Who says you can't be sexy at 70? Britain's glammest gran Tricia Cusden who wages war on ageism in fashion shares her beauty tips

  •  One of her top suggestions is for the older woman to wear red lipstick 
  • And to accept your age as ageing is a small price to pay for a life lived to the full 
  • A don't would be to not have cosmetic surgery and instead rely on good make-up

Tricia Cusden looks immaculate. Her naturally grey hair has an artfully highlighted streak at the front

Tricia Cusden looks immaculate. Her naturally grey hair has an artfully highlighted streak at the front

Tricia Cusden looks immaculate. Her naturally grey hair has an artfully highlighted streak at the front; her make-up is subtle with a flash of bright, pink-toned lipstick.

She wears an unapologetic shade of purple and an expression framed by a well-defined arched eyebrow. The overall effect is rather fabulous. And, as Tricia would say, why not? For now, at the venerable age of 70, she has an almighty crusade on her hands – fighting back at the ‘casually ageist’ assumptions of the beauty and fashion industries.

Following a hugely successful career running a management training consultancy, five years ago Tricia had an ‘existential crisis’ prompted by the birth of her granddaughter India, who was diagnosed with a serious chromosomal abnormality. It led her to appraise her remaining years and to launch a pioneering cosmetics range for older women – Look Fabulous Forever.

Tricia’s no-nonsense video tutorials, or vlogs, have had more than 4.4 million views since the range’s 2013 launch while make-up sales rocketed to over £2 million last year. This month will see the publication of her book, Living The Life More Fabulous, which encourages women to discard the outdated models of ageing and embrace the ‘third act’ of life as a renaissance. It’s feisty, forthright and aims a firm body blow to the youth-centred beauty industry.

‘Something happens to women at a certain point – I blame the menopause,’ Tricia complains. ‘Women despair at 50 because they’re often considered less relevant, less attractive and certainly less employable. What nonsense this is! So starts the desperate cycle of chasing a youthful appearance for fear of this terrible invisibility.

Five years ago Tricia had an ‘existential crisis’ prompted by the birth of her granddaughter India, who was diagnosed with a serious chromosomal abnormality
Beach Belle: Aged 16 in 1964

Beach Belle: Aged 16 in 1964. Five years ago Tricia had an ‘existential crisis’ prompted by the birth of her granddaughter India, who was diagnosed with a serious chromosomal abnormality

‘I understand why there are women who get stuck doing this. But I’m deeply offended by the way that the beauty industry only seems to be interested in selling me something with an anti-ageing label attached. I hate the casually ageist assumption that I must want to do everything in my power to turn back the clock. I’m quite happy being the age I am.’

Tricia is speaking from the company’s offices in Wimbledon, South West London. ‘I shop in Zara,’ she says. ‘Have you seen M&S’s Classics range? They’ve lost the plot, it’s diabolical. It’s for little old ladies with sausage curls. We’re told less is more with make-up, too, lest we look like pantomime dames clinging to the vestiges of our youth.’

Tricia's top five do's for older women

1 WEAR RED LIPSTICK

I adore red lips on older women. There is something about the combination of silvery white hair and red lips that is alluring in the best possible way, and it helps them look full and luscious.

I keep being told older women shouldn’t wear red lipstick. Nonsense – go for it.

2 ACCEPT YOUR AGE

Crow’s feet, sagging jowls and droopy eyelids are not only normal but perfectly OK – although no one in society will tell you this. Our lines and wrinkles and all other signs of ageing are a small price to pay for a life lived to the full.

3 ALWAYS DRESS TO IMPRESS

High necklines can accentuate jowls, so try a boat-neck top, which can look prettier than a round neck. Bust darts may not fit in the right place if the bosom is now low-slung, so try a well-fitting bra and tighten the straps. Most shoulders can be improved with subtle shoulder pads – not the 1980s monstrosities, but smaller versions which can correct poor posture. Accentuate your best bits (mine are all above the waist).

4 GO GREY GRACEFULLY

I love the French expression éminence grise, or ‘grey eminence’. It means a person who exercises influence without holding an official position – a bit like a lot of women! Grey hair actually makes us look more youthful because pigment loss happens equally to skin as to hair. If you recreate a solid mass of dark hair atop a paler face in which the main features have also faded, you run the risk of looking older because the effect is too harsh.

5 TAKE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED 

Being braver, and less cautious, is key to living the life more fabulous. Move location, embrace a new relationship, learn a new skill or backpack to the Great Wall of China. Retirement is no longer ‘God’s waiting room’ – it’s a renaissance. Will you take the road less travelled or settle for the safety and security of sticking with the same old, same old?

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Tricia’s new make-up range is one of the first to be formulated specifically for older skin. ‘I wanted to promise eternal fabulousness, not eternal youth, so I bit the bullet hard and called our customers “older women”. I also decided to turn the anti-ageing rhetoric on its head and call our make-up “pro-age”. One man told me, patronisingly, that “only the young” were interested in make-up and that if it was a good idea the beauty industry would have done it. I thought, “I’ll show you!’’ ’

Tricia initially trained to become a primary school teacher and married Stewart Cusden, who worked in the oil industry. But later, after having daughters Anna and Suzy, Tricia studied for a second degree and got a job in management consultancy training, which led her to set up her own business. It was her mother’s death from metastatic liver cancer in 1989 that prompted a re-evaluation of her life and marriage. ‘It had a galvanising effect on me. I remember thinking, “I may only have 25 years left if I die at 67. I mustn’t waste a moment of that time.” ’

Tricia divorced Stewart and her business flourished. Then, her fourth grandchild India was born in January 2012. She was diagnosed with partial Edwards’ syndrome, a debilitating genetic abnormality which doctors said meant she may never walk, talk or recognise others. She had open-heart surgery at five weeks old. Yet India confounded expectations and now attends a Surrey school for children with disabilities.

Recalling India’s fight for life, Tricia says: ‘Nothing could have been better designed to remind me how our lives hang by the thread of a single heartbeat.’

So began a new challenge. Tricia argues baby-boomers have no role model for ageing well because previous generations died in their 60s, and says changing that involves increasing the presence of older women in the media. ‘Our generation is not seen as interesting or necessary. Even in an area where they might want to appeal they get it wrong. When I saw Helen Mirren looking sexy for a beauty campaign, it implied it was to attract a younger guy. But that’s ludicrous – on what planet do 70-year-old women wake up and say they want to look attractive to considerably younger guys?

Tricia's top five don'ts for older women 

1 HAVE COSMETIC SURGERY

Facelifts and Botox may make your face look more weird than youthful. Good make-up, a smart haircut and fashionable clothes can transform.

2 FRET OVER FASHION

Become less concerned about the latest fashion and more focused on creating a look that reflects your personality, lifestyle, self-image, size and shape.

3 BE A GRUMPY OLD WOMAN

Some older people feel entitled to moan about everything. It’s very wearing. Being older does not automatically confer rights over and above the ones we would give to anyone, regard-less of age. If you are on a high horse, I suggest you may need to climb down from it.

4 BE A COUCH POTATO

After nearly 70 years of minimal physical exertion, I realised I either had to exercise or slide into ever-decreasing immobility. This is the only body you’ll ever have – so nurture it for a healthy old age.

5 HAVE ANY REGRETS

Imagine you’re on your deathbed – what would you regret most? It may seem strange to talk of ambitions, aims and goals but that is exactly what we may need if we are to stay vital, purposeful and engaged. Ultimately, it could prolong our lives.

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Despite the battle, Tricia says she is having ‘the best fun of my life’

Despite the battle, Tricia says she is having ‘the best fun of my life’

‘Older women on TV are slightly dotty, like June Whitfield in Absolutely Fabulous.’

Ageism should be called out wherever it arises, she says. Tricia supported former Countryfile presenter Miriam O’Reilly, who won an age discrimination claim against the BBC after being dropped from the programme. Her ire is also clear in blog posts about the prevalence of ‘older, grizzled men’.

‘I really resent the fact that amazing, talented older women like Anna Ford either disappear from our screens or are only allowed slots on the radio,’ she says. ‘Meanwhile, John Humphrys and David Dimbleby, who are both well into their 70s and very craggy, are still regularly fronting primetime shows.’

Despite the battle, Tricia says she is having ‘the best fun of my life’. ‘I have come to realise that ageing is not a terrifying monster to which we need to passively submit.

‘My life is full of purpose, and now I know how I am going to “get through” the next 30 years.

‘On Christmas Day 2037 I will be 90 and it will coincide with my daughter Suzy’s 60th and my grandson Patrick’s 30th birthdays. I want everyone to be saying. “Patrick’s granny Trish is 90, you know – isn’t she fabulous?” ’ 

Living The Life More Fabulous: Beauty, Style And Empowerment For Older Women, by Tricia Cusden, is published by Orion Spring on February 8, priced £20. Offer price £16 (20 per cent discount with free p&p) until January 28. Pre-order at mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640.

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