Push me, pull me lipstick

Back in the days before we twisted, remember push-up lipsticks?  Guerlain’s Creative Director Olivier Echaudemaison certainly does.  The story goes, he was poking about in the company archives when he dusted off an Art Deco  lippie from 1936 called Rouge Automatique. So far, so nostalgic. But the crafty thing about the fully automatic remake that’s just hit the counters, is you don’t even have to take the cap  off - because there isn’t one.  With the single-thumbed dexterity you’d apply to a cigarette lighter (to light your scented candle, of course….) just slide down the tab. The top folds back and the lippie pops up like a Jack-in-the-Box. This of course had CC in stitches at the press launch. Endless entertainment - you could evolve an entire repertoire of one-hand gestures with this slick little baby. ‘I love the game of makeup, so flirty, so seductive when a woman applies lipstick in public,’ effuses Ollie E. Quite so. But I suspect the main advantage is to facilitate multi-tasking - makes you wonder, in fact, why twist-ups were ever invented. The 25-strong shade palette is pretty fine, too - the fiery lacquer red below is called Nahema after Guerlain’s fulsomely spicy-oriental scent from 1979. Best of all, the sheer, vibrant colours have a non-oily finish that won’t creep into your crinkles.

• Guerlain Rouge Automatique, £24.50, available exclusively at Selfridges from 3^rd April and nationwide from 1^st May.

Welcome to Crafty Crone's Grown-up Beauty Blogspot

Twelve year-olds click off now. This site is uniquely dedicated to all good-looking baby boomers interested in staying that way with a little inspiration from news they can actually use.

As a magazine hackette of some forty years standing, The Crone has grown up with the beauty industry and all its promises, pitfalls and immeasurable progress. She’s seen cold creams morph into face-firming serums, powder cakes finesse into ultra-light mineral sheerness and blue eyeshadow evolve from sole option to one of thousands of far more flattering colour stories. And she’s watched - with an increasing vested interest - as the ‘anti-ageing’ imperative has overrun what used to be thought of as creative fun. And that’s why The Crone’s blogging now.

There’s a raft of information out there on how not to look your age, but a dearth on how to celebrate older looks. Most tips and advice you get in magazines, on the ‘net and at the beauty counter are contrived by younger women who, with the best will in the world, haven’t a clue how it actually feels to enter the Third Age, let alone ride the inevitable changes. Because it’s a bugger how theory begins to quail in the face of reality. Maybe makeup doesn’t go on like it used to, creams sink in or slide off and instead of zhooshing it up, styling stuff just makes your hair fall flat.

But are we disillusioned? Unlike our mothers, we’re the first generation to have grown up with the idea that beauty products are, in fact, a fundamental force in our daily lives. We love our lotions and potions - they’ve literally helped us keep our chin up and maintain a positive profile. And we’re not about to give up the quest for our new best beauty buys any time soon.

So here’s the deal to keep it real. Crafty Crone operates on a test and tell basis. If she, or her cronies haven’t tried it, she won’t waste your time. Neither will she tease you unnecessarily with blogs about products months before they arrive on counter. If she does, she promises to remind you when they do go on sale. Most of all, she vows to do it all with humour. Seriously though, beauty should be a pleasure, so let’s keep it fun.

Now, respect to these beautiful cronies:

Inès de la Fressange Once Chanel’s most iconic muse, now at 53, L’Oréal’s latest ambassadress.

Jane Birkin Hermès made this edgy old bag’s arm candy, Miller Harris created her scent. Not bad for 64.

Jane Fonda Shame about the lift. But the new fitness DVD makes 73 look pretty damned good…

Daphe Selfe Serenly beautiful and the world’s oldest supermodel at 82

The Sleeping Lady of Hal Saflieni, Malta, 3600-3000BC Enigmatic evidence that beauty is timeless and not necessarily a matter of thighs.