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Looking Great at Every Age  Accepting change is one thing; being mowed down by it is another. Keeping yourself together takes vigilance. Good looks, like gardens, require moisture, sunshine and pitiless weeding out of predatory elements, be they too much sun or too many toxins.
To get the best out of your natural God-given gorgeousness, survey my list of salvation remedies for each age. Every decade of a woman's life has a particular kind of beauty and specific beauty problems: spot them and then work on them. Try to gain a good habit each decade. Keep it and then add another... Linseed bread and vitamin E capsules are skin savers for All ages.
Teens
Squeezing, tweezing, roasting and toasting -- these are the enemies of the teen beauty regime.
Control the urge to carve into every spot and blackhead that erupts on your face. Concentrate instead on keeping your face perfectly clean. Skin scars, so trust in the enormous supplies of natural collagen you have now to heal and clear your face and drink water NOT SODA.
Avoid overplucking your own brows. A salon will do wonders for about $10.
Sun sensibly. The tanning you do now will be sun damage in less than 10 years from now.
Avoid alcohol! Your body is still growing and in your twenties social drinking will be more prevalent, take these years to live clean. You are establishing the habits and looks of a lifetime.
Beauty mantra: Braces now, blinding smile tomorrow.
Focus on: Sunscreen and learning how to carry yourself. Taking a disciplined dance class in your duckling teens makes you a swan later on. Walk tall, step softly, sit up straight for a crucial confidence boost.
20's
Muscle in! Apply all of the rules above to your regime and then add exercise to the mix. The 20's are incredibly stressful years. You are studying, working and finding your personal style. The best way to bust stress is by exercising for at least one hour three times a week. Your butt is also never going to look this great again, so work it and wear mini-skirts, hipsters, tight jeans and jodphurs NOW!
Mantra: Go for the burn, not the burn out.
Focus on: Exercise. Building a strong exercise regime and a strong body builds muscle and bone mass and keeps you slim the natural way.
30's
Two words: Office thighs. By the age of 35 a professional woman has spent almost a decade sitting down and gravity starts to tug at her undercarriage.
Add yoga and stretch classes to your regular gym routine and try to walk at least half an hour a day.
Moisture loss is also an issue now. Give your hair a simple treatment once a fortnight. I like Dr.Hauschka's oils or a simple sesame oil session (comb through four heated teaspoons and wrap up in a towel.)
Always have eye cream and hand cream handy at the office/in the car/next to your bed and apply it twice a day. Do all you can to hydrate internally. Keep a two liter bottle of water on your desk and drink it dry by dusk.
Beauty mantra: A yoga mat is a magic carpet.
Focus on: Hydration. Hands and delicate skin around eyes are the first signs of aging. Tend yourself like an orchid!
40's
Style up. Turning 40 is the perfect occasion to take inventory on your wardrobe, your makeup drawer and beauty routines that have become outdated. The difference between elegance and frumpery could be as subtle the wrong hemlength or a laquered up-do that needs to be ditched.
Soften your makeup by learning how to blend, flatter your face by wearing color and a more forgiving hairstyle. The uniform we all had in our 30's of hair pinned up and basic black becomes limiting and simply severe 10 years on. Now is the time to refine the looks that suit you and let go of timeworn habits masquerading as personal style.
Beauty mantra: Older is wiser and a hell of lot more chic.
Focus on: Modernity. Contemporary makeup is translucent and light reflective. Hair colorists now know how to do much more than merely cover up your grey.
50's
Fat. It just doesn't budge so easily over 50. Now is the time to reduce your intake of calories and break away from comfort foods. Tempting as it is to "let go" and form a menopausal cake fixation, I urge you to burn your plus-size catalogues and start pumping iron. Weight bearing exercise controls the pounds and helps protect your bones from thinning, a critical health issue for women in middle age.
Beauty mantra: Vitality is a woman in motion.
Focus on: Combating sedentary habits and baggy clothes that let your figure go to pot.
60's, etc.
S-e-x seems a good idea for senior beauty. Making marmalade all day just won't give you the same glow. If a blazing affair isn't on the horizon then at least indulge in some beauty regimes that focus on sensuality: pedicures, oil baths, massage, sea bathing and an odd spot of nude sun baking remind you to be a goddess, not just a grandma.
By now you know how to eat your vegetables, stretch your limbs and spend peaceful time alone, but don't forget that the spice of life (and vibrant beauty) is variety.
Have your feet done up with a henna tattoo, find a lush new scent and double your intake of raw foods.
Beauty mantra: The most striking women are always a little shocking.
Focus on: Personal pleasure rituals, radically nutritious foods, new music and dancing. The best exercise you can get now is also a social delight.
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