10 Instant Ways to Go from Homely to Hot in Midlife

One of the richest girls in my high school was, pardon me, kind of homely. You’d never know it by the way she pulled herself together. Her hair shined, her wardrobe turned heads, her personality glowed, but underneath the makeup and clothes, she was far from a natural beauty.

She did have style and panache and so can you with the full arsenal of ways to transform yourself in midlife such as…

• Wearing the colors that make your face pop
• Playing up our best features with makeup and clothing
• Contouring bones and camouflaging your flaws with makeup   
• Choosing the right fabrics, cuts, lines, and clothing styles to look like a top pin on Pinterest
• Working with a hair colorist to hide your gray, frame your face, make your eyes catty, smoky, cover girl like
• Kissing your freckles, dark spots, wrinkles goodbye with the help of cosmeceuticals, microderms and other new age ways skin care techniques or makeup available at seemingly affordable medical spas (monthly memberships to Rajeunir start at $59 – cheaper than a bender and oh so much better for your skin)
• Hiring a trainer, tennis instructor, Pilates or yoga guru to push you to earn back your true figure that lurks beneath the surface

Point and case, rewatch My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Nia Vardalos plays an amazing character and her on-screen transformation magnificently underscores what hair, makeup, contact lenses, and a new wardrobe can do for a girl.

I love Jennifer Garner. She’s a great person, great actress, great mom and seems to be very authentic and real. She’s washed her face in Neutrogena soap since childhood so how can you not like her? However, she too can fall victim of looking Soccer Mom like as in the picture on the left. Yet with the right makeup artist, one-hour gym visits daily, a push up bra, and $10,000 dress, she’s Access Hollywood material.

 

And who can forget Susan Boyle rise from remote Scotland to stardom. From a gold tacky bridesmaid frock to denim and leather diva drapped in Burberry, check out Boyle’s transformation below. Just look at what taking the focus off her waist and eyebrows did for her image. A tamed do in a deeper Auburn hue and new threads can go a long, long way for one’s confidence and recording contract. Susan Boyle is the poster child for female reinvention.

10 Instant Ways to Freshen Your Dated Look

1. Try a new hairstyle (get expert advice from a top stylist first)

2. Seek out fashionable eyeglasses

3. No pleats/ FLAT fronts please

4. More tailored, less square

5. Nothing extreme!

6. Find out the best skirt lengths, pant legs, necklines are most flattering on your body type

7. Know what colors best compliment your skin tone

8. Stay current on shoe fashions

9. Scan often or subscribe to couple of woman’s magazines such as More, Redbook, Oprah, Simple, or Lucky

10. If making a change feels scary and intimidating, do some research and hire a professional wardrobe stylist to help you identify the best, most flattering, slimming, feel great wardrobe fashions meant for you.

Even Sex Symbols Have Frumpy Days

I’ll leave you with photos of pop diva Britney Spears who doesn’t look so Oh Baby, Baby in this before photo.  Yes, it takes a little more work as we get older but the results can marvel mankind. Read the Makeup Wakeup: Revitalizing Your Look at Any Age by Lois Joy Johnson and Sandy Linter. It provides terrific instructions demonstrated on over 50 models so you can get your refreshed look just right. The book also provides a shopping list of makeups proven to work best on women over 50 so we can look vibrant in midlife.

Please tell us your favorite secrets to look fresh not faded and if you like this post, pass it on sister!

 

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Tags: midlife makeovers, style over 50

Category: Fashion & Beauty