Remember how when you were a teenager, you were always trying to look older? Now that you’re over forty, you want to look younger. Women across the globe spend millions of dollars every year trying to shave a few years off their looks. Many take extreme measures and undergo painful and expensive surgeries. By tweaking just a few areas and making some small changes, however, you can appear at least ten years younger by following just a few of the following guidelines:

Foundation: Studies show that facial skin discolorations make us appear older than wrinkles do. With that in mind, the importance of blending and evening facial tones is clear. Of course, wrinkles play a big part in the age factor, too. Start with a primer to fill in lines. Then use a moisturizing foundation that matches your skin tone. Blend, blend, blend for a natural look. Stay away from powders as much as possible – they tend to accentuate lines and wrinkles and make your skin appear too dry. You might want just a smidge of translucent powder to set your foundation.

Eyes: Use eyeliner and mascara in shades of dark browns and other colors instead of blacks. True black looks harsh against older skin. Use cream eye shadows in soft, shimmering shades. The cream won’t settle into creases and lines the way powdered eye shadow can, and it will give your eyes a little more sparkle.

For an instant “eye lift,” use a light shimmering shade of eye shadow like off white or cream to highlight the brow bone.

Older eyes are often tired eyes, and tired eyes are often red. To neutralize the red, stay away from shadows and mascaras in any shade containing red. These include rusts, pinks, violets, and purples. Instead, use pale blues, aquas, and greys. Using a cobalt or blue mascara and eyeliner will also help negate the redness.

For great lashes, use a base coat of volumizing mascara to make your lashes thicker. When that dries, use a lengthening mascara to make your lashes longer. After putting on your second coat of mascara, let it dry completely. Then curl your lashes.

Another thing: Don’t get your eyebrows too thin! Use an eyebrow pencil LIGHTLY to fill in any gaps.

Under eyes: to get rid of puffiness under your eyes, place a spoon in the freezer for a few minutes. Once it’s good and cold, hold it to the puffy area. This will temporarily reduce the swelling.

Dark circles under the eyes are a common problem and one that can make you look tired and old. To hide them, you must first decide what color they are, then use a concealer in an opposite color. For example, if your circles appear to be bluish, use a yellow concealer. If the circles have a sallow, yellowish brown shade, use a bluish concealer. Red circles require a green concealer. Dab the concealer on lightly and blend lightly – don’t overdo the blending, as the action can make the circles more noticeable and damage the fragile under-eye skin. Next, use a concealer the same shade as your foundation.

Hair: Medium-length haircuts can take a few years off your age. Choose a cut that falls just above your shoulders. An off-center side part with some wispy bangs can do wonders. Of course, you should use hair color to cover any gray, but don’t go too dark – or too light. Stay away from harsh shades like platinum blonde, black, and bright red. Also, a few subtle highlights or multi-dimensional color will make your hair appear more youthful and healthy.

Teeth: Stained or yellow teeth are one of the most aging elements of all! Have them whitened professionally or save some money and do it yourself. There are numerous over-the-counter products for this, ranging in price and effectiveness. Read about the specifics by clicking the link below this article.

Chin and neck: Define your chin by placing a dab of lighter makeup on it and blending. To help conceal a double chin or “waddles,” use a darker shade of makeup on your neck, starting at your jaw line to define your jaw. You can also use a brush-on bronzer for this.

Blush: Use cream blushes instead of powdered blushes. They’ll help brighten your skin. Also, instead of contouring your face to highlight and define your cheekbones, you might want to plump up your cheeks, instead, by focusing on the apples.

Lips: Stay away from shades of orange, brown, rust, and orangey reds. Not only will they make your teeth look yellow, they’ll also age you. Try one of the pinks a couple of shades lighter than your natural lip color. Use one of the new non-bleeding lipsticks to keep the color from feathering into the “pucker wrinkles” around your mouth. Add a little gloss to the inside area of your lips to make them appear fuller – especially the bottom lip. Using plumping lipsticks will help achieve this goal, also.

Glasses: Trade the glasses in for contact lenses to subtract a few years. You can always keep the glasses for wearing around the house and save the contacts for when you go out. Experiment with colored contacts for the color that looks best on you. The opaque colored lenses can turn even the brownest eyes blue, green, aqua, grey, or violet. Click the link at the bottom of this article to see how I changed my almost-black eyes to baby blue!

Clothing: Unless you’re a mortician, don’t go around in black all the time! Some clothing designers swear that wearing pink tops makes you looks younger by reflecting the soft shades onto your face. You might want to stay away from neon colors, however.

If you really want to hide loose neck skin, wear a scarf. They’re hot this year!

If you just can’t get away from your dull, tradition, conservative wardrobe, at least add an accessory that’s in the latest style. This might be a purse, a trendy pair of shoes, or one of those scarves mentioned above.

Try to dress a little younger, but don’t go overboard. Trying to fit in with the teen crowd will make your age even more evident.

Jewelry: Wear small pieces of tasteful jewelry. You want to look younger but still look classy – not like a teeny bopper!