Beauty secrets passed down by our mothers

“Fresh” skin

My mother, 81 years old, has been following for decades a ritual that she got from her own mother: very cold water with which she splashes her face when she wakes up and then, after dabbing her skin with a sponge towel. very soft, a fall from the basic fluid of Oil of Olaz – whose perfume has always had a “soft” effect on me. Even today, I just need to “sniff” her while giving her a kiss to return to the sweetness of childhood. Well… If this simple and cheap thing works perfectly for my Mams – as for my grandmother – it is clearly ineffective on me. A story of anti-wrinkle genes that I didn’t inherit… The fact remains that the icy “splash” when I get out of bed has become unavoidable for me: if it doesn’t tighten my features, it puts my thoughts back in place. It’s already that! [SG]

Red from lips to cheeks

I have always had a precise image of my mother. A little red-haired woman and very flirtatious. Starting with her always well-maintained hair and a perfect blow-dry (she happens to be a hairdresser). Her nails were beautifully filed almond-shaped and carmine colored. As for her makeup, it was discreet. Let’s just say she didn’t spend a lot of time there. Indeed, often late for work, she managed to go to the simplest and most efficient way. What marked me in my childhood? Its 2 in 1 use of lipstick. Just before taking me to school and running to the living room, she took one last look at the hall mirror, took her stick out of her purse and applied it to my mouth before removing it. take a little with the index finger and tap it on his cheeks. The gesture had such an impact on me that I like to reproduce it today, even if my drawers are filled with a myriad of blushes. My grandmother’s version? Pinch your cheekbones. I tried but I admit I didn’t really like it. [VSM]

Less is more

As a child, I was fascinated by my mother’s elegance. I loved watching her get ready before going out, seeing her put on her makeup, then finishing her beauty look with a cloud of perfume. It was also the moment when I was treated to a spritz of Must de Cartier in the neck. But the best part was when she allowed me to use her lipstick. An exception that she commented on from her usual sermon: “It’s just this once, eh. You’re 13, if you start wearing makeup now, your skin will get tired before its time. Above all, think about nourishing your skin… and your brain too.” Moisturizing my body and face non-stop is one of the best beauty tips my mother gave me and I am truly grateful to her. Result? Throughout my thirties, I could not go out without an identity card: proving that I was over 18 had become my daily exercise. [SC]

Poupina milk and nothing else

My mother combined her work as a full-time primary school teacher, managing three meals a day and her life as a mother and wife. She had short hair, large square glasses, dressed rather strictly (she discovered jeans at 40), and wore no makeup. I don’t remember any cosmetics lying around in the bathroom. She recommended a single action: Poupina milk morning and evening. A multi-use treatment, she said (obviously since she didn’t need to remove makeup). My mother passed on to me the need to have a job, independence and an opinion on the world rather than skin care. As a result, I bought my first lipstick with my first small salary, at 14 years old. I sold nails and drills at the L’Innovation store and with the money, I bought myself a Stendhal. I still remember its texture, its color, the wonder I felt when I came out with it, the feeling of being a movie star. Today, I’m the one who buys my mother creams. She loves it, thanks me, but she continues to talk to me about Poupina. [GS]