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4 days ago | 
hellomagazine.com | Donna Francis
I don't like being anti-anything in midlife. I think staying open-minded and positive is one of the best ways to keep your spirit and mind feeling young. But when White Lotus actress Aimee Lou Wood, 31, recently described herself as "very anti-Botox,", I couldn't help but relate. Not because I'm on a soapbox about what anyone should or shouldn't do to their face, but because I believe that we desperately need to see more women like Aimee aging in real time, with faces that actually move.
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2 weeks ago | 
hellomagazine.com | Donna Francis
Everyone knows how exhausting those first few months of motherhood can be. Now imagine adding crippling anxiety and (even more) disrupted sleep to those emotional and physically draining first few years? This was the challenge facing Colette Courtion, the CEO of intimate wellness brand Joylux, who fell pregnant in her 40s while experiencing symptoms of menopause.
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2 weeks ago | 
hellomagazine.com | Donna Francis
If there's one thing I love when food shopping, it's browsing the beauty-slash-medicine aisle and picking up supermarket skincare bargains. It almost feels like I'm breaking a shopping rule when I get distracted by a budget-friendly serum or a scented body wash. My brain cells enjoy the pampering in what can often be a stressful setting. And it's a welcome break from ticking off items on the ongoing 'what's for dinner?' list.
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3 weeks ago | 
hellomagazine.com | Donna Francis
As a Beauty Editor, my email inbox is always filled with reports about the latest must-try beauty treatments and trends. Microbladed brows, baby Botox, preventative fillers, Invisalign. But I've never really been one for trends like these as they often erase what makes us look individual. Beauty to me isn't about fitting into a mold, it's about celebrating the quirks, the asymmetries, the features that make us unique.
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4 weeks ago | 
thesun.co.uk | Donna Francis
STARING at my reflection in the mirror, I can’t help but break into a satisfied smile. Gone are the puffy cheeks, the tired, dull skin and wrinkles deepened by dehydration. Instead, my face is clear, dewy and glowing with health. But it’s not because of some fancy, ultra-expensive new serum I’ve been using. And I certainly haven’t paid a visit to the Botox clinic. It’s all because, eight months ago, I quit booze – and I haven’t touched a drop since. How times have changed.
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1 month ago | 
hellomagazine.com | Donna Francis
There's a new beauty panic in town, and this time, it's targeting something that I use every day. In fact, it's by my side wherever go - my beloved water bottle. According to recent magazine and social media headlines, the very act of sipping from your trendy tumbler might be the culprit behind the fine lines forming around your lips. That's right, staying hydrated is now a wrinkle risk. We've been through this before! Don't sleep on your front or your side, it will give you wrinkles.
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1 month ago | 
hellomagazine.com | Donna Francis
When Mikey Madison, 25, won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Anora at Sunday's 97th Academy Awards, everyone looked for Demi Moore's reaction, who was the favourite to win. TikTok lip readers believe that Demi muttered "nice," through gritted teeth in response to her loss. Understandably, Demi's reaction may have been tinged with disappointment - who wouldn't want to win an Oscar?
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1 month ago | 
hellomagazine.com | Donna Francis
What's not to love about the brilliant Emmy award-winning journalist, and author of How To Menopause, Tamsen Fadal? Since getting real about her own menopause experience on her Instagram, Tamsen has built a community of millions of women from all over the world who rely on her warm 'big sister' advice to help them navigate what can be a confusing, lonely and overwhelming time.
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1 month ago | 
thesun.co.uk | Donna Francis
AS a beauty editor who has worked in the industry for more than 25 years, I know all the tricks to turn back the ageing clock. Yet here I am, at 48, embracing every line and wrinkle. It is an unconventional choice. Especially in a world where smooth, expressionless faces are seen as the ultimate badge of beauty. Not least in America where I now live. The States is the land of frozen faces and plastic-looking pores. And the pressure to conform is undeniable.
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1 month ago | 
hellomagazine.com | Donna Francis
When Estée Lauder recently announced Paulina Porizkova, 59, as its global ambassador, I high-fived my 48-year-old, slightly wrinkled, slightly sagging complexion in the mirror. Finally! I felt seen. I also felt relieved. 'Aging out loud' is a term that perfectly sums up the much-needed new movement in beauty that women such as Paulina are spearheading. One that is about embracing real skin, laughter lines and lived-in beauty. Lauder's campaign #beacauseofmyage says it all. It's raw and it's powerful.
