Expression is everything for Keeley Hawes, whether she’s playing up her natural beauty in leading lady roles or stripping away the glamour for gritty dramas. Being able to convey emotions is the crux of her job, and it was something Keeley considered very carefully when she recently decided to have her first-ever aesthetic treatment at the age of 50.
‘I turned 50 in February, and I think there's something about those sorts of milestones,’ the Assassin actress says, explaining why she's placed a first tentative toe onto the tweakments tightrope.
‘You get to 50 and you start noticing things about your skin which are just inevitable. It's just a part of the brilliance of getting older. But that doesn't necessarily mean that you're happy for it to go that way.’
As Keeley weighed up her aesthetics options, she had firm boundaries about which outcomes she was, and wasn’t, comfortable with. Freezing or flattening her expressions was red line number one. ‘What I didn't want was to change the way I look,’ she says. Similarly, anything that risked an over-filled look was off the cards for her. ‘What I didn't want was to change the shape of my face. I didn't want [that] because of my job. It's not appropriate for me to do that.’
On the other hand, Keeley wanted something that would make a real, visible difference to what she was seeing in the mirror. At 50, ‘Moisturiser and green juice doesn't cut it any more,’ she says, candidly. ‘It's not real life, certainly for somebody of my age and somebody who wants to keep the quality of the skin that I have at the moment.’
Keeley chose to embark on her first aesthetics journey with a double whammy of treatments, taking the multi-treatment approach which is becoming increasingly popular in aesthetics, according to the new Layered Beauty report from Allergan.
Keeping skin quality as her main goal, she opted for jabs of ‘injectable moisturiser’ Skinvive (also loved by Cat Deeley), combined with injections of HArmonyCa, which is designed to subtly address lost volume and stimulate collagen from within. (As Keeley has put it, 'I don’t like needles but you can lose a phobia when you think you’ll leave looking a bit younger!')
Doing both treatments at once allowed her to maximise her clinic time and minimise her downtime. ‘I didn't wait for six months or a year to stretch out my dream, as I had them both at the same time,’ says Keeley, who had her treatments with injectables expert Dr Apul Parikh. ‘Which actually was great because you get the downtime done and dusted in one go. That was literally a couple of hours of a little bit of redness in my case. And I've just been absolutely delighted with the results.’
Keeley sees her aesthetic treatments as something that have actively helped her be at her very best on camera, and certainly not anything that could throw up challenges for glam squads or – heaven forbid – continuity.
‘It's important to me to look good, for my skin to look good and for makeup to look good on my skin,’ she says. ‘It's given me better building blocks, so that moisturiser sits better on my skin. I’m also often flying for work, so having had Skinvive has been brilliant for those early flights and long days, because my skin still feels fresh and hydrated without needing layers of skincare or face masks.’
Makeup artists have appreciated the difference too, she says. ‘I love working with makeup artists – it’s a big part of my job. And makeup is now sitting better on my skin. So it's been a real win/win.’
As she sees it, she now looks like her best self, not a different woman entirely. ‘I don't have any extra volume, I don't have a frozen look,’ she says. ‘It's really just giving me back [skin quality] and held on to what was there.’
Most importantly, she feels her best self, too. Ask if she feels empowered in her own skin, and there’s no hesitation. ‘I absolutely do,' says Keeley, who is a mum of three and married to fellow actor Matthew Macfadyen. ‘I have a bit more time now to dedicate to looking after myself now that my kids are grown up. It's nice. I don't think I've ever felt so happy in life.’
Keeley on… how her beauty regime has changed at 50
'In makeup, I think the trick as you get older is lightness — lighter textures, lighter application, and letting your skin show through. I think having these skin treatments has made me appreciate the “less is more” approach even more. When your skin feels healthy and well looked after, you don’t feel the need to cover it up as much.
'I’m probably gentler with my skin now than I used to be. Years ago, there was a tendency to overdo everything - too many products, too much exfoliation, too much makeup. Now I’m much more focused on maintaining skin health and keeping things balanced.’
Keeley on… her skincare for screen vs real life
‘I absolutely approach skincare differently. For work, especially with long filming days and heavy makeup, skincare becomes much more about protection and recovery. Hydration is key, and I’m very disciplined about cleansing properly and keeping my skin calm.
'In everyday life, I’m actually quite low-maintenance, although I love products and looking after my skin. Consistency is really important. Along with good sleep, water and SPF!’
Keeley on... her signature scent
'Fragrance-wise, I’ve always loved scents that feel clean and understated rather than overpowering. Although I can’t actually smell my perfume (Rose 31 Le LABO) any more because I’ve been wearing it for so many years!'
Le Labo Rose 31 Eau de Parfum
Keeley on... the best beauty tricks she’s learnt over the years
‘Honestly, the best beauty advice is terribly boring: sleep, hydration and SPF. They really do matter. I’ve also learned that expensive doesn’t always mean better. Consistency matters more than having 20 products. I love anything that gives skin hydration and glow without looking heavy. For hair, less heat and more nourishment has been a game-changer.'
Keeley Hawes is Allergan Aesthetics’ Layered Beauty campaign partner
