The Scottish Mail on Sunday - You
MOTHER-AND-DAUGHTER BEAUTY INSIDERS SHARE THEIR SECRETS
Hair and make-up trends come and go, but a glowing complexion never dates. We asked mother-and-daughter beauty experts to share their grooming tricks – and traumas – and what they’ve learned from each other
The complexion therapists
Abigail James is one of the most sought-after facialists in London and is known for her natural approach to skincare combined with advanced technology. Abigail, 43, lives in London with her two sons, aged 12 and 16. Her daughter Georgia, 19, is a student who has modelled in Abigail’s guide to a glowing complexion, Love Your Skin.
ABIGAIL In my early teens you would find me steaming my face over a bowl of hot water and playing with what my pocket money could buy. The Body Shop was huge in the 1980s – I remember long queues outside our local store. Many cans of Wella Silvikrin hairspray were consumed over a week – I don’t think my hair moved some days! When I’d overdone it with Sun-In bleach and home perms and looked like a yellow poodle, my mother let me take a day off school.
I have allowed Georgia to experiment, and there have been a few disasters! The thick brow was interesting, as was the self-tanning, which was often streaky and orange. She’s much more high-maintenance than me. As soon as she got herself a paper round at 14 she had her nails done. I like a no-make-up look and I’m all about efficiency and no stress.
I hope I’ve drummed into Georgia that you do need a skincare routine. Even if it’s basic cleansing and moisturising. I’ve taught her to read the ingredients on product packaging – just because it smells pretty doesn’t mean it’s great for your skin. We can both be allergic to synthetically fragranced skincare and I will occasionally get a Snapchat picture of a reaction from a product she has tried. It used to happen to me all the time until I refined what worked. Rituals, Medik8, AlumierMD and Osmosis are just a few with non-synthetic fragrance that I’m currently loving.
Social media has made us a lot more face-focused. When I was younger it was all about the supermodel body; now there’s immense pressure to have flawless skin. I want all of my children to feel they can be themselves. I encourage Georgia to be relaxed about ‘beauty’. Simple is beautiful; a scruffy bun is cool.
Georgia and I have a very open conversation when it comes to health and beauty. I advocate a healthy diet and lifestyle to balance fun and going out. I had eating issues when I was a teenager. I have tried to instil in Georgia the freedom to be a strong woman. You never know what is going to influence them along the way, so I’ve just tried to give her that inner strength.
We’re both rigorous with sunscreen. Georgia has beautiful pale skin and is very good with sun protection. I tan easily but also have to be careful – I use AlumierMD Clear Shield Broad Spectrum SPF42 and Medik8 Physical
GEORGIA HAS BEAUTIFUL PALE SKIN, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SELF-TANNING DISASTERS…