An Enduring Youthful Appearance

The beauty benefits of a daily routine that I established in my early teens are evident. Now that I’m in my sixties, I surprise many of my peers who look much older than I when often they’re younger than I am — although I definitely see how much older I look as each year passes.

On the “needs improvement” side, I don’t drink enough water; instead I drink tea all day long. I need to exercise more. This week I am beginning a new routine, to maintain the health of my body. My body is beginning to let me know that it is aging. I am grudgingly changing habits in this regard.

But strictly for beauty’s sake, here is a quick compilation of a few of my rules for looking fresh and youthful at any age. As others occur to me, I’ll add them:

Keeping Your Youthful Appearance for Life

 • Do not remove more eyebrow hairs than absolutely necessary. Be very careful when you pluck, and only go for obvious strays. Full eyebrows are a sign of youthful beauty — no matter the current fashion. Over-tweezed brows result in sparse to bald eyebrows — sometimes when you're in your thirties, and definitely by your fifth decade. The resulting bald eyebrow look signifies neither youth nor beauty. Maybelline makes the current eyebrow gel I’m using, although unlike the Revlon product that I have used, I need to apply it lightly, let it dry (critical step) and then apply a second coat for the most natural results.

• Begin to moisturize skin and prevent sun damage from a very early age. I started when I was twelve years old. Cleanse and tone skin, then apply a natural moisturizer from the decolletage upward to the forehead. Upward, feathery light strokes are best.

• Eye cream is only applied with the ring finger, beginning at the outside of each eye. Lightly massage the “crow’s feet” area in a circular motion then smooth the cream under the eye towards the nose, then up and over to the outside area. Using your ring finger provides a gentle touch that helps you avoid harming the delicate skin around your eye area.

• Apply sunblock to the backs of hands daily to avoid hands that age and spot before their time. I use this SPF 50 sunblock stick first thing every day.

• Take care of your teeth! Strictly adhere to basic dental practices. I don't floss, but use The Doctor's Brushpicks once or twice daily. My dentist approves, and I prefer using them to flossing.

• Wear very good shoes and carry a very good handbag. Quality, high end shoes and purses are a worthwhile investment. No more than two of each are necessary. Think of cost per wear.

• Look for well made costume pieces to supplement a basic collection of high quality jewelry.

• Generally, it is preferable to be overdressed for an occasion. Underdressing can cause more problems, such as not meeting a dress code, while there is normally no issue when you exceed a dress code.

Mom on My Mind

credit: email from Estée Lauder
for Mother's Day 2015

This week's horoscope from Ron Brezsny spoke to me:

In what ways do you most resemble your mother? Now is a good time to take inventory. Once you identify any mom-like qualities that tend to limit your freedom or lead you away from your dreams, devise a plan to transform them. You may never be able to defuse them entirely, but there's a lot you can do to minimize the mischief they cause. Be calm but calculating in setting your intention, Aquarius! P.S.: In the course of your inventory, you may also find there are ways you are like your mother that are of great value to you. Is there anything you could do to more fully develop their potential?

Since this is a style blog, I won't talk about my mom’s most cherished qualities, including her kindness, infinite love, generosity, communication abilities, and compassion — on this page it's things related to fashion.

In terms of style, mom was my idol. I always adored my mom's style when I was a girl, and tried to learn everything I could about being an elegant woman from her — even though she and Aunt Eleanor (her stylish sister) were self taught. As she grew older, though, her choices became identifiably “old ladyish,” as her go-to outfit became one of her many designer jogging suits. That's something I hope to avoid, although I suppose that my Eileen Fisher skirted leggings could come to be viewed as the old lady staple of my generation.

I have four pairs of skirted leggings in my wardrobe,
and take two when I travel.

Mom knew quite a bit about personal style, and many of the practices she taught me, and advice she gave (and lived) hold true today. I'm grateful that she emphasized how important it was for me to cleanse and moisturize my face properly from an early age, although I've expanded the treated area to include my neck and chest area (everything visible above a bikini top). She routinely reinforced the importance of good grooming, dental hygiene and proper posture, while always encouraging me to feel good about myself. My siblings and I detested our semi-annual dentist visits, but we have good teeth as a result. Mom always made a point of complimenting me, no matter how awkward a phase I was in, about my beautiful features. So when my teeth were far too big for my face, she'd emphasize my bone structure and good skin, and tell me I'd “grow into” my teeth. It worked! I'd examine my skin and cheekbones, and forget about how goony I looked (whether or not I wore my cat-eye glasses with their ultra-thick lenses).

Lucky me!

I remember shopping trips to J.L. Hudson Company and B. Siegel in downtown Detroit, and outings on foot (three kids and a baby in the stroller) to our local Winkelman's and Himelhoch stores. Mom was frugal, but insisted on quality. A “value shopper” she knew when items would be marked down and waited for the sales. Often, the purpose of our trips were to make an installment payment on something she had in layaway, but we always browsed the latest fashion displays in the designer rooms. I've learned from her to identify what I want from the high end fashion pieces early each season, then wait for the inevitable 40-60% off sale. If I miss it because of this, I don't care. I don't really need any new clothing; when something actually is a “must have” I will pay for it.

Here are some photos of my elegant mother, at age 27 to 32.

What do you remember about your mother's style?