At 103 years old, dispensing pearls of wisdom is second nature to Joan Partridge. But even she was surprised when a video of her applying rouge found an appreciative audience of almost 200,000 onTikTok.
“I do my makeup every day, every morning, I think it is your confidence,” said Partridge, who is the eldest resident at Millcroft care home in Redditch,Worcestershire. Since the video went viral, Partridge has caught the attention of a cosmetics company which is keen to collaborate with her.
Collection Cosmetics sent over a box full of makeup products in a collaboration between the brand and new influencer. Partridge has shared these products with the other residents at Millcroft where she provides makeup tips, a hobby in which she has partakensince the age of 13.
“Put it on, take it off, sort of thing. Just do it gently,” advises Partridge when the Guardian visited her at the care home. She advises not to tap or rub in blush powder on to the skin but rather to lightly “sweep” the product on the face.
Partridge grew up in Birmingham, and was able to look after herself without assistance until she was 102, only moving into the care home in 2024.
However, even at 103, Partridge, who is a great-grandmother, is very mobile. “You’re as young as you feel and I only feel that’s a number,” she says. “It’s nothing else, it’s a number. And so I never worry about it.”
Annie Anstey, the marketing director at Collection Cosmetics, said: “We had to get in touch and gift her a range of our products so she could continue to share her inspirational beauty tips. We hope this collaboration inspires others – no matter their age, gender, sexuality, race and size – and shows that makeup and beauty looks different for everyone, there’s no right or wrong. Joan is the summer beauty icon we all need in our life!”
The care home’s lifestyle manager, Sophie Childs, 23, who filmed the original video, said the idea to record Partridge’s makeup routine occurred after Partridge advised her to wear more rouge.
“I went, what’s rouge? And she went blush, and she showed me how to put it on,” Childs said, pointing to Partridge’s wisdom as a main factor in the popularity of the video. “She knows best, she’s 103”.
Childs said makeup could bring together residents who may not have much in common. “It brings women together as one, I think … We all like makeup.” Childs, who is preparing to get married in the summer, has asked Partridge to be a flower girl at the wedding.
When asked about how she was coping with her newfound influencer label, Childs said: “We just can’t believe it. It’s just one thing after the other. We’re just taking it all in. It’s just amazing. We never thought it would take off like that. I’m so glad. It’s such an amazing thing.”