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In two months I will be turning 45 years old. This is definitely scary. Most of the time, especially when I am on the phone with my best friend from high school, I feel 17. In reality, I am 5 years away from 50. 50! When I was 10 years old, our society made the age of 50 feel like the ‘Golden Girls’ and retirement packages. Fortunately, this is not the case today. Some of the coolest, most stylish and sexiest women I admire like Jenna Lyons, Jennifer Connelly and Gwen Stefani are well over 50 and you would never know it. They look great, they are killing it career-wise and are setting trends, not following them. That being said, I am definitely starting to see signs of aging. I also work in the beauty industry and am a cult follower of new products, trends and even fads.
I am continually searching for products that help me look younger, feel younger and help prevent the natural occurrences that just come with getting older. I literally get tears in my eyes when someone says, “you look 38” or on the (extremely) rare occasion that I get carded. Smiles for days! And while I do get Botox injections 3x a year, and think that my genetics are pretty good, they aren’t miracle pills. This is why I have developed an arsenal of a few items that I feel really keep me looking and feeling younger. They come in at all price points and are easy to find. Check them out and I hope you love them as much as I do!
Fact, everyone, but Nicole Kidman, looks better with a tan. Having a golden glow makes me look younger, skinnier and more alive. When I first tried these Drunk Elephant bronzing drops last year, I was HOOKED. Not only had I just sworn off the sun for obvious reasons, but I wanted to be tan everyday even if it was January. These drops can be applied alone or mixed with your moisturizer or foundation. On days when I have to be at my sons’ basketball games at 8am, I throw this on my face, add concealer, mascara and fill in my eyebrows, and I look human in less than two minutes. The fact that I can look tan without the sun and that the formula contains wrinkle-preventing peptides adds to the appeal of these youth-promoting drops.
There is nothing that ages someone then having a head of brittle, dull hair. Having a mane of shiny, bouncy hair definitely makes me appear younger. I take my hair care VERY seriously. I only wash it twice a week and make sure to use products that promote moisture and growth. When my boss and Beautify’s Editor-in-Chief Janene Mascarella recommended this K18 leave-in, I immediately bought it. This product is worth every penny of its hefty price tag. It has changed my color-treated hair from split and dry to shiny, less ragged and easier to blow out. I swear it also makes it grow! For those of us who have been abusing our locks for decades, this treatment is an instant game-changer.
It is not a shock that as we age everything gets drier, from our eyes to our skin. While I definitely don’t miss my pimple-studded teenage face, I do miss the abundance of oil that my skin possessed. A friend of mine gave me this Glossier Oil Serum Hybrid to try and I was immediately hooked. It gives my face a dewy glow without being overly slick. I think that brightness and little sheen is a big part in having skin that appears more youthful.
Yes bloggers and influencers have been touting the benefits of using a silk pillowcase, but I didn’t take the plunge until one of my fellow soccer moms raved about hers as we sat in the pouring rain at our boys’ game. I took a chance and ordered one on Amazon that got great reviews. This pillowcase definitely helps diminish the appearance of the fine lines, wrinkles and other “night dents” I accrue while sleeping. It also helps my hair look less frizzy and keeps my weekly blowout looking fresh for a few extra days.
As we age and our eye muscles weaken and sag fluid tends to build up in those weak spots. On average, my eyes needs a good two hours to de-puff each morning. In an ideal world, I would have the luxury of lolling around in my terry robe and waiting for them to de-puff on their own, but as a working mom of two extremely busy sons, this is impossible. My ice facial roller is a super helpful tool when I need to de-puff eyes ASAP. I grab it out of my freezer and simply roll it around the contours of my face, focusing on the eyes. It takes 2 minutes and I definitely notice a difference. They start to de-swell and with a little eye cream and concealer, I can face the outside world.
Exercise definitely makes me look and feel ten years younger. I have more energy and am able to maintain a slim and toned physique that does not even resemble a “mom bod.” I have been spinning since college and adore it. I appreciate it even more now because cycling is kind on my aging joints and knees. The Peloton bike offers thousands of spin classes to satisfy every taste. You can find one that suits your music tastes, time constraints and level of difficulty. I am always drenched after a ride and feel challenged. In addition to doing weight training, my Peloton is my happy place and I highly recommend it.
