Time to spring clean your beauty routine!

MARCH, the time of year when the light changes, you catch sight of yourself in the mirror and think: ‘Ye gods.’ I share your pain. Last week, I decided I should stop wearing make-up altogether because there was Nothing To Be Done and must chop off all my hair because ditto.

The switch in season throws everything out. This isn’t an age thing — you’d feel it at 18. But age isn’t exactly a plus. First off: don’t panic. Take a breath. Hold your nerve. Things will settle down, you just need a few tweaks. For the midlife spring reboot, this means five steps.

1 TAKE YOUR TIME

THE first thing you can do is free. It’s the moment to switch off the autopilot. Sit down in good light with a big, but not punishingly close-up, mirror. Look, think and engage. Take your time and consider what your face needs for the new season. Think about light, texture, and deliberately lighten your touch.

2 GREAT BASE

FACED with my spring mirror shock, I fell hook, line and sinker for a not new, but new-to-me, foundation that I couldn’t wait to tell you about. I tested this without knowing how much it cost, only to discover that it is €140.

I’m not pretending this amount of money will be easy for any of us. However, I would scrimp on everything else for my skin to look decent, and a 30ml bottle will last me well over a year. A new frock or 365+ days of good skin? For me, it’s a no-brainer.

If you agree, then you want Tom Ford Shade And Illuminate Soft Radiance Foundation with SPF 50 (€140, brownthomas.com).

The brand describes it as ‘medium-full’ coverage with three-dimensional radiance. Translation: it conceals things you want it to conceal, while simulating fantastically luminous, dewy skin.

The blurb talks about facial architecture and the play of light and symmetry — and, weirdly, this is precisely how it feels to wear. My face went from wild woman to sculpted.

If you want budget-butbrilliant, your 2023 Beauty Awards winner, L’Oréal True Match Foundation (€12.95, lookfantastic.com) is a bestseller for a reason.

3 ADD DIMENSION

TRUST me: adding highlights will have a face-freshening effect greater than the sum of its parts. A strategic touch of shimmer is the key look for 2024, meaning you look modern, therefore young. It’s a bit like reverse contouring, using light, not shade. I’m currently using a Kiko Milano High Pigment Eyeshadow in 33, Metallic White Silver (€8.95, lookfantastic.ie). I use it to lighten up my eyelid, in a small c-shape at the top of each cheekbone, on the tip of my nose, and above my cupid’s bow, and it’s gorgeous.

4 THINK PINK

THE #pinkpowder hack boasts 118 million TikTok views and counting. Translation: pink neutralises green — helpful for those with redness or acne, both having underlying green tones. Pink powder is also said to brighten.

I tried Revolution Y2K Cherry Bake Loose Powder & Puff (now €5.99, lookfantastic.ie) and lightly applied it with a fat brush — it does indeed lend a youthful gleam. I’ll be keeping it up.

5 OPEN UP YOUR EYES

TO MY highlighted lid, I add an upward stroke of kohl and an angled swoosh of mascara, and could not be more excited to report that make-up genius Lisa Eldridge has just launched her Kitten Eye duo: Kitten Lash Mascara (€35.50, selfridges. com) and Kitten Flick Liquid Eyeliner (€31).

Add Victoria Beckham Instant Brightening Waterline Pencil (€31, victoriabeckhambeauty. com) along the lower inner lid to fake eight hours’ sleep.

Then finish with Glossier Boy Brow (€25, glossier.com).

By adding texture, bulk and messing matters up a bit so brows look less drawn-on, it’s the great midlife anti-ager.