We ask a beauty panel of experts their secrets to looking good at any age
Julia Restoin-Roitfeld- How to look good in your 20sGetty Images
1. Have fun with colour
Experiment and have fun with colour either on your eyes or lips. Now’s the time that you can most easily get away with it and try riskier looks. DON’T Overdo the black eyeliner – especially not heavily on the inner rim of the eye. Not everyone should look emo all the time!
2. Experiment with make-up
For a fresh and unique look, start by applying a darker shade lipstick around the lips, leaving the centre of the lower and upper lip bare. Next, apply a shade two to three tones lighter in the centre of the lips to create a ‘sunset’ look.
3. Consume cacao for its superior health benefits
Cacao is rich in antioxidants, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese, which all help to promote healthy skin and build strong nails and hair, among a plethora of other health and beauty benefits. DON’T Drink soft drink. It is not a food and has no relationship with anything natural. It is a mixture of chemicals and sugar (or artificial sugar) that deteriorate the health and beauty of the body, inside and out.
4. Drink water
Concentrate on looking after the inside of your body as well as the outside, because that’s where lasting beauty begins. Drink one glass an hour to get rid of waste without overtaxing the organs. Also, establish a good routine with your skin care – use a muslin cloth to cleanse your skin as the gentle exfoliation speeds skin renewal and makes your skin more radiant. Ensure you tone after cleansing, using a toner with aloe vera to minimise pores and antioxidant essential oils to fight free radical damage. DON’T Expose yourself to pollution, fast food, sun or stress (where possible) – the consequences of our busy lifestyles can wreak havoc on our bodies and skin.
5. Let your skin breathe
Use oxygen-based products to help repel blemishes/acne, as the bacteria that causes acne (propionibacterium acnes) cannot survive in oxygen. Also remove all traces of make-up when cleansing and keep your skincare regime simple but pure and natural. DON’T Strip your skin of oils, as your skin recognises when it has been depleted, which causes the skin to then produce more oil (sebum). This can become a vicious cycle and can lead to blemishes. Give your skin what it requires to remain healthy (oil-based products) and it will correct itself.
6. Grow your hair
You can get away with a lot in your 20s, when hair is at its most productive – the growth period in this stage of life could be as long as six years, whereby you will grow strong hair with plenty of length as the hair continues to produce itself. DON’T Overdo the heat styling, bad shampoos and conditioners, and amount of drastic colour changes.
7. Groom your brows
Invest in maintaining good brows with an experienced and reputable brow stylist. Keep your brows groomed but not over-shaped. This includes keeping the length of your brows for that ‘wow’ look.
DON’T Over-pluck your brows in your 20s as you’ll want the hair back in your 40s, when there will be less of it.
8. Use sun cream
Begin now, if not earlier, using sun cream – not only on the face, but also on the neck, décolletage and backs of the hands, as these are the areas that will age the quickest. They are also prone to chloasma, or the unsightly brown age spots. Although sun damage now may not always be visible, the teens and the 20s are the times when irreparable sun damage is often done. And it will start to show in the 30s and 40s.DON’T Abuse your skin! In your 20s it is the easiest thing to sleep in make-up, neglect a good skincare routine, or substitute quality products with (gasp!) soap and water, even. To slow the ageing of your skin, start early and maintain good balance and moisture. Don’t be tempted to think just because 20s skin bounces back after a weekend of overindulgence that this will last forever!
9. Brush your teeth
The most important preventative measure a 20-something patient can take is flossing and brushing. I cannot stress enough how important flossing is – at any age. Flossing lowers the decay rate and stimulates the gums, which leads to less gum recession and gum disease later in life. DON’T Think it’s too late to fix misaligned or protruding teeth because you’re out of your teens and trying to climb the corporate ladder. Invisalign clear braces are a fantastic solution, correcting the problem without traditional and sometimes embarrassing metal braces.
10. Cleanse and moisturise
11DO Even though your skin is tight and taut, don’t forget to cleanse and moisturise every night. DON’T Think moisturiser is the only thing you need to do to keep your skin hydrated. You also need to drink about eight glasses of filtered water every day, each with a squeeze of lemon for vitamin C, which will help protect your collagen matrix.
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