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Aging Gracefully

Have you ever walked through the mall or grocery store and seen that 60ish woman who caught your eye? She was quite simply beautiful. She is what all of us hope to be – striking in our golden years. Ask yourself: What does sexy mean in your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond? What is beautiful in your eyes? If you can only picture youth, then you are selling yourself (and all your friends) short. Here are some facts about aging.

The first fact is that quite simply, you cannot avoid it!

So, take a deep breath, and accept it. As you age, your skin changes. Hormones can cause it to dry out, sag, and become discolored. Your hair may be getting more coarse, thinner, and starting to gray. The skin-care and hair-care regimen you used 10 years ago is likely not working for you anymore. The hard truth is that nothing non-surgical gets rid of wrinkles all together. However, there are some great products that slow down the aging process, and can help even out skin tone. Price is not necessarily indicative of how well something works, so you might be surprised to learn that changing your skin-care and hair-care routine might be an effective investment. Consult with your hair-stylist or esthetician to find a style and skin solution that works within your budget.

There are other options other than surgery. Really.

There are non-surgical ways to improve the look and feel of your skin as well. We highly recommend micro-current technology. This technology uses small electrical currents that are similar to the electrical currents that your body produces on a cellular level. This stimulates cell repair and revitalization, as well as increases the production of new cells. It has had great effects with diminishing wrinkles and lifting facial muscles (and has also been used to ease pain!!). The effects are accumulative, so you may start out with several treatments, then just come in for “maintenance”. Micro-current also allows the products you are using to be better absorbed, so you are actually getting more “bang for your buck” on the skin-care regime you are already paying for. The bottom line: No surgery, safe, less expensive than surgery, highly effective.

Changing your haircolor can change your world.

If you don’t want to pay for “procedures”, you can do a lot to help yourself age more gracefully by simply making a few changes. Whatever hair color you had in your 20s and 30s may need to be updated. You may find that you are better off only going one or two shades lighter or darker than your original (natural) color. This gives you less contrast to your skin tone, and helps give you a better overall look. If you are graying, ask your stylist about adding a few highlights. This helps you blend your color treatment a little longer (which means saving money!!). If you want to “embrace the gray”, ask about some great products that are available to help enhance your gray hair and keep it healthy. After all, gray hair is beautiful, too!

Your makeup may not be helping.

Have your make-up updated. The colors that you usually use may actually be aging you more now. As you age, “less is more” really becomes sage wisdom. Your make-up may need to change from glitter or pearl (luminescence) to more matte and shimmer. It can still be fun, you just need to learn where to use the shimmer in strategic areas. You may find it helpful to switch from liquid to mineral make-up, or vise versa. Some time with a make-up artist is well worth it every 5-7 years or so.

Your dressing style may be making you look, well… not hip.

Stop dressing like your daughter. If you’ve managed to keep a great figure and can share clothes with her, don’t wear them out of the house!!! Again, being sexy does not only mean being young. You are going for an overall look, and having one part of it stand out can throw off the balance. Remember the lady in the mall? To achieve that “take-your-breath-away” look, all parts need to compliment each other. If one part stands out more than the others, you won’t get that striking look.

Attitude prevails!

Finally, be proud of your age. You’ve earned every wrinkle or stretch mark or scar. I know this isn’t how we want to think, that these parts of us are beautiful, but maybe they are. Carry them with grace and pride. Roll them all into a whole package that you convey with confidence. Learning to see yourself as beautiful is the best anti-aging technique that exists. You can find your personal beauty balance that helps you smile when you see yourself in the mirror every morning, you just might need a little help.

Ask Audrey

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We’d love to help.

If you don't have a stylist or esthetician you work with, give us a call and we'll set up an appointment to help you with your skin-care or hair-care products. We have several make-up artists that are happy to help you find new colors and techniques that make you feel beautiful. Letting us know when you are coming in will ensure we can give you all our attention. This is a free service, and there is no obligation to buy our products.

Audrey

This newsletter is a compilation of many voices and is not necessarily a single person. We have done our best to represent the subject matter as thoroughly as possible, but we make no guarantees. Please use this newsletter as only one of several sources, as it contains both facts and opinions.