreal Paris #betterthanever campaign is to embrace exactly that – the feeling of valuing yourself and seeing life experience as positives that have brought you to be the person you are today. I know that I wouldn’t be the person I am now with any kind of rewind and although I have my moments and wobbles like anyone else, I’m pretty happy just as I am. One of the things I rarely do is put myself on my blog but this is such an important turning point in beauty that I have wanted to be as fully involved as possible. When a brand wants to champion authentic beauty rather than manufactured, I’m in. With that in mind, I’ve taken part in a video for #betterthanever. There’s no good talking the talk if you can’t walk the walk!
Of course, I’ve used the products and in particular L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler Renew Night Cream (HERE) which has a high level of hyaluronic acid which my skin loves. It’s not rich or sticky or gooey – more of a gel consistency that leaves my skin feeling beautifully silky and indisputably smoother. And, it’s lilac, which seems like a small point but it’s the first thing I noticed for not being like almost every other face cream in the world – generic white.
The focus of the short film is less about the products and more about why it’s important to recognise that we shouldn’t feel diminished by age but empowered, particularly when it comes to our faces. You will see some product chat but it was almost the least of everything we talked about.
One of the questions I was asked in the video was at what age did I finally feel confident with who I am. Of all the questions that was the one that I struggled to answer. I’m like many women – I can be super-confident sometimes but I can also feel completely the opposite. Being older doesn’t eradicate insecurities, but other things start to matter more. Like being happy, being proud of my family, having time with friends, and being able to put myself first more often than in the past. And the one thing that age does bring is the ability to appreciate the good things more. My younger self was too busy, too involved with everything and too worried to sit back and appreciate all that I have.
Ageing is a hugely emotional journey – the brand that shows they understand that you’re good enough, just as you are, for your beauty as it stands today to be treated with respect and admiration is the one that will take our hearts. The message that you’re not quite good enough as you are is old, tired and clichéd – all of the things that older women of today are not. We have all of the choices in skin ageing in a way no generation has previously had – we’re in charge of how we go forward and no longer easily appeased with the notion of youth in a jar.
What I want from my skin and my skincare is not to erase my journey or to put it on hold but to show that skin can look vibrant, glowy and smooth at any age, regardless of where you are in the ageing process. And, I want to enjoy looking after my skin, taking time to treat it well and appreciate routines that make me and my complexion feel happy. Being #betterthanever isn’t about holding back time – it’s about loving the time you’re having right now.
This post is part of a wider paid project (including the video which will be uploaded soon to the L’Oreal Paris website and this site).
Transparency Disclosure
All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
16 comments
Lovely heartfelt post Jane, I look forward to watching the video x
Great that you’re there for us at exactly the right time — although I’m not sure about my confidence as, at 75, it seems to be leaking! 🙂 Anyway, it’s truly wonderful that the skincare/cosmetic companies are finally coming to their senses. Thank you Jane for taking part and telling us about it. Look forward to the video.
Confidence is one of those things that appears and disappears at will, I find! One minute I have it all and then the next, none.. so I think that’s just our path. I think sometimes you have replace your confidence with pride instead and it feels quite similar…
Fab post. At 43, size 14 and with newly embraced grey hair I genuinely feel better about how I look than I ever have done. It’s not necessarily confidence more acceptance for me. I’m also experimenting more with make up and clothing than I did in my youth!!
It bothers me that l’oreal are shifting somewhat because it doesn’t feel genuine. I see a lot of ageing stuff on this blog and there’s a clear trigger for you when it comes to anything that suggests you aren’t good enough as you are because you’ve written about it a lot and very passionately. I don’t think beauty is decided by anyone else, it’s decided on by the individual. For one person it may be chasing the unattainable and for another it may be about being empowered as they are without the hidden message they should conform to other standards. In many ways you saying x is an old message is as bad as a brand saying you must be y. Why does anything have to be anything but what each individual personally wants. So let’s let go of setting ideas and messages in concrete and start enjoying what we want. If there was only one way then why are there so many brands touting different approaches to beauty.
I completely agree with you Helen.. there are hugely mixed messages, but if I spot a brand that’s trying to change their messaging I have to stand behind it. L’Oreal is huge – the team were very passionate about this (initially I said no but the fact that I wasn’t given a script – other than to mention the product and hyaluroic which is fine.. because as you will know I love hyaluronic, and I have given the product a decent test run and could really be myself was something quite unusual). I actually feel lucky to be part of this because when a huge brand leads, others follow. I truly understand what you’re saying but anything that is an attitude change and may well change other attitudes, I have to stand beside because it’s such a close message to my beliefs. I agree there shouldn’t be a set standard of beauty and you should do exactly as you please and not feel judged for it. It’s baby steps but important steps right now in bringing a wider view of what beauty is or isn’t.
Jane – I’m 53 & only became interested in Beauty a few years ago. You captured my sentiments exactly in your last paragraph of the post.
I find I take great pleasure from the bookends of my day – skin care before bed & makeup ahead of my workday. As I write, I’m winding down a hectic day with a deep cleansing mask after which I will massage a subtly fragranced rose hip oil in to pamper my face. I will massage a florally oil in to my very tired feet. I will awake to soft skin at both ends of my frame at which point I will think about what Look I want for the day ahead. Then I will enjoy deciding on the palette & the fact that I’ve managed to learn how to handle a brush (or 7) quite handily thanks to several talented bloggers in the U.K.
I will face the day with a bit more confidence because I feel good & think I look better as a result of these ministrations. But I’m also enjoying the very nature of being my age.
I know I no longer need to worry about things that troubled me in earlier decades. I don’t need to compete with other women. (I enjoy building them up.) I’ve reached a point that skincare and makeup exist to please Me – not to help me be pleasing to others. That is a very freeing realization and it only took me 50 years to reach it!
Great post, Jane! Keep telling it like it is – you really do it well.
Julia
Thank you so much Julia – I love the expression ‘book ends of my day’ and the fact that you’re enjoying your routines. It’s easy to forget they’re there to please you and nobody else, and that’s when they become pleasure, not chore.
Awesome Post Jane!! Horrah for all of us….
Well done Jane I love that you have taken part in this. Being a slightly older woman myself I take a little more interest in your blog and the things you get involved with than I would with some of the other younger bloggers. I love what you represent and the message you send out.
Thank you so much Anna xx
Excellent post Jane. I’m 54 and delighted that you are banging the drum for older women. I agree about confidence too, sometimes I’m as high as a kite and others filled with self doubt.
Great post! I completely agree with you, Jane
May we please start by getting rid of the word “anti-ageing”? Its not a disease or a federal offence. Like you I have my moments of self doubt, but were I given the choice to know what I know now, or look twenty years younger minus that knowledge, I can honestly say I would go with the former, not the latter. Great post Jane!
I know Ali..you’re preaching to the choir here! I’d love the term to disappear completely but I think brands are afraid that if it doesn’t say exactly that on the packaging, the age target won’t realise its for them. They’re correct in that so the change can only come with a lot of visual prompting and some new terminology. It’s definitely on its way but baby steps, baby steps!
I feel like women nowadays are so much more confident and empowered than ever. And yet beauty is still targeted to the young. I’m starting to get older (35 now) but I am definitely more confident now than I was when I was young and I can appreciate a beautiful older woman because I now understand the daily struggles most women go through that can wear you down. I can barely get more than 5 hours of sleep a night now!