We
profiled Mary last year and were taken by her amazing skin. Let’s find out what her secrets are.
Hi/Lo Approach
AGEIST: What is your daily skincare routine? Morning + evening?
Mary: My go-to for skincare is sleep, low stress, and lots of laughter and gratitude. But in terms of products, I have done the same thing for close to thirty years. It’s a bit of a hi/lo thing. I go really high-end and expensive on some key products and really inexpensive, hippy-natural on others.
For instance, I use tea tree oil wipes from Trader Joe’s to deep clean my face, sometimes several times a day as I do a lot of sports. Before TJ’s, I used witch hazel and tea tree oil (for its antimicrobial effects) with a cotton ball.
Homemade Face Cream
And I have made my own “face cream” concoction for years…which I use everywhere, head to toe, and always after the deep stringent cleaning:
- Coconut Oil
- Tea Tree Oil
- Aloe Vera Gel
- Vitamine E Oil
- Jojoba Oil
- Whipped with a spoon (in a big vat on my sink)
Sun Protection
AGEIST: How do you feel about sunblock? Do you have a favorite?
Mary: Well, I probably should have used it a long time ago, instead of the butter and iodine I would slather on myself in Marbella at the age of 13, but I never did. I have nice dark skin and I love the sun. When I do use sunblock now, I use an expensive natural brand with zinc oxide from Whole Foods for my face. If I am going to be in strong sun for extended periods I will use a zinc oxide stick (50 SPF) for complete blockage. I don’t have a theory on sunblock. There is too much conflicting info. Right now, as I am aging, I am more inclined to wear hats…for what that’s worth, or not…LOL
Makeup
AGEIST: What is your favorite makeup line? Anything special you look for?
Mary: I don’t wear “makeup” (cover up) per se. It never looks good on me. I will cover a spot from time to time, but generally stick to lipstick and mascara. I use Chanel waterproof mascara almost exclusively since I am constantly on the go, massaging and doing sports… and nothing else stays on.
Facials
AGEIST: What’s your feeling about facials?
Mary: I wish I could afford to have one a week, but alas, I have one every three years or so. If I had skin issues I would most likely live by them, but since I have “great skin,” a genetic gift, I don’t really bother.
Haircare
AGEIST: How often do you get your hair cut? Any advice on haircuts? What is your haircare routine? Anything change for you in the last few years?
Mary: I am getting better now, but I used to absolutely hate sitting still — for anything — especially haircuts. I couldn’t really afford expensive haircuts back then, and was particularly intolerant of the stuffy high-end salons with their incessant gossip and the mind-numbing peacocking. Besides that, I have very simple hair and don’t need much. Again with the luck of the draw, I have still never colored my full head of brown hair (age 55) and mostly get my hair cut at places like Supercuts while getting my oil changed, since what I need is not rocket science. I almost never stay for a blow dry or style because I usually work out again, so there is no point in getting it “done” if it’s going right back into a pony tail.
I’m kind of a wash-n-go type of girl. These days, since I’m richer, older and fancier, I go once every 3-6 months for a “better cut” at a “better” salon, but I still don’t get it dried and styled, and found a place where there are no chairs next to me. The guy who cuts my hair (Howard Kurtz) doesn’t talk. It’s priceless.
Also, I only wash my hair once or twice a week (with
Joan Severance shampoo) and use large doses of dry shampoo in between which gives it fullness, texture and bounce. I condition it with Joan Severance spray/leave-in conditioner sometimes up to 3x a day to counteract the dryness of the dry shampoo. Joan’s shampoo and conditioner is THE BEST I have ever used.
Keep It Simple
AGEIST: As you age, is there anything different you are doing, or think you will have to do in the future?
Mary: I love my hi/lo techniques. I will continue to spend gobs of money on good products that work for me (like scents, lipsticks and mascaras) and am pretty sure no one will ever break me of my inexpensive coconut oil addiction or homemade deodorants, pastes and concoctions etc… I stand by gratitude and rest as my number one health elixir.
Also, when I turned 40, More magazine interviewed me for the line of transparent bags that I had designed, back after 9/11, and asked me all the same questions. They did not include any of my answers because they were just seeking to connect to advertisers… I get it. I could have just made shit up. Oh well… This, “our” magazine might actually care that I use good old fashioned grocery store ingredients for most of my skincare.
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