7 Secrets of wellbeing – Ariane Poole
Ariane Poole is what we’d call a ‘grown-up’. The make-up looks she creates are always beautiful, but never gimmicky – or the kind that make women like us (i.e. ‘of a certain age’) think: ‘That’s just not going to work for us…’ She’s been doing red carpet and catwalk/editorial work for years, and has her own highly successful signature make-up line (can’t recommend too highly that you check it out here) – but it’s when we see her at work on ‘real’ women who’ve maybe lost their way with make-up that we fall for Ariane all over again.
Ariane’s radiance and warmth, however, is more than skin-deep. And when we caught up with her recently, we realised she’d be the perfect candidate to share her own secrets of wellbeing with you. Real women. (Just like us.)
I never stop learning and am always inquisitive. I love learning! I’m constantly reading books, researching ingredients, finding new techniques and learning new business skills. I find discovering and understanding something new really exciting and invigorating.
I’ve started to love exercise and yoga. I started yoga at 50 after realising I couldn’t touch my toes. After my first session I sat in my car and cried as I couldn’t even do the downward dog, but I picked myself up and decided to go back, and now I can even do a headstand! It’s proof that you’re never too old to start doing something new. I feel as we get older it is more important than ever to work on and improve our core strength. I’m now starting Pilates in conjunction with yoga, and I feel great for it.
Everyone should embrace ageing – I do. I’ve always looked at ageing as a positive thing, I’ve always been excited to age and get that little bit older. For me age is just a number and an attitude. On my 60th birthday I jumped out of a plane as it’s always been something I’ve wanted to do, I don’t think you should ever stop yourself from doing anything just because of your age. I believe we should all embrace positive ageing, if you think about getting older as a good thing then it becomes exciting rather than something negative to worry about.
I meditate every day. I started meditating back in the 90s, so I’ve been practising for quite some years now. It helps me through everything, if I’m ever feeling stressed or overwhelmed it always gets me back on track. I start every morning with meditation and then try to fit it in throughout the day, whether I’m out walking or just in my garden I find that a few minutes of mediation really helps! I’m a big fan of the Calm app, I think I was even one of their first subscribers when they launched. I’ve found meditation apps have really helped me to get into meditation and make it part of my everyday routine.
I’m a great believer in reinventing yourself. I don’t mean this drastically! But changing up your look or trying something new whether it’s your clothes, makeup, skincare or diet can be invigorating. I think as we age it can be easy to get stuck in the same routines, so I like to try out and embrace something new – I went from being a blonde to a redhead and love it! However, this doesn’t mean you have to change the things you love, my Concealer Palette (£23/arianepoole.com) is my desert island product and I couldn’t be without it! It always makes me feel that bit more confident, so I always stick with it. But I always say if you’re not happy with something then change it. Our skin, lifestyle and preferences change over time, so I find reinventing myself keeps me feeling fresh.”
I believe it’s important to be resilient and adaptable. I remember my dad saying ever since I was about six, I have always been resourceful and resilient! Whenever I’m faced with a challenge, I always look for the positives which I think has really helped me throughout my career. The beauty industry is constantly evolving so for me adapting and embracing change is key. When faced with a challenge it can be easy to expect the worse, but sometimes change is the best thing for us. I would say when you experience a curve ball in life, nine out of 10 times it’s for the best and is a blessing in disguise. Challenges help us grow and look at situations in a different way, so embrace them!
I adore the power of fragrance and scent. I love candles and have them everywhere! I keep them in pretty much every room in my house and each one of them serves a different purpose. In my bedroom I like to have a calming & soothing scent, in the hallway a welcoming and warm scent, while in my office I like to have my candles that help me focus. I call these my VAT candles as they help me to concentrate on tasks like going through my accounts! I find candles great for setting a certain mood or feel of a room and they really help me to un-wind and focus.