Tess Daly reveals her top skincare and beauty secrets

The Strictly Come Dancing host on her favourite products, make-up tips, and ageing gracefully

Tess Daly started using non-invasive skincare treatments 18 months ago.

It’s hard to imagine that model Tess Daly, who has co-hosted Strictly Come Dancing in  Britain since 2004, would have any beauty concerns.

Like us all, however, the 52-year-old worries about wrinkles, lashes, and even dry skin. She recently revealed her skincare and beauty secrets for a new partnership with Ultherapy, a non-invasive ultrasound skin treatment.

“I had my first treatment 18 months ago. It can last for over a year so I then had a top-up treatment around the jaw area to boost it a bit, because I have a lot of laughter lines. I talk a lot in my job so it’s an occupational hazard,” Daly says. “Quite frankly, after a year of lockdown, I think all of my areas need a lot of help.” 

Having started modelling as a teenager, her skincare routine has long been an important part of her day, bfut it only takes about five minutes. A sufferer of dry skin, her most-used products are moisturisers.

“I’ve looked after my skin pretty religiously because I started working as a model around 17-years-old. I was told early on by make-up artists that it was important to keep the skin cleansed and moisturised. My mother also taught me the importance of cleansing, toning, and moisturising,” Daly says.

"When it comes to cleansing I use micellar water with a cotton pad to take my make-up off. I also wouldn't dream of going to bed without moisturising. At the moment I am using Clarins Super Restorative Day Cream."

One thing the mum-of-two particularly notices is when her skin is sleep-deprived: she’s a night owl who wakes at 6:30am. Overnight masks are her go-to to solve this problem, especially when she was travelling.

“Once or twice a week I exfoliate for a deeper cleanse. It makes my skin just look a little bit fresher. I use Estee Lauder's Instant Refinishing Facial Exfoliating Cream in the shower,” she says.

“I'm a big fan of overnight moisture masks because you wake up and you look hydrated and glowing. They work especially well if you're a little bit tired. I found a good one by Olay Regenerist, the Overnight Miracle Firming Mask. It’s a brilliant price. I leave it on overnight and wash it off in the morning, and my skin feels great."

Daly's number one product is SPF.

However, her top tip, inspired by her mother-in-law, is to never forget SPF. 

“I genuinely think the number one piece of advice from any dermatologist would be to protect your skin from sun damage. I have used SPF every single day for years. At the moment I am using La Roche Posay’s Anthelios SPF 50,” she says.

“When I first met my mother-in-law over 20 years ago, I was struck by her beautiful skin, and she told me at the time that she used SPF every day of her adult life. She barely has a line on her face and had the most luminous skin.” 

Daly says she’s been swapping beauty tips and tricks for lockdown with friends and her sister in New Zealand. Her favourite recent find? Lash serum.

“A few years ago I was in a constant cycle of having lash extensions. But then a friend told me about Revitilash and told me to use it religiously for six weeks. Honestly, I've never looked back,” she says.

As for make-up tips, the best thing she’s learned is the power of primer. 

“I've loved make-up for as long as I can remember, and I know the power of make-up to transform. I'm not saying I walk out in a full face of make-up every day, of course, on the school run it’s just a slick of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream on my lips and my eyelids and maybe a spot of cream blusher, but I've always enjoyed experimenting with it,” she says.

“A luminising primer is the number one secret weapon of any make-up artist on a photoshoot. You use it on top of moisturiser underneath make-up. It’s important to find one that isn't glittery or sparkly. Nobody wants visible glitter on their face in daylight, it's not a good look. I absolutely love the Luminosity Radiance Skin Primer by Marks and Spencer’s Autograph range.” 

Daly always looks dazzling, which might be to do with the primer, but it’s usually her outfits that the public especially swoons over. When hosting Strictly, she has to put thought into them, of course, but for more reasons than one might think.

"What I wear has to be comfortable. On Strictly Come Dancing, I often have to run across the studio so the heel can’t be too high and the dress cannot be too long or too tight – or I will generally take a tumble over the camera wires, which has happened so many times in the past. I have fallen into an audience member’s lap before!"

As for her health, her favourite exercise is yoga and her “obsession” is gut health. “I do the free Yoga with Adriene videos online whenever I’ve got a free 20 minutes, either first thing in the morning or before bed. It helps to keep me supple and flexible, and flexibility is everything,” she says.

“I am obsessed with gut health. I love dairy but if I eat too much of it I start to get dry patches on my hands and the back of my neck. It's not obvious because I keep it in check. I eat healthy, whole-food-based meals because they make me feel better and I enjoy nourishing my family. To me, food is love. I like cooking with anti-inflammatory foods like garlic, ginger and turmeric.” 

Another thing people seem to focus on in the entertainment industry is ageing, but Daly says that she would rather celebrate getting older than dwell on it.

“My age doesn't define me as a person or who I am or what I do on a daily basis. I feel the same as I always have. I don't spend time dwelling on it because number one – I can't change it, and number two – my age has served me well. 

"I feel good about where I am in my life and I'm grateful for a healthy body that has bore me two children and that enables me to work. I'm not about to start beating myself up about the number on my birth certificate because I feel fantastic."