Madonna, still looking good at 52

With her fresh complexion and taut skin, she would have been the envy of many women half her age.




In fact, Madonna looked so youthful as she arrived at her 52nd birthday party in London at the weekend that some even drew favourable comparisons with her 13-year-old daughter Lourdes.



Sadly for the singer, however, there was one tell-tale sign that she has not been immune to the ageing process.



A look at her hands as she clutched her black bag and a chunky gold crucifix showed that there are some things that even careful make-up and a tough gym regime can't hide.



Madonna surrounded herself with youthful companions for her party at the fashionable Shoreditch House private members' club in East London, including her 24-year-old boyfriend, model Jesus Luz. Lourdes arrived with four of her school friends.



The party, said to have cost £100 000 (about R1.2-million), started at 9pm in a private dining room on the fifth floor before at 11pm the singer and her guests moved up to the roof terrace, which has a swimming pool.



Champagne and vodka cocktails were served and the guests ate scallops, calamari, crayfish and quails' eggs. The party went on until 4am.



Madonna celebrates her actual birthday today and is rumoured to be throwing a fancy dress party to tie in with the birthday of her son Rocco, who turned ten last Wednesday.





But at her party, the Material Girl showed off a smooth, wrinkle-free face as she stepped out of her car looking very glamorous in a tight-fitting silver dress.



And while she may be dedicated to Kabbalah, the system of thought concerned with the mystical aspect of Rabbanic Judaism, she will always be a Catholic girl at heart.



Madonna accessorised her outfit with a crucifix necklace and she carried a gold crucifix in her hand which she held against her black clutch bag.



Lourdes looked even more like her mother did when she was younger as she showed off an outfit of a black mini skirt, boots and a black leather jacket.



Her long dark hair loose round her shoulders, she followed her mother's lead and also accessorised her outfit with crucifixes, although hers were on chains round her neck.



None of the star's A-lister friends appeared to be present at the celebration.



But strangely - and very randomly - comedian Paul Whitehouse, TV presenter Claudia Winkleman, Billie Piper and husband Laurence Fox may have been on the guest list as they were snapped arriving at Shoreditch House at the same time, and were more than happy to smile for the cameras.