Guess the secret we’re hiding with make-up

They used to hate their complexions. But now these four women are part of a beauty revolution

I love my freckles. Still, when I saw the two pictures of myself, with and without make-up, I was shocked to find that I preferred myself without, because I look far younger. It was quite nice to realise that!

I think it’s great that freckles are in fashion and, hopefully, we’ll all start to accept that you don’t have to fit in with the ‘airbrushed’ look to be attractive.

That’s certainly how I used to feel. Throughout my teenage years, I’d watch adverts avidly for spot treatments — I didn’t need the products because I didn’t have spots, but I would stare and stare at the models’ clear, smooth skin, wishing that mine looked the same.

Of course, in retrospect, I know they were probably all photoshopped, but it made me strongly associate beauty with clear skin.

I saw my freckles as blemishes and, between the ages of 13 and 18, I didn’t go one day without thick make-up.

Even my friends took me aside and begged me to wear less. Looking back, it wasn’t the most flattering look!

Thankfully, I wasn’t ever teased, but my skin made me very unhappy and self-conscious.

My mother, who has freckles all over her body, always reassured me that I was being ridiculous and I looked beautiful. Maybe it’s time to accept that she was right.

AGED TEN, I TRIED TO BLEACH MY FRECKLES

Model debi Ireland, 56, lives in Woking, Surrey. She has three children and is engaged. AS A child, I loathed my freckles, which made me a target for bullies at school.

One day, aged ten, I was so desperate to get rid of them that I filled up the bath with water and poured in some bleach.

I soaked in it, then used a harsh bathroom cleaner on a Brillo Pad to try to scrub off my freckles.

My skin became terribly sore and inflamed and I went to bed in tears.

The next day, my PE teacher asked me about my skin. I broke down and told her what I’d done.

Everyone was very sympathetic — but I was left in no doubt how very dangerous it had been.

I still hated my freckles and continued to cover them with make- up throughout my 20s and 30s.

I had to absolutely cake it on to fully hide them.

It was only when I reached my 40s that I started to relax about my skin, realising that looks aren’t the be-all and end-all.

Now, in my 50s, I’m the most content I’ve ever been. Funnily enough, I even started modelling four years ago and I’ve found that make-up artists tend not to completely cover my freckles.

I’ve definitely seen more freckled models in magazines, too.

Still, I wouldn’t say that freckles are a ‘fashion statement’ or a fad. Better, I think, to celebrate them all the time.

They are a part of my identity and, although I feel sad for the unhappy child I once was, now I wouldn’t change my scattering of distinctive freckles for anything.

Seeing the pictures of myself just confirms that for me. My freckles are finally here to stay.