Contemporary beauty standards, techniques, and preferences evolve as one ages. The key is to find the approach that suits your style, preserves your confidence, and complements your changing skin and hair tones. This dynamic requires a shift from old habits to more contemporary and age-friendly beauty techniques. Here are a few tips to keep you glowing as you age gracefully.
Let’s begin with your daily makeup regime.
If you are someone who has long sworn by a neutral makeup palette of browns, grays, and beiges for eyes, topped with a toned bronzer and a range of nude lips, it’s time to experiment a bit. While neutral tones indeed work wonderfully and have been staples for decades, stepping it up a notch can bring a refreshing change.
Renowned makeup artist, Bobbi Brown, suggests not shying away from adding a dash of sparkle and color to the face. She proposes the use of pink, claiming it suits everyone and yet looks natural. Her rule of thumb is to add sparkle, shimmer or shine and a pop of color to two parts of the face. You might experiment with shimmery brown on your eyes paired with rosy, pink cheeks or some glossy color on your lips. The idea is to remain within your preferred shades but choose ones that complement and enhance your skin tone instead of appearing garish or washed out.
Next, factor in your diet to enhance your look – as they say, “you are what you eat”.
Maintaining a healthy diet is almost as imperative for your skin as the products you use. A certified health coach like Bobbi Brown not only touts a wellness approach to beauty but reiterates that a healthy diet coupled with hydration will make your skin look better, reducing the need for excessive makeup.
Pay close attention to your diet, with an emphasis on a combination of proteins, fats and fiber, along with ample water for hydration. Opting for super-quick, filling, healthy foods that require nearly no preparation can be your go-to solution when your fridge is stuffed with leftovers, and you still have no idea what to eat! Occasionally, indulging your sweet tooth with a tiny bit of salted black licorice after dinner isn’t a bad idea either.
Finally, we come to the most visible part of your style statement – your hair.
Being open about hair issues and having relatable takes on everything from color to root touch-ups, thinning, and styling is crucial. Brown shares her experience with topical hair-loss treatment – minoxidil, which she calls a game-changer for her hair and brow growth.
Hair color can work as a cosmetic boost, but deciding on a color is purely personal. For instance, although she admires gray hair on other women, Brown herself prefers dark hair. Following what you love on yourself rather than what your friends or stylists say is essential. A handy tip is to use an eye shadow or a powder root touch-up to make visible roots disappear quickly. If you are comfortable with applying makeup, powders are a quick, non-messy fix.
Your hair care doesn’t mean you need to master the art of blow-drying. You have the options of air-drying or treating yourself to a quick salon blowout for a refreshed look.
Beauty regimes are personal scripts, and they should evolve with time to match the changing aesthetic needs of aging. The key is to be honest about your beauty challenges, experimenting with new styles, colors, and methods that boost your confidence, and in turn, your allure.
