Kylie Minogue has revealed insecurities about her appearance, saying she is sometimes alarmed by her reflection.

While the 44-year-old Australian pop princess still boasts a youthful appearance, she admits feeling alarmed when she catches a glimpse of herself make-up free in the mirror.

"I am not going to lie about this. There are lots of times I look in the mirror and I see that gravity has taken hold," she said.

"Or suddenly see my face on a phone or on Skype and it's like a Spielberg special effect and you just scream, 'Who is that?'"

The petite star is admired for her pert rear - made famous by the tiny pair of gold hot pants worn in her 'Spinning Around' video - but although she would love to show off her body and get dressed up in skimpy clothes, she sometimes believes she can no longer get away with it.

"Sometimes I forget [I am 44] and I think, 'I must get those hot pants out of retirement.' And then some mornings I look in the mirror and I see 94 not 44. That is the reality before the make-up. And midriff tops are definitely out for good," she said.

The singer is rumoured to use Botox injections to achieve her wrinkle-free complexion and Kylie revealed she wouldn't rule out cosmetic surgery to preserve her youth as long as it was done tastefully and in moderation.

"I am not against surgery, I haven't gone down that route yet, I don't know whether I will but I am not against it. The only time it isn't amazing is when it's not done well or someone takes it too far," she told ELLE magazine.