Wednesday, June 18, 2008
With a title like "How Not to Look Old," Charla Krupp has tapped into every woman-over-40's deepest, darkest fear: looking OL (Old Lady).
A 40-something former beauty director at Glamour and a frequent guest on the "Today" show, Krupp has written what she calls a "boomer's manifesto: a comprehensive plan of attack on aging, all those little beauty and style tweaks that you can (and should!) do to look younger and hipper (Y and H) - and still show up for work the next day."
I zeroed in on the last part of that statement. Let's face it, most of us can't (or wouldn't want to) take two weeks off from work for the must-have cosmetic surgery of the moment. Many of us can't afford (or refuse to spend) $200 an ounce for the latest, greatest anti-aging cream. Yet, we all want to look younger or, at least, NOT look OLD, right?
Before she begins doling out youthful advice, the author asks the reader to put herself into one of three "maintenance" categories: High, medium and low, according to how much time, energy and money she spends on her looks. (I am, for the record, medium-to-low.) She then suggests ways to look younger, thinner and better for each of the three categories. In Chapter 14 on finding the perfect pair of jeans, for example, she recommends styles from the Gap, Lee and Levi's for the low maintenance me while urging high maintenance readers to check out an Earnest Cut & Sew shop in New York City for a custom-made-on-the-premises pair.
I must confess, I devoured every page of the 18-chapter guide and took away some great tips for instant anti-aging gratification. So here, in no particular order, are six things you can do today to take years off your look, straight from the author's mouth. Be sure to listen to the audio of my interview with Charla for more details:
"How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better"
1. Ditch the dark red lipstick; go "pink" instead.
"Burgundy lips will really age you. The dark color emphasizes the dark lines in your face," says Charla. "And if you have a problem with thin lips, burgundy or dark colors will make your lips look even thinner, while a glossy pink will just give you a shine."
2. Wear your own nails and color them neutral.
"You want to keep your nails short and you want to keep them clean, with a sheer pink or beige (color)....don't go crazy on your nails. French manicures? No. They're very out right now."
3. Ditch the matchy-matchy clothes. Mix it up!
"I'm talking about suits for the office if they're very 'suit-y' - if the jacket and the skirt, or the jacket and the pants all match ... with the matching bag and the matching suit, it's very aging," warns Krupp. "Anything that looks too fussy is going to look dated."
4. Hike up your hemlines ... within reason, of course.
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"Shorten your skirts because even a half an inch too long will make you look way too old. I'm not saying that you should wear them super short, but ... they need to be around the knee or just under your knee."
5. Lighten up your hair and cut your bangs.
Charla says, "Almost everyone looks better in bangs unless your hair is super curly, because it hides a lot of wrinkles on our forehead. It also will disguise a receding hairline ... and, generally, everybody looks great with face-framing fringe. Soft fringe draws attention to your eyes and that's where we want everybody looking."
6. Follow the "3 bling rule" religiously.
"If you look like you're trying too hard, you're going to look old. So, I say look in the mirror. Count three 'blings' on you - like a sparkly ring, a sparkly bracelet and a necklace. But you can't wear a sparkly dress, sparkly shoes, sparkly purse and earrings, too. You can only have 3 'bling points,' that's it. Take something off if you're 'blinging' on more than three burners."
Comments
lostinthe70s (anonymous) says...
Put me in the low maintenance category but I'm hear to tell you, not everyone looks GOOD in bangs!! Been there tried that and it doesn't work.
January 24, 2008 at 8:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tess1960 (anonymous) says...
I for one agree on the bangs thing. I love wearing bangs for the exact reason noted. They hide a terribly receding hairline (inherited from my grandmother) and a few forehead wrinkles. I have straight, straight hair that I am always curling because I hate it straight. I even curl my bangs a bit. I've recently restyled my hair and have the "face-framing fringe" now and am getting compliments. I didn't know about the darker shades lipstick ageing my face. I guess I'll have to hit the store for some pinks.
Thanks for a great article.
January 24, 2008 at 9:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cathy (cathy) says...
Tess, you're welcome. It was a selfish assignment, I admit. I will say that the lighter pink lipstick does take years off and I am giving serious consideration to bangs, after years without them.
January 24, 2008 at 9:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SuzyBrown (anonymous) says...
I can't believe you just posted the article about the book, How Not to Look Old. I plan to buy the book! Yesterday, on my midlifedivorcerecovery.com site, I posted the following Daily r.a.d.i.c.a.l. Thought, entitled Get Young! My point is that being young has a lot to do with how engaged we are with life. Get passionate about something and you will taste some of that "fountain of youth" that Sophia Loren talks about. Here's yesterdays post:
Get Young!
"There is a fountain of youth. It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring in your life and the lives of people you love..." ~Sophia Loren
On rare occasions, I think about getting old. Every so often,I look at myself in the mirror and see the lines and the wrinkles instead of the experience and the fun. But you know what? Unless you die, everyone gets older. Just make sure you don't die before your body does. I know I am a much more interesting woman now than I was at 25 or 35 or even 55. I am not afraid to explore new things. I look for ways to stretch my mind. I get excited about new projects. I am eager to learn new things. I try to eat right. I try to exercise enough. I laugh a lot. I cry when I need to. Plus, I have so much to get done every day that I don't have much time to waste worrying about something that happens to absolutely everyone. C'est la vie! And as far as I'm concerned, even though I use my face cream faithfully, I think it's pretty ridiculous to try to stop that process. Put your wily wisdom to work! Get completely involved in something! Have your grandkids (or other r.a.d.i.c.a.l. Women!) over for a good old-fashioned sleepover! Don't get in the "old" rut! There is an 84 year old man in our city who runs six miles a day and organizes and oversees the annual GroundHog Day Run to raise money for charity. I could give thousands of examples of people in their REALLY senior years doing incredible things! Get passionate about something and you will never grow old. And incidentally, the apostle Paul tells the Christians at Corinth .... "even though our bodies are getting older our inner strength in the Lord is growing every day!" The reality is ... if we're living like we should, our real selves are actually getting younger all the time!
"So we're not giving up! How could we? Even though on the outside it looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace." ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16 (The Message)
January 24, 2008 at 12:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bornin1955 (anonymous) says...
There seems to be so much bling on women these days, it's hard not to be blinded. Sequined purses, sparkly scarves, enormous rings, metallic belts. Even glitter on faces. What ever happened to understated elegance?
January 24, 2008 at 4:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sherrykay (anonymous) says...
I found this really interesting, as I am "lightening" up my hair(I got tired of coloring my hair, after dyeing it since I entered KU in 1973!). I was afraid I would look like an "OL", but I have gotten so many compliments on how the lighter hair brightens my face.
I'm definitely "Low Maintenance", but I'm definitely going to read the book, after hearing your interview.
Thanks!
January 24, 2008 at 8:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Margo (anonymous) says...
I saw a preview today of an Oprah show featuring a 60 or 62 year old Bette Midler. She looked so plumped up in her face, she looked ancient!! She didnt' have many wrinkles - thanks to the chemicals - but she was so puffy, you could tell she was full of collagen and that made her look even older! It's so sad, the way we've become.
January 24, 2008 at 9:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sherrie (anonymous) says...
It's interesting about all this. I contribute to BoomerGirl...and wrote "Forever Cool" as a pioneer on the subject (for men and women boomers)...
I work as a style consultant and was a costume designer and print stylist for years before.
What amazes is me how I can so disagree with at least three items on the "to do" list according to Charla...one is about pink lipstick....and i promise it will be addressed in my new book (due 5/09). I believe a woman should wear a neutral tawny lipstick (neither pink or orange or burgundy). She can wear pink or rose when her clothing dictates...not as a "rule'". The other is about the bangs...I love to see a forehead...what's wrong with some wrinkles! We are crazy in this country about all this. I might add that "bling" is the blight of the 80's and has been over-indulged even at 3 items. My feeling is that "naturalness" and "refinement" are becoming extinct. My mission is to bring them back
...especially as we age!
February 2, 2008 at 9:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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