Four Things to Wear Over 40

As women, many of us find it all too easy to criticize ourselves or at the very least, not appreciate our finer points. By the time you reach 40, it’s time to recognize what works for your 40-year-old body and wear it with pride.

Perspective is a beautiful thing. By the time we enter a new decade, we realize what we wasted time disliking during the previous ten years.

Here are four things you should embrace and wear over 40:

Your Wrinkle

You heard that right. At 40, you need to wear that wrinkle you have or imagine you have, with delight. You know, the one that shows up on the side of your eye or mouth when you smile. The one youā€™re not too crazy about. In 10 years, youā€™re going to look back and wonder why you wasted time disliking it because now, it has several new sisters etched into your face. Appreciate your smooth complexion because trust me, by 60 there’ll be a virtual road map of them on your face.

Your Weight

Yup. Appreciate what you weigh now. Most women lament over that pesky 5-10 pounds they need to lose to have their clothes fit best. If you’re at a healthy weight and that’s all you need to lose, skip the worry. At 40, you’re not likely to have entered menopause, which will wreak havoc on your metabolism. Your waistline will begin to expand, simply from breathing. But by menopause, you’ll look back and wish that losing ten pounds would change the shape of your body the way it could at 40.

Strong Colors

No matter the ā€œseasonā€ youā€™ve been typed, your skin has a glow and luminosity at 40, which allows you to wear stronger colors. Our hair and eye colors begin to fade as we age, which makes it easier for intense colors to overpower us. Sure, you can add extra makeup in your 50’s to balance those strong colors, but at 40, a smile and a slip of lipstick will do it.

Sunscreen

Trust me, this one is critical. The sun damage you allow your skin to get now will show up as never-ending problems later. Sunscreen not only prevents wrinkles, but it also prevents skin cancers and nasty looking growths you’ll need to have removed and biopsied later. The older you get, the more often these nasty things crop up on your skin. Prevent them now by wearing sunscreen on every exposed body part, even on cloudy days.

 

These are just some of the things I wish I knew at 40.

Here are five things to wear over 50 and six things to wear over 60.

No matter what you wear, be sure you choose what makes you feel confident.

 

9 Comments

  1. Your hair looks fabulous when it is pulled up. What does it look like in the back? I have the same thinning, fine blonde hair and always pull it up and use a claw clip in the back. The claw is getting ā€œoldā€ and I need some new ideas to keep it pulled up. Have you ever used a clip in messy bun? I would appreciate your guidance.

    1. Thanks so much. I use a claw or banana clip too. I sometimes use a flat barrette…that’s how thin my hair is:) I spray with dry shampoo before pinning it up which seems to add a bit of body.

  2. I know this is true, every word of it. I once had an actual waist but now I’m a rectangle. You really can’t diet or exercise some problems away. I’m blessed thst glare bothered me from a young age so I always wore sunglasses and stayed out of direct sun. That up is probably why I’m not wrinkled but Lord I still have a saggy neck. Try covering that up. But Hey! It’s all good, I’m happy, healthy and still fighting the frumpy”

  3. Phyllis Hughes says:

    What an awesome blog post this is. I would love to share it with my daughters that are both in their early forties. We are always much too hard on ourselves. I wish I knew then what I know now. Makes me think that in my mid-sixties maybe I shouldnā€™t worry so much about my thinning hair and my midriff bulge or if my house needs to be vacuumed or dusted. Maybe I should just take long walks with my husband, play with my dogs, spend time in my sewing room, and just enjoy life.

  4. I look back to when I was 50 and that one line between my brows bothered me every time I looked in the mirror. One small line! Any extra weight I carried was distressing and cause to starvation diet. I was 135 lb and 5ā€™8ā€. Give myself a break! If we only knew….
    Iā€™ve never been to Austin so Iā€™ll be following along.

  5. Love, love, love this! Thank you.

  6. Welcome to Austin! You picked the one day we have had rain in 2 months ?. But it is supposed to clear later today. Have fun.

  7. I am wearing confidence and passion! I wish I had worn sunscreen yeras ago…

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