Three quick ways to hide signs of aging

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 I think by now we’re all familiar with the things you can do to stop your age from showing up on your face. Wear sunscreen – check. Be sure to exfoliate and moisturize – check. Don’t smoke – check. I hit the buzzer on the big 3-0 a couple years ago, meaning I can remember when you could go to a tanning bed without needing to sign a contract in blood. So those ships have kind of sailed (though I was never a smoker, so I’ve got that going for me). There are things you can do to reverse some of the damage in the long term, sure. Retinoids, sunscreen (hey, it’s never too late), fancy hydrating serums. But we live in an age where you can get your Amazon package delivered by a drone in 30 minutes, for Pete’s sake. I’m tapping my foot impatiently on having that kind of instant gratification for skincare. There are a few little tricks that can make a big difference, though.

Plump your lips

One of the first things I noticed, even before the W-word (wrinkles), was that my lips started deflating. Just like the rest of your skin, collagen and elastin break down over time and your lips end up losing their fullness. Treatments like filler labbra savona can increase the volume of your lips, if that’s your thing. Then again, maybe you’re like me and don’t much care unless it’s a photo-taking occasion. Enter: lip plumpers. They use hydrating ingredients along with things like peppermint, cinnamon or capsicum for a temporary lip-plumping effect. It does wear off, but you can get a few hours of full, line-less lips with it. And it’s way less terrifying than the Kylie Jenner Challenge method. You can google that – I’m not linking it because the pictures can’t be un-seen.

My favorite: Dior Addict Lip Maximizer

Brighten up your smile

Ask any dentist or orthodontics specialist in the world what the most obvious signs of aging are, and I guarantee ‘stained or crooked teeth’ will be on the list. Seriously, I would put money on that. It makes complete sense, too, since there were no toothbrushes back in caveman/cave-lady days. Stains build up if you don’t brush, so dental health was an indicator of health/youth/the ability to propagate the human species & such. If you need dental treatments, check out these affordable dental services by Dean Street Dental.

Lucky for us technology has advanced since then, and family dentistry and cosmetic dentistry services can enhance your smile. Lately I’ve been using the Crest 3D White Brilliance system, which is a two-product process – brush with the toothpaste, add the whitening gel and brush some more. Instead of taking extra time out of my day for tooth-related maintenance I just build it into my morning and evening routines. I mean, I was already spending that ~4 minutes a day brushing anyway. My love of coffee and tomato-based sauces confirm that it does, in fact, help keep that fresh-from-the-eDentist look (and take off a few years in the process). If you plan on having dental implant being surgically inserted in your jawbone, make sure that you’re well-informed on dental implants cost first as it depends on your dentist or the dental clinic. Visit texasperiodontal if you are exhibiting signs of periodontal disease.

If you’re getting dental implants, there are a few things you should be aware of. During the first appointment, your dentist will make incisions in your gums, insert the titanium implant screws (https://www.finestdentistry.com/2021/11/10/is-pain-from-tooth-implants-normal/) into your jaw bone, and then suture your gums closed around the implant.

My favorite: Crest 3D White Cleansing & Whitening System

Highlight to conceal

And finally, we have collagen & elastin giving up and causing more problems again. Just like your lips, your skin also gets less full as you get, ahem, more mature. Combine that with years of repetitive movement and you’ll see smile lines or maybe so-called angry 11’s creeping up. Lucky me, I got both, with sunken undereye bags as a neat gift with purchase.

The last few years have seen huge crazes over Kardashian-esque contouring, and more recently, strobing. The face-shape-altering techniques are great for pretending to rearrange your bone structure. Even if you don’t want to go that far, you can also harness its near-magical powers to trick people into seeing fullness that isn’t actually there. So highlighting pretty much makes you a wizard, is what I’m saying.

So how’s it done? Take a concealer that’s a shade lighter than your skin and put it just on the areas where the shadows fall. Pat it to blend – you want it to only cover the area you placed it on. The lighter color will trick the eye into thinking that area isn’t any different than what’s surrounding it.

My favorite: Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer (I use the shade Light)

What are your little tricks to make up for lost time?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.