How to Stay Fabulous Forever

Did it mean jumping on that insidious €˜anti-age€™ bandwagon which deludes women (and some men!) into thinking that they can hold back the forces of nature? Absolutely not - in fact it€™s almost the opposite of that. Ageing is inevitable and to believe otherwise is the greatest delusion of our life and times. According to research, cosmetic procedures like facelifts mean that, on average, most people will see you as four years younger. Four years! 

So, instead of spending thousands in order to be seen as a 62 year old - here are my ideas on staying fabulous forever.

1. Make an effort. It€™s cold, rainy and dark so you might think €˜nobody will care what I look like and this shapeless old fleece is really warm.€™ Please don€™'t go there! Always wear something that you like and, importantly, in which you feel good.
2. Keep experimenting with style and colours. I gravitate towards greys and blacks which suit my skin tone and hair colour. Then, recently Barbara Crisp, a style consultant who is stocking LFF, persuaded me into a gorgeous teal coloured long jacket. It looks wonderful and, more importantly I feel fabulous wearing it.
3. Have a great hair cut. Again - don'€™t get stuck in a rut. Get expert help from a good hairdresser about what works for your hair and your lifestyle. Hair products are also important - good ones make all the difference when styling at home. I personally adore grey and white hair and am actively encouraging mine to go that colour - but not everyone suits grey hair. However hair dyed very dark brown or black is very ageing if you€™re not careful.
4. Update your makeup. Using the same old make-up which was fashionable when you were younger will date you just as much as old-fashioned clothes and haircuts. Look at some videos on YouTube (including ours) and re-educate yourself about what looks good now.
5. Stay open to new ideas and experiences. I hate it when older people pour scorn on anything they have neither tried nor tried to understand. I know it stems from fear of the unknown. I remember when my daughter told me I had to be on Twitter. I was quite dismissive of the need to embrace it - but she was so right and now I love it and it has been fantastic for the business!
6. Keep up with technology. This is a hard one because things keep changing so fast. I have had to get my head round an android phone, a new laptop, Twitter, Facebook, a handheld credit card machine (which needs constant upgrades), Woo commerce, Mail Chimp and Wordpress - and sometimes I feel like my brain is frying. But it€™s futile to resist and there is no alternative if you want to stay connected to the modern world (and run an internet business!)
7. Stay interested in everything that is happening in the world and don€™’t become grumpy, judgemental and negative as a result. There are two sides to every story and layers and complexities in every situation. I have never believed in some mythical golden past when everything was better. It wasn€™t better when I was a child - it was just different.
8. Try to mix with all age groups. I had a lovely evening on Sunday at a concert with a friend who is twelve years younger than me and her fifteen year old daughter who is an absolute delight. And my daughters. sons in law and my four grandchildren are great at keeping me on my toes mentally and physically.
9. Listen to feedback and be prepared to change your mind or admit that you were wrong. Being older does not automatically confer either wisdom, total knowledge of every subject or the right to insist they do it your way. Maybe, just maybe they are right and you are wrong!
10. Look forwards not backwards. If most of your life is behind you then you might want to dwell in the past. However being enthusiastic about the future makes you a much easier person to be around. Don€™t get into the habit of telling €œwar stories€ unless specifically asked - most people won€™t be interested in the fact that you went to a Beatles concert in Cambridge in 1963! (But I did and it was AMAZIING!) What would you add to this list?

I€'d love your comments. We are living longer than ever before and I believe that the greatest challenge is to reinvent old age. To see it , not with fear and dread but as €œthe last great adventure of our lives€ - in other words to stay fabulous forever! 

 

 

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Interesting links:
Barbara Crisp
Frugal Fashion Shopper 
Advanced Style 
White Hot Hair