Former beauty queen and current pampered taitai Michelle Reis is one of those retired actresses who still frequently gets netizens oohing and ahhing over her age-defying beauty — well, except for when she has see-through bangs — despite bowing out of the spotlight so many years ago. In fact, when she posted a photo with her husband, business tycoon Julian Hui, netizens quipped that she “made her husband look like her father”. Ouch.

While we reckon having good genes has a lot to do with it, turns out that the 50-year-old (yes, this hot mama is half-a-century-old) also puts in a lot of hard work into maintaining her youthful appearance. Keep scrolling for the four tips she oh-so-generously shared in a recent interview.

For starters, Michelle pays special attention to her pores to ensure that she always has glowing, crystal clear skin. In addition to the all-important step of frequent moisturising, she makes sure to get enough sleep every night, thoroughly cleanses her face, keeps her body hydrated, and uses a sheet mask three or four times a week.

It sounds simple and straightforward enough, but to be honest, we’re already bungling the “get enough sleep” part. But we digress.

As the old saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this is particularly applicable to Michelle, who always only eats fruits that are high in fibre and vitamins to help with digestion and detox. This is said to be an “absolutely indispensable” step to getting that ahhh-mazing complexion.

For those who want brighter and more tender skin, Michelle recommends fruits that are rich in Vitamin C and iron, like cherries, which also contain a lot of antioxidants.

We knew our mothers were on to something when they kept making us eat our fruits and veggies.

Other things Michelle likes to include in her diet are red date longan tea, as well as fish soup and bird’s nest soup to support collagen formation and to keep her skin nice and supple.

Of course, she didn’t forget to mention the importance of exercise and keeping a good mood, so um, remember to work out and smile lots today?

Michelle’s fourth skincare tip is quite an unusual one and is called the “fasting method”. She’s not talking about food, though. If you find that the skincare product you are using every day seems to be losing its effectiveness, it could be due to what is described as an “inertia” effect.

To combat this problem, Michelle eschews wearing any make-up and does not apply any skincare products for one day every week — hence the term “skincare fasting method” — so that she can allow her skin to breathe. It also apparently helps make her skincare products more effective. This method is said to be popular among people who want to treat minor skin conditions.

Photos: Michelle Reis/Weibo