I’ve always been a big fan of makeup and trying to look your best. I’ve just had such a hard time putting forth the effort to care for my skin and to wear makeup everyday. This isn’t the first book by Bobbi Brown I’ve read. I picked up her book “Beauty Evolution” a couple years ago and liked its laid back style. Bobbi Brown is an excellent makeup artist and her books convey a genuine want Bobbi has for each woman to look and feel comfortable in their skin. Her earlier book had the theme of bare minimum makeup application to look your best at any age. I remember there was a picture of an absolutely stunning 60 year old woman who had amazing white/gray hair. She was the editor of some magazine (I think) and wore elegant clothes and red lipstick. She wore her confidence best, and that image has stayed with me as something I would like to achieve if I were to grow old.
I turned 30 earlier this month and honestly have never paid the slightest attention to aging or skin care. I’ve always been told I look really young for my age. I still get carded occasionally. With a healthy does of arrogant youth, I assumed I would always stay that way with no effort. It wasn’t until I was in my sister’s wedding, where a makeup artist (I use the term loosely because I knew more than she did about makeup application just from selling Mary Kay casually for a couple years) applied the exact same makeup on the bridal party, and while the 20-somethings looked beautiful in spite of the non-complimentary shades, I felt every bit 30 next to them. The makeup used on me was the mineral type makeup, and it settled into every pour, washed me out, and emphasized flaws I didn’t even know I had. It was not a self esteem building exercise.
I came back home with a new spark of interest in trying to preserve what I’ve got going for me. I picked up this book while just meandering through the library where it caught my eye. Who doesn’t want to be a “living beauty”? This book had a lot more of Bobbi’s personal life in it besides just tips on where to put your blush for that “pop” effect. It was written in 2007, but I’ve found Bobbi’s tips and techniques to be almost timeless. By now she’s even put out one or two more books that I will have to check out. Bobbi begins the book by mentioning she just turned 50, and she’s starting to really notice her body and skin changing. This book was aimed at the older women crowd, but I looked at it as a “if you follow these tips on how to take care of yourself when you’re 30, you won’t have to worry about fixing it when the damage has already been done” type manual.
Really there is nothing new in the book that I didn’t know already. Wear sunscreen everyday, cleanse and moisturize everyday, everyone should wear lipstick and mascara…everyday. The difference is this time when I read them I was willing to listen and heed the advice. Women who look amazing in their 50’s and beyond didn’t start taking care of their skin in their 50’s. Hopefully they started when they were 30. The book has a chapter on some of the most beautiful well known 50+ women and what their beauty philosophies were. They included Susan Sarandon, Vera Wang, and Vanessa Williams. Most of the women attribute being happy with their bodies and loving themselves as their biggest beauty tip. That kind of wisdom is always up lifting but I prefer more practical advice like Bobbi gives later in the book like how eating mostly fruits, veggies, and exercising everyday will do more to keep you young than most cosmetics. But then again that isn’t anything new.
There are plenty of tips about how to look your best if you have blue eyes, droopy eyes, brown hair, big hips, and the likes. I followed one of the tips that if you don’t wear any other makeup besides a good creamy blush, you can retain your youthful glow. I put on some creamy blush and a little pink lipstick to go pick up my boyfriend from work, and he complimented on how pretty I looked. What do you know? Most of the good makeup tips that applied to me involved how to give your face definition that it looses with age. I’m vampire pale, with light features, and eyeglasses so I never had definition for age to take away in the first place. If you’re like me, all you need is a nice pink blush, a natural shade of lipstick, and a couple coats of mascara.
The book goes into much more detail about how to cover sunspots, baggy eyes, and under eye circles. There’s an extensive section on the different kinds of treatments a dermatologist can do when you get older like chemical peels and other treatments, but hopefully I can bypass all of that. When the book talked about menopause and hormone replacement therapy, I glazed over and skimmed. Hopefully I can bypass all that too.
Most of the information in this book didn’t pertain to me yet. I read it almost like visiting a psychic. These thing could happen to you, if you don’t do little, simple things to help prevent them. I plan on aging gracefully and being that confident woman from the picture. It will be much easier to clean my face and wear sunscreen now, than order the ‘Burt’ or the ‘Loni’ look from a plastic surgeon years from now.
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