Tuesday, January 26, 2010

On A Quest For...How Not to Look Old



Seems like all the articles, magazines, and blogs I read lately have to do with How Not to Look Old which    happens to be the name of a book I recently bought by Charla Krupp. This lady has some wonderful tips that I think should be shared at this very time! I agree with my new BFF, Charla, as she says, "Aging sucks!"  And, with that said, here are Di's Top Ten Favorite Tips From Charla:

  1. Nothing ages you like Helmet Head hair!  You know the style that your grandma probably wears...short bubble 'do' with perm.  Long before I was a Nana, I would get stupid and transform my hair into a Helmet Head for about 1 day, and then I would vow never to cut or perm again.  Thank goodness, I'm sticking to my vows lately.  I have let my hair grow to a nice medium length, and I do believe that hair was meant to move, and that which does not, is too old ladyish for me! Check out this article, Hairstyles That Make You Look 10 Years Younger: allure.com.
  2. Nothing ages you like outdated shades!  Can't afford Lasik surgery?  Then get some cool frames or better yet, some contact lenses.  They are both a pain in the you know what, but really help the how not to look like an old lady look.  No granny glasses for me!
  3. Nothing ages you like the tanning bed!  How can anyone be so stupid? Enough said.
  4. Nothing ages you like a bad make up job!  Something you do every day (yes, every day) should have just a tiny bit of effort put into it.  No heavy foundation, no cakey eyeliner, no demarcation lines between your chin and neck...yada, yada, yada.  I use my 8 minute daily KISS routine...keep it simple stupid!
  5. Nothing ages you like yellow teeth! A great smile is a must have at any age, and I do admit this is the first thing I notice about a person...call me judgmental...that's OK. But, do have your teeth whitened by a professional or do it yourself with all the great products that are over the counter these days.  I would work an extra job, if need be, just to have money for precious dental care.
  6. Nothing ages you like age spots on your hands!  You should already know to put sunscreen on your face, and now you should know to put sunscreen on the tops of your hands.  This vulnerable area is just as important to protect as your face.  Wish someone had told me to do this back in the 80s, because I have a few yucky age spots that I am now considering taking the laser to.
  7. Nothing ages you like matchy-matchy dressing from head to toe! Don't you just laugh your head off when you see someone with pink dress, pink bow, pink belt, pink shoes, pink purse, pink nails?  Erase these old rules from your memory.  Quit trying too hard, and by all means...you have permission to wear white after Labor Day if you want to!
  8. Nothing ages you by wearing the wrong skirt length!  The best way to solve this problem is to look at the length of your outfit in a photo or video.  Photos are so revealing, and I have raced to the alteration lady many times to remedy bad situations.
  9. Nothing ages you like outdated, as well as too much jewelry!  OK, so your mom or grandmom loves you and left you a wonderful diamond broach...just take it to your trusted jeweler and have it updated. And, don't make the classic old lady mistake of wearing all your nice things in one outing.  Besides looking really goofy, if you get mugged you could lose every nice thing you've got!
  10. Last but not least, the best advice I got from Charla...Nothing ages you like dark lipstick! Choose the perfect pink for your lips.  The right pink lightens up the mouth with a shimmery luminosity that helps compensate for the loss of glow in our older complexions. Also, pink lipstick does not bleed through those ugly vertical lip lines (we tend to develop as we age) like dark lipstick does.
Charla has a bunch more practical guidance in this helpful book, just read it for yourself.  And in closing, I must add my 2 cents worth of advice for how not to look old...lose the old lady attitude. The attitude where you give up on your appearance and inaccurately think it does not matter what you look like now that most of the world considers you over the hill.  Remember, Samuel Butler said, "There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle."  Just don't forget to rosin up your bow!