Christie Brinkley's skin care secrets

When you think “old-ish but still hot,” former surfer girl-turned-uptown girl -turned-52 year-old soccer mom, Christie Brinkley, immediately comes to mind. And, rightfully so, she still looks amazing enough to make Chevy Chase not notice he’s eating a sandwich his dog peed on.

CoverGirl agrees. Thirty (!) years after Christie’s first go-round as an easy, breezy, beautiful spokes model, she was recently chosen by the makeup giant to be the face of its new Advanced Radiance line that’s geared to women over 35.

How does she pull it off ? Christie attributes her well-maintained face and bod to:

a) WEARING AT LEAST A 20 SPF SUN BLOCK YEAR ROUND. Ok, it’s obvious and we’ve heard it ad nauseum but…it works. After all when Oprah asked derm-to-the-stars, Patricia Wexler, if there is a miracle cream for skin, the doctor replied: "Yes. Sunscreen." Of course, you have to be sure it blocks both UVA AND UVB rays! In addition to blocking out the rays, Christie told Good Housekeeping that; "After a childhood of surfing and years of modeling on beaches, I occasionally get hydroxy peels at the doctor's office to reverse sun damage.”

b) EXFOLIATING HER SKIN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE…often using a super-rough loofah AND mega exfoliating scrub in tandem. Her rationale The fact that men’s faces seem to age more slowly – she thinks it’s because they shave and have a “constant turnover of skin” and tries to imitate the effect by scrubbing her face. "A good exfoliant scrub is the first step for good skin. Then moisturize and apply a makeup base. If your moisturizer makes you break out, you're wearing the wrong one. Shop for one with a sun block and no mineral oil.”

c) KEEPING ACTIVE – she plays tennis and skis and ice skates and plays softball – usually with her two young kids whom she has credited with giving her the impetus to stay fit; “After [my daughter] Sailor was born 7 years ago, I wanted to get back in shape – not so much to look good, but to feel good. I wanted to be able to keep up with them, to get down and play with them.”

d) YEARS OF BEING AROUND MAKE-UP ARTISTS AND KNOWING WHAT WORKS FOR HER…

1. KEEP SKIN LOOKING SMOOTH: “I look for makeup with anti-aging benefits” natch, she likes and wears CoverGirl make-up and swears by the Advanced Radiance foundation. “It gives good coverage and softens fine lines." She uses it primarily around her eyes and in the shadows between her nose and mouth; “It has a built in exfoliant that helps fade uneven pigments.”

2. TWEEZE YOUR EYEBROWS. "Brush hairs downward with a small eyebrow brush, fill in the gaps with an eyebrow pencil that's lighter than your eyebrows, then brush the hairs up, to create a seamless brow line."

3. USE A G00D UNDER EYE CONCEALER. "This will do wonders, but use it after you've put on your eye makeup, so it can cover everything."

4. GET A GOOD, FLUFFY BLUSH BRUSH. "And, for a simple look, dip the brush into the blush and bring it from the nose out under the cheekbones to give the face shape."

The other thing that may be keeping a spring in her 52 year-old step and a sparkle in her baby blues is her marriage to successful architect, Peter Cook, who is 5 years her junior. You go (cover) girl!***

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Um, maybe not. On July 12th, weeks after this blog posted, Christie's publicist, Elliot Mintz, announced that she and Peter had separated and will soon file for divorce. Her 4th.]