Mirren has a refreshingly low-maintenance approach to skincare, claiming to only spend five minutes a day on her regime. She’s diligent with make-up removal though, and always uses fresh flannels to cleanse, but that’s about it.
You’re unlikely to find any products labelled with the words ‘anti-ageing’ on her bathroom shelf either – it’s a term she rejects because “women have been being 50 for a very long time, or 60, or 70.” Instead, she is a fan of (and the face of) L’Oreal’s Age Perfect line. She told Good Housekeeping in 2017: “you just want to look and feel as great as you can on a daily basis.”
This doesn’t mean she’s averse to a little help: Before the SAG Awards, make-up artist Jo Stretell gave her a facial massage using FaceGym tools – products designed to improve muscle tone and lymphatic drainage – while Val Garland always begins with a “relaxing deep facial” before applying make-up. Emilie Hill
The Workout
They say consistency is key to reap any real benefit in life, and when it comes to Helen Mirren’s daily 12-minute workout, you can understand why. The actress has been doing the ‘Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plan’ on and off since the 1960s, a workout which was devised with the time-poor in mind and ‘very gently gets you fit’ in as little as two weeks.
Created by physician Bill Orban in the 1950s, it was designed to keep new recruits of the Royal Canadian Air Force in fighting-fit shape, and Mirren is proof that it’s still a fixture for a certain generation – Prince Charles is also believed to be a fan.
The original pamphlets, images of which are widely available online, stipulate a low-impact aerobic routine which comprises toe touches, knee raises, lateral bending and arm circling. This is followed by sit-ups, push-ups, leg-raising and running or hopping. The beauty of the routine is that the more you do it, the harder it gets.
Before you know it, your daily fitness regime is complete in less time it takes to do the washing up. Helen Mirren clearly doesn’t have the time or the inclination to slave away at the gym for hours, and it’s working. EH
