I’m 24 and have the same anti-ageing routine as my 82-year-old gran & 54-year-old mum – we love £5 Aldi & Lidl buys
ENJOYING a Sunday afternoon walk in the park with two ‘friends’, Paula Llewellyn takes out her phone and snaps selfies of the three of them together.
Choosing her favourite photo of the bunch, mum-of-three Paula uploads it to Facebook and Instagram.
Within minutes, the post is flooded with hundreds of likes and gushing comments about how amazing they all look.
“Are you glam sisters?” asks one admirer or “Stunning cousins?” suggests another.
The threesome are in fact three generations of the same family and wildly different in age.
Paula is 54, her model daughter Apollonia, 24, and Paula’s mum, Jean Hirst, is 82 – and they’re never short of compliments or questions about their youthful looks.
Yet they say their regime is simple – soap and water, cheap face cream and homemade DIY potions.
Paula says: “People constantly mistake us for sisters or friends. They don’t believe we’re three generations of the same family. We’re always asked how we stay looking so good.
Everyone asks us what the secret is to our ageless looks. It’s simple – soap and water, face cream that costs around a fiver and cheap as chips kitchen cupboard beauty hacks
Paula, 54
“They’re even more shocked when they realise there is almost a sixty-year age gap between my daughter and her grandmother.
“Everyone asks us what the secret is to our ageless looks. It’s simple – soap and water, face cream that costs around a fiver and cheap as chips kitchen cupboard beauty hacks.”
Expensive products are off limits for the family who use very simple methods to achieve flawless skin.
Paula adds: “Old fashioned skin care treatments are often the simplest. They are what many expensive products are based on.
“My mum taught me to use a basic baby lotion costing a couple of quid from the Pound Shop or Aldi to soothe irritated skin.”
The family’s favourite product is Oil of Olay, now called Beauty Fluid, which costs around £5.
“If I can’t buy it, I’ll stock up on a cheap Lidl or Aldi alternative which costs around £4,” Paula adds. “I even pick up unopened bottles of it at car boot sales.”
The women also pride themselves on going makeup free which they say is also the secret to warding off ageing.
Paula says: “My mum used to draw on her eyebrows and pop on some lippy but most of the time she went makeup free when she was younger. I’m the same. I rarely wear makeup.
“People don’t realise in many of her photos Apollonia is also makeup free. As soon as she’s finished a shoot, she grabs the baby wipes in the car and takes it all off. We’ve all got great skin.”
The trio also swear by some easy, specific kitchen cupboard beauty hacks.
“I cut up cucumbers or soak tea bags in icy water if any of us have tired eyes,” says Paula.
“We all love a homemade body scrub using rolled oats with honey and coconut oil – it works a treat.
“If we run out of hair conditioner we use olive oil as an alternative. For an almost makeup free day we use dab of petroleum jelly on our eye lids and brush across a little eyeshadow. It creates a simple eye pop.”
Gran of two Paula lives in Barnsley, South Yorks, with her husband Don, 64, a specialist glass glazer, and two of their three children, daughter Apollonia, and son Arista, 23.
For work, Paula followed in her mum’s footsteps – Jean was a nurse until retirement – joining the NHS where she worked in admin until 2021.
Now she’s a so-called ‘Mommanger’ looking after her daughter Apollonia’s hugely successful international modelling and social media career.
Apollonia has amassed a following of over seven million people across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
She spends more than six months a year flying all over the world including the US, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia for magazine shoots and brand collaborations with big name brands including PLT, Boohoo, Shein, Fashion Nova and Ann Summers.
“Mum’s my rock. She comes to shoots, often takes my photos, and helps me with my Tik Tok videos. She handles negotiations and is amazing,” says Apollonia.
When Apollonia gets a delivery of sexy underwear or bikinis it’s her mum who takes her photos in the family’s backyard swimming pool or the purpose-built home photo studio.
She continues: “Some people say they’d be embarrassed posing in a skimpy bikini with their mum behind the camera. Not me.
“Mum knows my best side. She works my angles. She taught me to be proud of my body. She’s proud of me. If I’m away I talk to her at least ten times a day.”
Apollonia’s social media stardom is an all-round family affair.
Even gran Jean, who is widowed, gets involved pulling in tens of thousands of likes whilst doing outfit swap videos and dances with her granddaughter.
Others are stunned then they realise our boobs are our own – natural assets inherited from my mum
Paula, 54
Apollonia, who owns her own model agency Apollonia’s Agency, says: “We raid each other’s wardrobes. Grandma Jean comes over in a cool outfit.
“I put on a favourite of mine and then we swap and wear each other’s outfits. We’re the same size and I reckon she looks hotter than me in my dresses.”
Jean also keeps herself fit through walking whilst Paula loves swimming and Apollonia works out five days a week at the gym and swims too.
“Staying fit and drinking lots of water is what keeps me a size eight,” says Jean.
Paula adds: “Apollonia and I are always running around shooting and flying to different countries. So drinking gallons of water and drinking only on special occasions keeps us super healthy.”
Paula and Apollonia are proud of their curves and their boobs – Paula is a 40EE while Apollonia has a 32F bust.
Paula thanks her mum for the ‘genes’, and says: “Others are stunned then they realise our boobs are our own – natural assets inherited from my mum,” she says.
The trio insist they have never had any plastic surgery or tweakments which Paula says can be instantly ageing.
“None of us have had Botox, fillers or surgery,” she explains. “I see so many girls overdoing it with injectibles and looking older than their years.
“Apollonia would never dream of using them, never would I. Mum just shakes her head saying it’s crazy.
“We all get our hair coloured. Apollonia’s teeth are all natural and she occasionally uses a tooth whitener but that’s it.
“We don’t diet. We all eat a little of what we fancy and don’t deny ourselves guilty pleasures like chocolate or desserts.
“The rest is genetics and joy. Having a laugh together helps us all stay young.”
Why you don't have to spend a fortune on skincare
Fabulous’ beauty writer Mia Lyndon says:
“I’ve tried and tested all kinds of skincare products – including designer labels, budget brands and everything in between.
“While it’s easy to be sucked in by sparkly packaging, trendy names and bold claims, some of the simpler, cheaper options are the best out there.
“I swear by a number of brilliant wallet-friendly skincare brands. CeraVe’s large, diverse skincare range has something for everyone and is primarily priced under £20 – I use the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser and Moisturiser daily.
“And while it’s only been in the UK about a year, Bubble Skincare has amassed a cult following, thanks to its affordable, teen-friendly skincare offerings, which span from a mud mask to a hydrating serum.
“Applying sunscreen (factor 30 or above) daily is the best way to protect your skin from the elements and premature ageing. I used to keep my sunscreen in my make-up bag, meaning I’d forget to apply it on bare-faced days.
“However, I now keep it next to my skincare products meaning I reach for it straight after my moisturiser. Sunscreen can be expensive, but there are plenty of good budget options out there.
“I’m loving lightweight, glow-promoting Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 right now.”
However, Paula admits her daughter was once bullied for her gorgeous looks and never dreamt of becoming a superstar model and fashion queen.
Paula says: “When she was 15 years old, she had a bigger bust than many of the older girls at school. She was bullied terribly. She was miserable.
“I took her to a studio to do a fun mum and daughter shoot and she loved it. The photographer suggested she do some modelling or pageants.
“She started doing teen pageants ten years ago and at 18 was crowned World Teen Supermodel of England”
Soon Apollonia was in demand as a model and Paula helped her daughter develop her social media following.
Paula says: “Now she has her own model agency, millions of fans and followers and works harder than anyone I know.
“She’s a right home body. When she isn’t travelling, she loves spending time with me and her gran. We have girls’ lunches, spa days and enjoy shopping together.”
The trio love the same shops including Boohoo, M&S, Next and Zara.
Apollonia says: “Whoever says grans can’t wear boohoo or PLT are wrong.”
And even through the trio’s photos sometimes attract hate on social media, Paula refuses to take notice.
She adds: “People love to claim we’re plastic surgery fans or fake. That’s just not true. They’re just jealous.”