There used to be a time when I greeted thoughts of getting Botox shots in my face with derision….CONTINUE READING
“Don’t people know that’s botulism toxin?” I’d ask out loud.
But when I turned 45, I cast a curious eye toward doctors who list their costs for Botox and plenty of other procedures.
You see, a funny thing or two can happen when fast food drive-thru window salutations switch from “Thank you, Miss” to “Thank you, Ma’am!”
That’s when I start appreciating the times that certain other folks mistake me for a woman in her 20s or 30s.
That’s when I started to focus on looking younger
— and feeling better about myself.
I try my best to hit the gym as much as possible.
You know how a person can lose weight and all of a sudden look older because their face has that sunken appearance
and their marionette lines can appear more prominent?
In order to avoid that look, I use derma strips I saw on TV.
Muscles are better than flab and make my body stronger and appear more youthful.
There’s something about lengthy, fuller locks
that immediately say, “younger,” at least from behind.
Plus, if I’m taking care of business, from the front too.
According to Charla Krupp, the late best-selling author of How to Not Look Old
, blonde hair can cast a warm glow
around our faces in ways that black hair — which can be too harsh when set against wrinkles — does not.
She also notes that a wispy set of bangs that have been swept across the forehead serve to make us appear less aged than severely brushed-back, pony-tailed hair.
Yes, I am a beauty product junkie. I purchased an at-home microdermabrasion machine t
hat has rugged diamond chips on the end, just like in the salons.
It’s sort of like scraping an expensive piece of sandpaper across your face with a powerful little vacuum cleaner. It actually feels good and leaves my skin softer.
Yellow teeth can make people look like they just stepped out of the 1970s. I douse my toothbrush with hydrogen peroxide atop my toothpaste several times per day to brush away coffee and wine stains.
I also wear sunscreen to help prevent and fade away my dark acne marks and age spots
— a task that I didn’t always take seriously.
Paula Mooney
is a writer whose essays and articles have been featured in national print magazines such as Writer’s Digest, and in major online publications like Yahoo, Examiner, and more….CONTINUE READING