Let the archaic beauty rules fall away as you age gracefully.
Keep your hair short past a certain age
There’s no hard-and-fast rule stating that every woman has to cut their hair into a pixie-style “granny bob” in order to look put together and age gracefully.
Choose a hairstyle and length based on your hair’s thickness, your facial structure and your personal lifestyle, not the year you were born.
Long layered looks that just brush your shoulders can soften the face and create beautiful movement. And as long as you maintain healthy ends and a good haircut, it shouldn’t matter where you part your hair.
Cover your skin with full-coverage foundation
Layering on matte liquid foundation in an attempt to cover fine lines only works against you. Thick formulas sink into pores and wrinkles and stick to dry patches of skin for a flat, mask-like complexion that emphasizes texture.
The dermatologically approved way to even out skin tone now is with light weight skin tint, tinted moisturizer, or a hydrating serum foundation.
Showing a bit of true skin and focusing on spot-concealing gives you a brighter, dewy complexion.
Dye your grays immediately
Gray hair does not mean you’ve let yourself go. Gray, silver, salt-and-pepper, and white hair all have a boldness to them and offer beautiful high-contrast style when cared for properly.
Glosses that enhance silver hair, deep conditioning masks, and expert trims are all about bringing out your natural tones.
Avoid all shimmer or sparkle because it highlights wrinkles
For ages, beauty experts have advised women with mature skin to stick solely to matte eyeshadows, worried that any hint of shimmer would emphasize the signs of aging.
You’ll want to skip the obvious gold and silver craft glitter, but smooth satins, creamy highlighters, and finely milled metallics will do the opposite.
Satin finishes bounce light off the skin, creating a soft-focus effect that adds warmth, dimension, and brightness to the eyes.
Blush only on the apples of your cheeks
Smile and apply blush directly on the apples of your cheeks? Sure, when your skin is firm, that may be where you want to blush. But since facial fullness moves up and out as we age, blush applied only to the apples can actually drag your face down once your skin is relaxed.
Try applying cream or liquid blush higher, on the cheekbones themselves, and swipe upward toward your temple. It will instantly lift and highlight your structure.
Don’t wear dark nail polish
Past advice said that women should keep their nails short, rounded, and painted in barely there pinks or the palest of nudes once they got older. Dark berries, classic reds, and slick dark plums will give you an elegant and put together look no matter what your age.
Today, looking after your nails simply involves keeping them moisturized and neatly shaped so you can wear any polish that makes you feel put-together.
Use a stiff brush or rough scrubs on your skin to exfoliate dead skin cells
Rough physical exfoliants and hard bristled cleansing brushes strip away your skin’s natural lipid barrier leaving you with redness and dry skin that just won’t heal.
Plus, since our skin’s regenerative powers slow with age, rough treatment will cause more damage than good.
Swap out those abrasive scrubs for a mild chemical exfoliant, such as a low-percentage lactic acid or polyhydroxy acids (PHAs), to refine your skin’s texture while protecting its vital moisture barrier.
Stop wearing bright colors or bold prints near your face
There used to be a notion that with age came a need to swap vibrant hues for muted tones such as beige, navy, and gray. Washing out your wardrobe with dull neutrals can leave your complexion looking dull.
Jewel tones, vivid corals, or even crisp whites close to your face can reflect light, instantly making your skin look radiant without any makeup.
Use heavy anti-aging creams to keep skin firm
Beauty companies have sold us the myth that some night cream is going to do miraculous things to revert structural changes in the skin.
We now know that topical creams can only provide limited benefits when it comes to deeper collagen loss; true longevity comes from supporting the skin barrier, drinking plenty of water, and using a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day.
Instead of putting all of your time and money into creams, shift your focus to daily sun protection, lightweight ceramides, and hydrating from within for the best results.
Wash your hair daily to keep it feeling clean
With age, the oil glands on your scalp tend to become less active.
Daily use of foaming cleansers will only remove these beneficial oils your scalp produces. Daily shampooing will cause your hair to feel dry and lifeless. And hair in this condition breaks more readily and feels limp.
You might find it beneficial to switch to a milder, sulfate-free shampoo and reduce washing to every other day, or even just two to three times weekly. Rest assured, your scalp will still feel clean, and your hair will be softer to the touch.
Match your makeup strictly to your clothing choices
Matching your eyeshadow or lipstick to the exact color of your dress can appear try hard and extremely matched. Currently, the beauty world suggests aligning your makeup with your skin’s undertones, not your wardrobe.
Neutral/pink, warm, or berry colors on the eyes and lips really help an outfit pop much more than that bright turquoise sweater paired with turquoise eyeshadow.
Thin out your eyebrows as you age
Women from previous decades spent too much time tweezing in front of the mirror, which resulted in super thin arches that can make your entire face look angrier and more severe.
Sure, brows thin as you age, but plucking them excessively will only hasten the loss of that all important framework and definition.
Use a taupe or soft-brown pencil to fill in brows with soft hair-like strokes, then set with tinted brow gel. It will frame your eyes and lift your upper face.
Stick to your old hair and skincare routine
It’s easy to fall into the trap of clinging to a certain hair washing routine, haircut, or skin product just because it seemed to work great years ago.
Skin thickness, scalp oils, and natural texture change as we age, and your hair and skin care regimen should change with them.
Refresh your beauty regime by doing an inventory of your shower shelf every now and then and switching up the products you use with higher quality oils, mild cleansers, and newer hair products that will continue working with you.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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