When it comes to anti-aging, it’s a fact that most women (and men) think in terms of physical appearance before they do longevity and health. That’s natural – but you can approach anti-aging and beauty from a total well being perspective.
Some of the things that make your beauty shine through are actually health tips that work from the inside out. Others are topical in nature, or choices you have to make consciously to reflect a more youthful appearance.
No one wants to look and feel old. It’s okay to project a vibrant man or woman whose age doesn’t hold them back. You can improve your appearance just by making small changes, such as standing up straight so that your posture isn’t bent over like someone who is older.
But there are other things that keep you looking young – from skincare to what you eat – so let’s take a look at how you can shave years off of your appearance quickly and easily.
Pamper Your Skin from Head to Toe
Your skin is your largest organ – and unfortunately, it’s also usually one of the most neglected ones. In your youth, you may have exposed it to hours and hours of harsh sunlight, never imagining that someday, those rays would take a toll on your beauty.
Tanning does make you look great in your younger days, but it then makes you look leathery as you get older. Not to mention, it can contribute to skin cancer – not just wrinkles.
No matter what age you are, you should starts using a strong sunscreen whenever you’re out in the sun. You can find makeup that has SPF built right in, but it probably isn’t enough – so add an extra layer of protection under your makeup to maximize your benefits. Moisturizing is another thing you want to implement into your daily and nightly skincare regimen.
Wrinkles appear because skin looks dried up – like a raisin. You have to hydrate it, but topical solutions aren’t enough. You need to drink plenty of water so that your skin is plumped up from the inside, too.
Topically, you’ll be using a variety of moisturizers on your skin. They include eye care, facial and body moisturizers. Some even specify whether they’re for day or night.
So a sample routine would be for you to apply a serum, cream or lotion meant specifically for the fragile eye area first. Then you would apply your facial moisturizer to include your neck area, and then a body cream for the rest of your body – such as your elbows, legs, and feet.
Facial moisturizers usually have a day or night application. The daytime ones offer more protection from harmful rays and toxins (like pollutants) that you encounter during the day.
Night time moisturizers go in and repair the damage that’s been done by the free radicals floating around in the air that you encountered. You want to make sure you’ve thoroughly cleansed your face before you apply it so that it can work on a clean slate and penetrate deep into your cells. If you sleep in your makeup, this won’t be effective.
Adjust Your Makeup for a Youthful Glow
If you’re a woman who wears makeup, you’ll need to adjust it as you grow older. Even in your 30s and 40s, it’s time to start making changes from your 20s. It’s weird, but the way makeup looks best on you almost comes in a complete circle.
As a very young woman, minimal is best. A little lip gloss, a dash of light blush… But over time we start getting more daring with bold, red lips and darker eyeliner with eye shadow that pops.
This is usually where we stay until one day we realize we have started to look harsh. There’s no other way to put it – makeup that’s too much, or too bold makes you look older.
So just as you did when you first started wearing makeup, you go back to a more natural look – something that brings your youthful glow to the surface. Part of the reason makeup starts to look different is because your skin changes.
In your earlier years, your skin might have been oily, so you used foundation for oily skin – paired with powder that concealed the oil from your face throughout the day.
But if your skin has become more and more dehydrated and wrinkles are beginning to show around your eyes and mouth, it’s time to ditch the powder and go with a foundation that has a dewy appearance.
Of course, moisturizer with SPF should be applied even before your foundation. After your base coat of foundation, sans the powder, apply your makeup in natural tones.
Now is not the time for bright blue eye shadow and hot pink or red lipstick. Peachy or light neutral, warm tones are perfect for grown women who want to capture their youthful look.
Watch the tones, but also watch how much makeup you apply. Caking on a thick layer of blush, even in a peach tone, will look bad if you lay it on too thick. Go back to your natural roots. It will take some time to get used to, but it will knock years off your appearance.
Fighting Wrinkles From the Inside
Wrinkles are the new naughty word of the decade. If you have them, you want to get rid of them at any price. If you don’t have them, you may make some wrinkles appear just by worrying about how to avoid them!
This whole exaggerated fear of wrinkles is a cosmetic surgeon’s dream come true. They’ll inject you with something that could kill in high enough doses – just to smooth out a few lines on your face.
But it’s only temporary. You have to go back month after month and pay a small fortune just to keep those signs of aging away. Before you know it, you’re paying more for maintenance on your wrinkles than it costs to keep you car tuned up!
You can take control of your wrinkle management regimen with simple, low cost, natural approaches. Here are some tips to help keep aging at bay:
- Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. It almost sounds too simple, but it’s very important to hydrate from the inside-out. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and it desperately needs to be hydrated. Drinking water, not lattes or sodas, keeps your skin supple and the rest of your body benefits, too!
- Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. The natural antioxidants in these fresh foods help strength skin tissue so that it repairs and rebuilds on schedule.
- Take vitamin and mineral supplements – particularly skin-friendly Vitamins A, C, and E. It doesn’t matter how many creams you put on your skin – if your body isn’t well-nourished, hydrated and supported with vitamins, signs of aging will show up and cause damage to your appearance.
- Include more nuts and oils in your diet. Use high quality virgin or extra virgin olive oil in your salads and for cooking. Snack on walnuts, peanuts or almonds. These foods help your body lubricate the skin from the inside-out.
- Additional antioxidants can be applied to the skin with creams made from soy protein, Vitamin A (retinol), peptides, hyrodxy acid and CoQ10 Enzyme. Look for these in a health food store or natural pharmacy. They aren’t cheap, but you’ll get better quality here than some of what you could buy for twice the price in a department store. And the natural products aren’t filled with artificial chemicals.
Combating wrinkles is an inside job as well as outside maintenance regimen. No amount of expensive designer creams will overcome what your body lacks on the inside to rebuild damaged cells.
Beauty and skincare is something that evolves over time. From the moment we begin taking care of ourselves and styling our own hair, picking out our own clothes, and apply make-up to the day when it’s time to recognize we need a makeover – it can be a fun process if you let it!
If you would like to learn more about the secrets to staying young, read my book Secrets of Aging – Staying Young and Healthy Made Easy. It is now available in both Kindle and hard copy.
Leave a Reply