The 5 cheap and easy beauty rules Angelina Jolie swears by to look so good at 49 – and one of them is totally free too
EDGING towards 50, Angelina Jolie has achieved a lot, her work with the United Nations being one of them.
For the mum-of-six, living a well-rounded life also includes looking after herself – and her skin, which looks better than ever at 49.
The Hollywood A-lister recently wowed fans as she posed on the red carpet in New York for a showing of her movie Maria at the Big Apple’s annual film festival.
The Oscar-winning star – who went Instagram official with her rumoured Brit rapper boyfriend Akala – was beaming as she smiled to the cameras wearing a stunning white gown and caramel-toned tresses.
For years, Angelina has been amongst our main crushes – but just how does she manage to look so effortlessly beautiful, defying age?
From a totally free tip to a £5 bargain buy from Superdrug, here we spill the beans on Angelina’s top five rules to maintain that youthful glow.
Skincare – start early
It’s easy to feel like your beauty bag needs every single product that’s just hit the high street or has gone viral on social media.
But Angelina is living proof that there’s no need to fork out thousands for a skincare routine – and if anything, it’s best to keep things simple.
The actress’ dermatologist, Dr. Rand, told Refinery29 that Angelina has ”always been such a natural beauty, so she didn’t ever have to do much. It was really just sunscreen, proper cleansing with a mild, gentle cleanser, antioxidants, sometimes glycolic acids and and natural products.
”She doesn’t need major scrubs or products with lots of chemicals.”
Makeup-free is the way to be
Meanwhile, when it comes to make-up and glamming up, Angelina, who announced her separation from Brad Pitt in 2016, likes to embrace her natural beauty.
Unless she’s working, her dermatologist said, the star won’t be covering her face with heavy foundation and piles of cakey concealer.
”It’s probably another reason her skin looks good.”
SPF protection
By now, we should all know that wearing sunscreen is key not only to preventing skin cancers – but also to slowing down the ageing process.
Dr. Rand said: ”She’s been so good about using sunscreen from such an early age to protect her skin. She knew that the sun is not good for skin in general – in terms of pigmentation process and that sort of thing.”
Whatever the budget, SPF protection is a must and beauty buffs can find affordable sunscreens at Superdrug for as little as £5.99.
Biggest beauty mistakes
Fabulous' Beauty Editor Tara Ledden has shared the do's and don'ts when it comes to beauty.
“No matter how much time and money you spend on your beauty routine, if you’re not getting the basics right, the rest is wasted.
“There aren’t many non-negotiables, but these are the biggest beauty mistakes sabotaging your regime.”
- Not wearing SPF: Sun-damage is the main cause of premature skin ageing, so if you want to keep your skin looking plump and glowing, sun cream is vital.
- Using expired products: Best case, they’re ineffective and don’t deliver the results they promise, worst case they cause irritation and infection. The shelf life of beauty products differ – for example, mascara is usually good for 3-6 months while lipstick can last for 9-18 months. Check the ‘POA’ symbol on the packaging (it looks like a jar and will have a number inside for how many months it’s safe once opened. If you can’t remember when you opened your product, throw it away and start again, marking the month and year with a permanent marker on the packaging.
- Not knowing your undertones: If you’re using make-up with the wrong undertones, it’ll never look natural no matter how much you blend it! An easy trick to work out whether you have cool, warm or neutral undertones is to check the veins on your wrist – if they look blue, you have cool undertones, if they’re green, you have warm and if they’re a mix you have neutral.
- Skipping heat protector: It might feel unnecessary, but much like sun damage on the skin, excess heat is the most common cause of hair damage. So, if you want shiny, healthy hair, or you’re trying to grow it longer, using a heat protection product is key.
- Not washing your face before bed: it’s as simple as this, if you’re not washing your face before you go to sleep, everything that’s been on your skin during the day is sitting there for even longer, clogging your pores and drying out the surface. Any skincare applied on top isn’t going to be effective with a layer of dirt underneath, and you’re probably going to end up with dirty pillows too – yuck!
Not giving in to beauty standards
With so much pressure from what feels like left, right and centre, it’s easy to give in to beauty standards and go under the knife to achieve that ”perfect look”.
“I haven’t had anything done and I don’t think I will,” Angelina told Daily Mail.
“But if it makes somebody happy then that’s up to them. I’m not in somebody else’s skin to know what makes them feel better about themselves. But I don’t plan to do it myself.”
Beauty starts on the inside
You can always be the most beautiful girl and woman in the world – but if you don’t have a strong mind, none of that matters, is how Angelina feels.
“I often tell my daughters that the most important thing they can do is to develop their minds,” she told the publication.
”There is nothing more attractive— you might even say enchanting —than a woman with an independent will and her own opinions.”