No one needs to know how old you really are—at least, not by looking at you. Take a peek at where age tends to show, and try these ideas that can help you look younger today.
Your Eyes
* “Lift” your eyelids with a little contouring. Starting at the upper outside corner of your eye, sweep a medium-deep shade of shadow in and down toward the crease of the eyelid. Then brush from the lower outside corner of the eye up to the crease. You’re basically creating a sideways V.
* Eyeliner can help with droopy lids too. For staying power, use powder and a flat, angled brush—not a pencil. Draw a series of three dots on the outer, center, and inner areas of your upper lids as close to your lash line as possible. Then connect them.
* One last trick to give your eyes a lift: Use a lash curler. Do it right after getting out of the shower; the warm water makes your lashes easy to curl gently.
Your Face
* Powder is a standard part of most women’s makeup routine. But if you notice powder settling into fine lines, consider skipping it. Older skin doesn’t usually produce the extra shine that normally calls for powdering your face throughout the day.
* In fact, you may want to add just a little shimmery makeup for glowing skin. But apply it only to one facial feature during the day and no more than two at night.
Your Lips
* Make lip lines less noticeable with a lip balm made of beeswax.
* With lipstick, go for soft yet vibrant colors (berry, rose, or apricot), and add a dab of gloss to plump your lips.
* To keep lipstick from feathering into those tiny lines around your lips, choose a lip pencil that matches the color of your lips—not your lipstick.
Your Hair
* Want to hide forehead wrinkles and bring attention to your eyes rather than crow’s-feet? Try bangs. If you have a round face, ask for layered thinner bangs that just touch your eyebrows. If you have a square face, ask for long side-swept bangs. If you have a long face, ask for blunt bangs just above the brows.
* To cover random grays, dab on mascara or liquid liner (depending on your hair color).
Surprising Places
It’s often your neck, chest, and hands—areas often neglected when it comes to skin care—that give away your age.
* Whatever you put on your face, put it on your neck, chest, and hands, too. That means an SPF with antioxidants in the morning and a retinol at night.
* Stay away from scoop- or round-neck blouses, which may draw attention to a less-than-firm chest. Instead, wear V-neck tops, which direct the eye up.
* Give your hands some pampering. In a recent study, people thought women were younger when they were wearing nail polish and rings. Painting nails with a sheer, creamy coat of polish (think pale pink) can take attention away from age spots. To help soften the appearance of prominent veins or pronounced knuckles, keep the white tips of nails about 1/8 inch long.
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