Beyond Wrinkles: 7 Beauty Mistakes That Make You Look Old

Sure, an aging complexion contributes to your overall appearance but looking older is about a lot more than just wrinkles

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We are a nation obsessed. Oh, not just with the comings, goings and bikini-bod barings of C-list celebrities. Not just with dancing and singing and bad behavior-condoning reality shows. But with aging, wrinkles and sagging -- and, of course, with how to undo all of it.

For centuries, countless cultures have honored and revered their elders (wrinkles and all) but, these days, we worship and kowtow to youth. Think that's all just media hype? Think again.

In 2010 we doled out a mind-boggling $10.7 billion for cosmetic procedures. And, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2,437,165 of us got Botox injected into our wrinkles while another 1.3 million had fillers injected into theirs.

See beauty mistakes that make you look older.

Yes, we women (though last year men had 750,000 cosmetic procedures done -- some for anti-aging purposes) want to recapture our youth and will, it seems, stop at nothing to do it. But here's the irony; there are seven egregious everyday errors that women make with their hair, makeup and other aspects of their physical appearance that make them look older than they are. That's right, seven relatively simple-to-fix things that you can start doing today to take years off your looks.

See them now

 2 OF 8                                                 Mascara on your lower lashes

Twiggy and gamine catwalk waifs pull off this look super well. Those of us over, say 40, do not. Mascara coated lower lashes draw attention to under eye imperfections like dark circles, crow's feet and hyperpigmentation.

Try this instead: If a dramatic eye is what you're after with all that mascara, you're better off making the most of your top lashes by curling them (try Shiseido Eyelash Curler, $20), using a lash primer (lashes get thin and dry as we age) like Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus, $18.50, and layering on the blackest mascara you can get your mitts on. Apply it in an up and out motion starting from as close to the root as possible.

3 OF 8                                                           High school hair

You graduated in the last century but still have the same hairstyle you wore on page 68 of the yearbook. Sound familiar? You're so not alone. Unless you're a ballerina who needs her hair long enough for a bun or have some other occupational need, there's no excuse for being stuck in such a style rut -- so, let's get you out of it.

In her book, "How Not to Look Old," longtime beauty editor, Charla Krupp says, "That long, straight flat hair parted down the middle from your teens and twenties will only accentuate your current age."

Try this instead: Krupp recommends bangs, saying that they "are a cheap and easy way to chic up your look." And, that they "also accentuate the positive and camouflage the negative." (Think forehead wrinkle coverage.) And that a "soft fringe of hair falling along the side of your face draws attention up to your eyes and deflects scrutiny from your jaw."

4 OF 8                                Too-dark lipstick

As we age, our lips lose some of their youthful plumpness, our lip lines begin to fade and, as a result, our lipsticks no longer stay where we apply them. And, really, nothing makes us look more "grandma" than a dark red lipstick bleeding into the lines around your mouth.

Try this instead: With so many sheer, rosy-colored glosses (like MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Bare Again, $14.50) and liquid neutral-hued plumpers on the market (like Fusion Beauty LipFusion, $28 women of a certain age have plenty of options available (which may make bidding adieu to dark, metallic or iridescent shades a little less painful).

5 OF 8                                                  Yellow, dingy teeth

While lipstick bleeding into one's lip lines certainly ages you, yellow, stained, uneven teeth do too. In this day and age when there are so many whitening, brightening and straightening options available and at every price point imaginable, it's almost inconceivable that anyone would deliberately walk around with a less than dazzling set of chompers.

Try this instead: Whether you want a super quick fix a la Rembrandt 2 Hour Whitening Kit, $19.49 or to commit more time (and money) by getting trays made at your dentist's office, the choice is one you should definitely make. "Nothing ages a person more than a yellow smile," says Dr. Michael Apa, a partner in The Rosenthal/Apa Group on New York City's Upper East Side. He recommends getting a professional whitening treatment done twice a year, staying away from foods that stain teeth -- like ketchup, blueberries and red wine -- and tells his patients to use a whitening toothpaste saying that Crest Weekly Clean, $12.50 is a good product that contains silica ingredients that work to brush stains away.

6 OF 8                               Too much foundation or powder (or both)

Just as lipstick tends to migrate into vertical lip wrinkles, foundation and powder like to hang in the fine lines on our faces and make them look bigger. That's not the look you're going for -- obviously. You want to be able to wear makeup to perfect your skin but not if it's going to make it look worse! There's hope. "People on the street now look like they have good skin," says celebrity makeup artist Nick Barose in Krupp's book. "And, you don't know whether they're wearing foundation or not. That's good foundation. We all want to look like we have beautiful skin." Yes, Nick we do, but if the foundation is caking into crevices…

Try this instead: If you haven't already, choose a makeup primer (like Arbonne Makeup Primer, $33). It will become your makeup's best friend. Most primers contain silicone that works to fill in lines and crinkles and helps to smooth out your complexion and creates an ideal canvas for foundation. (Note, depending on the condition of your skin, you may want to consider making the switch to a tinted moisturizer like Principal Secret Time Release Tinted Moisture Plus, $30. The tint-combined-moisture can really even out your skin tone and virtually eliminate the need for classic foundation.)

If you love, love, love your foundation too much to give it up -- yet -- try this application tip: After applying foundation with a brush, press a damp makeup sponge all over your face. It will help to remove any of the product that has settled into your lines.

7 OF 8                                                                    Overly tweezed brows

Guess what? As we age, our eyelashes, just like our lips and our hair and our skin, thin. You may have noticed that you need to pluck less and less often and that the brow hairs themselves seem thinner. They are. But, brows are important (well defined ones can change your whole look -- see proof), so it's important to know how to fake a full brow -- and do it properly. The only thing worse than too-sparse brows is badly drawn in ones.

Try this instead: Invest in a brow kit. Really good ones (like NYX Eyebrow Kit with Stencil, $13.50, which comes with four shades of color, an eyebrow comb, a brow brush and three different eyebrow stencil shapes) walk you through the steps of learning how to draw on brows that will perfectly frame your face. It may sound daunting, but once you get the hang of it, it's a snap.

8 OF 8                                       Blush worn on the apples of your cheeks

Sure, little girls have rosy, taut, cutie pie cheeks that flaunt little circles of color that light up their entire faces. But, as your formerly firm cheeks begin to sag, it's not a great idea to highlight the situation -- which is precisely what happens when you apply circular blush strokes to the apples of your cheeks after a certain age.

Try this instead: A big shift in how you look can result from a simple blush application tweak. Seek out the highest point of your cheekbones and apply the blush there instead of on your apples. Be sure to employ a sweeping back and forth motion using a wide, fluffy brush so you don't end up with Grace Jones war paint-type stripes. It's also a good idea to glom on to a flattering hue. Leave the daisy pinks and lilac purples for the mall set and pick up a becoming peachy-pink shade like Nars Blush in Orgasm, $30, which flatters most skin tones.


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