I’m in my mid-thirties and not only do I still get regularly carded, but people also react with a flinch of shock when they find out my real age. This is compounded after I reveal that I was married for over 10 years and have 2 children (which I don’t). “I thought you were born in 95′ ” a guy said to me while checking my ID to get into a casino. “What? Did you get married at 16?” Well, 22 I guess isn’t that much older.
My age is a mystery to most people I meet and I’ve thought hard about why that is. On average, I get hit on at least once a day still, or a man will randomly tell me I’m pretty on the street. This in fact has happened more frequently as I’ve grown older, which is totally counterintuitive.
This means that beauty is not totally correlated with age, but there’s something more to the creation of physical beauty.
This is for another topic, but, we’re talking about age in general and not strictly beauty. Beauty is of course correlated to age, but just because someone is younger certainly doesn’t mean they are more beautiful.
Youth though does slowly decline over the years, but I’m a living testament to the fact that just because you get older, that doesn’t mean you have to look it. This is a topic I will go much deeper into in future content and I’m even thinking of coming out with a short book on certain tips and insights I gained over the years on preserving youth, especially while living in Japan.
The truth is, in my twenties, I was by definition obsessed with looking younger and preserving my skin. I spent *thousands* of dollars on expensive skincare and facials and I’m not convinced it was even remotely worth it. Over the last 5 years, I’ve adopted a more minimalist approach to skincare and have also experienced a significant increase in compliments from both men and women.
So what’s my trick to looking 25 at 35? I can and will write more about this topic in detail going forward. But here are five major reasons I look a decade younger.
1. Sunscreen is Most Essential
La Roche-Posay SPF 50 Facial Sunscreen
Around $33.50
This is the obvious answer and yet it’s the most simple. When I hit 22, I noticed pores in my skin for the first time. Like most young women my age, I abused my skin by laying out to tan and I really never paid attention to aging my skin.
When I noticed pores for the first time, I freaked out. Did I do this to myself? I turned into the skincare version of a hypochondriac. I remember doing research on the best sunscreen and I still use the same thing today – La Roche-Posay. This was actually a common skincare line in Japan as well.
For the last 15 years, I have rarely left the house without applying sunscreen to my face. Some people argue that sunscreen has toxic ingredients, but this brand primarily uses zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to fight free radicals.
This is by far the single most important thing that’s saved my skin. Aging is hugely a function of sun exposure so if you can at least curb this through sunscreen and perhaps even wearing a hat, this is half the battle.
2. I’ve Never Smoked a Cigarette in My Life
This is the absolute truth. I’ve never smoked a single cigarette in my life. I’m not talking about cannabis, I’m talking about tobacco consumption. It’s a dirty habit and it’s something I witnessed my mother do for nearly 30 years until it aged her on hyperdrive before eventually giving her a painful yet predictable death from lung cancer at a very young age. Absolutely zero part of me could ever even understand why anyone would willfully tar their lungs and give their power away to this corrupt industry while inhaling something so gross.
Aside from aging your face, nothing is habitually worse for your health than smoking cigarettes. I have a wholesome loathing of the tobacco industry in much the same way I do with the other industries that are hustling addictive and unhealthy products that lead to unhealthy populations. I’m certain that not oxidizing my blood and tarring my lungs has done wonders for both my inner and outer beauty.
3. Be Mindful of Undereye Bags & Puffiness
My skin is pretty light which means that undereye discoloration is significantly more pronounced. Dark circles signify aging so it’s important to take care of them.
Concealer only works so well. I am prone to circles, especially when stressed out and dehydrated. I’ve tried every expensive cream on the market, including a $300 cream from Le Mer. I personally did not find this worth it all.
After all of my expensive skincare rituals in my later twenties, I’ve settled on something quite simple. In fact, my undereye cream is a generic vitamin C cream.
What’s significantly helped me however has been caffeine and retinol. I’ve had some luck with brewing green tea bags and settling them on my eyes in the morning for a few minutes. I think this does help.
But, my absolute favorite product that has significantly made puffiness go away is a retinol eye stick called Peace Out.
Peace Out | Retinol Eye Stick
$28
4. Staying Hydrated/Eating Well
Staying hydrated is most essential to looking young. Whenever I’m dehydrated, the lines on my face look more pronounced and my skin looks thinner which makes me look older. Hydration keeps the skin fresh and it helps also to reduce dark circles and puffy eyes. Puffiness in the morning is also often related to dehydration, so I like to drink a glass of water before bed, just enough to keep my body hydrated through the night.
Staying hydrated is one of the most difficult things about being a human.
The best way that I’ve found is to invest in a good water bottle and then make it a goal to drink X number of bottles a day. Personally, for me, I own a 32 oz bottle and I shoot for a gallon a day, so therefore 4 refills at the least.
Iron Flask Sports Bottle
$25.95
Infusion Pro 32 oz Infuser Water Bottle with Fruit Infuser
$20.99
I prefer to filter my water with an alkaline filter as well. This is the filter I use. It’s both great and affordable.
Hskyhan Alkaline Water Filter Pitcher
$34.99
5. Less Makeup is More
This is something that I’ve found works for me and it’s also something that aligns well with the more French aesthetic of beauty as well as Japanese beauty and skincare norms.
Less is always more.
If you focus on keeping healthy skin, even with blemishes, you don’t need a ton of product. I used to throw on the works. I used a primer, then a concealer, then a sunscreen, then a foundation, then a powder…..it was a lot. Now, I basically just throw on sunscreen and a light foundation with a tiny amount of shadow and usually a red lip. Skin is delicate and the more product you layer on top, the less you can see your beautiful skin which indicates and signifies youth.
There are many more tips than this, but these are some of my favorites that have helped shaved off nearly a decade on my face. If you want to look ten years younger, this is where to start.