Beauty Clinic: Help with a pore-smoothing primer

Q. I’m in my forties and have found that, as well as a few lines and wrinkles, I have some open pores. I appear on stage and wonder if there’s a budget product that will help camouflage all this? A. Well, a few lines, wrinkles and open pores are pretty good going, we’d say. As oestrogen levels diminish in the lead up to menopause (average age 51), so skin gets drier and more prone to these little problems.

Nurture Replenish is a budget skin- and haircare range that is specifically targeted to your age group, i.e. pre- and post-menopause. We have just had a rave review from one woman with open pores about Nurture Replenish Instant Skin Perfector, which is priced at £13.95 for 30 ml tube.

She says: ‘I’m so keen on this product; it fills the cracks, pores and generally smooths out skin, with a touch of colour correcting as well. My previous attempt with this kind of product was with a more expensive dedicated pore-filler. It had a similar texture but rubbed up badly in hot weather or when I touched it, coming off in little wormy bits. Not the desired effect! But this one is genius.’

You can use this on its own to blur lines, wrinkles and open pores or as a primer before foundation. Although the main ingredients are synthetic chemicals, it does contain some botanicals including red clover and soya extracts. But basically, it’s not a product for those wanting natural cosmetics. As well as our tester, the reviews online are mostly very keen so we think it would be a good product for you to try. It is quite economical to use.

Incidentally, the brand is campaigning to get more women to talk about the menopause. A recent survey by Nurture Replenish of 1000 women over 45 found that 85 per cent feel the menopause remains a taboo in today’s society. You can join the campaign at #ChallengeTheTaboo.