Did you ever pause in your stride, or as you celebrate your birthday with friends, a thought struck you of the approaching big Five-Oh, and all the banter around you changes? The conversation with people is about your age, and how it is the beginning of the end of your life. “Youth” is a buzzword these days and you feel that it is gone out of your vocabulary and life, so much so that aging, a normal and unavoidable part of life, becomes something that you begin to dread.
Yet It is normal for every woman who enters the phase of life in the 50s to feel panicky and helpless to the wheel of time. We all will go through the stages of aging, physically and emotionally. Signs of aging from speckles of grey in the hair; to fine lines around the forehead, eyes and corners of mouth in the 40s. By the fifties, like many, one starts to think this is the beginning of a free fall for everything – from your breasts to morale.
So, do you let your voices get the best of you to the point that you feel listless and hopeless? You are convinced that the golden years were behind you? Do you want to choose only a dreary life of your remaining life time with your family together, and for those single ladies to be miserable throughout?
Fret not.
Let’s put our heads and hearts together to improve ourselves – internally and externally to welcome our new age! Turning 50 has never been so popular or looked so good. We can see Hollywood stars like Linda Evangelista; Liz Hurley; Courteney Cox and Sandra Bullock, to name a few are already in their 50s and they still look as good before. The norm today for women is to look and feel great in any age bracket that they are in with confidence!
Here we go…
At whichever vintage age group you are in, adopt the following good habits to make the most of what you’ve got and build up the solid foundation of continued youth.
Let’s start from the face and body:
1.Our face shape changes as we age. Many of us discover our cheekbones for the first time in our 50s…but sadly also our crow’s feet, so make-up needs to reflect that. Apply smokey eyes shadow and pale lipstick will be a very flattering palette on older women.
2. Women can start to look washed out as they age. Don’t compensate by piling on bright colors to look like a drag queen. Instead choose matte shades in neutral colors like grey and taupe, but avoid frosted and shimmer make-up as it gets stuck in the cracks.
3. As older women will have dry and dull skins, so swap heavy matte foundations and powder for lighter-reflecting tinted moisturizers, and don’t go too pale. For more coverage, mix your foundation with a tinted moisturizer.
4. As estrogen levels fall, many women start sprouting whiskers. Start with threading will be a better option than using electrolysis as it’s pricey and may leave scabs in the short-term.
5. Always moisturize daily and as frequently on the skin, including the face. Use good and long moisturizer lotions or creams like Epaderm for sensitive skin.
6. At 50 you will never look 30 again but if you do decide to go down the cosmetic surgery route with fillers or Botox, use them sparingly. A less invasive option is a chemical peel.
7. Your top lip loses fullness, so use a neutral lip pencil to define your lips, often the cupid’s bow and prevent lip bleeding.
8. Getting your teeth whitened will knock years off. Aim for natural finish by a professional.
9. Keep your hands well moisturized and nails clean, as they are one of the tell-tale signs of your age.
10. Use an angled eyebrow brush and dark powder make-up to thicken your brows, but don’t be tempted to get thick, black slugs tattooed on your forehead.
11. A light fake tan can work wonders on older skin. Find the one that gives you a glow that’s closes to your own skin tone, and exfoliates well before applying.
12. A bronzer will give over 50s faces a more youthful glow. The trick is using a bronzer is to choose one only two shades darker than your natural face color and use it sparingly.
At a higher internal level, we have to re-ignite our love of ourselves and create the zeal of life at the new 50s by immersing in something we love to do. This will boost our confidence and take on new challenges what the new life will bring to us.
13. Cultivate powerful friendships by gaining a handful of close friends who will cheer us on when we embark on new ventures, lend us a shoulder to cry on when we fail, insist we get back on our feet to try again and stand by us through thick and thin.
14. Get fit by going on regular exercise to keep your energy levels up. This will fuel your ambition, and acts as your reserve of energy to go after your dreams.
15. Invest in yourself. This will be a good time to take stock of your life, by putting yourself first. We have just this one life to live – you have probably lived by everyone else’s rules so far, but this is the time to change and take a few risks. Listen to your inner voice and do what your heart is telling you. Don’t be afraid to live the life you wanted, if you don’t do it now, when will you?
16. Learn something new and never let anything or anyone to stop you from learning and keeping up with the times. There is never a time that we feel we are too old to learn something new. It is knowledge that keeps the fire in us burning. To keep us interested and interesting is to pick up new skills, such as learning a new language or dance and many others that you want to.
17. Speak up for yourself and never be afraid, especially as women, we are taught to conform. By constantly putting our ideas and beliefs on the background will surely extinguish our passion to things. Be bold, and dare to take a stand for the things you know are just, fair and right. Never let anyone muffle your voice, and just importantly, speak up for and support others.
18. Manage your time wisely and not wasted the time of your life rushing around children or trying to keep up with the rat race at work, and being there for others except yourself. Make a new to-do list today, put the things you want on to it. Making time for yourself will only increase your productivity.
Finally, you have to overhaul your health, especially in this age, you must be aware of your body’s changes. Do not ignore tiny problems such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels or any other serious health problems. Always go for annual health checks to ensure any follow up appointments, if any, with the doctors for prevention in early stages.
By the age of 54, 80% of women have stopped having periods. So managing menopause is to better understand the body’s changing hormonal level which will directly affect our emotional outlook. Menopause is not an illness but a natural process that all women will go through in their lives. We will learn to cope and understand the symptoms and treatments. Some women will have intermittent symptoms and some don’t at all. If it is severe, perhaps worth to try acupuncture or herbal supplements before taking hormone replacement therapy, which can come with a range of side effects and increased breast cancer risk. The best way to reduce the menopause effects is to have regular exercise that will improve our overall health and well-beings.
We can only be the best version of ourselves if we enrich our lives with experiences and live life to the fullest by living in the moment and experiencing life’s miracles, big and small.
Stay beautiful!
