Smiling Gives You Wrinkles

Happy birthday to me I'm officially 50! 🎈 Reaching this milestone on Monday has put me in a reflective frame of mind. Honestly? It feels amazing . While yes, it's just another day, there is something about turning 50 that makes you pause, look back at everything you’ve achieved, and re-evaluate what you want to conquer in this next chapter. I'm going into my 50s feeling stronger, more refocused,...

As a veteran British Beauty Editor now living in hot and humid St. Pete Beach, Florida, I have officially had to abandon the standard "textbook" beauty advice. Surviving real humidity is a daily masterclass, and after surviving two back-to-back hurricanes with zero air conditioning or running water, I know exactly what the real hot-weather pain points are. So in this episode, I’m tackling the unfi...

I often get DM's from followers that go something a bit like this: "You've been smashing it lately." Or "We love what you're doing." Or, "What an inspiration - keep doing what you're doing." And while messages like these keep me going, behind-the-scenes, I’ve been facing a massive internal struggle, and in this incredibly raw and honest episode, I’m opening up about why this has financially been m...

After an incredible brand trip to the gorgeous Inns Of Aurora in upstate New York with No7 , I’m back - despite a chaotic, storm-delayed layover at Detroit airport last night! So in this week’s chat, I’m taking you inside the stunning Aurora Inns, giving you an insider peek into the two new No7 skincare lines, and opening up my travel makeup bag. Plus, I’m chatting about those viral headlines surr...

This week I’m catching up with my friend, the brilliant TV makeup artist Donna May, who has just finished working at the world renowned Chelsea Flower Show in London - she is basically in charge of doing the hair and makeup for all of the presenters! And although it sounds glamorous (you’ll hear about her chats (and hugs!) with Sir David Beckham and King Charles no less!!!) - the days are long, ho...

Am I a complete hypocrite if I champion pro-aging but still cover my greys? This week, I get honest about my own mental blocks with going grey and the irony of writing a feature for Woman & Home about embracing my age without ever touching Botox. Plus, I chat about the products I currently use to keep my skin in its best condition. I hope you enjoy and see you next week! Don't forget to connec...

It feels like every beauty brand is yelling at us about peptides right now. They’re promising "Botox in a bottle," instant youth, and total skin transformation. And in my 25+ years as a beauty editor, I've seen many ingredient trends come and go - some are a waste of time, but some are actually worth jumping on - and peptides definitely fall into the latter category. So to break past the glossy ma...

When I moved from London to St. Pete Beach in 2021, I thought my years as a Beauty Editor for titles like The Daily Mail and Cosmopolitan , and even working at Boots , meant I knew a lot about brands and the products available. But I was wrong. The American drugstore is a different beast - the choice is overwhelming! And since appearing on Channel 4's Escape to Florida , the number one question I...

After a little refection about me and my family's appearance in the new Channel 4 show Escape To Florida , I talk about the skincare products I am using at the moment. After 28 years in the industry, I know how overwhelming skincare can be. So for this week, I’m stripping it all back and walking you through my current daily routine - the products I am actually using right now, ones I swear by, and...

Hair loss is a topic I’ve written about many times in the past few years, having experienced hormonal thinning myself. So I was keen to sit down with leading dermatologist Dr. Nicole Chiang to understand why our hair changes as we hit our 40s and 50s, and to discover the surprising impact that stress, weight loss, and hormones have on our hair health. Expect lots of chat about: Midlife Hair Loss:...

The papers are full of stories about 12-year-olds demanding high-strength retinols, but from what I’m seeing with the brilliant young writers I mentor in The Beauty Ed® | THE LAB , the reality is much more nuanced. Our teens are savvy, they’re curious, and they love the "glamour" of a fun brand - but they also want to know what’s actually right for their skin. After 28 years in this industry, I’m...

If you’ve ever found yourself deep in an overthinking spiral about a work email, or confused about the hundreds of foundations on offer, then this chat with my gorgeous friend and makeup artist Donna May is for you! We also chat about Donna's Gua Sha disaster, why she hasn't applied her testosterone cream yet and what I really think about LED masks and LED helmets (!) The Beauty Ed® Shopping List...

For this episode of Smiling Gives You Wrinkles ®, I sat down with esthetician Emma Wedgwood , whose journey from the brink of losing everything to the heights of the beauty industry moved me to tears. Emma bravely shares her experience with alcoholism and the "dirty little secret" of drinking in high-pressure careers like nursing. We talk about the shame of the "park bench" myth, the people-pleasi...

If you walked into my kitchen right now, you’d see a graveyard of supplement bottles - mostly half-empty tubs my husband bought on a whim or "marketing-heavy" brands that promise the world but I often wonder, do they really deliver? And after after 27 years in the beauty industry, I’ve learned that more isn’t always better; it’s just more expensive. And that’s why I invited nutritionist Amanda Ryd...

I’m freshly back from London and, true to form, I’ve brought back a hideous cold as a souvenir! But I also brought back a lot of chocolate, some Marks & Spencer treats, AND a tiny new "freckle heart" tattoo. But for today's episode, it is my face full of fresh collagen that I've brought home with me that I'm mostly talking about. Because I’m taking you inside the treatment room for one of my a...

If your Mother’s Day didn't quite live up to the Pinterest-perfect expectations, you're not alone. In this episode, my lovely friend and makeup artist extraordinaire Donna May and I dive into Mother's Day expectations and why even just a cup of tea can stir a hormonal meltdown! We also chat about the "grey backlash" that Donna has experienced since dying her hair (find out what her dad really thin...

I am excited to welcome back one of my absolute favorite dermatologists and a true star in the industry, Dr. Justine Kluk . As a beauty editor with nearly 30 years in the game, even I get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of products hitting the market. If I'm feeling it, I know you are too! In this episode, I invited Justine to share the products that are actually on her bathroom shelf right now. J...

Is collagen a scam? It’s a question I get asked more than any other. And when I first recorded some of these clips for a past episode with nutritionist Amanda Ryder , we were navigating the collagen supplement world with a healthy dose of skepticism. But as of last month, science has caught up to our conversation, as a massive new study of 113 trials published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal offi...

In this episode, I chat with Karla Osborne , a specialized grey blending artist who is changing the way women view their silver roots. We talk about why the traditional "permanent color trap" is outdated and how you can transition to your natural color without the obvious demarkation grow-out lines. We also discuss: The "Brick Wall" vs. "Stained Glass": Understanding why permanent dye (brick wall)...

If you caught me on my Instagram recently, you might have seen me shaving my face: ie. dermplaning. It’s a treatment that I’ve had done in-salon before, and while I loved the results (smooth, glowy, not to mention hair-free skin), I’ve always been a bit nervous to do it on myself. Until now… Today, I’m diving deep into why I’ve started dermaplaning at home, how it’s helping me manage the "testoste...

It’s been almost a year since I started on testosterone, and last year, I brought the brilliant Dr. Louise Newson onto the podcast to answer all our burning questions. So today I’m giving you a full update on how it’s actually going for me. In this episode, I’m sharing: Why I was terrified of turning into a bodybuilder (and why that didn't happen!). Why the mental clarity and focus that I gained w...

Technology may have tried to take me down this week (apologies if the audio is a bit wonky), but bringing back "Dear Donna" , my beauty Q&A column from my days at Company and Cosmo Girl was the perfect recovery. In this episode, I cover: Dermaplaning vs. Threading: Which one is right for facial fuzz? High-Tech Skin: The lowdown on CACI Facials and at-home Face Tools . My honest take on Jones R...

I was introduced to Bobbie Thomas, the Style Editor on NBC’s Today Show by a mutual colleague and as soon as we hopped on FaceTime, we hit it off. We have a lot in common: we both started at teen magazines (me at CosmoGIRL, Bobbie at J-14), we both helmed long-standing beauty columns (Dear Donna and Bobbie’s Buzz), and we both share a fierce passion for helping women find confidence. Not through t...

I’ve had so many friends reaching out lately saying the same thing: "I’m in my 40s... why am I suddenly getting spots?!" and it feels like some sick joke to be dealing with fine lines and breakouts at the same time. To get some answers, I sat down with the incredible Dr. Sam Bunting , a dermatologist who has spent the last 15 years helping women navigate the complexities of adult acne and troubles...

In this episode of Smiling Gives You Wrinkles , I sit down with the woman who swapped her RAF nursing uniform for a makeup brush: the incredible Genevieve Turley . I’ve always been fascinated by people who make massive pivots in their life, and Genevieve’s story is a standout. Before she was making us all laugh on Instagram, she was a burns and plastics specialist nurse in the RAF and w e talk abo...