Have fun reading these ‘3 tips to not look old’ and possibly finding the key to eternal youth (slight exaggeration!) Searching for the key is a quest I’ve been on ever since I saw my first wrinkle. Credit goes to fortunate experimentation, some great websites, useful products, and a couple of super resource books. I recommend both (How Not to Look Old and Frumpy to Fabulous) on my Books I Love page. I also loved the TV show “What Not to Wear”. The show stopped production a few years ago but can be seen on Amazon Prime, etc. New episodes will start airing in April 2020!
This month is a big birthday for me. I’m exchanging the 6 in the tens place of my age for a 7. The new number still sounds old to me. I know it will normalize soon and I’ll realize that I’m the same person; I’ve just been blessed to be around for a really long time! My Main Goal is to Find Joy in the Age I Am. However, secondarily, I’m working on not looking old and looking as good as possible.
Tip #1: What Not to Wear to Not Look Old!
Baggy, Shapeless Clothes: Frumpy, dumpy clothes might feel comfortable, but that’s because their purpose is lounging in the privacy of your home or sleeping in your bed! Baggy ≠ Beauty or even Cuteness! Whether you’re going for super loose outfits to hide the pounds or a little paunch, (which serves to accentuate the issue) or they’ve become your go-to fashion statement; change it up and go for well-fitting clothes with some shape to them. Check out my friend Susan’s blog! She’s now Susan After 60. I started following her when she was ‘Fifty Not Frumpy’. And, she’s not! You can also follow her on FB here.
Mousy Colors are not for you; um…they’re for mice! Dull-colored clothing can make you look washed out, tired, and older than you are. No one needs that! It might be time to perk things up, add some color, pattern, and texture to your wardrobe. Natalie Jobity author of Frumpy to Fabulous emphasizes the need to make color your ‘fashion ally.’ She states, “Seeing the brighter, more confident, more self-assured person in the mirror instantly creates those positive attributes inside, so you shine inwardly as well as outwardly.”
Updated Underwear! For a woman, the age and fit of her bra are crucial. They can add years and frumpiness to her look. Or, they can subtract years and add perkiness. Saggy, loose, and low-hanging are not words you want to come to mind when judging the status of your unmentionables. 😉 Take yourself in to your favorite department or lingerie store and enlist the help of a profession fitter. You’ll learn a lot and leave feeling supported and updated.
Tip #2: Take Care of Your (Not Old) Hair
Deep Treatments: You should be deep treating regularly. Once a week would be beneficial. Use a salon product recommended by your stylist or try something from the haircare aisle. I’m partial to Paul Mitchell’s Super-Charged Moisturizer. My graying hair loves the extra moisture that deep-treating provides.
Heat is not your Friend: Heated hair tools can be murder on your hair. Blow dryers, curling irons, and straight irons create sassy styles, but damage your lovely locks if used too often and at too high of temperatures. Another reason I love the Paul Mitchell Moisturizer. It’s great if you have been an excessive hot tool user.
Updating your Do: How cute and sassy your hairstyle feels and looks is the last tip for your hair. This step can make ALL the difference! You’ll find a post here called New Hair Could be Your New Happy. It’s got a lot of tips for going for that on-trend look with your hairstyle and care. One tip from that post is to find a stylist you trust and who knows how to personalize your style. It might take a while, but a great stylist is essential and he/she doesn’t need to be exorbitantly expensive!
Tip #3: Put Your Best (Not Old) Face Forward
Makeup Magic: The quality of your makeup, the amount you use, and a few application hacks can transform your face. You don’t need to take out a loan to stock your makeup drawer, but don’t skimp with the super-cheap products either. Consider ingredients when you’re cosmetics shopping. What you put on your face absorbs into your system, so label reading is wise. I use *Arbonne Cosmetics. I’ve used them for over ten years, and I love them! (I also love the comments I get when my real age comes up in conversation!) They’re top quality and are safe for my skin. There are several department store and drugstore brands that are health conscious as well. Origins and Physicians Formula are possibilities. Remember to read those labels for individual products.
*Stay away from dated steps: overly dramatic lined lips, dark cakey eyeshadow (think the bright blues from the ’60s and ’70s), and too much or too dark blush. BTW, my current favorite lipstick is called *Hibiscus. Isn’t it pretty?
*Use a light touch with eyeliner. I love using the Arbonne *retractable eyeliner pencil that can be blended with a Q-Tip. Mine has lasted forever and there are lots of fun colors out there, but basic black still works.
*The goal with any makeup application is not to look like you have any makeup ON. Think ‘enhancing’ your natural beauty while minimizing those little imperfections. Each of the previous suggestions will help meet that goal. The last one I suggest is the amount of foundation, powder, and concealer you apply. You want enough coverage to even out your skin tones, but not the pancake makeup look of days-gone-by. I use *Perfecting Liquid Foundation: Rosy Beige for light but complete coverage. It just takes a teeny drop of this age–defying formula mixed with the Makeup Primer to cover my septuagenerian face and to last all day. Easy Peasy!
Don’t Forget the Skincare: Similar to the points made about cosmetics; what you put on your skin can affect the rest of your system. Be cautious. I also recommend a skincare regimen that sloooooows the aging process. The results appeared quickly with my use of the *Arbonne Skincare about twelve years ago. And, now as I’m approaching a new decade, I’m not stopping using these products and undoing all the good I’ve done! I’ve also heard great things about the effectiveness of the Olay Regenerist anti-aging products. Plus, those red bottles are so pretty!
Let’s Wrap this Up!
Hopefully, some of the tips here have inspired you to make a couple changes that give you a little boost! I think my favorite is the light touch with foundation. Nothing worse than makeup that looks like makeup! (Check out the free gift here, it’s quick directions for A Not Old 5 Minute Face.) However, I believe the bottom line to all of this my friends, is that we need to love ourselves and be content with our reality. As we’re considering ways to improve those things we can change (losing that last five pounds as opposed to changing the size of your feet 🙂 ) hopefully, we can find that balance and live our best life with peace and grace (in a cute, colorful outfit!)
*(I’m an Arbonne Consultant and will receive compensation if you purchase products through my website www.kathyrowland.arbonne.com)
If you purchase from other links in this post, I may receive some kind of affiliate commission. I will only promote products that I personally use or can recommend without hesitation. Thank you for your support in this way.
Finding a new purpose in living and joy in the day-to-day was the goal when author Kathy Rowland and her entire family (adult kids and grandkids) moved from the PNW to Texas several years ago. The focus of Quiet Hollow is to encourage ‘next chapter women’ – those who are retired, empty-nesters, or have found themselves without a spouse to jump back into life. And, she shares multiple tips, ideas, and possibilities toward that end. Kathy completed her almost 30 years as an elementary teacher and hopped into over a decade of volunteer work, side hustle-type businesses, and grandchild care before discovering her unique and fulfilling purpose for the next chapter of life. What you read on Quiet Hollow is a large part of that calling. Another part is the happy life she’s leading in Central Texas in the same neighborhood as the 3 big kids and her 5 grandkids. She and her college sweetheart husband made sure to add a pool to their new Texas home, so there are lots of noisy, splashy days in their little oasis of a backyard. Come join her on Quiet Hollow in a conversation about finding and living the life you were created to live in this later stage. The chats will be full of laughter, support, faith, and inspiration to create.
In the picture of Susan after-60, she is certainly not dowdy, but the outfit in the updated look is NOT classy or inspiriring.
Not sure she was going for classy or inspiring, more the opposite of frumpy. However, I agree that she could’ve done both at the same time…maybe a blend of sassy and classy 🙂