Looking younger is a billion-dollar industry. Face creams, plastic surgery, injections and more can cost you an arm and a leg. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to make you look younger instantly, no visit to the plastic surgeon or weeks of recovery required.
- Update your hair: A dated haircut screams “OLD!” Feathering, lack of discernable layers and roots as long as your fingers are all telltale signs of age. Head to the salon, look at a few hair magazines and consult with your hair stylist about what style works for you. Generally, hair that’s too long, too dark, too light, too ANYTHING will age you.
- Whiten your teeth: A yellowing smile is an old smile. Years of coffee, red wine, berries and other teeth-staining products can make your teeth look like corn on the cob instead of gleaming pearls. Your dentist can bleach your teeth in about an hour, or do it yourself with drugstore white strips.
- Exercise: Not only does exercise do a body good, it does your skin good, too. People who exercise regularly look an average of 10 years younger than their real ages. Sweating reduces free-radical damage and the increase in circulation allows nutrients to reach your skin and stimulate collagen production (which slows as we get older).
- Update your makeup: Purple eye shadow may have been all the rage 20 years ago, but not updating your makeup look instantly ages you. To take off the years, head to the makeup counter at your local department store and get a mini-makeover and pick up some new colors and tips for eyes and lips.
- Wardrobe 911: The rule is, if you haven’t worn it in a year, donate it. And if you haven’t worn it in 10 years, burn it. Just kidding about that. But nothing ages you quicker than an outdated outfit. You don’t need to look like you stepped out of a fashion magazine, but a few new pieces will freshen up your wardrobe. Just make sure not to shop in the juniors department, because trying to look too young doesn’t work either. Take a stylish friend shopping—or for professional help—hire a stylist to show you what works on you and what’s age-appropriate.
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