I love the fact that I am getting older, it certainly beats the alternative.  But, it’s not without it’s drawbacks…mostly mirrors!

As I wandered through the drugstore looking for a few products that had been voted “Best of 2013”  by New Beauty Magazine, I thought of Catherine Deneuve’s famous quote:  “After a certain age, you have to be ready to trade your ass for your face.”

Meaning the slimmer we are, the more it will show up on our faces.  So, we can carry an extra 10 pounds to keep our faces full, or we can keep our weight down and have our face look a little bit drawn.  Tough choice!

New Beauty Magazine caught my eye because I had never seen it before, and the cover promised Anti-Aging Innovations and Breakthroughs.   Their first, and foremost point: You Are What You Eat!  They advise us to adhere to an “anti-inflammatory diet” to improve skin, and heal it from the inside-out.  When you eat heavy, processed, sugary foods they make your skin dull and puffy.  Eating fresh foods with a high water-content:  veggies, berries and water-rich fruits are the best choice.

Green tea can boost your health, too. It’s rich in anti-oxidants that help fight inflammation and defend against cavity-causing bacteria, and it boosts the health of our teeth and gums while fending off bad breath.  These are all important aspects of staying sexy!

Nora Ephron wrote a great book of essays called, “I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman.”  I can relate to her anguish over her neck, and I hate to think that mine would have looked worse if I hadn’t exercized all of these years!  With that as my driving force, I read everything I could find on Ultherapy, a new non-invasive neck and chin-lift.  It’s FDA-cleared, and uses ultrasound to stimulate the production of collagen. (Another reason our skin looses firmness – we lose about 1 teaspoon of collagen from our faces each year after age  30).   While I’m impressed with the results and reviews, I will need to buy a piggy-bank and save up. The cost averages around $3,000. 

Until my piggy-bank is full, the winner of the best Neck Firming Cream is Perricone MD Cold Plasma Sub-D.  It’s a DMAE and caffeine-infused formula that claims to firm saggy skin and improve the neck, chin and decollete area. Reviewers said they had a healthier and firmer appearance overall.  Cost:  $135.00 which won’t break that bank!

  Another way to improve the health of the skin on our faces and necks is Yoga!  The inverted poses provide reverse blood-flow giving skin both nutrients and oxygen. Take that, gravity! Yoga also helps decrease stress, increase flexibility, and calm the nervous system. All of which are  great ways to stay sexy.

I remember seeing the magnificent Katherine Hepburn on TV one night, and she was asked for words of wisdom on aging.  I was on the edge of my seat to hear what she would offer!  She smiled, and her head wobbling as it does, she said, “Your body rots, and it’s a goddamned shame!”

You know…it does, and it is.  So have fun.  Learn to love yourself. Eat well. And do the best you can with what you’ve been given.  An attitude of gratitude, an open smile, and some beautiful lipgloss will go a long way!

XO Donna