A glamorous grandmother has revealed how strangers assume that she is in her 20s - and that her grown-up daughters are actually her sisters.

And most people mistake Cindy Fernandez, 45, who favours figure-hugging outfits and has long highlighted hair, for her three-year-old granddaughter Avery’s mother when they are out and about together.  

Beautician Cindy, from Houston, Texas, whose daughters Kassandra and Michelle are in their 20s, has been married to her husband, Miguel, 49, for 27 years, and says that she refuses to ‘let herself go’.

However, she also admits that her looks have brought negative attention from people who think that she wears too much makeup, reports the Daily Mail.

As a trained beautician, deftly applying make-up is second nature to Cindy, and she said she loves experimenting with different looks.

The mother-of-two explained: ‘I don’t want to just let myself go. On one hand, I’d rather not age, but I also know every year is a blessing.

‘But while a lot of young grandmothers don’t like being called a grandma, I love it. To me, being a grandma is a privilege, so I am happy for Avery to use that word.’ 

Cindy acknowledges the negative comments but says that she tries to ignore them. 

She said: ‘People can be cruel and call me materialistic or vain. It’s almost like we never left school. You’d hope people would mature as they age but mean girls will always follow you throughout life.

‘I’ve had people give me very back-handed compliments, like, “Underneath all that makeup is a good person”. I don’t understand what makeup has to do with it. I post plenty of bare-faced pictures, too, but I feel better in myself to be glammed up.

‘I try not to listen to the negativity. I do this for myself, not other people and if I’m not hurting anyone, then why not? I don’t want to just give in to ageing.’

Growing up, Cindy said that she had always wanted to be a young mother.

The beautician has two daughters, Kassandra, 25, and Michelle, 24.

She explained: ‘My own mum, who passed away nine years ago, had me at 45.

‘Being an older mum meant she couldn’t do an awful lot with me. There were limitations to her running around, coming to sporting events and so on.

‘She was fantastic and very involved when I had children of my own, but I knew I wanted to be young enough to still be active with my kids and grandkids.’ 

Aged 20, Cindy had her eldest girl, Kassandra, followed by Michelle just 11 months later.

Juggling two babies made her life hectic but she also found time to make sure she always looked glamorous.   

As part of her routine, she’d get up at around 5am, when her husband went out to work, to make sure she had enough time to get ready.

She said: ‘People would ask me how I maintained myself, as I’d always make sure I dressed up, put some makeup on and looked alive.

‘It is hard and, of course, there’s nothing wrong with having your hair in a bun and wearing sweatpants.

‘But I felt it was important to still be me, and realise that it didn’t need to be the end now I was a mother.

‘I’d get people saying, “Don’t you ever just want a lazy day?” But one day I won’t be able to look like this and age will catch up with me, so why not enjoy it and do the best with what I have now?’

For the past four years, Cindy has also had Botox injections every six to eight months.

She said: ‘I don’t believe in drastically altering your appearance, but I’m all for enhancing what God gave you.

‘I want to look natural, so I don’t have Botox for the sake of it – only when I need it.

‘We don’t have much in the way of resources to fight the hands of time, so why not use what we can?’

Mostly, Cindy says strangers think she is in her late 20s or early 30s, often assuming her daughters are her sisters.

She laughed: ‘I think they’d rather I dressed like a stereotypical grandmother.

‘When I was a teenager, I always looked older, so when people first started telling me the opposite, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t see what they saw.

‘Me looking young is a double-edged sword for my children, though. In school, their guy friends would tease them, so I imagine they soon grew tired of it.

‘They tell me they are proud of me, but being a young grandma means they do face awkward questions. They tell me they just want me to look like a normal grandmother, but I say to them that I’m very sorry, but this is me.

‘I don’t want to be put into a mould that doesn’t fit me.’

Now, with Kassandra heavily pregnant, Cindy is looking forward to becoming a grandmother for the second time.

But, while she cherishes her role and thoroughly enjoys her regular days out with Avery, she does not think she will be switching to a more conservative look any time soon.

She said: ‘I have always been a great believer in “each to their own”. Some women prefer to age naturally with no help, and if that’s what makes them happy, that’s great – but looking like this is what makes me happy.’