When money is tight, as it is said to be at the moment, it’s not a great idea to slavishly follow the trends, whatever your age. Much better, (I hate to say sensible or prudent) to find your own style and wear your authenticity on your sleeve. This has always been my mantra, even though I love fashion as much as anyone. But in these leaner times, it makes good sense to find some unique pieces that won’t date because they are a. well tailored and b. suited to every aspect of you and c seasonless and made to last. As you know from my previous blogs, I am a fan of La Westwood and she fits into this category very nicely. I also love the funky and youthful All Saints, but they tend towards colour palettes of neutral greys and black in smaller sizings. Great if you’re cool complexion (like me) but hideous if you’re not. Slightly more upmarket are Goat (020 7487 3401) and Ann Demeulemeester ( from Selfridges nationwide) and if you still yearn to look young and hip, try Sykes which is being launched at www.matches.com  Petite? If you want a LBD try Didier Ludot at Liberty’s - amazing.  

In a recession, consumer spending goes 2 ways. Either you opt for the cheap route (Primark and Aldi) or you go the other way completely. You won’t be surprised to hear, therefore, that stocks of a Balmain dress flew off the online rails at net-a-porter recently. Price? A mere £8,000!

This month’s Vogue has an article celebrating those of us with freckles. I had quite a few on my face when I was a child and I have to say, they never really bothered me and I certainly didn’t get any stick from the other kids in my class at school. It’s not always the case for most freckle face kids though. Even Julianne Moore, the actress, suffered as a child and apparently, Sarah Ferguson was only deemed attractive when a photograph was published which had been airbrushed, leaving her with a clear complexion. What a shame. I think freckles are really attractive and I’ve always felt that those that sported freckles always seemed to have a fun and sunny personality. At least those that I knew did. Freckles also hide a multitude of sins, so most of their owners have faces that are wrinkle and spot free, both now and as adolescents. So well done Vogue - here’s to more of this type of celebrationary article in mainstream publications.      

Getting enough sleep is a beauty aid that costs nothing and has a tremendous positive effect on how we look and feel. Most of us take our sleep for granted but what happens when just can’t get the quality of sleep we need on a regular basis? Well, this is what has been happening to me and I can tell you, it’s exhausting, depressing and a complete drain on your resources. Never mind about being 50, you can look (and feel) nearer to 90. To start with I thought it was probably hormonal (read menopausal) but I now believe it is more to do with adrenal burnout. I’ve always been a Type A personality so sitting and doing nothing, taking it easy etc has not been part of my lifestyle. I even chat through pampering (supposedly relaxing) massages! This has now taken its toll and I need to start nurturing myself properly. Not that I thought I was abusing myself before, but this is caring on a very different level. The upshot is that I need to give up some of my former ’treats’. One of my pleasures in life is good coffee and another is a glass of wine (or two) after work. I have noticed that indulgence in either of these two ‘poisons’ leaves me wide awake at 1.30 and unable to get back to sleep. It’s not unheard of for me to be sending emails at 3am because my head is buzzing and I’m fed up with tossing and turning to no avail. I’m also having to eat regular meals - unheard of me - and I’m finding that quite hard to do. Luckily, I’ve never liked junk food and have always eaten good, quality, natural food and love my fruit and veg. My water intake has been increased and I now consume 3 pints a day, the first on awakening. People have noticed that my skin is plumper and fresher, so a plus factor aIready emerging. In this country we really don’t have adequate information about the importance of healthy, functioning adrenal glands. They are incredibly important. Your adrenals are responsible for producing the fight or flight hormone, which responds when you find yourself in a fearful situation. Well, there are no sabre tooth tigers to run away from now, but our everyday stresses unwittingly promote the same reaction. Unfortunately, our adrenals can’t distinguish a real danger from a perceived threat so we can get the same reaction from an overdue credit card statement landing on the doorstep to that of a stranger with a knife at your throat. We need to be able to relax and calm ourselves, by getting off the treadmill before it’s too late and we become really ill. I’ll keep you informed of my progress. If any of you have any hints or tips, please drop me a line. Good books to read if you also are going through sleep deprivation are Dr Marilyn Glenville’s ‘Fat Around The Middle’ (yes, another symptom of adrenal malfunction) and ‘Tired of Being Tired’ by Dr Jesse Lynn Hanley.     

So 28 is the age we women start to worry about our looks. How depressing is that?  I must be honest and say that I probably started worrying about mine way before I was 28. I always was a precocious child! Even more worrying is that Dame Helen has said, despite the recent unforgettable photo of her in a bikini, that she also is paranoid about the way she looks. Do we ever get a rest from this angst or is it really here to haunt us for the rest of our lives? I know I am happier about the way I look now than ever before. Of course, I still have moments of doubt, don’t we all, but on the whole I’m pretty pleased with what I see in the mirror. Am I perfect - good heavens no - but I am growing more comfortable in my skin, with my unique style and my authenticity. That’s not a bad place to be. How about you?

Love her or hate her, you can’t deny she has changed the way 50 might look. Happy Birthday Madonna. Here’s hoping all your future wishes come true.

I was contacted recently about helping out on a new BBC programme, with Twiggy as the main presenter. It was centred around female volunteers who would be willing to ’swap’ their clothes with the other women on the programme. Not only would they be ethical in their recycling but a number of stylists would be on hand to help them choose wisely so that they could look good too. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make any of the dates but some of my clients were chosen as the clothes swap volunteers. I’m looking forward to hearing how they got on, and seeing them on TV of course. I think this is a great idea. If you have friends with too many mistakes hanging in their closets, why don’t you organise something similar?    

Fantastic to see the old ‘Super Models’ back in vogue (and not just the magazine) again.  Naomi Campbell is the new face of YSL, Linda Evangeslista -  Prada, a black haired Claudia Schiffer - Chanel and Christy Turlington -  Escada. If older models are able to command huge salaries and acclaim in the most fickle of industries, where even a 16 year old is ‘past it’, then it bodes well for the rest of us. Perhaps the world hasn’t gone mad after all. 

Well, the Material Girl’s birthday is next week and surprise, surprise the papers are having a go already - ’she looks like a man’, she’s tired/ill’ and ‘has horrible hands and knees’ are just some of the headlines. If she can’t look good with all her wealth, what chance do the rest of us have - being the main inference of the narrative? Phew - makes me glad I’m not famous. What is it that makes us all targets at 50? Do men have the same problem? I don’t think so. When they go grey and get a few wrinkles, it’s ’sophisticated’. Many actresses/celeb’s lie and take a few years off their actual age but I’ve often thought about adding a few on to mine. How young I would look if people thought I was 60 not 50! Something to think about anyway.   

We have always known that the most beautiful people have a symmetrical face - think Elixabeth Taylor and Liz Hurley. Now it seems that 21st century perfection comes in the shape of a heart. Take out your pencil and let’s do a small test. Draw a pencil line starting half an inch above your eyebrow and then move the pencil round your face to the tip of your chin. Do this on the opposite side and join the two together. It should form a perfect heart shape. If it doesn’t, fear not, because injectible facelifts (a 30 minute procedure) are now available. Useful if you don’t like the idea of going under the knife, especially as there is no bruising, scarring or stitches to contend with. They last about 12-18 months and cost from £800 upwards.