Face-off

Brigitte Macron and Queen Camilla are a study in contrasts -- in their approach to cosmetic work

The two women presented a study in contrast as they posed next to each other. The occasion was the state visit of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to Britain. And the two ladies in question were the French First Lady, Brigitte Macron, and Camilla, the Queen of the United Kingdom. 

 

On the one hand, you had Brigitte, whose unnaturally taut face carried signs of every cosmetic procedure she had ever had. Her cheeks looked hamster-like because of filler, her forehead was immobile because of Botox, and her smile looked more like a grimace on a face that had been stretched tight as a drum. On the other hand, you had Camilla, whose every year was visible on her finely-wrinkled face, with laugh lines, frown lines, wattled neck, et al. It was clear that the only cosmetic procedure the Queen of England had ever signed up for was the beeswax facials that she relies on to keep her skin glowing.

 

But glowing she certainly was: her complexion all peaches and cream, with wrinkles that were completely age-appropriate for a woman in her late seventies. Her hair was an ash blonde so that the greys merged in and was cut in a wispy style that worked well for her angular face. And that’s before we even get to Camilla’s beautifully tailored dresses – that hit just below the knee and were cinched at the waist to draw discreet attention to her figure – that were perfectly judged for the occasion. 

 

On the contrary, Brigitte looked like a caricature of herself, all nipped and tucked, with a preposterous bouffant hairstyle (that looked suspiciously like a wig). Her outfit did her no favours either, with the skirt ending well above the knee, and the jacket cut so tight that she could barely move her arms. The silhouette may well have worked on the runway, but it looked completely inappropriate in the shadow of Windsor Castle. 

 

Looking at the two women pictured together, it was all too easy to tell which one of them was happy with the process of ageing and which one was fighting it all the way. 

 

And while I have no intention of sitting in judgement on women who want to keep the predations of age at bay with every weapon at their command, I can’t help but feel that when it comes to tweakments, after a certain point the law of diminishing returns sets in. So, when you are in your forties and fifties, a little (and very little, mind you) bit of Botox and filler goes a long way. But by the time you hit your sixties and seventies, no amount of cosmetic treatment can mask the inevitable depredations that Nature subjects all of us to as we get older.

 

Once you cross the 65-year-old mark, every tweakment instead of making you look younger, only makes you look just a little bit weird. And by the time you reach your seventies, you end up looking like a cautionary tale, just like Madame Macron did on this occasion.

 

Given a choice, I know which woman I would rather look like if I am lucky enough to get to my seventies. Yes, you’re right, it’s Camilla all the way, the Queen of ageing with grace and dignity.