These days I can get ready speedily. It’s usually a case of “OK, the babysitter’s here, let’s go.” But when I look back to my 20s, when I lived with a flatmate, it’s amazing how long we would take. The pre-going out was just as important as the being out. It was the early 1990s, we’d have some music on, some wine, and we’d be running between each other’s rooms.
Not so now – I can get ready in 20 minutes. Thank heavens for a hair straightener and dry shampoo. Is it disgusting to admit that I don’t bother taking off that day’s makeup and start again any more? I just put on more defined makeup on top.
I’m more casual than I used to be – my son gets a bit upset when I’ve got a lot of makeup on. When he was three and a half, I came back from a photoshoot with curled hair and thick eyeliner on, and he cried.
If my hair is looking good, and I’ve got a nice jacket and some high heels, that works for me. I’m a big advocate of Spanx, it has to be said. I’ve got a brilliant all-in-one that goes underneath your bra, it holds you in. Not the sexiest item, but everyone in Hollywood wears them.
The red carpet is a different level, with loads of people fussing. It’s good fun. My husband has a photo of me before the Emmys, in a chair with eight people around me, doing my nails, hair, makeup, outfit, etc. Looking at pictures, I look so glamorous, it’s like another part of my life. I don’t take it too seriously.
I always wear the same perfume – Mitsouko by Guerlain, which I wore in my 20s. Wearing it transports me right back to the 1990s, getting ready with my best friend.
• Ashley Jensen stars in Agatha Raisin And The Quiche Of Death on Sky 1 this Christmas.Ashley Jensen stars in Agatha Raisin And The Quiche Of Death on Sky 1 this Christmas
