NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Why looking natural - rather than tweaked - is back in fashion

By Lisa Armstrong
Daily Telegraph UK·
13 Feb, 2021 11:55 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Drew Barrymore, 45 often poses without makeup on her social media. Photo / Instagram

Drew Barrymore, 45 often poses without makeup on her social media. Photo / Instagram

Last week Drew Barrymore announced her new job on social media.

She's the creative director no less, (or Queen Bee as she prefers to call it) of Garnier USA. Barrymore accompanied the news with a genuine selfie.

Not one of those selfies that's the product of Alexi Lubomirski, Meghan and Harry's engagement picture snapper, and a flotilla of hair and makeup artists.

You can tell from the angle of Barrymore's right arm.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Drew Barrymore (@drewbarrymore)

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The other striking aspect of her portrait is how beautifully normal – and normally beautiful – Barrymore looks. Hair brushed, yes. Airbrushed – not so much.

She may or may not be wearing makeup – it's hard to tell and irrelevant, since she's not making any claims to be a lipstick refusenik.

Given that her line of shampoos is sulphate free and falls under the vaguely holistic sounding Whole Blends category however, her laid back approach to beauty feels like the right kind of synergy.

It's also hugely reassuring to those of us who've spent too long scrolling through Netflix and were starting to feel like wisened freaks compared with the preternaturally plumped cheek, glass-skinned super-breed out there.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

You can't blame us. Next time you have a spare hour or three try to find 10 Hollywood stars over 40 who don't have varying degrees of pillow lips, hamster cheeks and ice rink forehead.

It's not easy, which is odd when you consider how negative much of the conversation recently surrounding actresses and models deemed to have gone over the top with filler and surgery has been. And how much everyone loves Christy Turlington, Sigourney Weaver, Diane Keaton and Cecile de France for showing an alternative route. Who knows whether they've done anything or not.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Drew Barrymore (@drewbarrymore)

Collectively they're a sane reminder that stretched-but-puffy really is as weird looking as we thought when we first began to see it.

Call me a cockeyed optimist but I think times may be a-changing.

The Kardashian aesthetic may seem commonplace right now, but the number one rule of fashion is that ubiquity eventually leads to rejection.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys)

How much cooler does Alicia Keys – who famously forswore makeup, even on stage, five years ago after confessing she became addicted to it – look than those who've had every quirk in their facial features erased – apart from the phobia of ageing that radiates from their eyes?

Dr Sophie Shotter, founder of the Illuminate Skin Clinics, agrees. "Through lockdown, there's been a big focus on eyes and wanting to look youthful, well-rested and fresh.

People are requesting real measurable results but at the same time there's a definite move away from pillow face – my patients are all wanting to look very natural, almost being over cautious in their endeavour to achieve it."

One corollary of the MeToo movement is increasing sightings of older women on our screens who haven't had lashings of obvious work done to their faces or vast globs of Vaseline smeared on the lenses of every camera on set.

After all, if you want an Oscar, go natural – just ask Olivia Colman, Frances McDormand or Meryl Streep. Hollywood reveres Natural. It goes into actual submissive mode when it sees it. It's just not quite ready to do it en masse.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Some of this is cultural. Americans have always had a weakness for a uniform standard of beauty.

The British on the other hand, have always quite liked kitchen-sink reality. The French play their cards much closer to their chests.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Michelle Pfeiffer (@michellepfeifferofficial)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Michelle Pfeiffer (@michellepfeifferofficial)

It's hard to say what the heck they have done, because as with their clothes, cars and infidelities, they like their cosmetic intervention to be discreet.

The good news is that there's more and more of the discreet work on offer. In March, Dr Shotter launches a treatment called Profound in the UK. It consists of ultra-powerful radio frequency that's precision delivered below the dermis at much higher temperatures than existing radio frequency delivery methods such as Thermage.

Studies suggest one session is equivalent to a third of a facelift and after two years, the benefits are still evident. "Downtime" is five-seven days. Bring it on.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Michelle Pfeiffer (@michellepfeifferofficial)

In the meantime, in lieu of Botox, sales of at home devices, from collagen-boosting light masks and lasers and muscle twitching electrical currents, have soared over the past 10 months, prompting John Lewis – bastion of Middle England values – to dedicate a section to them.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There was a lot of talk about everyone being horrified by their Zoom appearance and rushing to get injections after the first lockdown. But if anything, Zoom proved what you can do with one of those ring lights (and camera angles).

It also demonstrated what does and doesn't make a difference. Eyebrows, sag and skin luminosity are all noticeable. Wrinkles, less so.

The biggest cheat, it turns out, are statement spectacles – masks the bags, accentuates the cheekbones, etc. As for makeup – yes to mascara, blush and lipstick, but you can wing it without foundation.

Thanks to social distancing, Michelle Pfeiffer – another older actress still getting good roles (she's just been nominated for a Golden Globe) – applied her own makeup for an appearance last week on Good Morning America (she highly recommends Gucci Westman's "clean" blush stick). Revolutionary times.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

'Hero of my life': Tim Wilson on adoption, faith and fatherhood

21 Jun 05:00 PM
Premium
Lifestyle

'Two small boys left fatherless and their mother cast as a scarlet woman'

20 Jun 10:00 PM
Premium
Lifestyle

Everything Millennial is cool again

20 Jun 06:00 PM

Help for those helping hardest-hit

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

'Hero of my life': Tim Wilson on adoption, faith and fatherhood

'Hero of my life': Tim Wilson on adoption, faith and fatherhood

21 Jun 05:00 PM

He shares how waiting decades to find his birth parents has enriched his own brood's life.

Premium
'Two small boys left fatherless and their mother cast as a scarlet woman'

'Two small boys left fatherless and their mother cast as a scarlet woman'

20 Jun 10:00 PM
Premium
Everything Millennial is cool again

Everything Millennial is cool again

20 Jun 06:00 PM
Lemony bow tie pasta with broccoli and macadamia crunch

Lemony bow tie pasta with broccoli and macadamia crunch

20 Jun 05:00 PM
Inside Leigh Hart’s bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi
sponsored

Inside Leigh Hart’s bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP