Small details that make a person seem more youthful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I regularly get mistaken for someone 10 years younger than I am (I am 42, often get mistaken for early 30s). Here's what I think does it:

- Athletic. I used to be a personal trainer and still work out daily. I also walk almost everywhere I go and have lots of active hobbies (biking, hiking, rock climbing). This should be obvious, but the more active you are, the younger you will appear. It's not just that it makes your body look better (though it does), it also give you more energy, keeps you more flexible, helps maintain balance, etc. These feel like intangibles but spend some time watching how people move through the world. Exercising and feeling fit will make you appear younger without having to do anything to your clothes or hair.

- Minimal makeup. Granted, I think I have some good skin genes and my skin still looks pretty good despite not always being religious about skincare (I am now, but wasn't always when I was younger). But even if I had more wrinkles, I think a good quality CC cream plus some mascara and maaaaaybe a sheer cheek tint is plenty for most women. I went through a lipstick phase but stopped it specifically because I think it makes me look older (emphasizes thinning lips and tiny lines around my mouth that you didn't notice if I just wear a lip balm). I also think eye makeup is especially aging on older skin because it settles into all the fine lines. If you have the time to really make it look right, it works, but for every day? You will look more youthful with just a swipe of mascara and a relatively clean face. I have started to do my brows daily though, but that has to do with having light hair and needing some definition. I don't think it's necessary if your brows are already darker -- just tidy them up a bit.

- Keep clothes simple. Nothing too trendy, but I also keep things fairly streamlined. Agree that updated denim is key. So many women my age are afraid of higher rises and non-skinny jeans. I get it, but once you take the plunge, you can see it looks better. My favorite jeans right now are a highish rise with a straight leg in a mid-blue. Classic and easy. With a tee or tank tucked in, a hip-length blazer, and a pair of flats, it's such an easy look that doesn't make me look like I'm trying to be a teenager, but is in style in a way that won't date me. And it's easy and the pants are comfy! There's really no downside.

- Don't overdo technical fabrics and athleisure. I have and wear leggings. I own a fleece jacket. But I do not do head-to-toe athleisure very often. I think actual young people can pull this off and still look young. But once you're in your 40s, you just look like somebody's mom (full disclosure: I am somebody's mom). But a 40+ woman wearing black leggings/joggers, sports bra with athletic top, and a fleece jacket, plus sneakers, every day? It's not that it makes you look super old, it just pegs you to a certain stage of life -- school drop off, soccer practice, Saturdays at the playground, etc. Yes, it's plenty of women in their 30s doing this too. But the point is that it wears different once you're over 40. Putting in a smidge more effort will help a lot.

Genuine question: what are the circumstances under which people are guessing your age? It truly does not come up in conversation and I’m quite confident that it’s not because I look uncommonly old or young for my age.

People are often surprised to hear my actual age, to find out I have kids at all or that they are as old as they are, to discover when I graduated from college or how much job experience I have. It comes up with some frequency.

Same. People express shock that a person as "young" as me has my level of seniority at work, express shock that I have children and especially that I have a teenager. I'm often asked for ID when I order alcohol.

Since someone else posted that it's wrong to say this without giving some tips- really the tips that people have posted are accurate. I never wear foundation, I tend to wear lip glosses rather than lipsticks bc I'm avoiding emphasizing the lines that have appeared in my 40s. I don't dress like a teenager but I do wear current fashion trends with jeans, blazers at work, shoes, etc.

I work out daily and stay trim. If I have any back issues, I go all in to fix them immediately. I lift weights and run rather than easier stuff.

And I'm a skin care fanatic and have been since my 20s. Not like fancy moisturizer, although I have tried that on occasion. Rather, I use prescription skin care, I've been using botox since before I had wrinkles, I use serious lasers (co2), and filler.

I do not color my hair. I think this is huge, actually. It looks youthful and stays naturally glossy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At some point, let the short shorts and trendy looks go. Something's just really give away your age when you wear them; one of my friends looks really young, then wears shorts that show off wrinkly knees and totally ruins it.

If you think shorts that expose the knees are "short shorts", you probably aren't going to successfully channel the youthful look because you are 100 years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thick hair--I can think of a lot of women with lineless faces but skimpy thin hair that gives away their age. Obviously this goes triple if there are gray hairs.
No glittery eyeshadow that emphasizes crepey eyelids.
Push up bra is a must plus girdle if necessary to create a young-looking figure.
White, well-polished teeth.

People are confusing looking youthful with looking, well, something else.

Pushup bras haven't been popular in 10 years. The only people still wearing push up bras are 40+. They create a shape that's just not considered in style anymore, much like it would be weird to wear a pointy boobed girdle today. Push up bras may make you look boob-sy and not saggy and old. But they sure as shit aren't going to make you look youthful. At best they will make you look like a woman of your age. I don't have big boobs so don't know what the answer for big, saggy boobed women is, but one way I'm keeping a youthful look (with my 32Cs) is bralettes and well fitting unlined underwire bras.

[Anonymous]

Lol push up bras.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thick hair--I can think of a lot of women with lineless faces but skimpy thin hair that gives away their age. Obviously this goes triple if there are gray hairs.
No glittery eyeshadow that emphasizes crepey eyelids.
Push up bra is a must plus girdle if necessary to create a young-looking figure.
White, well-polished teeth.

People are confusing looking youthful with looking, well, something else.

Pushup bras haven't been popular in 10 years. The only people still wearing push up bras are 40+. They create a shape that's just not considered in style anymore, much like it would be weird to wear a pointy boobed girdle today. Push up bras may make you look boob-sy and not saggy and old. But they sure as shit aren't going to make you look youthful. At best they will make you look like a woman of your age. I don't have big boobs so don't know what the answer for big, saggy boobed women is, but one way I'm keeping a youthful look (with my 32Cs) is bralettes and well fitting unlined underwire bras.

Looking youthful is the same as looking beautiful for most people. Society is attracted to fresh looks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thick hair--I can think of a lot of women with lineless faces but skimpy thin hair that gives away their age. Obviously this goes triple if there are gray hairs.
No glittery eyeshadow that emphasizes crepey eyelids.
Push up bra is a must plus girdle if necessary to create a young-looking figure.
White, well-polished teeth.

People are confusing looking youthful with looking, well, something else.

Pushup bras haven't been popular in 10 years. The only people still wearing push up bras are 40+. They create a shape that's just not considered in style anymore, much like it would be weird to wear a pointy boobed girdle today. Push up bras may make you look boob-sy and not saggy and old. But they sure as shit aren't going to make you look youthful. At best they will make you look like a woman of your age. I don't have big boobs so don't know what the answer for big, saggy boobed women is, but one way I'm keeping a youthful look (with my 32Cs) is bralettes and well fitting unlined underwire bras.

Looking youthful is the same as looking beautiful for most people. Society is attracted to fresh looks.

Someone who understands fashion understands that youthful does not necessarily overlap with beautiful.

[Anonymous]

Jeez you guys, I am 51, work out every day and am reasonably fit but recently pulled a back muscle. So yeah, I did just groan getting off the couch. I guess that makes me ancient! I expect this is temporary though.

I think a lot of women my age are still attached to their black eyeliner and it becomes aging at some point, particularly on fair skinned/fair haired people. I gave mine up and I think it looks more youthful. I either do a taupe eyeliner for special occasions or none at all, and it is more flattering. Not that I'm claiming anyone mistakes me for 30.

[Anonymous]

Good posture, well-kept hair, good teeth, clothes that fit, whatever your size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My opinion in order of importance to an obviously subjective question:

1. Thin/toned, but not gaunt, like a BMI of 20-21, and no flab.
2. Great posture. A ballet background is really helpful here, but if you missed that in your childhood, I think yoga or pilates now would do the trick.
3. Great skin, which for me at 40 is achieved with medical grade skin care, subtle botox that I've done for 12 years now, and I recently added in RF micro needling treatments and love the results.
4. Nice hair. 40 is too young to show greys, in my opinion. I have subtle highlights around my face to brighten it a bit and blend in any new greys, which I just started getting.
5. Minimal makeup. I like tinted sunscreen, undereye concealer, brow gel, mascara, lip gloss, and a dusting of bronzer.
6. Sense of style. I like prefer neutrals, but I think this is personal and as long as your style is current and you own it, then it probably works for you.
7. Straight, white teeth.
8. Groomed nails (I am too busy for the salon, so I just do a light pink or clear polish every Sunday).

You’ve done Botox since you were 28?!!!?

Yes, and at 40, I objectively look younger than my 32-yo sister who's never done botox. I've always done a minimal/subtle amount of botox, and I've done it consistently other than during pregnancies. For me, it seems to have worked to prevent wrinkles.

[Anonymous]

Be thin. Be fit. Botox. Healthy hair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At some point, let the short shorts and trendy looks go. Something's just really give away your age when you wear them; one of my friends looks really young, then wears shorts that show off wrinkly knees and totally ruins it.

If you think shorts that expose the knees are "short shorts", you probably aren't going to successfully channel the youthful look because you are 100 years old.

No, she wears shorts that barely cover her butt; the wrinkly knees totally ruin the illusion she is under 50. She would look younger if she covered her wrinkly knees or moisturized.

[Anonymous]

Women with softer features tend to look more youthful. Angular faces age a little more. People in their 40s can still look quite youthful. Once menopause hits, all bets are off.

[Anonymous]

I love the comments about people “expressing shock” at the ages of your children or your graduation year to prove that you look young. Yes, people are doing that to make you feel good. What else are they going to say, ‘wow I thought you were older than 45 with all those wrinkles!’ It’s just polite to feign surprise and say the person looks younger than they really are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Women with softer features tend to look more youthful. Angular faces age a little more. People in their 40s can still look quite youthful. Once menopause hits, all bets are off.

Yep, high cheekbones look good on younger people, but over 40 or so, they just make a person look much older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love the comments about people “expressing shock” at the ages of your children or your graduation year to prove that you look young. Yes, people are doing that to make you feel good. What else are they going to say, ‘wow I thought you were older than 45 with all those wrinkles!’ It’s just polite to feign surprise and say the person looks younger than they really are.

I would not in a million years tell someone they looked their age. I always say 10 years younger and feign surprise when they say they have kids. Women lap it up