Look Years Younger
If a fountain of youth existed, you’d probably be drinking from it right now in hopes that its water would wash away your wrinkles, give you a glow and plump up your lips and eyelashes. Oh, to look 20 again!
While there are no magic waters or little pills that can turn back the hands of time, there are simple and non-invasive things you can do to erase years from your face. Here’s how to easily treat and beautifully disguise common signs of aging, so you look younger.
Problem: Thinning lashes
Simple solution: Use a lash serum, such as RapidLash, every night before bed. It makes your lashes grow! Apply it like you do liquid liner, brushing it along the base of your upper lash line. “Within two to three weeks, your lashes will appear to be longer and stronger,” says Rexall Beauty Expert Elysa Panzica. Keep in mind that serums are treatment products (not cures) and have to be used consistently to maintain lushness.
Makeup quick-fix: Pump up your lashes with volumizing mascara, such as L’Oreal Voluminous. (Avoid waterproof types, as some of their preservatives can cause thin and dry lashes to break.) “When you apply it, wiggle the brush at the root your lashes,” she says. “This simple action makes them look fuller.” There are also customizable mascaras such as Revlon CustomEyes or Rimmel Day to Night which allow you to build your fullness or clean up excess mascara for more defined lashes.
Problem: Dull complexion
Simple solution: To get skin to glow, exfoliate regularly. It sloughs off the dead skin cells that make your complexion dull. If you have dry skin, use a scrub, such as Vichy Purifying Exfoliating Cream that contains small round beads, three to five times a week. If your skin is oily, apply a product formulated with lactic acid or glycolic acid once or twice a week. Try Dermaglow Radiance Glycolic 10% Gentle Peel Solution. “You can use it as a toner and leave it on or, if you have sensitive skin, you can leave it on for five to 10 minutes, then rinse it off,” Panzica says.
Moisturizing twice a day is also a must, as it keeps your skin soft and youthful. (Always choose products made for your skin type.) In the morning, apply a moisturizer with sun protection factor, such as Garnier Moisture Rescue SPF 15, and before bed, massage on one that’s rich and very hydrating, such as Dermaglow Advanced Moisturizing Cream.
Makeup quick-fix: If you want a radiant complexion, use Mistura Illuminating Moisturizer. “It has a beautiful iridescent glow to it,” says Panzica. “Apply a dime-sized amount to your face, then apply liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer and your skin will look dewy.” Liquid foundation is a great, as it adds moisture to your skin and makes it look supple. (Powdery products can accentuate dullness and fine lines.)
Problem: Thinning lips
Simple solution: Return fullness to your pout by using a lip plumper or enhancer, such as NeoStrata Anti-Wrinkle Lip Enhancer, three times a day (wear it alone or under lip colour). “This product is great because it’s clear, smooth, doesn’t sting and it has a nice vanilla flavour to it,” says Panzica. “It’s a treatment, so it needs to be used religiously in order to see and maintain results.” What’s more, it helps reduce the fine lines around your lips, which will help to prevent your lip colour from bleeding!
Makeup quick-fix: It’s a cinch to make lips look bigger. All you need is a touch of lipstick or gloss in a light hue, such as soft pink or peach, and a matching lip liner. (Avoid dark shades, as they have a minimizing effect.) “First, apply the liner slightly outside your natural lip line,” she says. “Then glide on lip colour and, using a lip brush, blend it with the liner.” Hidden Secret about lipsticks: applying colour with a lip brush not only helps to keep the application perfect, but it helps to keep your lips looking young. Using the lip product such as a lipstick directly on the lip can encourage loss of elasticity and premature wrinkling in the lip area.
Problem: Fine lines and wrinkles
Simple solution: Bioelectricity can help whittle wrinkles, so look for a cream that contains it, such as RoC Sublime Energy. (Smooth it on once a day.) Its electro-stimulation speeds up the skin’s rejuvenation process, so you look younger and more radiant. “It helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and lessens darkness,” says Panzica.
Makeup quick-fix: To look 10 years younger in an instant, put on Nanoblur. “It’s a serum you apply to your skin before makeup,” she says. “It tightens and firms the skin and evens out skin tone so you look more youthful in 40 seconds.” The downer is that you lose these results when you wash your face (it’s a quick-fix product, not a treatment), however, this is a great alternative to painful injections or cosmetic procedures. Remember to wear liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer instead of powder, which can settle into wrinkles so they’re more noticeable.
Problem: Stained teeth
Simple solution: Scrub stains away with Love That White Smile Cleaning and Whitening Foam. It’s fast - brush with it for just 60 seconds a day - and effective. “Its foaming action gets under the stains, breaks them up and lifts them off teeth,” says Panzica. “And it doesn’t irritate your gums at all.” (Most other whitening systems bleach your teeth with harsh ingredients that can hurt gums and increase tooth sensitivity.)
Makeup quick-fix: Your teeth look much brighter when you have a tan, so make your complexion toastier by using a sunless tanner, such as Avene Moisturizing Self-Tanning Lotion. “It’s nice because it hydrates your skin while giving it colour,” says Panzica. What’s more, you also get results fast - the colour develops in just one hour!
