I have a good friend who is sixty years old. Whilst there’s nothing particularly great in that, in and of itself…here’s the scoop…she looks fifty. Not French but married to a Frenchman (I know it doesn’t seem relevant, but perhaps it actually is; how else do French women look so damn good?) she has beautiful skin that she insists she takes care of with a combination of minimal product and minimal effort.

I have been intrigued by her beauty ritual for quite some time now, mainly because it clearly seems to work.  Last week I was finally put out of my misery:

Bio Oil. Yes, you know, that orange see-through stuff you slather messily on stretching tummies. Well, it turns out that it’s amazing for your face. She slaps it on last thing at night, careful to avoid the hairline, letting it sink in while she sleeps and it works like some kind of magical mask.

Strangely – and I can vouch for this, having used it non-stop since the news broke last week – it doesn’t seem to matter how much you put on your face, it’s always dry (rather than horribly greasy and oily as you’d perhaps imagine) the next morning.

Weird but wonderful. And the best bit? It’s $15 from Guardian or Watsons.

Silhouette picture courtesy of Silhouettes of Women