So many of us suddenly find ourselves seventy years old and not looking or feeling like we used to look or feel only a moment ago.
Aches and pains in the morning, not much going on in our lives, family and friends busy and…. more importantly not much money to spend on entertainment, trips, socialising, or ourselves.
How can we improve that self esteem which little by little is slowly disappearing?
When I felt this uncomfortable period starting I thought to myself, how can I keep the ‘old grey look’ from knocking at the door.
After many sleepless nights I thought of 15 ways to bring back the colour and light into my life, without spending money I didn’t and won’t have!
Let me share these 15 easy and inexpensive ideas which will change the way you look and change the way people will see you. All for the good!
Here are 15 ways (in order of importance)
My mother always told me NOT to go out without putting lipstick on. Today you can buy many shades, so try a dark plum or darkish brown (which also makes teeth look whiter and healthier.
Paint your nails a modern colour, turquoise and blue look nice on “older’ hands, plus letterbox red for wintertime and coral colours for spring and summer.
I wear eyeliner for socialising, to me more important than mascara and as eyelashes are few and far between at our age false eyelashes are an option but a bore to put on and stay on so my advice? Just stick to an eyeliner, browns, greens and blues are always flattering.
Straight hair is NOT flattering at our age, so find some time to put some heated rollers in and create a wavy look. Any extra pennies should be spent on having a good haircut every six weeks.
If you have extra spending money, add some colour to your grey locks, then have blonde and copper highlights added, bronze and copper add warmth to all coloured hair. An all over colour is not advisable and needs more attention.
I think a foundation is important as it covers the blemishes and age spots which have accumulated over the years due to cold hard winters and hot sunny summers. No need to spend on expensive ones, but do get advice from sales girls as to a suitable tone, not too pink please ladies! www.smartcover.com make some great cover up make up for face, hands and legs
Accessories play a LARGE part in how to brighten how we look and feel. Socks and stockings are now in all the colours of the rainbow so put away the black and beige and buy, red, pink, green, blue, turquoise ,yellow, stripes, patterns, to go with those brightly coloured comfortable shoes you can now buy in most shops. Even gold and silver ballet shoes or tennis shoes add to everyday wear.
Scarves are coming back into fashion and luckily many of us will have kept in a drawer those brightly coloured silk and cotton scarves. Use them round the neck, tied in a new style ( see images of Jane Fonda)
I asked my family for Christmas to give me some new handbags, www.savemybag.it I now have white and orange for summer and bright red, navy and lime green for winter and spring and they look great and cheer up all those dark coloured clothes. Off I went to get some pop socks to match and wow all my friends with this new trendy look!
If you have the confidence, wear dark or brightly coloured brim hats to go out shopping, I sometimes do and remember you will get a lot of admiring looks from both men and women if you wear a hat out and about.
Do you want a celebrity look? If so, wear some brightly coloured dark or reading glasses, I have found wild coloured glasses on the internet and now own, fuchsia pink, electric blue, emerald green and a light coloured tortoiseshell colour which adds a touch of class! Shapes of reading glasses are important and a round shape creates an academic look, a butterfly shape creates a fashion frenzy look and small rectangular shapes create an inquisitive look! Which one is for you?!
Do away with round collars or low cut collars. A collar or polo neck is the best look for us now, the neck is nearly always best to hide and shirts with collars look sexy, even a man’s shirt looks good on ladies of all ages. polo neck sweaters look good too and are the best ways to keep warm in winter and protect the chest.
The elderly ladies in the Orient look elegant in their high neck jackets and long waistcoats in velvet and it is a look I wear most evenings . Velvet is a lovely fabric to wear for special occasions and I have long waistcoats and jackets in red, wine, green, and blue, all with brightly coloured silk linings! I am not a fan of tight clothes, I personally like a flowing look, particularly when one is sitting down, bulging waistlines and big knees are not attractive to look at.
Now we can get to the fun part… jewels! What fun… everywhere on line and in the shops we can find chunky costume necklaces, earrings, bracelets, brooches, in all colours and sizes, so dress up! Bracelets and earrings are my favourites, long ethnic necklaces always look good and modern, I also enjoy wearing huge arty type rings for parties.
So many new ideas for you lovely senior ladies in the sixties and seventies, but I would also like to add another important factor. Treat yourself to a treat everyday, some chocolate, maybe, an extra glass of wine, a late night, watching your favourite TV series, exotic fruit, a morning in your dressing gown once a week, a take away, something to LOOK FORWARD TO. Treats put one in a good mood and there is no reason on this earth why one can’t indulge in something sweet and out of the ordinary at our age!
