The Daily Telegraph - Features
Six skin routines to achieve Cillian Murphy’s youthful complexion
Fresh from dominating awards season – a run that culminated in him winning Best Actor at the Oscars – Irish actor Cillian Murphy has now appeared in a major fashion campaign for Versace.
The most striking element of the images is the actor’s cherub-fresh face. At 47, Murphy barely appears to have aged since his breakthrough role in 28 Days Later in 2002. He is certainly giving good skin and doesn’t appear to have fallen prey to the overfilling trend, begging the question: what is the Oppenheimer star doing to keep his cheekbones perky and his skin dewy? And can you get in on the act without committing to a complex regime?
“Cillian is really good at looking after his skin and uses the products I recommend when we’re not on set,” says Gareth Bromell, Murphy’s go-to grooming expert. While shooting the Versace campaign, he used 111Skin’s Celestial Black Diamond Lifting and Firming Face Mask.
Here are some steps you can take to look Cillian Murphy-fresh in your late 40s:
ADOPT A CLEANSING ROUTINE Dr Alexis Granite, a leading expert in dermatology and cosmetic procedures, says cleansing is a crucial step that’s often overlooked. “Men tend to prefer cleansing in the shower – CeraVe’s cleansing range is perfect for this and it’s affordably priced (a tenner each), which allows you to get a couple of different formulations depending on your skin’s needs that day.” She adds: “Cleansing provides a clean canvas that helps your serum or moisturiser absorb.”
MOISTURISE “Men’s skin tends to be tougher and more porous than women’s skin, but equally it can be more sensitive after shaving,” says Granite, suggesting that a cooling gel is a good consistency of moisturiser to use most days after shaving. She recommends Avene’s Hydrance Aqua-Gel Cream.
DEPLOY ACTIVE INGREDIENTS For skin as juicy as Murphy’s, a problem-specific serum can treat the skin with active ingredients that help with ageing and are applied under moisturiser morning and night. In the morning, Bromell says an antioxidant like vitamin C is a must for men in their 40s, while at night a retinoid is the best choice – especially for men with blemishes or ingrown hairs, adds Granite.
THE ULTIMATE ANTI-AGER “SPF is the most important anti-ageing product we have at our disposal,” says Bromell, who encourages male clients to wear it even when it’s cloudy and raining, “which happens in Ireland a lot”, he laughs. If there’s a choice between moisturiser and SPF, choose the latter, says Granite.
Bromell’s favourite sunscreen is one by Medik8: Advanced Day Ultimate Protect SPF50+. “It makes the skin more even and glowy,” he says.
TRY TWEAKMENTS Granite is seeing an increase in male patients who book in after seeing subtle tweaks their wives have had. The issues tackled by tweakments, says Granite, are the same for both sexes: rosacea, pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles. But “there are subtle differences to the way we inject, say, Botox, in a man and a woman so as not to over-feminise their face for a rejuvenated look”.
THE LUXURY LASER Bromell uses a Lyma laser on Murphy, which utilises Nasa technology to zap wrinkles and acne, but costs a whopping £1,999.