Try to tackle a few of these items a week if you’re overwhelmed, or all at once if you can’t wait to look younger than you should! It’s all up to you.
Yellow teeth can be aging, yet can be whitened professionally or with in-home whitening products. Drink water after eating any tooth-staining berries, coffee, wine, catsup, mustard or strong tea. And if you smoke (or drink), you must quit for obvious health reasons, wrinkly skin, as well as yellow teeth. You will smile and laugh more with white teeth, which will make you feel better and look younger!
No makeup at all or too much makeup looks old. Need I say more? A little mascara, blush and lip gloss is quick to
apply and enhances your natural beauty. Conversely too much makeup isn’t good either, especially too much contrast on your cheeks or lips. Whether too red, too brown or too purple will age you. Dark lipstick shades are only allowed when you’re on a date or attending an important black-tie function, and then it’s mandatory!
Wardrobe malfunctions will age you. So find a style that covers your body flaws, is age-appropriate and simple yet comfortable, without flaunting tummy rolls, arm flab, or thunder thighs!
Grey hair or roots left uncolored will make you appear older than you really are. Unless you find a great stylist and pay a lot of money to get the perfect cut and tint that works with your grey hair to look 5 years older (instead of 10) then go ahead! Otherwise please continue touching up your grey hair and roots, for the rest of us! And encourage your man to use the comb-through men’s colorant on facial hair as well as his head, it will make him look better too.
Extra weight, lose it or it will add an additional 5 years for every 20 lbs. you are overweight (based upon normal height/weight charts). So an extra 60 lbs. could make you look 15 years older, as well as putting you at-risk for diabetes, heart disease, etc. So get healthy, eat right, exercise, loose those extra pounds and keep them off!
Optional bonus tips listed below will subtract years (according to recent studies).
Cutting bangs or a fluff of some sort for bangs will make you look younger (Hoda & Kathy Lee show, summer 2009) according to on-air surveyed reactions to Kathy Lee Gifford’s newly-cut bangs along with other female celebrity haircuts.
Grapefruit scented perfume or perfumed oil. I heard that several celebrities including Jennifer Anniston and Jennifer Lopez, use this fragrance, and in smell tests men believed women who exuded this scent to be substantially younger than their chronological age. This is also true for vanilla, lemon, and musk, as long as it’s not too strong. However too much of any scent will add 10 years, male or female!
Double-chin yoga exercises will trim-up your chin. Smile and try touching your tongue to your nose, 20 times per day, when no one’s looking. Additional yoga stretches will keep you limber and graceful, which is good at any age!
Now that you know what you need to work on, get busy! And while you saunter confidently through the holidays listen to the comments you get. If someone tells you how rested or glowing you look, they’re actually trying to figure out whether you’re pregnant (again) or have been nipped and tucked! Or perhaps they choose to be direct when they ask what you’ve done to look so much younger, while they’re actually thinking they hate you for looking so good. Don’t worry, it’s alright to share your secrets (as well as this article) with all of your well-meaning, albeit jealous friends!
