Small details that make a person seem more youthful

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty convinced I look old.
Over Spring Break trip I was in a store with my daughter (which never happens at home), one of the sales people asked if my 17 year old daughter and I were sisters. I wasn't wearing any makeup.
Maybe he was just nearsighted. Maybe it's because the kid and I wear the same size. I dunno.
Meanwhile, I'll keep my daily morning runs, my workday regimen of tinted spf moisturizer, swipes of mascara, nude lipstick and nightly Retinol treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty convinced I look old.
Over Spring Break trip I was in a store with my daughter (which never happens at home), one of the sales people asked if my 17 year old daughter and I were sisters. I wasn't wearing any makeup.
Maybe he was just nearsighted. Maybe it's because the kid and I wear the same size. I dunno.
Meanwhile, I'll keep my daily morning runs, my workday regimen of tinted spf moisturizer, swipes of mascara, nude lipstick and nightly Retinol treatment.

He was trying to make a sale. It’s a line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol push up bras.

NP. I agree that their shape and pushing up looks dated on everyone.
But having breasts sitting really low is aging. Most women wear wrong bras or don't do anything about lifting. Even smaller bust needs a lift.

[Anonymous]

A great, supportive, lifting, minimizing bra.
Shiny hair - grey hair isn’t great guys. I know it’s in style, but almost none of us are pulling it off.
Thick hair
White teeth
White eyes
Obviously being thin is mostly good… to a point. Some people take it to far and then it also makes you look old.

[Anonymous]

*too far

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Where to you go for Botox and fillers that look natural?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol push up bras.

NP. I agree that their shape and pushing up looks dated on everyone.
But having breasts sitting really low is aging. Most women wear wrong bras or don't do anything about lifting. Even smaller bust needs a lift.

I understand that young girls don't wear push up bras anymore, but sorry, if you have ever had/nursed a baby you are not pulling off a bralette. I have a friend who always wears these, along with crop tops and giant pants, and it simply isn't flattering even if it is what the 20 somethings wear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol push up bras.

NP. I agree that their shape and pushing up looks dated on everyone.
But having breasts sitting really low is aging. Most women wear wrong bras or don't do anything about lifting. Even smaller bust needs a lift.

I understand that young girls don't wear push up bras anymore, but sorry, if you have ever had/nursed a baby you are not pulling off a bralette. I have a friend who always wears these, along with crop tops and giant pants, and it simply isn't flattering even if it is what the 20 somethings wear.

I have had/nursed a baby for 14 months exclusively breast fed. My breasts look pretty much the same as when I was 20, maybe the slightest bit lower from gravity. But no change from nursing. I can't wear all bralettes - though I never could, even before baby. But ones with a little more structure, like from Aerie, look great on me.

It's weird that there are so many women who post on this forum who think that their experience of their aging body is exactly what happens to everyone else. Like the woman obsessed with ugly knees (who I hadn't heard from for over a year, and then she miraculously showed up on this thread - I legitimately wondered a few months ago if she were dead, because I always assumed she was 70+).

[Anonymous]

I think the question should be “how do I remain looking f**kable as I age” because these responses aren’t about youth. You don’t actually want to look young, you want to stay looking hot

Although it is true society (American that is) has this weird thing where women expire in f**ability when they look older. Other societies aren’t like that. In other places you can look sexy while still looking your age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thin. Hot.

That’s it.

No, thin = older.

[Anonymous]

Stay out of the sun, wear SPF 365 and sunglasses. Don't be a runner. Walk a lot. Don't smoke or drink. Limit your stress and be generous with sleep. You will look young for a long time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol push up bras.

NP. I agree that their shape and pushing up looks dated on everyone.
But having breasts sitting really low is aging. Most women wear wrong bras or don't do anything about lifting. Even smaller bust needs a lift.

I understand that young girls don't wear push up bras anymore, but sorry, if you have ever had/nursed a baby you are not pulling off a bralette. I have a friend who always wears these, along with crop tops and giant pants, and it simply isn't flattering even if it is what the 20 somethings wear.

This is so not a universal truth. Nursed two kids and am barely an A cup, so bralettes are fine. The PP who posted about minimizing bras made me laugh, because if I minimized any more, there'd be nothing left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stay out of the sun, wear SPF 365 and sunglasses. Don't be a runner. Walk a lot. Don't smoke or drink. Limit your stress and be generous with sleep. You will look young for a long time.

Best way is to just shroud yourself in a burqa - then no one knows how old you are and the dangerous, bad sun never touches your flawless skin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stay out of the sun, wear SPF 365 and sunglasses. Don't be a runner. Walk a lot. Don't smoke or drink. Limit your stress and be generous with sleep. You will look young for a long time.

Best way is to just shroud yourself in a burqa - then no one knows how old you are and the dangerous, bad sun never touches your flawless skin.

Muslim women who cover have great skin, but who ever sees it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stay out of the sun, wear SPF 365 and sunglasses. Don't be a runner. Walk a lot. Don't smoke or drink. Limit your stress and be generous with sleep. You will look young for a long time.

Best way is to just shroud yourself in a burqa - then no one knows how old you are and the dangerous, bad sun never touches your flawless skin.

PP, you sound like you have been in the sun too much. The sun is not your friend.