If you don't know Val Garland, you'll know her work. She is the creative force behind some of the most iconic runway looks in fashion history, she's a judge on BBC's Glow Up TV series, and supermodels, including Kate Moss, have her on speed dial. I recently sat down at a masterclass where Val was showcasing the new PS… Pro collection from Primark Beauty, and within five minutes, she had dismantled every "rule" I’d been told about makeup on mature women.
Her mission? It’s simple, really. "Be bold, not old."
The "Snog" Lip: Volume Without the Needle
Lips are perhaps where we feel the passage of time most acutely. They thin, and those tiny vertical lines appear.
Val’s solution is the 'ballerina lip' - a look that is soft, pretty, and inherently youthful without being too girly. The key is the PS… Pro Matte Lipstick (£4.30) paired with a clever liner technique.
"If you're mature, it's better to use a lip pencil as that helps to keep the lipstick inside your lips," Val explained. She shared a trick that I’ve already stolen for my daily routine: "What I like to do with the lip pencil is I like to get it on the back of my hand and really rub it in. So I make sure that the tip of the pencil is really soft, so I get more of a blurred blend."
She calls this the "snogged lip." By softening the edge of the liner, using the PS... Pro Lip Liner Pencil (£3.50), and blending it inward, you create a soft, blurred boundary that makes the lips look significantly bigger and plusher. It’s effortless, slightly undone, and incredibly flattering.
© Leanne BayleyThe Geometry of the Bad Eye
For many of us, eyeliner is problematic. We’ve been told that as our eyelids lose their elasticity, we should abandon the feline flick and stick to a smudge of brown pencil. Val, however, was having none of it. She picked up the PS… Pro Felt Liner (£3.50), and gestured to its precision tip, declaring it as having the "most amazing nib".
"This is like the perfect makeup for before the school run," she said, with a knowing wink to those of us who juggle chaotic mornings. "You shouldn't do it in the mirror in your car, but I think you probably could."
The secret to a perfect wing when your skin isn't as taut as it used to be? It’s all in the order of operations. "If you do this yourself, always do the bad eye first," Val advised. "If you're right-handed, do the left eye first and vice versa."
It’s a revelation. We usually spend all our energy perfecting our good side, only to find we’ve run out of patience (and symmetry) by the time we reach the tricky eye. Val insists that if you use a decent tool, the hard work is done for you.
The High Street Mascara Myth
One of the most refreshing moments of the morning masterclass was Val’s candidness about the price of beauty. In an industry that often tries to convince us that a £50 mascara contains liquid gold, Val remains a pragmatist.
"I never spend money on mascara," she confessed. "I think all the high street mascaras are just so good. It's all about the brush."
For the mature lady, the struggle with lashes is real. We lose density; they become finer, and sparser. This is where the PS… Pro Volume Mascara (£4) comes into play. Val explained that the typical thin, plastic wands often favoured by younger influencers just won't cut it for us. "If you are a mature lady, those straggly brushes just won't feature; you need a nice full brush."
The pro-lash formula is designed to lift, separate, and volumise, giving the illusion of a fuller lash line without the clumps that can make mature eyes look a bit too natural.
Glowing, Not Glistening
Then, there is the matter of highlighter. There is a fine line between 'lit from within' and 'visible from space,' and for mature skin, that line is usually paved with chunky glitter.
"I think highlighter today should be soft," Val noted, reaching for the PS… Pro Highlight Stick (£4). "Subtle highlight. Sparkly highlighter can look like you're the Tin Man."
None of us want to look like we’ve been polished with chrome. Val’s technique involves using both fingers and a brush to melt the product into the skin. By using the warmth of your fingertips, the cream-to-powder formula sits in the skin rather than on it, catching the light only when you move. It’s the difference between looking greasy and looking healthy.
Val's Message To The Trolls
Beyond the techniques and the £3.50 eyeliners, the most impactful part of Val’s masterclass was her defiance. She shared a story about a video she posted to TikTok, showing her doing the bold, avant-garde makeup she wears as a judge on the hit show Glow Up.
"The amount of slack I got! People said 'You can't be a woman' and 'You can't wear big black lines on your eyes'. Like you know, 'you're too old'."
She paused, looking around the room at a group of women who have all, at some point, been told they are "too" something. "No, I'm going to be bold. I'm not going to be old. Makeup... You be you, whoever you want to be."
If Val Garland - a woman at the very top of a youth-obsessed industry - refuses to turn down the volume, why should we? It’s time to pick up the eyeliner, find a bad eye to start with, and remember that being bold is the most effective anti-aging treatment there is.
Do you find yourself sticking to the 'safe' makeup as you get older, or are you ready to embrace Val's "bold, not old" philosophy?
And by the way, if you missed Val on Best Quality Designer Handbag 's Second Act podcast, listen on YouTube or on Spotify.
