How to be an ageless beauty

Standing in line at the grocery store do you scan the headlines of the magazines? Here’s a couple I saw last week.

How to have the Best Hair in your 30’s, 40’s 50’s.

Find the Best Style for your 30, 40’s 50’s.

How to Live Your Best Life in 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.

Is there a trend here?

Are you seeing what I’m seeing?

Does current culture deem women disappear/fall off the face of the earth/vaporize as they near the end of their fifties?

It would seem so.

Interestingly, I also saw a Men’s magazine with a showcase headline, “Look your best in 2017” – period. Hmmm.

The message is pretty clear that as women after 50 our days of ‘Bests’ are well….over.

I don’t know about you but frankly I think they’ve got it all wrong.

Last week I received an email from a Red Shoe reader and friend. She’d recently spent time with her brother who restores heritage homes. Together they were admiring the beauty of aged wood and he remarked on the the wood’s patina.

“Patina?” my friend asked. “It’s the look wood takes on as it ages,” he explained.

“Don’t you think it’s interesting that we value the beauty of wood as it ages but not of our skin and our selves?”  she asked.

YES! Did this ever resonate.

My first career was in film in television, where as an actress, I was constantly under a magnifying glass. During that time I admit I joined the hunt for perfection as frustrating, empty and impossible-to-achieve  as it was. When I retired in my mid 40’s the most freeing thing was to just be my natural self. Since then my whole idea of beauty and aging has turned upside down. Beauty as I see it now are the twinkles that dance in eyes of experience, and the unmistakable glow that comes from living purposefully.

This is true beauty…memorable…stunning…unforgettable.

So let’s be done with covering up age or trying to ‘fix’ it as if we’re somehow broken or less than.

I believe wholeheartedly in Yummy Aging. That’s aging that energizes the spirit, reinvigorates purpose and celebrates the ageless beauty that comes only with total acceptance of one’s self.

If you want to be an ageless beauty the first thing you have to do is let go of the myth that to be beautiful a woman has to be young. To be beautiful a woman needs to be youthful and supple in mind and spirit, then she is able to project years of love, laughter and wisdom.  This kind of inner beauty radiates outward and captivates.

If you’ve been known to fret about age….listen up and get ready to make a few small shifts towards Yummy Aging and ageless beauty.

Make empowering changes like quitting a job that’s draining you or making you feel disrespected. This alone can make you look healthier almost instantly. There’s nothing more beautiful than deep contentment and happiness.

When you’re a happy, joyful ageless beauty people see you through different lenses. They aren’t noticing the lines on your face or the skin on your neck. They are seeing your sparkling eyes as you laugh. This is the true essence of beauty.

Ageless beauty involves being daring and courageous so take some chances! I know this can be hard to do because we live in a judging culture, but don’t give in to other people’s limited ideas about how you should dress, look or style your hair. If you want to keep you hair long—go for it. If you want to dye it purple don’t let anyone stop you. I recently starting wearing red lipstick after 25 years of tracking down every nude/natural/flesh shade ever manufactured.  It felt awkward at first, I honestly thought people would say, “What have you done to yourself???” Instead, I received so many compliments that I became more confident by the minute and quickly started to ‘own’ this new look which (no surprise) I (now) wear often. I Love it! It feels FUN and just a little risky!

Push yourself out of your comfort zone and see how it feels to ‘own’ a new way of doing your makeup or a new way of dressing (or tweaking the way you’ve always dressed) or a new way of styling your hair. Coax yourself by saying, “I’m just going try this.” What do you have to lose? Nothing! It just might unleash a whole new side of YOU!

Do you have self nurturing beauty rituals? If not start some. A girlfriend of mine recently (at age 55) had her first facial – now she’s having one a month—she loves it and looks amazing! These beauty rituals make us feel beautiful. So try massages, facials, manicures or pedicure. If you don’t have money to spare do it yourself at home or go to a massage or beauty school where the service is excellent but rates are greatly reduced.

There are many healthy natural easy ways to bring out ageless beauty.

If you want your skin to repair and look better quickly, follow The Facial Room’s Patricia Asmar’s advice for glowing skin (it works!). Try this 3 day nutritional face lift from Dr. Nick Perricone, author of the Wrinkle Cure it’s based on a few simple ingredients that are readily available to everyone.  All these foods are rich in antioxidants and other micronutrients that will contribute to glowing skin. Also try the glowing green drink or smoothie (I swear by this and am convinced it gives a fresh, healthy glow).

Whether it’s the skin on your face or anywhere else, you can make it look beautiful by making it healthier. In fact, your skin is simply a reflection of your overall health. And that means the things you do to maintain optimal heart health for example will also show up as radiant skin. The Mediterranean Diet is a good place to start.

Quality sleep will improve your skin’s health and appearance so make sure you get at least 8 every night. Deep sleep can be challenging for a lot of us, here’s some things I’ve tried that help.  Bach Flower Sleep, lavender epsom salt  baths, herbal sleep teas, melatonin, aromatherapy blends used in a diffuser, meditative breathing, and 478 breathing (breathe in 4 counts, hold for 7, breath out for 8) repeat.

The production of collagen that provides the underlying structure of skin is reduced as we age, thanks to years of stress, environmental toxins and gravity. Whatever your complexion you can increase your body’s ability to manufacture collagen that will make your skin healthier and younger looking. Eat a low glycemic diet and take supplements such a vitamin C and D3. If you live in the northern hemisphere and are entering your ageless beauty years you probably need 5,000IU of vitamin D3 in winter to keep your levels where they should be.

If your skin is damaged or discoloured from sun damage, there are ways to reverse the damage. The most effective method IPL or intermittent pulse laser, a treatment you can get from a dermatologist. The procedure works beautifully for spider veins too.

If you don’t use it already, start using sun block right now.

The most beautifying thing any ageless beauty can do is smile.

It is an expression of sheer pleasure that comes from the heart. As you let go of constricting ideas about beauty, your smile will come more easily. You’ll laugh heartily, without fearing that someone might think you are too loud or brassy or you shouldn’t draw attention to yourself. You won’t care what anyone has to say about your personal style because you will have owned that you are a gorgeous, powerful, and ageless beauty—an expression of the life force that can’t contain its joy. That is your birthright. Claim it you ageless beauty you!

Please share with all your agelessly beautiful friends.