Bella's 1-2-3 for making yourself younger....

Hermanas!!!

Remember I was telling you about my public library beauty book haul? Well, amongst those books was one from certain make up artist with a title along the lines of "Look 10 Years Younger", which I will not even link because of its high lameness content. Blah. Though it did got me thinking...

Many of us cannot or will not ever go under the plastic surgeon's knife; for whichever reasons. Some of us won't even consider less invasive procedures like Botox, etc. But one thing is for sure: our skin will age, and no; there is nothing creams and concoctions can do to stop that. So then, are we doomed to look like our abuelas way before it is time??? [insert horror scream a-la Jamie Lee Curtis here]


OH NO!!!


I have found that makeup can -and does- help me in looking my age. Also, by observing mujeres all over the world, I know wrongly applied makeup makes us look older. So here is a quick quick collection of things I have found quite helpful to make me look as fabulous as my 37 years.

1. Any good Object D'Art is Primed.

Primer. Daily. Yes. No excuse. There should be legislation against putting on foundation or the eye shadow without first prepping the skin. Younger divas can get away with just moisturizing; but some of us have to add the primer.

Why? Well, the way primers work, they form an even canvas over your skin; and can be quite good at filling in fine lines. Some of them have light reflecting particles which add to the youthful look you want. They all prolong the staying power of make up and eyeshadow. Plus, eye primers do not let e/s crease... and creased eyelids are one of the #1 offenders.
So prime away. If you have mixed or oily skin, it might be best if you moisturize at night.

2. Shimmer only if needed.

Don't you looooove shimmer???? I know I do. However, as our skin ages; shimmer can be quite tricky. Specially in our eyes. And it makes our flaws more evident. By flaws I mean incipient arrugas...crow's feet.

As a rule of thumb, I rarely use a shimmery eyeshadow. Specially not during the daytime. Matte eyeshadows provide not only more definition to your eyes but also draw attention away from those minor [or not so minor] imperfections.

If you still resist letting go of the sparkly.... brush it lightly, preferably over the matte eyeshadow. And do use it below the brow bone, that is not punishable in my rules.

However, two places you are better served by shimmery shades are your lips (they do not go into the lin lines like those really sexy dark matte lipsticks do) and your nails (they draw attention away from hands with lines, yah know???).

3. Maintain that Mane.

About 3 weeks ago, my adored friend, the ultra gorgeous Native Chic from Georgia cut her hair and announced it on Fabebook. I almost died and she had to revive me. You see, this hermana has one of the most luxurious and sexy manes I have ever seen (which of course makes me relatively jealous now and then). Turns out she did not go all 1920's flapper and just trimmed her layers.

But.... some derelict who is now on my hitlist did tell her that "women her age should not wear their hair long". EXCUSE MEEEEE????? A valid and well deserved WTF. This is such a big lie. Women over 25 can wear long hair and make it look like a million euros.

Native Chic, my cousin Mamita Financiera and yours truly are living proof. I can tell you that with more than 20 years apart between us all, we sport our long hair with a lot of pride and style. Why??? Because we take very.good.care of it. We nurture it, trim it, use the correct shampoo, some of us color it, etc. It is worth it. If our hair reflected our biological years and crazy adventures... not so hot. So take care of those tresses - specially if you process it or expose it so sun, blowdryer and other alien stuff. Or chop them off. There, I said it.

Note for chicas who color: if you are going lighter, for the sake of the Goddess do not allow those roots to grow. It might look quirky and even en-vogue when you're 20; but when you reach say, 43, it looks just dejado, careless, and sloppy. OH! and o.l.d.

I am sure I will think about more tips and ways in which our make up can help us look fresher and younger. Now it's your turn.



Siempre, Bella.



p.s. All of the above has no meaning if you forget to take your vitamins, eat properly, exercise, meditate....