As I get older my face and body seem to change daily.
I find myself staring in the mirror each morning to find the differences.
The truth is beauty is subjective.
We have been taught that beauty in women is a young and dewey face, an hour-glass figure and long wavy locks.
That is simply not true.
“I didn’t want to let women down. One of the stereotypes I see breaking is the idea of aging and older women not being beautiful.” – Annie Leibovitz
There is beauty in every age, and we should embrace it at whatever point we are in our lives. We can always highlight our best features, take care of our bodies, and wear clothing that flatters us.
It doesn’t mean you stop trying. After all, you did it at 20, 30, 40 so why not at a more mature age? There are style influencers out there that are showing us just how fabulous we can be over 50.
So let’s do it!
“I was the Kate Moss of my day, atypical of what the public wanted, which was Brigitte Bardot. I was always tall, skinny and angular. But now, society has bought 55 years of my marketing ‘Carmen,’ and I’m considered beautiful. I hope that empowers older women.” – Carmen Dell’Orefice
In this article I will share with you tips to look your best. I will cover beauty and style to create the best version of yourself without using invasive procedures.
“I don’t want to fight aging; I want to take good care of myself, but plastic surgery and all that? I’m not interested.” – Christine Lahti
Believe it or not, it starts with health.
As you probably know, beauty starts from the inside out. Taking care of your health goes a long way. Getting a good night’s sleep, drinking a lot of water, eating good quality food, and regular exercise gives you a glow.
It makes the blank canvas of your body, face, hair, and nails the best it can be.
Then you can go from the point of vibrant health and add to it with your beauty routines.
Skin
Your skin is your biggest organ and of course the place where you might show your age the most. Wrinkles are a normal part of aging, however, we can reduce their appearance with a bit of effort.
Exfoliation is essential
As we get older our skin gets dryer and dead skin tends to build up on the surface.
“The outer layer is a roof of dead skin, and it thickens as you age, so you need to exfoliate to see more of the fresher skin,” advises Dr. Steven J. Pearlman, a New York City plastic surgeon.
You can use a dry brush for your face that is more gentle than the one you would use on your body just before you take your shower. Do this at least 1-2 times a week, depending on how sensitive your skin is. This will also help your moisturizer to go on more smoothly.
Also, there are serums and scrubs you can use instead or maybe layer together.
Just don’t overdo, you don’t want to irritate your skin. Try one thing at a time to see what your results are before you layer on another process.
According to NYC-based board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Michele Green, retinol, ceramides, vitamin C, and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) are among the potent ingredients that produce good results when addressing fine lines and wrinkles, sagging skin, and other signs of aging. I also like to interchange a dry brush with a good exfoliating scrub.
Again, I use different ones for my face than my body.
Put sunscreen on several times a day
While it might not be practical on your whole body, at least make sure you use sunscreen on the exposed skin. Do this rain or shine as sun rays do get through no matter what the weather.
I once got the worst sunburn of my life laying on the beach when there was a cloudy sky.
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
I don’t think I can overstate this.
I use 3 different moisturizers. One that is for my eyes, one for my face, and another that is special for my neck. I then use a completely different one for my body. I have been doing this for years, even in my 20’s and I really think it’s made a difference.
Facials
I do them myself or go to a salon. I endeavor to do one at least once a week.
I have one cardinal rule.
I never go to bed with makeup on. I have visions of the makeup grinding into my skin when I sleep that has really kept me faithful to my rule.
For smokers, DON’T.
I can always tell if someone is a smoker, it always shows in their face.
This joins up to the health suggestion above, so if there’s only 1 thing you do, and it’s quitting smoking, then that’s likely the most important action you can take.
Hair
There are so many options…
Should I go grey or should I dye it? Long or short? Conservative or edgy?
There is a lot to decide.
Choose according to your preferences and what looks good on you. There really are no right or wrong answers.
While I am starting to go grey at 66, I am having more problems with my hair thinning.
Thinning hair
For me, I believe diet Is part of the problem. I have been dieting and eating keto which means I don’t get all the vitamins I need. I take a biotin supplement to help with that. I also use biotin shampoo and conditioner.
Not washing and blow drying my hair daily helps as well.
Dry hair and scalp
This is also an issue as you get older. The texture of your hair changes and your scalp can get dry and flaky. Just as you exfoliate your skin on your body, do the same thing on your scalp.
You can massage it while you wash it and use a dry brush on your scalp before you shower. Leaving in conditioner can also help nourish your hair.
I like to use a Moroccan Argan Oil after I blow dry my hair. It helps tame the frizzes.
Be careful about over processing your hair
Perms, straightening, and dyeing, bleaching and highlighting…
All of the above strain your hair and can make it look dry and damaged. So be very selective on what you choose, and don’t over do
Makeup
I have changed my makeup routine drastically in my later years.
For me, it seems like less is more.
Where I used to use 3-4 eyeshadow color on my eyes plus eyeliner, I now rarely use shadow. I feel that for me too much make up makes me look older.
So I am careful to use just a few products that give me the best effects.
“Aging gracefully is about no heavy makeup, and not too much powder because it gets into the wrinkles, and, you know, to not get turtle eyelids and to not try to look young.” – Iris Apfel
Face
I like using a light sheer foundation. As I have gotten older, I find the heavy foundations can look caky on my skin and actually emphasize wrinkles.
You can’t live without a concealer.
It helps with under-eye wrinkles and reduces the appearance of imperfections on my skin. I use a very light weight loose powder to even out my face and give it a more matte look. I top it with a bit of blush and my face is done.
Eyes
For many of us, our eyes are our best feature, so it makes sense to play them up.
Unfortunately, our eyebrows and eyelashes are getting thin.
Again, diet and supplements can help here. I experiment with different mascaras to see which one will accentuate my lashes but not clump them. Black for me helps also make them look more prominent.
Filling in my eyebrows with a pencil using short strokes prevents them from looking sparse.
I find I am better off using pencil or shadow to line my eyes rather than liquid. First of all, I can’t hold my hand that steady to apply, but I also think it looks too harsh and a bit ragged on mature skin.
Lips
Are your lips getting thinner?
This common at our age, I know mine are.
Lip liner will help as well as a flattering lip color. Add a dot of clear lipgloss to make them look larger.
Grooming
I get a manicure and pedicure on a regular basis. I believe it makes one look polished.
Conclusions
As we get older, we can have as much fun using products and makeup as we did at 16.
However, the rules change and we need to learn to make the most of our assets and play down the inevitable changes that come with growing older.
Feel like sparkles and glitter? Go for it! (Just don’t overdo it 😉
Feel like toning things down a bit? That’s great too.
Perhaps the most important beauty advice that I can give you is to embrace yourself.
If you feel beautiful, others will see you as beautiful!
Do you have any beauty secrets you’d like to share with other women over 50?
Write them in the comments section below!
