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Everything I’ve learned as a beauty columnist about the products that actually work, from £17 body cream to LED masks

Overwhelmed by the number of products on sale? Tempted to try a time-saving trick? Our beauty columnist shares her expert tips on what works – and what to swerve

Many of the questions I’ve received are from readers who care deeply about what others think of their appearance and ask for ways to navigate the ageing process – which, sadly, is impossible to fix in a 300‑word weekly column. One of the things that’s helped me dial down the toxic messaging around getting older has been filling my life, TV screens and social media feed with people who are ageing on their own terms, from their sartorial and beauty choices through to defying societal and gender expectations of what 50, 60 and 70 “looks like”– people like actors Chloë Sevigny and Poorna Jagannathan and fashion icons Michèle Lamy and the late Iris Apfel.That has helped to mitigate some of the pressure to freeze time and age backwards. If the workers seem to fear their employer and seem anxious or distressed – if they’re not allowed to talk to each other, and/or if tips are communal – that could be a sign you need to investigate the establishment, and potentially contact the police.

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