Beauty Routines After 50

Many have written to ask for tips on makeup and hairstyles that respect our changing faces. I am sharing my step by step routine with you here.

Permanent makeup, fillers, and plastic surgery are not options I am considering. I don't mind the character and expression lines that my face has developed over the years. I firmly believe that healthy eating, lots of water, and regular exercise are the best beauty routines one can follow.

After fifty, some things became easier, and for me, a hairstyle definitely falls into that category. After my fiftieth birthday, I stopped coloring my hair and found a great stylist who gives me a softly layered angled bob cut that frames and slims my roundish face. Ask your stylist for a cut that works with your hair's natural tendency and one that complements the shape of your face. 

A good stylist will also consider if your style is complementary to your body's size and shape. For example, a petite woman peering out from a huge bush of long hair is not balanced with her proportions.

In the photo above, I have just returned from my stylist.

I don't use anything but a gentle sulfate-free shampoo three times a week for styling products. I sometimes rinse my hair in the shower and then reshape it for the day, but skip the products entirely on most days. 

My thinning hair and dry scalp do not respond well to most products. A build-up of styling products adds weight, making my hair flat. It also gets trimmed about every five or six weeks. I don't allow my hair to get too long or get it cut too short. Both extremes add years to my face.

Warm water and a gentle skin cleanser remove makeup in the evening. I splash some warm water on my face to rinse it and then pat dry. I find that eye creams add puffiness and nighttime moisturizers cause me to break out, so I skip those. One of my all-time favorite moisturizers for my whole body is Coconut Oil.

My makeup routine has also been streamlined. In winter, I use a heavier moisturizer, but in summer, I use only a tinted moisturizer or very light foundation appropriate for my skin's texture. I apply the foundation mostly in my T-zone. (The T-Zone is the center of your face from your forehead down to your chin, where most of us were a bit oily when our hormones were plentiful.) 

Use a small makeup sponge or brush to blend gently away from your nose and skip the area around your mouth to not emphasize lines. This technique of starting your makeup in the center of your face and blending away helps avoid the dreaded demarcation line where your makeup stops and your neck begins.

Here is a blog post, including a makeup video.

I use makeup brushes rather than sponge applicators. They allow for better blending and less tugging on the skin. I use a liquid eyeliner applied into and under my upper eyelashes (on the waterline). I don't apply liner or mascara to my lower lashes because this looks very harsh on me. My eyeshadow is always the same in varying degrees of depth of color for the day versus evening. The palate includes soft beige, a very pale shell pink, gray, and grays that complement my cool skin tone. I start with the darkest color in my lash line and just above it. In the crease of my eye and just above it, I blend a medium gray. I blend the lighter colors up to my brow and then blend. 

I add a smoky gray color at the outside corner of my eye for more definition and drama. I use a taupe or gray eyebrow pencil to fill in my thin brows, but I'm careful to blend and brush that out as well. I use brown/black mascara, and that's it for eyes.

I brush on a bit of blush in a rose-tone high on the cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, and under my chin. If your skin is very dry, cream blush might be best for you. Once again, blend, blend, blend! Note: Do not smile and put blush on the apple of your cheek as we were taught when we were younger. When you stop smiling, the blush will be lower than you want and not have the effect you want at all.

I apply a lip liner over my whole lip and then a very similar color of lipstick. After blotting, I'm finished with my daytime makeup routine. During the evening, I may wear brighter lip color, but I apply and blot it several times while applying my makeup to stains my lips rather than sliding around on top. I will use a similar color lip balm to touch up during the evening.

I almost always wear sunglasses when I'm outdoors, and if I am in the sun for more than a few minutes, I also wear a hat and sunscreen. Skin cancer is no fun, and I hope to never have it again.

You Are Not Alone

One of the best things about turning fifty-five was finding the confidence to dress to please me again. My earlier corporate wardrobe was influenced by my peers, meetings, and the fashion industry I worked in until my early forties. 

Later in life, experiences and being self-employed took their toll on my appearance. I gained weight and lost social skills from spending many years working almost around the clock and being alone most of the time. I had become a sloppy dresser who tried to hide all the things I didn't like about my new body. While I knew a great deal about my industry, I had lost touch with fashion trends and even what was right for my now not so great body. 

Many women have a similar experience when their children become adults and go out on their own. You've spent so many years devoted to them, you may have lost your "self" in the process. If you are also newly single during this time, the journey becomes even more confusing and overwhelming. You are not alone! You will survive this, and you will be stronger. 

Getting dressed without added stress might not seem very important at this time in your life, but I know from experience it is. I was someone who stood in her closet in tears and exhausted from trying on clothes for a special event, only to become more frustrated with every discarded piece. I can tell you it makes the difference in showing up and participating in life or staying home and eating ice cream alone.

Today's anything goes fashion trends don't even work for some young toned bodies, so they aren't likely to flatter those of us who have had our fiftieth birthday party either.

Some of the hot trends we might not want to try are stacked platform high-heeled shoes with ankle bands. Honestly, I can't think of any reason for anyone to consider these, but here is an extreme example for you. High skinny heels tend to make our calves look even thicker. Walking in high heels isn't easy. If you must wear them, be confident in your stride and wear cushioned insoles to help with the pain. When your feet hurt...everyone can tell at a glance.

Another trend that isn't right for most of us is the tiny top with skinny or no straps. Anything that shows too much of our upper arms and waistline may not be a good look for us. Tops are essential to your total look. Spend most of your clothing budget on nice blouses, jackets, and lightweight cardigans worn open with a great fitting tank top to reveal only part of your body. I love the variety that comes from owning pieces that work together to create many looks rather than dresses. Prints and patterns are very limiting and memorable. Try solids in colors that flatter your skin tone and can be worn together.

Accessories will allow you to dress up or down that great white shirt and black pants for any occasion in life. You really don't need a lot of clothes.

Great for the evening!

Out to Lunch!

Strictly Business

Hear me, Roar!

 

Happier and Healthier

The person you see in the first photo is very unhealthy and unhappy with her body image on all levels. That's me in the Spring of 2011.

Spring 2011

Fast forward a year to the second photo. After I lost more than forty pounds!

Spring 2012

I was about to outgrow size 12 pants in the first photo. In the second photo, I'm comfortably wearing size 4 pants. 

In 2010, I averaged two migraines per week. I rarely have a headache now, and the inflammation of joints that caused pain with every movement is gone. A backache that kept me from enjoying working in my flower gardens is gone. I no longer take medications of any kind. My lab test results are now perfect. 

Everyone who sees me for the first time in a few months is amazed at my transformation. Of course, the first question is, "How did you lose so much weight so fast?" My answer is always, "Read the book "Eat To Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman" to learn what to eat and why.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I have continued maintaining my weight since 2011.

~~~~~~~~

While researching the world's healthiest foods, I found many of them in what I have for breakfast every morning. This is a hot cereal breakfast that keeps me from thinking about food until late afternoon. I'm sharing the recipe along with my story in hopes that I can inspire you to be a healthier, happier, more energetic person.

Susan's Power Porridge Breakfast

1 cup of hulled, organic barley (soak overnight and cook for one hour). Use filtered water.

1/4 cup of organic farro (cook for 40 minutes)

1/4 cup of brown organic lentils (add to the farro and cook for another twenty minutes)

1/4 cup of old-fashioned organic rolled oats (cook for about 10 minutes.)

2 Tablespoons brown flax seeds (I grind them in a coffee grinder) Stir as soon as you add these ground seeds.

2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds and sesame seeds

2 Tablespoon of raw organic pepitas (no shell pumpkin seeds)

2 Tablespoons natural raw walnuts

2 Tablespoons raw pecans

1 tablespoon of turmeric

1 tablespoon of Red Star Nutritional Yeast (Not brewer's yeast.) It supplies B vitamins.

Add cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, or ground cloves to taste.

4 Large dates (pits removed) cut in half, then diced

1 sliced banana and 1/4 cup of blueberries or any fresh fruits you like.

Cooking instructions: Cook the barley in a separate pot uncovered. Add as much cooked barley as you want to the cooked farro, lentils, and oatmeal. The other items are added as desired until warmed through. Put in a bowl and add the fruit. You can save any extra to warm up for another breakfast.

 (You may find these items on Amazon.com or BobsRedMill.com if unavailable in your area.)

Packed with high nutrition, this breakfast will help you feel satisfied well into the afternoon.

It's been more than twelve years since I began this journey. I haven't had so much as a cold since I started eating this breakfast, followed by a sizeable vegetable-loaded salad late in the day. I drink water and eat fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables daily.

I still share a dessert with Mr. Mickey occasionally and have a glass of wine with food. But, 90% of the time, I eat whole-natural foods that have not been processed in any way other than perhaps being steamed. So, mostly, I just wash, chop, and enjoy. 

Countless people have asked me, "How do you continue to keep the weight off?" This is my secret!