'I spend £400 a month fooling people into thinking I'm in my 30s – here's my real age'

Daily Record

9 hours ago

Fashion influencer Nerys Middleton shares her tips on how to look and feel younger, while embracing the compliments that come with it
A fashion influencer in her 50s has said she receives compliments from people claiming she looks like she's in her early 30s – and she's even shared the secret to looking young. Nerys Middleton, 52, said that the key to her looking and feeling young was by maintaining her long locks and staying engaged with contemporary culture.
"People tell me they think I'm in my 30s because of the way I am," she said. "I hang around with people in their 30s, so they talk about what 30‐year‐olds talk about, like Love Island. I say to my older friends, 'Have you watched Love Island?' and they're like, 'God no, I wouldn't watch that'. It's just little things like that."
‌
Nerys, from North Wales, challenged the notion that women over a certain age should cut their hair short, citing examples like Cindy Crawford who still sport long hair.
‌
She said: "People also tell me I'm too old to have long hair, but when you look at people like Cindy Crawford, they all still have long hair, haven't they? As long as it's healthy and you look after it, there's no reason it can't be longer over 50. Cutting it short is an old‐fashioned thing my mum did."
Nerys spends roughly £400 a month on health and beauty regimes, insisting this was essential for her wellbeing and self-assurance. She also prioritises her skin care routine, using products such as retinol and vitamin C, and indulges in CO2 laser facials and hydrofacials every few months, reports Bristol Live.
She has been meticulous about her appearance from a young age, credits her youthful looks to not just her diligent skincare routine of Botox injections since she was 29 and wearing SPF 50 daily but to her youthful state of mind as well.
She explained: "Mostly it's my mindset. I think if you think old, you become old. If you start thinking, 'Oh God, my back's aching, my legs are aching,' you start dressing old, you start acting old.
"I think it helps if you have younger friends. Most of my friends I met through work are younger than me and we get on because I have a young mindset. My older friends are all married and settled – a bit fuddy-duddy.
‌
"I spend a lot of time with young friends. We go on holidays, we go clubbing in Budapest. I wouldn't go away with people my own age; they don't like going out and partying. I think it's not just about looks, it's how you act. Because I've got younger friends, we talk about younger things and I spend a lot of time with them. My older friends talk about what they're crocheting."
In addition to her social life, Nerys remains conscientious about avoiding sun exposure, alcohol and processed foods to maintain her vibrant appearance and energy. Style-wise, she shies away from trends like florals or ripped jeans which she feels portray that one is "trying too hard".
"It stems down to clothes and things like that," she elaborated. "Try and keep make-up to a minimum and see what trends are out there; see what other women are wearing. But don't follow like a sheep – try and think of trends yourself.
"I stay away from anything floral unless you have a really young face. Stay away from ripped jeans and ethnic shorts because they make you look like you're trying too hard. It's the balance in between. You can either look frumpy or look trashy."
She concluded: "I'm trying to tell people about this balance that's in the middle that can make you look classy, sophisticated and young. It annoys me when people say, 'You don't look 52' and I think, 'No, I shouldn't – I work hard to look the way I do'. You have to."