The 52-year-old who really DOES look like she is in her twenties: Mother says sunscreen and coconut oil are secret to her very youthful look
Pamela, pictured with her 21-year-old son Marley
( Quite over the top!)
- Pamela Jacobs, from Leeds, is 52 but appears to be in her late twenties
- She says her secret is healthy eating and using coconut oil for everything
- Mrs Jacobs, who has 21-year-old son, also exercises once a week
- Exfoliates every other day and never leaves the house without sunscreen
- Only downside is occasionally being mistaken for son's girlfriend
- Family have nicknamed her Pharrell after the enduringly youthful singer
- Do you think you look young for your age? Email femail@mailonline.co.uk
With her clear skin, enviable figure and thick, dark hair, Pamela Jacobs looks every inch the yummy mummy.
But while she might look like someone in her late twenties or early thirties, Mrs Jacobs is 52 - and has a 21-year-old son.
So young does she appear, she has been offered student rail fares and is told she must be lying when she reveals her real age.
Looking good: Despite appearances to the contrary, mother-of-one Pamela Jacobs is 52 years old
'Men
do comment on my looks and say things like "I don't believe you" or
"You must be lying",' she says. 'I always say, what woman would actually
add years on?'
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Mrs
Jacobs, who says her mother and siblings also look younger than they
really are, attributes her youthful looks to good genes, a healthy diet,
lots of exercise - and plenty of coconut oil.
She
also has a weekly sauna and steam, exfoliates her face every other day
and never leaves the house without sunscreen - she likes to use Greek
brand Korres because it's 'natural'.
But
unlike Stephanie Arnott, the 58-year-old who hit headlines recently
after claiming to look 35 and saying her beauty 'reduces men to tears',
Mrs Jacobs says she doesn't play up to her looks.
'I'm
not sure I would clean a car in a bikini [as Mrs Arnott claimed to do]
– there are some limits when you have a 21-year-old son,' she says. 'I
do still wear little denim shorts in the garden though.'
Svelte: Pamela says her age-defying looks are the result of healthy eating, regular exercise and coconut oil
Enviable: Pamela, pictured here during a family holiday, has a figure better than many twenty-somethings
Much
to her son's horror, she also gets attention from younger men - and
embarrassingly, has been mistaken for his girlfriend in the past.
'A
while ago someone my son knows thought I was his girlfriend,' she
chuckles. 'And some people I know have thought the same in reverse.'
But
Marley need not worry about her dating any of his friends because Mrs
Jacobs, who is currently single after marrying and divorcing in her
twenties, says she has no intention of dating a younger man.
'It's
flattering but I prefer men of a similar age to me,' she explains,
pointing out that a 21-year-old son 'puts that [dating a
twenty-something] into perspective'.
Nicknamed
Pharrell by family members after the enduringly youthful singer, Mrs
Jacobs says the odd embarrassing situation notwithstanding, there are no
real downsides to looking younger.
'I
can't remember the last time I was ID’d but a few years ago I was
buying ticket to London and the cashier asked if I had my student rail
card so I said I didn't have one.
'He
then asked if I wanted to apply for one so I had to tell him that I
wasn't a student and what my real age is. He went a bit red.'
No change: Pamela, pictured here aged 29, has changed little over the years
Young at heart: Pamela says one of the secrets of looking young is smiling lots and enjoying life
Maintenance: She maintains her skin by always wearing sunscreen and exfoliating every other day
Another
incident came during a health screening two years ago when a nurse
refused to believe that she was 50 until seeing her medical notes.
'She said she was amazed at how young I looked - and also that I still had a waist,' she remembers.
Despite
her youthful looks, Mrs Jacobs, who turns 53 next month, says she is
starting to notice some signs of ageing such as being more tired than
before.
Nevertheless,
she continues to do a weekly body conditioning class and eats a healthy
diet packed with leafy greens and coconut oil - crediting the latter
with her glowing complexion.
'I'm a big coconut oil lover,' she explains. 'My mother used it on our hair and skin when we were younger and I've carried on.
'I
use Biona Organic Coconut Oil for cooking, in coffee, for removing
make-up, for hair treatments and on my body twice a day as a
moisturiser.'
She
avoids wheat products such as bread and pasta because of the bloating
they cause and doesn't eat fruit because of the high sugar content but
says everything else is allowed.
Top tips: She keeps her sugar consumption to a minimum and eats a handful of almonds every day
Close: Pamela, pictured with her 21-year-old son Marley, says she would rather date a man her own age
Fresh-faced: She uses Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser and has a make-up routine that lasts five minutes
'I
follow the 80/20 rule,' she reveals. '80 per cent eating well and 20
per cent sneaking in the odd pudding, a little alcohol or organic dark
chocolate.'
Other
tips include avoiding chemicals wherever possible and using pink
Himalayan salt in the bath once a week to help banish toxins.
Regular body brushing - and lavish application of coconut oil - keeps her skin soft, as does an overnight mask once a week.
She has also begun investing in better quality cosmetics which, she says, work better and last for longer.
'I
use a little Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser in Golden which gives a
dewy effect and By Terry Terribly Densiliss concealer because contains
an eye treatment,' she explains.
'I
love Nars Taos or Orgasm blusher, Sephora black or blue liquid eyeliner
and By Terry Growth Booster Mascara which helps lashes grow and doesn't
clump up and a Bobbi Brown Long Wear Brow pencil.
'Then
for lips, I like Stila lip gloss in Cranberry, Nars lip glosses and
also Lipstick Queen's coral lipstick. Putting it all on takes about five
minutes.'
Ultimately,
Mrs Jacobs says looking young is all about outlook and says nothing
beats a big smile when it comes to knocking 10 years off.
'I
think the secret of eternal youth is to smile every day,' she says.
'The best thing about looking young is that it makes me feel good and
gives me confidence.
'I’m not perfect and have flaws like everyone else but I am grateful for what I do have.'
WANT TO LOOK AS YOUNG AS PAMELA? HERE'S HOW SHE DOES IT:
DIET
Pamela,
who is of South Asian origin, eats a super-healthy diet based largely
on vegetables and topped up with good proteins such as salmon.
Fresh-faced: Pamela eats a daily handful of almonds and eats a vegetable-based diet
Many
of the dishes she makes are Asian and are spiced up with ginger, cumin
and turmeric, among others, which she says act a bit like food
supplements in terms of the health benefits.
Breakfast
is usually an organic boiled egg served with gluten-free toast or
organic oatcakes and coconut yoghurt with fresh berries and nuts.
To
finish off the meal, she has a glass of coconut water with added liquid
iron, which she says is key for stopping her iron levels plummeting as
she ages.
Lunch
comes in the shape of a salad prepared at home in the morning and
usually contains a mixture of organic spinach, kale, rocket, cucumber,
tomatoes, olives, red peppers, advocado, beansprouts and sauerkraut
[pickled cabbage].
Fresh
basil and coriander add flavour while pumpkin and sunflower seeds add
crunch. 'For protein I’ll add some Arbroath salmon, eggs or chicken and
dress the salad with organic olive oil and lemon juice,' she adds.
'I also add cayenne pepper and lots of black pepper.'
Dinner
is equally healthy and usually consists of a portion of organic
chicken, oily fish or a lamb steak served with a 'mountain of
vegetables' - broccoli and courgettes are favourites.
She also eats a daily handful of almonds, snacks on celery and houmus and limits her coffee intake to one a day.
Most of what she eats is organic and she drinks water throughout the day, usually flavoured with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
EXERCISE
Pamela does a body conditioning class once a week and follows that with a fitness yoga session immediately afterwards.
While
at the gym, she uses the sauna and steam room and does a whole body
exfoliation. She also uses the time to use a hair mask - she likes
Aveda's Damage Remedy.
'I’ll go in the sauna for 10 minutes then have a freezing cold shower until the water stops,' she adds.
'I
love it – it makes me so feel invigorated and I’m convinced it has
helped to tone my skin. Then I will have 10 minutes in the steam and
repeat the cold shower.'
Slender: Pamela shows off her enviable physique and is pictured during a family holiday in New York
SKINCARE
Pamela loves Aveda's all-natural Damage Remedy range and alternates between that and the Inviati brand to keep her hair soft.
She
protects her locks with Aveda's Brilliant Hair protector and gets rid
of flyaways with the help of Oribe Moisturising Cream and Moroccan Oil.
Cleansing is done either with Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish ('It's reasonably priced and effective') or coconut oil.
To
keep her skin in good shape, she uses Origins A Perfect World
moisturiser which comes with SPF25 - a skincare essential according to
Pamela.
She
also uses Dermalogica Age Reversal eye cream and uses an Omorovicza
deep cleansing facial mask once a week. Dermalogica's Power Recovery
Mask is another favourite.
BODY CARE
Pamela moisturises her body with coconut oil twice a day and says it keeps her skin 'incredibly soft and nourished'.
She also uses a body brush before showering and prefers paraben-free shower gel brands such as Sai Sei or Faith in Nature.
Once
a week, she detoxes by soaking in a bath topped up with pink Himalayan
salt crystals and scrubs her feet each day while showering.
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