Actor and radio broadcaster Angela Griffin talks adult acne, Mel B’s hair and what her TV characters smell like
When I was growing up, the notion of appearance and image was complicated.
Neither was really discussed in my household – my mum never wore makeup and she didn’t really go to the hairdressers because there just wasn’t the money for that kind of thing. I was also the only mixed race girl in a predominantly white area, so nobody else looked like me. Therefore on the one hand, I was completely unaware of things like makeup and haircare, and on the other, I was acutely aware of what I looked like because it was different to everyone else.
Because of that, I never felt in the sphere of being ‘beautiful’.
In my mind, I was never judged in that way. No one was ever looking at me and saying: ‘Oh, she’s pretty’ or even ‘She’s not pretty.’ It was only when I went to high school and saw Melanie Brown, who was in the year above me, that I could identify with ‘beauty’. Melanie always had amazing hair – long before she became Spice Girl Mel B – and I realised I could identify with it and be inspired by it!
Me and my two closest friends, Lisa Faulkner and Nicola Stephenson, talk about our looks now more than we ever did when we were younger.
We met in 1999 on Holby City and never discussed our looks, weight or body shapes. And do you know what? I feel really lucky that that hasn’t been at the centre of my world. Today, we only discuss it in terms of how to keep the jawline up and combat the dry skin that has come with the perimenopause!
And while I think it’s great that more conversations are being had about the menopause, equally, we shouldn’t be defined by it .
If we’re not careful, everything will be put down to the fact that we’re either peri- or menopausal, when actually, sometimes we feel annoyed because someone is simply being awful!
Before dry skin, I had adult acne.
About 15 years ago, I saw a dermatologist by chance who told me I was suffering from it. She advised me to keep things as simple as possible, so from that point on, I just used non-comedogenic cleanser, moisturiser and SPF. Now I use Dr Barbara Sturm Darker Skin Tones Foam Cleanser, £50, followed by Dr Barbara Sturm Darker Skin Tones Face Cream, from £55. But I also love any of the cleansers and moisturisers from both Cetaphil and CeraVe; my dermatologist recommended them and they’re such good products for the price. I finish with Ultra Violette Daydream Screen SPF50 Tinted Veil, £38, which is incredible.
On top of that, my makeup routine is fairly simple. I wear Trinny London BFF Cream Skin Perfector SPF30, £39 (2), which is absolutely gorgeous, as my base, followed by Milk Makeup Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten
