10 Beauty Mistakes That Can Make You Look Old

You work hard to maintain a beauty routine in order to look and feel younger. Yet despite all of your efforts, you might be sabotaging your own efforts with ineffective or harmful practices. To get the most out of your daily regime, avoid these 10 mistakes that can make you appear older.

Skin Care Chaos

Your skin care regime, including the products that you use and how you use them, can dramatically affect the overall appearance of your skin. When you use the wrong products or cleansing techniques, you can actually decrease skin's elasticity and increase the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles that can make you look older.

1. Cleansing Calamity:

When washing your face, soap can be a simple and effective solution to remove dirt and oil. Soap also strips the skin of essential moisture, leading to dryness. Dry skin loses its elasticity more quickly, becoming thinner and more prone to wrinkles. Use a gentle cleanser that is specially designed for your skin type and follow with the right moisturizer to keep fine lines at bay.

2. Fragility Forgetfulness:

Skin is fragile and should be handled with care. Whether you are cleansing, moisturizing, or applying makeup, do not pull, grip, or twist skin, especially the thinner skin around the eye area. Stretching and pulling can lead to sagging and wrinkles. The same can be said about exfoliating. Gentle exfoliation once per week should be enough for most people. Excessive exfoliation can damage skin, leading to inflammation and rapid aging.

3. Sunscreen Snafu:

Using sunscreen is a key measure to protecting skin from the aging effects of the sun, but you need to use the right sunscreen. Many sunscreen products only protect against UVB rays, but UVA rays are what leads to premature aging and splotchy skin. Choose a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB to maintain a youthful appearance.

Makeup Mistakes

Although makeup is intended to emphasize your assets and minimize your flaws, certain products or how they are applied can have a negative impact and actual bring out existing wrinkles or produce more.

4. Foundation Flaws:

Heavy foundation can settle into fine lines and wrinkles to make them more visible. On the other extreme, no foundation also shows your age through dull skin and discolorations. Choose a natural-looking foundation that is more on the sheer side if you have trouble with caking and settling in wrinkles. You can also start with a primer that fills in lines, or mix foundation with a little moisturizer to prevent caking and filling of wrinkles.

5. Powder Problems:

Powder, either loose or pressed, can also settle into fine lines, especially around the eyes. Use powder only if necessary to reduce shine in the t-zone. A light dusting of translucent powder can help other areas if necessary, but try to avoid areas that already show fine lines or wrinkles.

6. Blush Blunders:

Blush can add color, helping to brighten a dull complexion. Using blush on the apples of the cheek can actually enhance the appearance of jowls, which will make you look older. Additionally, dark colors age your appearance and can lend to a clown-like look. Use a lighter blush for a touch of color beginning at the center of each eye and up across each cheekbone.

7. Lipstick Lapses:

Fine lines appear in the lip area earlier than many other areas of your face, making the way you wear lipstick crucial to maintaining a more youthful appearance. Lipsticks that are too dark or too matte can age you. Bleeding lipstick not only looks bad but can run into fine lines, emphasizing creases. Use a lipliner in a similar shade as your lipstick, opt for a shade just a little darker than your natural color, and use a sheer tinted gloss for a younger look.

Habit Hazards

The choices you make regarding lifestyle choices can also affect your appearance. While some habits are more obviously damaging, others that seem like a good thing can age your appearance the longer you do them.

8. Sleep Slip-ups:

You need to get enough sleep for overall health and wellness. During sleep, the skin also fights inflammation and repairs damage. Try to get at least 8 hours of restful sleep each night. The way you sleep can also create older-looking skin. Sleeping on your stomach or side can put pressure on your face. Over time, this pressure can break collagen bonds in the skin that can reduce elasticity, leading to sagging and wrinkles.

9. Dieting Drawbacks:

Dieting, especially through yo-yo dieting and fad diets, can reduce skin elasticity and lead to sagging and wrinkles. If you lose too much weight, your face can look sunken and aging. You also need the right nutrients from a balanced diet to fight inflammation and keep your body and skin healthy.

10. Puffing Poppycock:

Smoking is bad for your health and your appearance. Smoking not only dries the skin, increases inflammation, and leads to premature aging, but smoking also causes you to purse your lips as you take a drag, resulting in the breakdown of collagen in the lip area. This leads to the quicker appearance of creases and wrinkles, as well as loosening of the skin in the neck and jowls. Kick your butt habit in the pack to reduce risks to both health and your appearance.