If age is just a number, why the heck are we so obsessed with reversing it? I have never heard a woman in her 30s wish to be older, wiser maybe, but not older. Yet, beautiful women who are both wiser and older often sigh into the mirror, tugging on fine lines and wrinkles while I tug on their hair with a round brush.
The cheekbones don’t sit quite as high as when she was homecoming queen. The eyes begin to show signs of a well-lived life, and for many that silver lining peeks out around the hairline far too soon. For my part, I find that women age beautifully.
Just like the slightly worn patina on the arm of one of my antique mirrors, those laugh lines around the eyes of a mature lady intrigue me to want to know more about her and the story that lies within. Nevertheless, youth is popular, and younger skin seems to be on most everyone’s wish list.
I am “guilty” of getting regular chemical peels and expensive eye creams. I even pause for a moment now and again, tugging on my eyes and wondering where my 20-year-old face has gotten off to. So, I reckon both men and women secretly wish to stumble across and fall smack dab into the deep end of the fountain of youth.
In the meantime, there are a few things I learned from my mama, who has beautiful skin at age 73, and some sage advice I have borrowed from the women who have enlightened me, either at the makeup counters or in my salons. To begin with, my mama’s secret to defying her age is minimal makeup as a young woman, and when she did wear makeup on that beautiful face, it was prepped with a night cream (probably Oil of Olay) the night before and then a rich moisturizer in the morning.
I think her skin has thanked her a thousand times for sticking to a dab or two of powder here and there when needed, lipstick, and some rouge on the cheeks. Avoiding unnecessary layers of makeup helps keep the pores open and the skin flawless. I “hear tell” sleeping in makeup is a big no-no, eating a diet of raw fruits with antioxidants is a no-brainer, and my dermatologist says, “Sunscreen is vital to younger looking skin, and it’s never too early to begin using it religiously.”
Of course, there’s no getting around the fact that genes play a major role in the game of counting wrinkles, and stress is also a sneaky little devil that throws a kink in our plans to beat the hands of time. Joan Rivers said it best: “I don’t mind time marching on, but I have a real problem with it marching across my face!” Well said.
As the 19th anniversary of my 21st birthday approaches, I find that if age is just a number, I am going to make every digit count for something marvelous.
Former Columbus resident David Creel owns Beautiful With David salon in Jackson. Contact him at [email protected].
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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