Make Up Does Not Define Aging Gracefully

I got the shock of my life recently when I ran into an acquaintance at the grocery store. I thought I recognized her but wasn't quite sure so I called her name. It was her WITHOUT makeup. I thought, "Oh my God! Is that really how you look?!"
She looked like a totally different woman and not a very attractive one, I might add.

The same thing happened some years ago when I was working at WITN-TV. I had come into the station early to get my assignment and saw a young woman sitting at one of the anchor desks. I thought she might've been an intern until I got up close and personal and discovered it was our 5pm anchor. She looks downright scary WITHOUT makeup. She had blotches all over her face and her skin had an uneven tone. With makeup she was stunning so that's obviously how she got hired.

During the years I worked as a TV news reporter, my News Director was always encouraging me to wear make-up. I would throw on some lipstick and a little powder for foundation but that's about the most of it. I could never bring myself to take the time to make up my face because I had no model for it. My mother never spent time in the mirror putting on much more than lipstick and some face powder to "take the shine off," as she put it.

The one thing I always admired about my mother was how smooth and unblemished her skin was. Even when she died at 90-years-old, her face showed now signs of being an old, wrinkled woman with sagging skin.

Did you know wearing too much makeup can result in advance aging? Eyeliners and liquid-based foundations contain chemicals that can cause premature aging. You should watch out for liquid foundations that contain silicone since they not only block your pores but also add a few years to your skin.

As I approach 60, I have decided that I am not going to allow makeup to define who I am. I don't need it to enhance my looks. I can do it by eating healthy and exercising. Also, I am blessed to have a husband who doesn't like me wearing a whole lot of makeup anyway so I am growing old gracefully makeup free.

How about you?