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Personal maintenance to look decent increases as we get older

Before age 40, I only wore lipstick and powdered my nose. Hate foundation and never used it.

Ten years ago, my hairstylist convinced me to start using under-eye concealer and eyeliner. Now 65, I added eyebrow pencil to my morning routine. Fuuuk!

I just want to run errands and go to the gym. Living in a small town, if I skip it, I'll run into people I know and feel embarrassed.

Saying hello, I remove sunglasses for eye contact. Don't want to scare people.

I won't get into nostril hairs. Twice a week, I examine my face in a magnifying mirror with a strong flashlight and tweezers at hand. Takes nerves of steel.

If I stopped exercise, sunscreen, moisturizer, hair color and maintenance, I'll look like a bag lady. Grizzled white hair and eyebrows, protruding nostril hairs, wrinkles, flab...

Might as well turn into a mini-Sasquatch and disappear into the mountains.

This photo was taken three years ago after running. I prefer a natural look.

Your thoughts, guys and gals?

LiterateHiker 9 June 2
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43 comments (26 - 43)

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2

I find that if I replace the light bulbs with lower wattage ones, forget to clean the mirror and don't wear my glasses, I look pretty damn good.
I've been going gray since I was a teenager, so that was not a hill to die on.

Joking aside, you are right, it's miserable just keeping up with the basics, though you do seem to have a favourable genetic mix.

2

Yes my dear you look naturally beautiful and decent,Bill is a lucky man to have you as his Girlfriend .We all do what we have to make ourselves comfortable with ours selves in what ever manner we chose and you have chosen very wisely ,.Keep doing what your doing and enjoy life the way you wish,,

2

Funnily enough I stalked your profile about half an hour before reading this and the main opinion I took away with me was you'd typed your age wrong! Seriously, you look fantastic but natutal! Spare a thought for us men turning 50 and suddenly realising we haven't got a clue what needs doing every morning never mind how 😂

Salo Level 7 June 2, 2019

@Salo

Thanks for the compliment.

My little sister got skin cancer at age 22. I was 27. That was my wakeup call and the last year I had a tan.

Since then, I have used sunscreen year-round and wide-brimmed hats while hiking and gardening.

Never smoked and don't drink soda pop or alcohol. Instead, lots of water.

2

"Grizzled white hair and eyebrows, protruding nostril hairs,"
nostril hairs are one of god's best jokes on humans (if there were a god). it's much worse for men.
every now & then a nose hair seems to spring loose. i examine my nose each morning & trim accordingly. but somehow a nostril hair will remain coiled just waiting to spring free. i'll look in the mirror & see a 1/4 inch nostril hair & wonder--where the F did that come from?

@ callmedubious

Hilarious!

"What now?" I think with amusement, looking into a magnifying mirror.

@LiterateHiker ,
great attitude..a good sense of humor is a great defense against the infirmities of old age.
personally, i view our existence on this planet as one big cosmic joke.

2

You are so naturally pretty!! I'm 42 almost 43 and I see a huge difference in my skin. I'm pale and a red head. The sun has never been my friend. I'm single and have been for 10 years. I rarely wear make up. I'm a very basic woman when it comes to makeup and stuff. I'm too busy working to worry. But you look great!

@Jama7

Thank you, dear.

2

You look beautiful. When did the nose hairs start being an issue?

@Stephanie99

Thanks. Started into menopause at 48.

"Mom, what are those black hairs sticking out of your nose?" my daughter Claire, 13, asked, horrified, as I drove her somewhere.

She looked at me with the disgust only a teenage daughter can aim at her mother. I was 50.

"Claire, just add that to your list of taboo subjects," I replied lightly.

"You may NOT ask adults about gray hair, wrinkles, gaining weight, yellow teeth, bad breath, and now... hair sticking out of their nose."

I laughed. Claire rolled her eyes into the next state.

Have been waxing my nostrils ever since.

@LiterateHiker That sounds unpleasant.

@Stephanie99

I use hot wax on a wooden craft stick. Takes a long time to cool inside your nose.

One quick yank! Makes my eyes water.

It's fun seeing bristling black hairs in the wax. "Gotcha!"

2

i just go for pants and a hat.

2

Mighty fine lookin' to me !

2

If you don't mind me saying so, I would do you right now and also two years ago!

2

You look great!

Simple maintenance I'll do for myself, mainly because it makes ME feel better for myself, and THEN consequently more confident and attractive when I put myself out there in the world. It's usually basic for everyday, a little more for a social occasion. But I've never been big on looks, for the most part I prefer natural, and there's nothing like someone who radiates beauty and vibrancy from within (not that I always do, though I'm working on it).

I like your whimsical new picture! 🙂

2

You look great. We all have to do a bit more maintenance as we get older, unless we just give up, which I don’t advocate or subscribe to. It is for our own wellbeing and morale that we do it, and we owe it to ourselves. When the compliments come, and I feel sure you get lots of them, I do too, then it makes you feel years younger. I am 74, so 9 years your senior, but when people hear that I’m that age they are usually astonished. I believe I could reasonably knock ten years off that, or possibly more on one of my best days. I have always taken a pride in my appearance, and having had to perform in public periodically, has kept me on my toes. I can still get ready, including makeup and hair, in 20 minutes ...from shower to car! I think that’s pretty good going, but I do any plucking of stray hairs on chin and eyebrows about twice a week. Foundation, concealer, blusher, eyeshadow, eyebrow pencil, mascara, and lipstick all go on, but very lightly. The hair I have coloured by the hairdresser, it’s now a shade or two lighter than my original dark brunette. I will never have any cosmetic surgery, but at 74 I have no crows feet or wrinkles. My secret to my youthful looks.....good genes, plain and simple. My mother had no wrinkles at 90, so I can make no claims to any secret formula for keeping young looking. I think the other factor is our climate, it’s cool, damp, and we don’t get a lot of strong sunshine, that, and I have never smoked or taken drugs, and only consume a moderate amount of alcohol.

2

Personal maintenance to look decent increases as we get older
I couldn't agree more. for me to be well groomed it takes more time & effort.

alon Level 6 June 2, 2019
1

A little late to the thread but as a man headed towards mid 50's with 3 older sisters I know how easy I have it.
Personally I think you look great, or at least did 3 years ago, but I am not a fan of make up and think most women look better with little to none. Sure there are those who could really use the help but there are just as many men who need that kind of help who the idea of covering up anything is just beyond them.
Men don't care how they look other than hopefully not looking like a total slob and even that is somewhat rare. Me get to age, aging seems to be for men the same as battle scares, well earned and something to take pride in.
Women on the other hand have been sold a bill of goods since childhood, that they need make-up to look presentable. I am already fighting this with my 11 year old because she wants to "fit in"

Make up is a false presentation as far as I am concerned and there is so much evidence of men who have bought into what they were shown and feel cheated when reality is shown to them.
Keeping clean and presentable should not take more than a few minutes much less hours in front of a mirror, spending that time doing exercise does far more to keep you youthful and beautiful and as far as I can see you are a perfect example of that fact.
But in the end... are you trying to look good for yourself or everyone else?

@ThomasLevi

Thank you for your compliment. I appreciate you.

This photo was taken a week ago.

@LiterateHiker Well what ever personal maintenance you doing is certainly working well.

@ThomasLevi

Thank you. I'm 66. Exercise, baby! Hiking, running and weightlifting.

Since age 27, I have protected my skin from the sun. Healthy diet. Avoid alcohol. Never smoked.

In late May 2019, I broke a toe. Couldn't hike in June or July. Despite the setback, so far I hiked in 2019:

209 miles with 48,876 feet of elevation gain.

@LiterateHiker Well I can’t say I avoid alcohol and most of my hiking is in amusement parks and museums. But I have a lot of wide brim hats for all the time I spent in my garden and the garden probably speaks to my dietary choices. Keep doing what you’re doing, you’re a great example to follow.

@ThomasLevi

Thanks.

1

I wear concealer now (acne prone skin blegh) and eyebrow liner because I like for my eyebrows to look thicker. I'd say you got away with being VERY minimalist under 40 compared to how many under 40s are right now. I think society has conditioned us to believe that womens' value rests on our appearance and this message is just further reinforced by our daily interactions with other men/women, who seem more interested the better we look. It is a shitty aspect of socialization women endure and makes aging harder for us in some respects. This looks nice too. Not like a bag lady AT ALL.

@demifeministgal

This photo was taken a week ago.

@LiterateHiker It's a bit of an old post, I will need to re-read it for a refresher 😳

1

I think you look beautiful.

1

I think you look beautiful. A person will maintain there looks if they take care of themselves.

1

You look good, don't sweat the little things like what people think.

1

You seem to put a sociological spin on it while ignoring the likely source which is likely rooted in biology.

@dahermit

What do you mean?

@LiterateHiker it sounds to me like this person 's point is you have good genes!

@Stilltrying1964

All of my siblings are overweight. Mom was considered a health nut and an exercise fanatic. A great role model.

We lived on a lake in Michigan. In a rowboat, I rowed two miles to the end of the lake while Mom swam. Then we switched positions. Mom rowed while I swam.

On my Dad's side, great aunts and great grandmother lived into their 100s, slim, mentally sharp, living alone, active and volunteering. Physically, I take after them.

@LiterateHiker why do you suppose your siblings are overweight? Same gene pool, but you swim in the deep end while they're relaxing in the shallow end with a beer?

@Stilltrying1964

Different lifestyles. I exercise regularly; my siblings don't.

They drink heavily; I avoid alcohol. Alcoholism runs in the family.

@LiterateHiker It's all genes and environment. For some reason you have determination to exercise and they do not. I'm in the "no free will" camp.

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