Fashion

Charla’s Fashion & Beauty Tips:

Top Five Things That Age You Most, And How to Avoid Them

In her new book HOW NOT TO LOOK OLD, beauty and style expert Charla Krupp rewrites the rules of aging, offering a comprehensive plan of attack. Charla draws on years of experience as a top beauty and fashion magazine editor, style expert on NBC’s Today Show as well as the advice and guidance of her friends -- the best hair stylists, make-up artists, designers, dermatologists, cosmetic dentists, and personal shoppers -- in the business. Here is Charla’s list of the top five things that age you most, along with her suggestions on how to avoid them.

1. Dry skin and age spots

“When skin is dry, even fine lines start to look like wrinkles etched deep into the skin – a very old look for sure. By adding moisture to your skin, you can temporarily plump it up, making it look dewier and more youthful. Age spots can make you look up to 20 years older! I love the mousse-like texture of Olay Definity Deep Penetrating Foaming Moisturizer. It not only moisturizes but also fights age spots and wrinkles.”

Product: Olay Definity Deep Penetrating Foaming UV Moisturizer SPF 15

2. Heavy Eye Makeup

“If you have bumpy eyelids, crow’s feet, or a hooded overhang, lose the thick eyeliner, the heavily pigmented colors, and the multitiered shadow effects. Instead, learn to artfully smudge a thin line of eyeliner pencil or apply a thin line of liquid liner, and stick with an understated wash of shadow in a flattering shade of beige, brown, khaki, or gray. Shiny, glittery shadows are for kids. Soft and pretty will make you look Y&H; hard and severe is so OL. I’d always maintained that liquid liner was too challenging in the hands of non-pros until I met Shiseido’s amazingly easy-to-use Fine Eye Liner, a cartridge pen with a refill. You don’t need a steady hand to apply it – I even put it on in the back of taxi cabs in New York City! Just line the lid close to the lashes, then smudge it to look as soft and natural as possible.”

Product: Shiseido The Makeup Fine Eye Liner

3. Boring eyewear

“It’s amazing how a few sculpted ounces of plastic or metal can make an instant impression about your style. Glasses can make you look edgy, intriguing, artsy, intellectual, or authoritative. Don’t put anything on your face that you’d be likely to see on a high school math whiz or a nun. These include rimless glasses (too grandma: thin, gold, metal frames (too boring); and round, Harry Potter-type frames (too collegiate). In New York City, Robert Marc is synonomous with the latest and greatest in eyewear. He has shops in New York and Boston, but you’ll also find Robert Marc frames in the hippest eyewear boutiques worldwide.”

Product: Robert Marc glasses

4. Gray hair

“Before you join the sisterhood of silver foxes, know that although platinum hair can look cool, it will never look young. Truthfully, it adds ten years. If you don’t want to go gray, you can cover a few gray hairs yourself at home with semipermanent or permanent color in your base shade. This will darken the gray and blend it in. On the website Clairol.com, you can upload a photo of yourself and try out a spectrum of shadeson your own head. (Warning: It’s addictive!) If you want an expert opinion on one of your new looks, you can call one of Clairol’s hair pros for a free phone consultation.”

Product: Clairol Natural Instincts

5. Ugly comfort shoes

“I’m not ready to give up sexy shoes, and I hope you’re not either. Thankfully, you no longer have to sacrifice fit for fashion. The great news is that in the past couple of years, comfy shoes have gotten sexier, and sexy shoes have gotten comfier. There are several inexpensive options to pad your feet and make your shoes, even high heels, more comfortable. Celebs such as Teri Hatcher and Marcia Cross, as well as many high-heeled fashionistas, swear by the various chic padding options made by Foot Petals. A collaboration between Nike and Cole Haan resulted in a line of heels called Dress Air, which feature Nike Air padding concealed inside half-inch platforms under the ball of the foot and in the heels. It’s like walking on air!”

Products: Foot Petals products and Cole Haan Dress Air shoes