I typed this title and then stopped and laughed. You don’t need me to tell you how to age beautifully – You’re already aging beautifully! I realized that the question is more whether YOU know that you’re already aging beautifully.

YOUR INNER BEAUTY SHINES

Are you warm? Do you love? Are you there when a good friend needs you? Do you have a sense of
humor? Does the way you dress reflect your distinctive sense of style? Have you mastered the challenge of looking after yourself fully as well as you deserve?

I’m confident that you are at least some of these beautiful things, or all of them, or that you can name a whole other list of radiantly gorgeous attributes.

Beauty that has meaning shines out from within. We are all quick to notice it in others, but sometimes slower to notice it in ourselves.

NOURISHING YOUR SOUL

The Irish poet, John O’Donahue refers wonderfully to beauty as “the illumination at the heart of the soul”.

The slow blossoming of your inner beauty over the course of your life is almost inevitable, and it can also be encouraged by all kinds of good lifestyle choices.

Meditation, having real fun on a regular basis, expressing your emotions, climbing mountains (real or metaphorical), spending time with your favorite people.

Meaningful acts that deepen our self awareness invoke a sense that we are living life to the fullest.

KEEPING YOUR BODY HAPPY

Treating your body with love makes all the difference. Healthy food, stimulating exercise. Yoga, Tai Chi and a relaxing massage by loving hands is always a treat. By remaining in tune with a balanced body, we feel more capable and willing to live a beautiful life.

LOVING YOUR SKIN

And it may be the least of these to make sure you look after your skin really well. Choose natural, intensively nourishing skincare products that feel and smell delicious and leave you looking radiant every time you use them.

Here’s to your beautiful journey of looking and feeling wonderful!

I see women of all ages everyday who misuse makeup by trying to mimic movie stars and models when in fact they themselves are more beautiful.

You cannot copy the makeup of other people and expect it to look good on you. The shape of your features will change the highlights and shadows and give a different look to a design that you copy. It’s much better to go with your own approach, following these simple tips.

SUBTLE

Makeup is best when the brushstrokes are not seen and the colors blend in with your face.

EYELINER

When using eyeliner, use a color that emphasizes and enhances the color of your eyes. The liner should be barely noticeable. It’s your eyes that should stand out, not your eyeliner. Eyebrow pencil or powder, when needed, should be applied lightly to follow your natural eyebrow. I use a pencil then brush over it to soften the brow so that it appears natural.

BLUSH

A dab of blush is all you need on your cheeks. To get the outline of your cheek bone, suck in your mouth. Just a dab underneath the cheek bone is all you need. You can also put a dab on your lids. It will soften your eyes and give you a romantic look.

LIPSTICK

Lipstick should never look heavy or be the dominant color on your face. Lips are sexy and are to be kissed. You can outline your lips with a natural color for definition, then add lip gloss before using a lipstick color. This will give your lips a fuller, translucent look that will be more appealing. If you use a translucent lipstick, you can skip the gloss. I use gloss first whenever I want to use a lipstick with a deeper color. That way, you notice my lips, not the color.

FOUNDATION

I’m not a big fan of foundation for daily use. It makes most women look older and pasty. Actors and models need it to go before the camera. And, of course, they get lighted properly and retouched. A hint of lavender-colored translucent powder is lovely for an evening glow.

That’s all you need. I’m delighted to see the no-makeup look become fashionable. It is so much more attractive – and so easy!

It’s easy to care for puffy eyes. Just make a cup of green tea with two tea bags, then refrigerate the bags. Once they have gotten cold, lay down and use them as compresses on your eyes.

Green tea is packed with antioxidants that are twenty times stronger than Vitamin C and contains anti-inflammatories that can help with swelling. It is an elixir for the body and does wonders for the skin, either as a drink or applied topically, but, if you are using it on puffy eyes, make sure it is cold, as the heat from warm tea may increase the puffiness.

If your eyes keep getting puffy, you might take this as a sign your body wants a little more tender loving care. A peaceful eight hours of sleep is often remedy enough for puffy eyes and dark circles. So is good hydration. And bear in mind that sugar creates inflammation in the body that can show up around the eyes. The thin skin there is more prone to swelling.

Persistently puffy eyes can also be caused by the tiny particles from hairspray and other aerosols getting onto the eyelids – something to be careful about when using them.

You can read more about the extraordinary beauty benefits of green tea, either as a drink or applied topically, here: http://www.mybeautymyskin.com/beauty-benefits-of-green-tea

Here’s to your sparkly clear eyes!

Being a model when I was in my twenties, I was always comparing myself to other models who were thinner, smaller-breasted and taller than me. My insecurities told me that they were all prettier than I was. I hadn’t a clue about real beauty. I had only what the media told me was attractive and acceptable.

You can see how I was from the picture here. At the time it was taken, I just didn’t think I was pretty.

Genuine beauty comes from a healthy mind, body and spirit, all living together in harmony. It is life-deep, not based on how tall or thin or whatever else we are.

The Irish poet John O’Donahue calls beauty “the illumination at the heart of the soul.” I can’t find a more beautiful way to say it.

And what better way to cultivate timeless beauty than to let your light shine!

If your skin stings, burns, reddens, or feels tight, after using skin care products, then you’re probably quite well aware that you have sensitive skin.

But if your skin is prone to flareups, is lumpy or bumpy, and maybe still feels like ‘problem teenage skin’ – even though you’re 45 – then it may come as a surprise to realise that it could be your skin care products that are causing the problem.

I was so pleased recently to help one lovely lady called Jessica, who I could see straight away was using products too harsh for her delicate complexion. Later she emailed to say “I was so amazed to realize that my problem all along was just sensitive skin! It was lumpy at my temples and in front of my ears, and prone to breakouts, and it just hated foundation or anything like that.”

“It didn’t used to turn red or sting with skin care products or makeup, and it had always been a bit oily, so it never crossed my mind that I might need products for sensitive skin.”

“Switching to milder organic skincare products has been a total revelation. I laugh now to realise that I reached my forties before I really had a clue what my skin really needed.”

“And I’ve got to say that the Ultra Sensitive Crème feels so great on my skin that I look forward to it as a ridiculous treat every morning and evening. How delightful.”

So, if your skin is sensitive, you probably already know you need to avoid harsh chemicals, and even some naturally-derived ingredients such as drying alcohols. Strongly-perfumed products are worth avoiding too. Keep your skincare routine down to the basics, by using simple organic products. That’s what your skin needs.

Of all our luscious products, our Ultra Sensitive Crème Anti-aging Moisturizer is the one that people most often seem to experience as a kind of religious conversion! They’re so amazed by what it does for their skin. I just love being part of that.

‘Young-looking skin’ may be what many think they are looking for, but if you’re currently blessed with actual youth, you may feel a bit more ambivalent about young skin!

Hormonal eruptions, dark circles from burning the candle at both ends, stress, and the after-effects of fun makeup and facial treatments can leave your skin feeling blemished and irritated.

GENTLE PRODUCTS

If your skin is prone to breakouts, then the first thing I would say, is that you absolutely need to avoid harsh products.

It’s true that your skin’s natural oil production may be at its highest in this part of your life, but violently stripping off this protective mantle is not what your skin needs.

Strong cleansing, and abrasive or acidic scrubs, can give a ‘really clean’ feeling, but actually those products may be irritating your skin, and even causing your breakouts.

If your skin feels tight after cleansing, your cleansing products were too harsh for your skin. Read more on this in my article about whether you have sensitive skin .

INVEST IN SKINCARE, NOT MAKEUP

It may be tempting to cover over anything in your complexion which is not looking its best – and I did this too, when I suffered with some acne during my young years as a model .

But heavy makeup is aging , and one thing you should definitely feel free to do in your youth is celebrate your clean, clear, bright skin!

And if that’s not how your skin is feeling, then I definitely recommend you look at the products you are using. The right products for you should make your skin look and feel just wonderful.

GOOD HABITS

You are blessed with the opportunity to make great choices about what you put into and onto your body, while much of your life’s path is still ahead of you.

You can start forging a lifetime of self-supporting habits, including choosing healthy natural products , and cultivating a skincare routine that gives your skin just what it needs.

Be careful when choosing organic skincare not to use a brand which relies on high levels of alcohol as a preservative – this may be too harsh for your skin.

TREAT YOURSELF WITH LOVE

But most of all, look after yourself! Treat yourself with love.

Have fun, and live young, and live wild, and make sure you also nourish your body and soul.

Eat things your body loves, and give it invigorating exercise. Meditate, hike, do yoga or tai chi, and nourish your cool calm yin in this fast loud yang world!

Looking and feeling effortlessly beautiful, is the gift your youth should be filled with.