Victoria Beckham is one of a number of A-list women (see also: Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston) whose beauty and wellbeing routines fascinate us. At 49, she is as radiant – if not more – now as she was when she first shot to fame, making her name as Posh Spice in the Spice Girls. “I have found my own balance between wanting to have fun and being disciplined about eating healthily and working out,” she has previously said. “When you’re younger, you fight against that balance, but through being older I’ve reached a place where I know what that balance looks like.”
That balanced approach was on display as recently as this weekend, when the Beckhams enjoyed a bucolic getaway with friends including Guy and Jacqui Ritchie and Dave and Isabel Grutman. Instagram posts from the weekend away reveal picnics and poolside wine with some paddle boarding thrown in. (There’s no evidence that VB, a notorious gym bunny, took to the water herself.)
From make-up to workouts, here are all the details of Victoria Beckham’s routine.
The skin
We know that Mrs Beckham has a penchant for facial massage and LED light therapy with both Sarah Chapman and Melanie Grant, two superstar facialists who also have the Vogue seal of approval.
Beckham opts for equally high-tech skincare formulas at home, too: “I like to use very powerful formulas that have many benefits and include key active ingredients like niacinamide [and] hyaluronic acid,” she has said in the past. Some favourites include Augustinus Bader’s The Cream, which contains TFC8 technology to work on cellular health, alongside Chapman’s Liquid Facial D-Stress, a hydrating mist that also protects against environmental aggressors.
To “revitalise tired eyes after a long day”, she loves 111Skin’s Black Diamond Eye Patches, which – relatably – she often pairs with a glass of wine in the bath.
The hair
These days Beckham rarely strays from her signature style: long, tousled waves and an expensive, mirror-like shine. Her go-to hairstylist is Ken Paves, who also looks after Eva Longoria, one of Beckham’s best friends. Paves doesn’t only get Beckham’s hair ready for events and shoots, but they also have a laugh while they’re at it – Victoria is always teasing him for his love of “root lift”.
The make-up
As the founder of Victoria Beckham Beauty, it’s safe to say that VB loves make-up. While her signature beauty look includes matte nude lipstick, smoky eyes and a bold brow, she is not afraid to experiment with new looks using her excellent product line. “Don’t be afraid of colour!” she urged her Instagram followers recently, as she road-tested the brand’s new Satin Kajal eyeliner in Sour Apple, a flattering green shade which she layered with eyeshadow to create a smoky summer look. When she isn’t doing her own make-up, she turns to Wendy Rowe for her expert touch.
The body
Famously honed, VB is known to go for recovery (and detox) time at cutting-edge medical spas, like Villa Stéphanie in Germany’s Baden-Baden. At home, she is regimented when it comes to food – her husband, David, proclaimed that he had only ever seen her eat grilled fish and vegetables for the past 25 years, during an appearance on The River Cafe’s podcast. She later jokingly complained that her husband made her sound “boring”, in an interview with Vogue Australia, and went on to explain that she eats lots of healthy fat: “Fish, avocado, nuts, that sort of thing. I’ll detox for anything from three to six months where I won’t drink. I’m quite extreme in anything I do, whether it’s eating or working out or drinking or not drinking.”
She is also currently in her “strength training phase” and works out with personal trainer Bobby Rich, often alongside David, too. Swapping intense cardio for movements that build muscle tone (whether with weights, resistance bands or movements that utilise bodyweight), is a great idea as you get older – a higher muscle mass helps to protect women’s bones, especially as they go through menopause, plus it’s generally better for metabolic and heart health.
