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A day in the life of a... face: Photo diary charts the changes from stressed school



7am

Meet my morning face. My four-year-old daughter calls it 'foldy' - and it's only going to get worse. Today is Wednesday - and, according to a new study on how our faces change from hour to hour and day to day, by 3.30pm I'll be looking the ropiest I do all week.


A beauty editor friend of mine claims morning faces are less wrinkled than in the afternoon, because lying down means gravity lets up a little overnight. I'm not convinced.


This looks like the face of someone who belongs on a 'Wanted' poster and who clearly needs to go back to bed for an hour or two. And where did the random eyebrow spot come from? Those bags under my eyes are awful, too - and that's after a full night's sleep! Wrinkles, bags and spots - now that's just downright unfair.


All the clean school uniform I carefully laid out last night has mysteriously vanished. My seven-year-old son Jed claims this is the work of the uniform troll. I can feel my wrinkles deepening.






Anna's morning face at 7am (l) and looking rosy and glowing at 10.15am post run (r)


10.15am

Back from dropping the children off at school and my morning run - and the toll is written across my face.

It's not just the agony of fighting through the traffic jams around my West London home. Last year I started competing in half marathons and this year I'm aiming to complete a full one, so regular training is required.

The trouble with running, however, is that while it might stop your bottom heading south, it's not so kind to the face. According to my beauty editor friend people with my particular skin tone (rosy at rest, beetroot - you will observe - after exertion) should avoid strenuous exercise and extremes of temperature, or risk unsightly broken veins. Big bottom or broken veins? What kind of choice is that?

On the upside, the puce cheeks are drowning out the eyebrow spot, and the increased blood flow has at least done something for those early morning under-eye bags. However, the lines around my mouth have deepened.





11.15am

Make-up completed at last - and there's plenty to hide after all that running. This time of year, I tend to return from the school run with bright red cheeks and dripping nose. Running straight afterwards does nothing to help the situation.


Plenty of slap is the only weapon I have - although while the application of foundation has made me look less flustered, it has also, I notice, highlighted the creases above my eyebrows. And can we discuss the appearance of that double chin? Is it possible to put on weight between 7am and 11am?


Another grumble about post-run make-up is that it does have a tendency to move down your face - even several hours after you've stopped actually moving. Surely Procter & Gamble must have men in white coats working on this problem...







Anna wears make-up at 11.15am (l) and feels the beauty nadir is approaching already at 12.30pm (r)


12.30am


Oh dear me. You can tell the 3.30pm beauty nadir is approaching. I look ashen and exhausted and it's not even lunchtime yet. In fairness, I have just completed two loads of washing, sorted a pile of socks and mopped the kitchen floor. I've also done a lightning tour of the local shops where I bought a flea comb for the cat and posted a birthday present to an elderly relative. Managed not to get the two tasks muddled up.


Lunch is a sandwich eaten standing up, while simultaneously sorting the remaining stray socks and trying to find Patti's ballet kit. My lipstick and foundation have long disappeared, while my eyeliner and mascara are fading.


Having spent the morning fighting the urge for strong coffee, I give in and am immediately furious with myself. Everyone knows that caffeine makes you look like the unmasked Tutankhamun. Deep frown lines in my forehead and creases around my mouth appear as if by magic.


A day in the life of a face: Anna completes two loads of washing, sorts a pile of socks and mops the floor


3.30pm

Welcome to the beauty low spot - particularly on Wednesdays. My face still looks oily - spotty, even - from the run but the make-up wore off long ago. Those eye bags have reappeared too. I would definitely agree my face reflects the nadir of my week.


Lunch feels like a long time ago and dinner is still miles away. This is the time of day when the main hard work, with the children's after school clubs, evening meal and bedtime routine are still to be tackled, and the time of day when I could really do with a nap. Instead I opt for chocolate chip cookies. I aim for one, mentally settle for two and end up eating three.


The guilt and sugar rush are definitely showing in my face - I acquire a shine on my forehead and the end of my nose, and my ageing- dimples deepen. I leave the house late for the school pick-up and speed walk to school. I can feel the last of my make-up sliding into oblivion as I begin to sweat.






Anna's beauty low spot at 3.30pm (l) as identified by research for St. Tropez Anti-Ageing, and her hair is rebelling by 7pm post-ballet class (r)


7pm

We're back from Patti's ballet class (late as usual). Although I'm looking less greasy than in the previous picture - my hair now seems to be rebelling and my face is starting to look pallid. My wrinkles around my chin and nose are deepening.


The end of the day, however, is in sight. The children's tea is cleared away and the dishwasher is humming. Children are in bed and I am looking longingly at the half bottle of wine in the fridge, but must resist. I do not need to consult the experts to know that Chablis is neither good for the skin nor a recommended aid to training for a marathon.


Finally I can start thinking about the (rare) night out I have planned - dinner with the girls.


Preparation for this, however, is delayed by both children suddenly coming up with a list of completely random questions including . . . 'Mummy, why isn't twenty called ten-teen?' and 'Mummy, do ballerinas ever put blocks in their gloves and spin around on their hands?'



A day in the life of a face: Anna reads bedtime stories with her children Jed, 7, and Patti, 4



A day in the life of a face: Anna puts on make up to go out for the evening

8pm

Make-up applied and at least I look human again - if still a bit tired. Random questions seem finally to have ceased and I can begin getting ready. I wipe off the bright red lipstick I was planning to wear tonight. Maybe it's wise not to draw too much attention to a 'Wednesday face' - even if it is after 3.30pm.

Without warning Patti suddenly appears at my bedroom door clutching her teddy bear. Unused to seeing me dressed up, she takes a moment to consider the prospect before her. Finally she gives her verdict: 'Mummy your face doesn't look foldy any more –- but your hair's gone all bumpy.'


I take it as a compliment. I take a final look in the mirror - lots of laughter lines have appeared around my mouth and eyes, probably accentuated by my foundation, but my eyeliner and mascara and lipstick has, I think, given my face some warmth.






Looking human again but tires still at 8pm (l) and ready for bed once more at 11pm (r)


11pm

A few glasses of wine and a pizza later, I stumble home feeling shattered. I force myself to take off my make-up and brush my teeth before bed.


Staring at myself in the mirror I look terrible without my make-up. I've got greenish circles around my eyes and a deep line has emerged above my left eye, which I swear wasn't there this morning. My double chin is now very noticeable. The overpowering tiredness I feel can clearly be seen on my face.


Getting into bed I reflect on my day and all the different permutations my face has gone through. I realise that my face has had its own journey as I've gone about my day, and has its own story to tell.

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