Hands are like necks when it comes to age . . . So look after them!

THe photographer Rankin has revealed that the Queen once refused to pose with a sword because she didn’t like her hands. I can’t tell you how much this makes me miss our doughty monarch, her normality and complete transcendence of normality — at one and the same time.

Rankin imagined this was simply a ‘get out’ but I’m not so sure. so many women harbour some hatred of chin, waist, or ankle, and such small self-loathings dictate how we present ourselves to the world.

Were elizabeth II’s gloves more than just a politeness? Did her handhatred influence her preference for top-handled Launer bags, gripped in a fist or the crook of an arm?

I’m glad my hands are strong. However, this also means they’re big, meaty, manly affairs.

Premature, I was born without fingernails, then bit them relentlessly, so they’re still stumpy. Hands reveal age, while parchedness can make us feel particularly crone-like. still, there are Things one Can Do . . .

MANI MAGIC

FoR a start a professional manicure makes the responsibility for your hands’ redemption somebody else’s.

Find a technician who understands that not everyone is flattered by a squoval (that ubiquitous squaresam oval) shape. Rounded, oval proper, or almond will be considerably more flattering.

Ask your manicurist to use every optical illusion to make length appear greater. The strategy easiest to reproduce yourself is to leave subtle unpainted strips either side of your shade (nail contouring).

Lacquering them will also make any slight differences in length disappear.

ALL ABOUT BASE

Do use base and top coat — it’s the difference between a botch job and something that endures. The difficulty with DIY is not so much the painting but allowing the layers to dry.

Invest in Leighton Denny’s excellent Miracle Drops speed Dry Polish Drops ( leightondenny. com, £12.50), having first given damp varnish a cold blast with your hairdryer.

NO AGEING PASTELS

HeR Majesty is said to have disliked bold colour, considering it déclassé. Instead, she favoured essie’s pinky-white Ballet slippers (from £3.99, superdrug.com)

back in the days when she still did varnish. Don’t go near it — it’s ageing on anyone older than 15, its opaque pallor making skin look mottled and raddled.

If you must go minimal, go sheer with the brand’s Hard To Resist Nail strengthener in Pink Tint (£9.99, boots.com). But it’s a myth that short claws require pastels.

A glorious berry, blueberry, or satsuma looks chic on neat nails.

SCRUB UP

A gooD scrub can make things appear more shipshape. ‘ It’s the first and most satisfying step,’ explains sam Kendrew, chief manicurist at nail experts Mii Cosmetics.

‘A good hand exfoliant brightens, smooths and softens, prepping skin to allow serum or cream to sink in.’ recommends Mii Cosmetics Brighten + Renew Hand exfoliant (£32, miicosmetics.com). It combines natural pumice with glycolic and lactic acids, moisturising panthenol and sweet almond oil.

NURTURE NAILS

IF You can be bothered with cuticle oil, try Cutex Hydrating Cuticle oil (Amazon, £3.49) to nourish nails. Ditto hand cream. By day, it has to offer sun protection, such as Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Visibly Renew Hand Cream sPF20 (£5.75, boots.com).

By night, consider L’occitane, Balance Me or Clarins Hand & Nail Treatment Cream (from £9, clarins.co.uk).