Our Vintage Queen no 17 shares her beauty secrets: How to get luminous skin – the vintage way

Our lovely Vintage Queen no 17, the fabulous Fleur de Guerre, vintage lover and Forties aficionado, is letting us in on a little secret: how to get luminous, flawless skin just like hers. Here are her vintage beauty tricks!

I am so often asked how I get such perfect skin and so I have decided to let you all in on a little secret … it’s not actually all that perfect at all! I seem to be lucky enough to have the type of skin that looks great in pictures, even the skin of my body looks pearly white and smooth in the flash of a camera. But in reality, I’m as prone to breakouts as many, and my skintone leaves a lot to be desired, sometimes.

But I do have a skincare routine to which I am dedicated, and I think it helps ensure that my skin is the best it can be. And in this modern age of parabens, silicones, and ingredients with names as long as your arm, I find myself turning more and more to the beauty routines and habits of my grandmother’s era.

It may be something of a cliche that all grandmothers have lovely, soft skin, but mine certainly did. And luckily, she passed on some of her tips to me. So now I am passing them on to you.

First, cold water and a mild soap are all you need in the morning. I, like most women, have dabbled with many different facewashes and soaps over the years, but always end up going back to basics. My granny, and my best friend’s too, swore by Pears Soap.

The smell of Pears is incredibly nostalgic for me, and so I do like to use it from time to time, alternating with a fragrance-free wash from Simple. The cold water is just the thing for waking you up, refreshing you, and leaving your skin tingling. I have to confess here that the light day cream I use is not remotely vintage, being from Tescos’ surprisingly high-quality organic cosmetics range.

My second, old-fashioned beauty secret is witch hazel. Witch hazel astringent was first produced in the 1800s, although Native Americans were well aware of the plant’s medicinal properties long before. I was introduced to it as a child, if I grazed or bruised myself, my mother would always apply witch hazel to the area. Its smell also evokes a lot of memories of being young. Witch hazel can even be used to treat various maladies, from laryngitis to, ahem, piles.

The reason it works so well against these complaints is the same reason that it’s a wonderful facial toner – it shrinks blood vessels and pores fantastically well. I use it morning and evening to remove all traces of cleaner and tone my skin. It is wonderfully refreshing on a hot day when wiped over one’s face, and even one’s tired feet. And at 99p a bottle, it is extremely recession-friendly to boot.

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