Ms. Stewart’s attitude to makeup reflects her generation: it’s basic, essential. Her response when asked if she wears makeup while spending time in her pool was, “A touch of blush and then lips. That’s not makeup. I think that’s skincare.”
In addition to Clé de Peau, she plays the field when it comes to products. She also uses Charlotte Tilbury products and “she loves a Bobbi Brown bronzer,” says Daisy Toye, her longtime makeup artist. In addition, she has been going for facials at the Mario Badescu salon in New York since it opened in 1967.
Stewart’s smooth, glowing complexion has led to the widespread assumption that photo and video enhancers — filters, as they’re known — were used to change her face in Clé de Peau’s videos. Not so, she said, claiming that filters have not been used in her personal life or in the TikTok videos.
Speculation is also rife that Ms Stewart has undergone a facelift.
“I’ve never had plastic surgery,” she said† “You can absolutely say that. No knife on my face, neck or back.” And as John Barrett, her hairstylist, put it, “Martha never had the time to let a facelift heal.” But he added: “Actually, women of a certain age, if they look great, have something done. That’s how it is.”
She has had work done by Dr. Daniel Belkin, one of her two New York dermatologists. “Non-or minimally invasive,” he described it, with repeat visits “probably twice a year. She does it thoughtfully and conservatively.” Dr. Belkin uses lasers for redness, soft resurfacing and brown spots, fillers for volumizing and collagen stimulation, and radiofrequency and micro-targeted ultrasounds to beautify the eyebrow area and “lift, tighten and plump” under the chin. And for her lips: “a gentle hyaluronic acid, more for hydration than padding.”
Mrs. Stewart’s other dermatologist, Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali, creates for her a holistically grounded, CBD-infused moisturizing serum, calming mist and night cream. He and Ms. Stewart are developing similar CBD topicals for consumer use. These complement a line of therapeutic creams – for muscle recovery, sleep and stress – she already has from Canopy Growth, a cannabinoid company.
So it may be that Mrs. Stewart’s smooth, radiant, wrinkle-free face is just the jolt needed as our collective eye adjusts to a new vision of vital old age. No – make that extended middle age or agelessness. Whatever else Martha Stewart is, she’s ready for the long haul.
