To me, achieving your best appearance and feeling great is all about maintaining balance, exuding confidence, and gracefully accepting the changes that come with age.

With over four decades of experience in the beauty industry—spanning photo shoots, fashion shows, television, and my own brand—I have discovered what genuinely makes an impact.

I’ve collaborated with women of all ages and skin tones, and those who aren’t preoccupied with retaining their youth tend to be the most at ease with themselves.

In 2019, I introduced Ruby Hammer Beauty with the aim of enabling women to achieve a polished look effortlessly.

As I approach my 64th birthday this week, I often receive inquiries about how I manage to look and feel so vibrant. The secret is that I don’t fixate on having flawless skin, perfect hair, or keeping up with the latest beauty trends.

I focus on what works for me: routines I enjoy, products that are effective and practices that support my body, mind and spirit. Here is my full, unfiltered guide.

MENOPAUSE AND HRT

In 2012, my mother died from cancer. She was only 67. I was 50. My hair went grey overnight and I’ve never had a period since.

I don’t take HRT. When I started to have symptoms, I was prescribed Prozac because my doctor said I was grieving. I wasn’t given a blood test to see if I was menopausal, and I didn’t want to take antidepressants, so I took herbal remedies.

I didn’t have many hot flushes but I did have night sweats, joint pain and a bit of brain fog.

Menopause alters your emotions, hormones and looks. I still sometimes think, ‘Should I start to take HRT?’

I work in a youth-obsessed industry, so menopause wasn’t a topic that came up when I was going through it. I’m glad that taboo has gone. I talk about it a lot in the hope that women get better treatment than I did.

SLEEP

I generally get around seven hours of sleep a night.

I start my day with a bit of gratitude and mindfulness. I remind myself to be thankful I’m alive. I reach out to touch my husband, Martin, to check in and be grateful that he’s here. I think about the people I love.

I then head to the bathroom where I do a tongue scrape, brush my teeth and drink water so I feel fresh.

After that, I’ll have a cup of English breakfast tea with a cube of brown sugar. I also peer at my skin to decide what it needs that day.

SKINCARE

Good skin underlies everything. Menopause left my skin thinner and I got adult acne. I had to reacquaint myself with my skin and address the changes. I’ve always been a product hound. I love trying everything new. I judge a lot of beauty awards and my bathroom shelves are groaning.

But whatever I’m using, my routine’s key pillars are cleansing, gentle exfoliating, nourishing and protecting. I use a soft foaming wash, such as Japanese brand Curel’s Foaming Facial Wash (£14.50, boots.com).

Then I may use a liquid exfoliant, perhaps with glycolic acid, to slough off dead skin cells and encourage regeneration. I often use Aveda’s Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant (£23, johnlewis.com), but even a muslin cloth can be enough to gently exfoliate. 

I then apply a serum – either Lancome Renergie H.C.F. Triple Serum (£105, lancome.co.uk), Skinceuticals CE Ferulic (£165, skinceuticals.co.uk) or, if I’m treating myself, Cle de Peau The Serum (£165, cultbeauty.co.uk). I alternate depending on my skin’s needs.

My final layer is a moisturiser. I have a huge array, so picking a favourite is hard, but Tatcha’s The Dewy Skin Cream (£67, spacenk.com) is possibly it. I like my skin to feel nourished but don’t like creams that feel too heavy.

I always use an eye cream, morning and night. I know not everyone believes in them, but I’ve used them for 30 years and I think it shows.

I couldn’t always afford prime products, but my favourites these days are usually by Creme de la Mer, Sisley and Shiseido. Right now, I’m enjoying The Eye Cream by Skin Rocks (£65, skinrocks.com) and Cerave Eye Repair Cream (£14.49, superdrug.com).

I put on SPF 50 if I’m in strong sun. But many sunscreens give me bumpy, congested skin, so I’m not as religious as I should be about it. I have hyperpigmentation on my jaw and chin and know that if I don’t wear sunscreen, facials or lasers won’t help. My search for the perfect sunscreen continues.

At night, I am more thorough. As soon as I come indoors, I take off my make-up, starting with an eye make-up remover. Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover (£27, boots.com) and Clarins Instant Eye Make-up Remover (£25, clarins.co.uk) can remove even the toughest product.

I follow this with a double cleanse using a balm first and then a foaming cleanser, always with a clean face cloth or muslin. If I’ve been at home and not wearing make-up, I can get away with a gentle foaming cleanser, or, as the days turn colder, a cleansing milk such as Curel Hydrating Makeup Cleanser (£17, boots.com).

Currently, I love comforting balm cleansers. My favourites include Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm (£52, elemis.com), Comfort Zone Sublime Skin Pro Skin Barrier Cleanser (£49, comfortzoneskin.com) or sometimes even any pure coconut oil from the supermarket or health food shop.

While cleansing, I take a moment to decide what my skin requires. Does it need hydration? Do I have particularly pronounced hyperpigmentation or dullness? I’ll select the appropriate serum and follow up with a night cream.

At the moment, I’m enjoying using Lancome Renergie Multi-Lift Night Cream (£91, lancome.co.uk) and No7 Future Renew Night Cream (£37.95, boots.com).

My skincare tips: firstly, be consistent. It’s better to have a simple routine you do daily than a complicated system you don’t stick to. Secondly, always do your routine from the chest up. I believe it’s paid off for my chest and neck – I even do the back of my neck and my ears.

TREATMENTS/TWEAKMENTS

I’m a sucker for facials. Anything that gets the blood flow going makes a huge difference to your glow.

I see Justine Masters (justinemasters.london), Yvonne Martin, Joanne Evans (skin-matters.co.uk) and Vaishaly (vaishaly.com).

I don’t squeeze them in as much as I’d like but would love to go every four to eight weeks. I even enjoy not-so-great facials. Just get me on that couch!

I’m too scared of pain and things going wrong to go too far down the tweakments route. I had Botox years ago when I was going through a divorce. I’ve always been told I don’t need much around my eyes and forehead but, instead, had it in my chin, which crinkles due to an overactive muscle – they call it pebble chin. But I’ve not had any for years.

About three years ago, I had Profhilo, a kind of injectable moisturiser, which I liked and sometimes consider having again.

HAIR CARE 

I have female pattern hair thinning, also called androgenetic alopecia. I use needling, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or an LED light helmet from CurrentBody (£649.99, currentbody.com) to stimulate growth.

Between colour appointments, I touch up grey roots with My Hair Doctor Root Touch Up (£27, myhairdoctor.com) or Color Wow Root Cover Up (£29.50, colorwowhair.com).

I use the Marula detangling spray from Drunk Elephant (£27, drunkelephant.co.uk). Color Wow dry shampoo (£26.50) is also good to add texture.

I’ve always had shiny dark hair. When grey appeared after Mum died it looked patchy and my daughter Reena told me to have it dyed professionally. I did and it made me feel better. If my hair had looked good grey, I’d have gone with it.

I’m a wash-and-go girl, but I always get a good cut. I use Philip Kingsley’s Elasticizer conditioning mask (from £21, philipkingsley.co.uk)as grey hair is more unruly.

NAILS

I never feel polished unless my toes and hands look good. I have manicures and pedicures all year with a manicurist who comes to my home.

I always wear colour on my toes, such as the ones from Yves Saint Laurent or Chanel. Right now, I love a bright red from Chanel called Pompier (£30, chanel.com).

My fingernails are short for make-up work. I like a base coat, thin sheer polish in a neutral colour and a shiny top coat. My favourite is Creme de la Creme by Leighton Denny (leightondenny.com) and I’m devastated that it has been discontinued.

BODY TREATMENTS

For me, getting blood flow going helps me feel vibrant and alive. I use a friction mitt in the shower, scrubbing all over, paying attention to elbows, knees, shins and heels. I’ll dry brush when I have time.

I moisturise with body oils from Aromatherapy Associates (aromatherapyassociates.com) and Drunk Elephant, and double layer with body balms on elbows and knees, especially in winter.

I’m also a fan of lymphatic drainage treatments. I love LPG Endermologie (thefrenchpharmacy.co or depilexlondon.co.uk). It’s an electrical massage that reduces water retention and makes me feel lighter, firmer and tighter. You have a full course of about 20, then maintain it weekly.

I have an infrared sauna blanket for winter – it’s a bit like a heated sleeping bag designed to aid muscle recovery and relax and detox you (£315, mihigh.com).

I also use Leg Recovery Compression Boots (£739.99, currentbody.com) which boost circulation and lymphatic drainage.

Hunching over to do make-up really takes its toll on my back, so I see an osteopath, Nadia, and a masseur when I’m feeling stressed.

MAKE-UP

People are often surprised I don’t wear make-up every day. I think of the face as three areas – eyes, cheeks and lips – and I believe that to look polished you need to address all three.

Even a simple routine of brushing brows, curling lashes, pinching cheeks and dabbing Vaseline on lips works.

If I have more time, I use two concealer shades: a lighter one around the eyes and a darker one for the periphery and jaw.

I like By Terry Hyaluronic Serum Concealer (£39, byterry.com), Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage (£34, johnlewis.com) or L’Oreal’s Infallible Skin Ink Foundcealer (£14.99, boots.com).

I apply concealer with my eyeliner brush for precision and melt it in with my finger. I love seeing real skin, which looks more youthful than a mask of foundation.

I always brush my eyebrow hairs up. It’s an instant anti-ager. That’s why I created my Mascara and Brow Duo (£28, rubyhammer.com). It comes in a double- ended tube with a clear brow gel and tiny brush at one end, to invisibly lift and shape brows, and a tubing mascara that also has a tiny brush at the other.

The brush lets you get into the roots to define, thicken and curl, plus it’s a tubing mascara so lifts away with warm water.

I used to have my brows threaded, but now I mostly maintain them by plucking stray hairs as they emerge. However, I recommend seeing an expert at least once for the best shape.

I never contour; cream blushes catch light naturally. Cheek colour gives bloom. Apply on the apples of cheeks – a good finger’s width down from the eyes and from the sides of the nose – and always blend upwards and outwards, never down.

My eyes are more hooded than they used to be, so if I’m going out or will be photographed, I tightline inside my eyelid, under the lashes, with a soft pencil and apply brown shadow above the crease, always blending upwards, which creates a subtle lift.

My lips are also drier these days, so I apply a lip mask before doing my make-up, then use my hydrating Lip Serum Balm crayons (£18). Berry is my favourite shade. It looks dark in the tube but, once on, looks like my natural lip but better. Slightly overlining the lip works for fullness but avoid lining the corners of the mouth, as these tend to turn down as we get older.

For sparkling eyes, I use Murine (£4.59, superdrug.com). And a magnifying mirror for make-up is a must as you get older.

FRAGRANCE 

I collect perfume bottles but don’t often use fragrance. I’m more likely to wear Aromatherapy Associates body oil in De-Stress (£60, spacenk.com).

I sometimes wear Neroli from Czech & Speake (from £85, czechandspeake.com) and I’ve just tried a citrusy scent from Jones Road called BKLYN (£44, jonesroadbeauty.com), which I like.

Instead of perfume, I sometimes spritz my hair with a hair fragrance such as The Fragrance With Benefits by Sam McKnight (£44, sammcknight.com). 

DIET 

I was always an effortlessly skinny Minnie but menopause changed my metabolism. I noticed thickening in the middle, even though my arms and legs stayed slim. I’m 5ft 5in and weigh 8st (51kg). I watch what I eat but I’ve also learned as I’ve grown older that if I don’t eat, I don’t have energy. The body needs fuel.

I eat less meat these days. That’s partly because, in 2023, I had a stent put into my heart to treat a blocked artery. It was genetic; my dad needed a bypass. I didn’t have symptoms – it was spotted at an annual check-up. People think thin equals healthy but that’s not necessarily true.

Breakfast is usually bread or yoghurt. At 11am, I’ll have fruit and a little cereal. Weekends it’s more likely egg frittata, fresh baguette with butter and jam, or porridge with maple syrup and seeds.

Lunch can be soup, salad, sandwich or leftovers.

Dinner with Martin varies: pasta with salad; grilled chicken and vegetables; stew, chilli or Indian rice and dal. He cooks more than I do.

SUPPLEMENTS

I’ve always taken vitamin C. Mine comes from Altrient (£54.96, victoriahealth.com). It’s a liposomal gel in a sachet and goes straight into the bloodstream. It’s great for skin.

I also take B vitamins, omegas and collagen in powder form from Vida Glow because I like the taste (£39, vidaglow.com). I try to do vitamin D in winter.

I’ve gone through phases of taking Symprove, a probiotic liquid for the gut (£49.99, symprove.com).

I believe supplements help immunity, but food is always best.

EXERCISE 

I never really exercised until 2010, when I trained for a magazine feature before my wedding. Now I work with my trainer, Steve, three times a week at home using free weights. Each session is about 45 minutes, including stretches, and focuses on upper and lower body, back and core.

My strength, flexibility and confidence improve with training.

I do Pilates or yoga when I have time, especially on holiday.

Exercise makes me feel able to tackle the world. I’m much more focused now on strength, energy and longevity than I am on size.

I’m not trying to look young. I’m trying to feel vibrant, strong and content. Ageing is a privilege and taking care of yourself is how you honour that.

As told to LEAH HARDY