YouTube’s beauty community is one of the largest on the platform, but the majority of the content produced is by millennials, for millennials. It’s one of the reasons Nadine Baggott, seasoned health and beauty journalist and TV presenter, began her own channel.
“I guess my biggest frustration [with vlogs] and why I started my YouTube channel at the age of 53 is because there was literally nobody speaking to my generation,” she tells Bazaar. Five years and 350 videos later, Baggott has 129,000 subscribers all watching her vocalise ‘#honestyinbeauty’.
Her age and experience as an old school journalist – “working on newspapers, TV and radio with a smattering of glossy magazines in there” – helps anchor her popularity, but it’s also Baggott’s refreshing ‘#nofacetune’, ‘#nofilters’ BS-bashing that’s so appealing. “Women my age, and even over 40, want to see themselves reflected back honestly, but also younger women like an older person because hopefully it means you have more experience and knowledge. You sort of become the older sister/mum/aunt who’s got all the information, plus the best friend of somebody who’s never seen themselves reflected back.”
She didn’t start out on this journey with that in mind – it was more a case of not wanting to lose her voice in the digital age – but Baggott found that there’s such a hunger for beauty content for those in her generation, and YouTube proves the perfect platform for it.
With views of cosmetics videos with ‘over 50’ in the title increasing by more than 100 per cent last year, there clearly is an appetite for it. “This year, 2020, there are currently more people over the age of 50 than younger, they have more discretionary spend than anyone else, and they’re much more brand-loyal and more discerning,” Baggott says. “But if brands don’t speak to them and engage them these women are going to ignore them back. Why would they buy into airbrushed images of 20-year-olds? They want to see real women their age.”
We are the majority, but we’re underrepresented
Baggott wouldn’t have her chosen career if women her age were being completely ignored in the beauty industry, but age inclusion has felt somewhat lacking from the diversity conversation that’s making significant strides in catering to under-represented communities.
“It’s funny as I’m often asked to talk on panels about inclusivity and beauty and I’m always with an Asian woman, a black woman, and possibly a differently-abled person. They’re so articulate and impassioned, and I always end up by saying ‘I’m very grateful to be with you, but you do know that I’m not a minority, I’m the majority?’ Everybody’s always shocked to hear that, but it’s true.”
Indeed, it’s with sad irony that L’Oreal Paris research shows 40 per cent of women over the age of 50 ‘don’t feel seen’. “But it doesn’t make any sense to ignore me or feel sorry for me because I’m old. I’ve got money now, but brands aren’t speaking to me.”
She cites the L’Oreal group as the main exception. (L’Oreal Paris itself has a rich history of speaking to women over 40, with ‘ageless’ messaging and mature beauty ambassadors such as Helen Mirren, Celine Dion, Viola Davis and Jane Fonda.)
“Remember their incredible Colour Match campaign? For the first time ever, they had a real influencer represent every single shade – people of different skin tones, shapes, differently-abled people and a few key older people. I remember thinking, ‘ah! I would have loved to taken part in that campaign’. And now I do a lot of work with L’Oreal because they need people my age to represent their consumers.” She feels it’s filtered through; “Lancôme [owned by L’Oreal] launched its new foundation using all counter staff from around the UK instead of models. It was basically saying that the women that are selling you this product are the people we created it for and I think that’s really clever.” Interestingly, it was Lancôme who recently re-signed Isabella Rossellini at aged 63, some 25 years after she was dropped as the face of the brand – another signal of the belated acceptance of ageing and of representing reality in beauty.
She’ll also call out the brands that are missing the mark. “I think it was Revlon who did a campaign about inclusivity and I remember tagging them back and writing ‘you’re not inclusive if you don’t include the vast majority of women who are over 50!’ I got so much feedback from people saying, ‘I grew up with [whatever] brand and bought it for 25 years – why am I suddenly invisible to them now?’” And what of the newer brands on the block who spearhead diversity and inclusion, such as Fenty, who still fail women over 30, let alone 50?
“I would call out Fenty for that as well. Rihanna’s a really young creator but think about all those amazing really successful black women who happen to be older that she must know in America – she could make Oprah one of her faces, or Jada Pinkett-Smith or someone equally incredible, intelligent and articulate. I think that something needs to be done about it.” And that’s exactly what Baggott’s doing, in her own way.
What we want from our relationship with beauty
“The advantages of getting older – along with the disadvantages like getting wrinkles, sagging and the grey hair and stuff! – is that you get a bit of a ‘F-it’ attitude, and you definitely get a lot more comfortable in your skin,” Baggott notes. And people over 40 don’t necessarily want the intel to transform themselves, but to know how to get the most out of their beauty regimes.
“There’s a dichotomy in my followers; there’s the real hardcore ingredient addicts who are obsessed with finding the things that really work, and there are the people who just care about their skin and care about their routine, but just want it simplified.” Her most popular videos go back to basics. “Anything to do with key active ingredients like retinol and vitamin C, or simplifying skincare, such as layering.” She puts this down to the sheer volume of information – and misinformation – to be found online. “There’s a lot of just ‘opinion’ out there, and some of that ‘opinion’ is misinformed,” she says.
Some of it is downright dangerous, and much of it fuels scaremongering around beauty. Beyond inaccuracies regurgitated by influencers and indie brands, it’s ‘clean’ American activist group the Environmental Working Group Baggott takes aim at. “I can’t bear their talk of ‘nasties’, ‘chemicals’, ‘toxic-free’ – bonkers things that go around misreported.” She wants you to know: “Your products are safe to use; they don’t absorb into your blood, they won’t cause long-term damage and they’re not endocrine disruptors.” Indeed, she feels a responsibility to stand up for the world she works in. “The industry is so carefully regulated and takes such pride in creating safe products, even to the point where if they’ve got a really great active ingredient they tend to air on the side of caution – they’d rather make it safe and ineffective. Safety is always their first priority.”
Another bugbear is that beauty is somehow seen as being fluffy and inconsequential. “When used properly it can be really empowering and really boost confidence for people. There’s nothing better than seeing a DM from someone saying they followed my advice and it’s really changed their skin. That makes all the negativity worthwhile.”
So, after over 25 years in the business, what would Baggott recommend?
The products that work needn’t cost the earth
“I’ve accidentally become a cheerleader for high street beauty because there are so many great products out there that are so reasonably priced.” Should she no longer be in the beauty biz tomorrow (whereby receiving samples to test), “SkinCeuticals would be the one brand I would splash out on. When it comes to vitamin C and retinol, that’s where I would spend; for everything else I would go to Boots or Superdrug.”
Here’s the routine she would suggest for all:
“I would always recommend a hyaluronic acid lotion and my favourite for the price point is the Hada Labo Lotion No.1 which is a multi-molecular hyaluronic acid. It’s the number one brand out of Japan. They’re currently on Amazon, but they’re going into Superdrug soon.
“Then I would recommend some sort of glycerin/ceramide lotion on top. Curél have just come to Boots and its Moisture Facial Milk is really, really lovely.
“I always recommend a vitamin C, and I do really love SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic. If you’re looking for a dupe the Timeless Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid Serum is really good.
Hada Labo Tokyo Lotion No1
Curél Moisture Facial Milk
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum
“A retinol is really important. If you have problematic skin and oily skin that breaks out it’s useful when you’re younger, but it’s really important as you get older – from the age of 35-40 onwards – and I think the Paula’s Choice Retinol Resist 1% is the gold standard.
“I also like an exfoliating product like the SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 for the face, but for my body I like the Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion which is a lactic acid body lotion. This is amazing for keratosis pilaris – those little red spots you get on the back of your arms. I use it for scaly winter lizard legs and dry elbows and hands and stuff like that.
Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Retinol Serum
SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight Corrective Cream
Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion
“And then a really great rinse-off cleanser like the Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser or the Boots YourGoodSkin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser. I do think people need to use a really good cloth. I love the Primark microfibre PS Makeup Remover Cloths. They also do a bamboo one if you’re worried about the microfibre. They basically supercharge any cleanser and eye make-up you would ever have. Otherwise, bog-standard flannels are great – and they exfoliate your face really well.”
Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser
YourGoodSkin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser
Primark White Facial Cloths 3Pk
Tweakments are a choice, and one that shouldn’t be judged
Baggott has been privy to the tweakments scene way before her peers. She was also one of the first amongst them to openly talk about having any cosmetic work done, “and trust me – for my age – as a beauty editor, I’ve had less done than most people, the difference is I own it!”
She explains: “Because I worked for Hello! for 15 years it would beggar belief the amount of celebrities who look at you Botox-straight faced and deny having anything done. They talk about getting eight hours sleep and drinking three litres of water a day and you just think ‘this is just rubbish’.
“Know that women we admire that seem to be ageless in their 50s – that’s not yoga and water – that’s very beautiful, subtle tweakments. For example, if you look at Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, that’s just beautiful work!” In terms of owning it, like she does, Baggott admits it’s a double-edged sword for famous faces, “because once they do then every time they’re interviewed it will be picked up on. I understand why they choose not to.” It’s a different case with the Love Island and Kardashian/Jenner generation who clearly want to look like they’ve had work done.
“The pendulum might have swung a bit too far,” Baggott notes, “but hopefully by the time they get to my age they will be have changed the conversation so much that it will all be more open and honest. So good on them.”
As an authority on beauty – and someone who’s dabbled in needle work for 14 years now, Baggott is a willing guinea pig. “I’m quite happy in that role, but I’m also incredible cautious and ask for subtle, soft work. That’s not to say it never goes wrong. “I’ve had some dodgy work from supposedly reputable people, which left me wondering if they just had a good PR.”
With aesthetic doctors becoming influencers in their own right, showcasing impressive before-and-afters and building up a staggering following of (some potentially vulnerable) people on Instagram, she has a responsibility to those watching her tweakment videos.
“Some of the most popular doctors out there on social media are probably creating content that isn’t ethically medical. I feel sorry for the reputable doctors who won’t give medical advice online because it goes against their moral values.” In this unregulated sector, “the onus is absolutely on the consumer to do their research sadly, which is hard,” she says. Her advice for those interested is sound: look to the regulatory bodies. “Go to BAAPS, BAPRAS, or somebody like that. Or the supplier, for example Allergan list people who are properly medically trained to administer these injections.”
The best practitioners for subtle tweakments
Baggott’s personal recommendations come with a caveat. “My advice would always be: don’t go to somebody that you’ve just read about, but if you can go to somebody who has treated a friend of yours. If you can get somebody on a personal recommendation that’s really important.” Here are hers:
“Dr Vicky Dondas at Medicetics does really beautiful, subtle work which is great for first-timers. My friend went there whose husband was really against her having Botox, and she had it for years and he never noticed! That’s how subtle her work is.
“Dr Alexis Granite at the Mallucci London clinic is very good – and very subtle.
“Dr Wassim Taktouk is very good, he’s a real up-and-comer. Dr Tapan Patel at The Phi Clinic is also great.
“The Private Clinic is an umbrella place for lots of treatments and is very good.”
Baggot’s other parting advice is to ask for pictures of patients the injectors have treated who are a similar age to you. “Don’t settle for seeing pictures of patients in their 20s if you’re 45.” Indeed, if there’s one thing she’s taught us, it’s to not settle at all.
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