Defy age, look young
You need to know how to embrace your age and look youthful, says
Banalata Bipani
![Many mature women can handle long hair beautifully](girl.jpg)
Many mature women can handle long hair beautifully
|
Just how do you
beat off age in your wardrobe? You may be nearing your golden
years, but you sure don’t want to look it! Maybe you need to
know a little bit more about how to embrace your age or how to
dress younger. Let’s take it from the top.
"Your hair
can be the only feature that can add or subtract years from your
appearance," says stylist Naina Ghosh. "But it can
also be the one feature that can make you look like you’re
trying hard!" Naina suggests that mature women have to
decide first whether they want long or short hair. "Many
women above the age of 40 think that long hair looks too
informal and young for their age. So they automatically chop
everything off. Many mature women can handle long hair
beautifully but it all depends on how comfortable they are with
their images and whether they want a high maintenance or a low
maintenance style," she says. Mature women who are willing
to put a little effort into their hair, rather than just the
shampoo-and-rinse routine, might like long or medium cut hair
with a few layers styled into it or even a sophisticated long
fringe for those who indulge themselves with loose open hair in
public. Short hair is often a short-cut for a messy look for
many mature women.
Naina suggests a
neat boy cut or even chin or shoulder length hair with layers,
although this needs regular styling. "I believe that mature
women definitely need to invest more time in their appearances
and this doesn’t mean a weekly spa treatment," adds Naina,
"but a good haircut with regular styling, blow-drying and
moisturising keeps a mature women looking perky rather than
haggard with age." Many women ignore the basics when they
hit their forties. "Always get a trimming even if you don’t
want to splurge on a fancy haircut; allow the professionals to
colour your hair and remember that messy hair doesn’t flatter
the mature woman – soft and controlled is the way to go!"
Make-up expert
Gayatri Hitesh has found that the older a woman gets, the bigger
the number of candles on her cake and the bigger her make-up
expenditure! "As soon as
women reach their
forties, it’s all about concealing and hiding," she
scoffs. " They forget that at that age, a woman needs to be
graceful and minimal rather than cake it on!" She believes
that make-up for mature women revolves around de-emphasising and
sophistication. The basics: well-shaped eyebrows, clean upper
lip and moisturised skin mean that half the battle is won! A
well-matched foundation is optional as many mature women prefer
to gently let go of the foundation as their skin gets creased
easily with the application, which stretches it and the
chemicals, which wrinkle it.
Black eyebrow
pencils are to be summarily disposed as jet black eyebrows are
too artificial to carry off at 40+. Blush and lipsticks no more
range from hot pink to cherry red to tangerine orange. Go for
darker shades of brown and pink as these add depth to the face.
Coco Chanel was
known for her feisty dress sense even in her old age as
nowadays; so is Maharani Gayatri Devi. At the end of the day,
being comfortable in your skin is the best way of looking
fashionable, advises Marcus Paul-Henri, a French couturier, who
has a taste for Indian style and has clothed some of the biggest
names in desi tinsel town. Clean lines and the right
colours are the mature woman’s passwords to style. For those
who prefer ethnic wear, it is time to tone down those flashy
colour schemes and tight cuts. "Trendy styles can be
designed for the mature woman’s body that has obviously
changed," says Marcus. "Go for softer shades with
tasteful embroidery and comfortable cuts." A look that many
women opt for is the traditional big-bindi-chunky-aged-silver-jewellery-and-only-handloom
one. "I like this look because it adds integrity to a woman’s
image and because it is so obvious, one is not afraid of
sticking out because it is a foregone conclusion that people are
going to look twice at the lady wearing that huge bindi and
block print sari," says Marcus. — MF
|