WALKING to her sun lounger Fern Logan unfolds her towel, takes off her sarong revealing a skimpy string bikini and begins soaking up the sun.
As a resort waiter brings her a mocktail, Fern’s well aware that not only the 20-year-old server, but men of all ages are casting admiring looks her way.
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It’s no surprise that within twenty minutes a tanned 30-something bloke swims up beside her sunbed asking if she’d be up for a drink or dinner date.
Flattered, Fern tells the man that she’s old enough to be his grandmother but he refuses to believe her.
It’s a reaction Fern is used to and why she always carries her ‘proof of age’ wherever she goes.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, she says: “I’m proud to be a super-hot OAP.
“I’m 64 and people think I’m thirty years younger, I do look better than I did in my forties.
“Men in their twenties and thirties beg me for dates.”
Proud of her figure, Fern refuses to cover up and loves showing off her physique.
“I refuse to dress like a granny,” she says.
“I have more than a dozen skimpy bikinis and love showing off my body.
“I refuse to act my age and feel sexier now than I did in my twenties.
“People say I’ve got a J-lo body. Firm boobs, great tan, ageless looks and no flab or fat.”
Divorced, Fern, 64, a part-time body double and model who lives in Southend on Sea, says her ageless look is not the result of expensive surgery or fillers.
“I stay looking good because I am dedicated to a cheap and cheerful skin care routine anyone can follow,” she says.
“I know I can make anyone look younger and help defy ageing by using pound shop products and simple money saving beauty hacks.
According to Fern, she is constantly mistaken for women half her age and considers it a huge compliment.
“I still get all tingly when people compliment me,” she admits.
“I’m dead proud to look this young at 64 and this is my time to shine.
“I’m proof that you can be sexy in your 60s.”
But Fern admits she has not always looked this glamorous.
“When I was just 13, I suffered a severe acne,” she explains.
“I was bullied terribly at school. Kids would call me ‘pizza face’ and make fun of my painful red acne.”
After multiple GP and specialist appointments Fern was given prescription cream and tablets to try and control the pimples and scaring.
“The tablets made you feel horribly ill and really impacted my mental health, It was awful,” she admits.
By the time she left school at 16 Fern’s acne had cleared up thanks, she says, to her glamorous mother teaching her the importance of a daily skin care routine.
“My mother was a Max Factor rep and always had perfect makeup and hair,” she remembers.
“She was so glamorous, I watched her put on her ’face’ and thought she was a princess.
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“I was taught to use gentle soap and water, a basic simple face scrub and what was then known as a skin tonic. It’s what we call a skin toner now.
“Witch hazel toner or ‘rosewater’ were cost saving options in the 1960’s when I was a teen and still available today.”
At sixteen Fern became the youngest woman to work at the US Embassy in London when she was employed as a visa typing clerk.
“My mum had taught me how to do a glamorous office look,” she says.
“Base, lots of powder, eyeshadow and blush, lipstick and of course perfectly lacquered hair was the key.
“I made sure no matter what I always cleansed and toned. The old fashioned cold cream was a great way to remove what often felt like a truck load of makeup.
“I always had moisturiser even if it was a 99p version, moisturising all the time is the way I keep my wrinkles at bay.
“I learnt quickly that all moisturisers are made of the same simple products.
“Just because you pay a fortune doesn’t mean it will do miracles.
“I used super money saver creams all my life, and they did the trick. It is about a lot and often.”
In 1992 Fern began part-time modelling and extra work.
Fern also modelled for furniture company DVS catalogues, did catwalk shows for swimwear designers wearing her beloved bikinis and modelled for fashion shoots.
Fern says she was often compared to Bridgette Bardot due to her blonde hair and love of white bikinis.
“Brigitte Bardot was one of my idols. I love the way she rocked a bikini. It is why I love them so much,” she says.
Turning fifty was when she decided to ditch the heavy glam makeup in favour of a ‘barely there’ approach to beauty.
“I realised that the thousands of hours I’d spent cleansing, toning, using gentle face scrubs and hundreds of litres of moisturisers had paid off,” she says.
“I was wrinkle free and my skin was glowing. I didn’t need to hide behind layers of caked on makeup.”
Fern, who has always been a svelte size 12, managed to keep her trim body even during menopause when women find themselves prone to the dreaded ‘mid-life bulge.’
I don’t drink or smoke and that is one reason I have remained wrinkle free
Fern Logan
“If I thought I was getting a bit of a tummy I’d do an hour a night on the exercise bike I have in my bedroom,” she says.
“I am not a gym nut, I love swimming and walking but it’s only when I feel in the mood.”
According to Fern she eats what she likes and has never dieted.
“I’m five foot five and have a lean body shape,” she says.
“I eat a little of what I like and don’t restrict my diet. I don’t drink or smoke and that is one reason I have remained wrinkle free.”
Fern says she has never had plastic surgery, Botox or filler and thinks girls in their twenties often now go overboard and make themselves look old before their time.
Top 40 beauty tips that have been handed down from generations
1. Never go to bed in make up
2. Moisturise daily
3. Don’t pick at your spots, to avoid scarring
4. Get enough sleep to prevent tired-looking skin
5. When it comes to make-up, less is more
6. Trim your hair regularly to prevent split ends
7. Don’t forget to moisturise your neck and décolletage
8. Drink a big glass of water each morning to cleanse and rehydrate
9. Gently pat your face dry with a towel instead of rubbing to avoid irritation
10. Avoid using too much heat on your hair to prevent damage
11. Remove makeup gently, especially around the eyes
12. Use a lip balm to keep your lips soft and prevent chapping
13. Put cucumbers on eyes to help reduce puffiness
14. Choose a foundation that matches your neck to avoid a mismatched face
15. Wash your face in cold water after cleansing to close pores.
16. Rinsing hair in cold water to increase the shine
17. Wear sunscreen/SPF protection every day, no matter the weather
18. Use a cold spoon to reduce under-eye puffiness
19. Use petroleum jelly to tame brows and moisturise lips
20. Test skincare products on a small patch of skin before using them all over your face
21. Never spend longer than 30 minutes in direct sunlight
22. Exfoliate your skin regularly to remove dead skin cells
23. Wear gloves on hands and socks on feet after putting cream on overnight
24. Wear brown mascara for a less harsh look
25. Apply blush to the apples of your cheeks for a natural glow
26. Wash hair in beer to make in shiny
27. Invest in a good quality eye cream
28. Keep your makeup brushes clean to avoid breakouts
29. Apply eye cream to reduce puffiness and dark circles
30. Apply a heat protectant before using styling tools on your hair
31. Brush your hair 100 strokes per day
32. Head massages for hair growth
33. Deep condition your hair weekly to keep it healthy and shiny
34. Wrap hair in a warm towel to enhance a hair treatment
35. Use a silk pillowcase to reduce hair frizz and skin wrinkles
36. Use a facial mask once a week for deep cleansing
37. Use a gentle, non-comedogenic cleanser to prevent clogged pores
38. Exfoliate your lips using your toothbrush
39. Use mayonnaise as a hair conditioner
40. Use a primer before applying foundation for a smoother finish
“I did go to Turkey to get my teeth fixed last year but that’s it,” she says.
Instead, Fern says its budget beauty products keep her looking ‘super young’.
“A moisturiser for a few pounds or a face scrub for two quid literally turns back time.
“I have been using Revita-lift. It has transformed my skin on my face and neck in my sixties.
“Skin gets thinner as you age. But Revita-lift which costs £7.95 from Savers is my go-to age defying potion for under a tenner.
“My face and neck are proof it works.
“I always use a body scrub and Fern McCann’s scrub that costs £2 is my go-to exfoliating product. It’s amazing and I use it on my face and body.
“I get it from my local pound shop.
“I also stick up on cheap moisturisers and SPF30 sun cream. I slather that on before I pop on a bikini, and it means I don’t burn and don’t get sun damage.”
Fern says her blonde bouffant also helps her to look youthful.
“I have refused to get my hair cut as I age,” she says.
“I have it coloured blonde every six weeks and cut in a way that gives me an ageless look. I never have a brassy blonde colour. It’s subtle and streaked.
“Too many women hit sixty and think they should cut their hair, go grey and get an ageing perm. It just adds the years rather than taking them off.”
The glamorous divorcee loves dating and says she gets giggle out of using dating apps.
“I get lots of messages from young men who think I am younger than my profile says,” she admits.
“I only date men who are fifty and older. I think young men might not be as courteous and just a bit too silly for my liking.
“I love sex and it’s fun in your sixties with the right man of course.”
Fern admits she still hasn’t found her Mr Perfect and if she doesn’t, she loves her life.
“I love being independent, having fun with my friends and going on holidays,” she says.
“To stay young, you have to live young.
“I know some oldies will tell me a 64-year-old should not be showing off in a bikini. I don’t care.
“I have it and I plan to flaunt it.”
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