We have a wireless in the bathroom, and I always put it on while I am doing my makeup. Quite often, I just top up the makeup I’ve been wearing in the daytime. If I’m going to be seen from far away, I like to have a striking look, a bright lipstick in what I call a “Patsy red”.
I was a model in the 60s, and we had to do our own makeup, even false eyelashes. I learned how to do it all, very quickly, and I know what suits me. I put on a full face of makeup pretty much every day, because of the ubiquity of mobile phones and people asking for selfies. Even if I’m shuffling around the supermarket, I wear plenty, so I look nice and don’t spoil anyone’s selfie.
Before I go out, I spend a moment looking through the wardrobe at what I’ve got and considering what will suit the occasion. I think generally one bit of colour or detail works best. I used to keep things for ever, but now I clear out those that don’t work every fortnight, giving them to charity. We’ve all kept clothes for “when I’m really thin”. I think to myself, “It’s not going to happen, sweetheart.”
I’m 5ft 8in with broad shoulders. I have the advantage of having been a model, so I can kind of make clothes look all right, if they’re right for me. Boat necks don’t work, but with a V-neck, suddenly my neck looks longer and my shoulders don’t look so broad. For 50 years I’ve seen myself on screen and in photos, and sometimes I look at photographs with terror. But occasionally I see a picture and think, “Ooh, from a great distance, I could almost have been Brigitte Bardot.”
• Joanna Lumley is supporting Marks & Spencer’s Shwopping initiative to raise money for Oxfam.
