Lisa Butcher - brains behind beauty

She appeared on the cover of Vogue, modeled for YSL and Galliano, debuted Britain's Next Top Model and fixed fashion disasters on What Not To Wear. But how far will Lisa Butcher go to preserve her looks?

Lisa is a big fan of ethical beauty products and forever on the lookout for the latest miracle cream. But as the wrinkles and dimples start to show - the mum of two talks candidly about cosmetic procedures and the psychology of beauty.

How did you get into ethical beauty?

Lisa Butcher: I never bought ethically until I started to research it. I'm a mum of two teenage girls, there are so many chemicals and additives in everything - you just have to be a bit careful.

Do you live an especially 'ethical' lifestyle?

Lisa Butcher: Not massively. Life is about balance, I'm not one of these extreme people that points the finger at people wearing fur and points the finger at people eating things with additives - extremism in anything is not a good thing.

Do you try to educate your daughters on skincare?

Lisa Butcher: I do, but they dont really listen that much! You know teenage girls - it goes in one ear and out the other.

Where do you stand on cosmetic procedures?

Lisa Butcher: If there's something about your body that makes you unbelieveably unhappy and it's holding you back I don't see what the problem is changing it - for yourself, not for others... and not to follow trends.

What lengths do you go to?

Lisa Butcher: Making sure I drink enough water, get enough sleep and use good products on my face. Ageing is a lot to do with genetics. I'm quite fortunate because my mum looks great and she's in her late 70s.

Would you consider surgery?

Lisa Butcher: I haven't got to that point yet, it's not anything that I've considered to date. But when I'm 50 and my face is on the floor, well - maybe!

What do you think of people who have a lot of surgery?

Lisa Butcher: I don't think it's attractive. You've got to look like yourself. When people start doing too much it looks terrible.

I was sitting opposite Pete Burns in a restaurant recently and I couldn't take my eyes off him, I was obsessed! When I see people who have had surgery I am a bit fascinated - I try and figure out what the hell they've done because their face morphs into something that's just not real.

Apart from joining iVillage as a blogger, what are you up to at the moment?

Lisa Butcher: I've just designed a new collection of clothes and jewellery for fair-trade fortnight (available early next year).

Also, I'm going back to school to do a course in cognitive therapy... to become a better person, essentially. I left school when I was 15 so I thought I might as well try and use my brain for something!

The thing that interested me most about What Not To Wear was why people behaved the way they did, why they ended up in the places they did - fashion aside that was the thing that really made me think, so I'm excited about learning to understand.

- Check out Lisa Butcher's Fashion Files blog
- View Lisa Butcher's Top 10 Ethical beauty products
- View More beauty product tips .