How to be an Ageless Beauty

I like to think we age from the inside out – like an exquisite, finely woven fabric. When you view the reverse side the pattern is similar – but there is now a subtle beauty to the design and color, it is softer – more lived in.                Kat Graham.  Writer

I have always been inspired by ageless beauty. Perhaps it goes back to my mother being 40 years older than me and my sister, Jeannette, at 20 years older. As a child, I would wish my sister was my mother and my mother my grandmother, but as I aged I found beauty in the maturity and grace of my mother.

Like Joyce Carpati, my mother, Annabelle, wore her long hair in a ‘coronet.’ A regal hairstyle that suited her 5’8″ – larger frame and classic style. As a child, I would love to watch her dress for an evening out. When I was 8 we sailed to Honolulu on the Madson Ship SS Lurline. We would have an early supper together and later in the evening, she would dress for cocktails and dancing. She would touch up her makeup, her simple outfit would be replaced by a cocktail dress and she would put small hairpins with rhinestones into the coronet. She would twirl around smiling when finished and ask me what I thought. We would both giggle, falling onto the small bed in the small cabin on the big ship sailing into our future. When I think of it now, she was only 49, a widow, and thousands of miles from our home in Boston. Little did I know we were on a journey for my mother to find a new life after a year of being lost in grief.

I hope this article sparks a fabulous memory for you about an ageless beauty that has touched your life.

Joyce Carpati: Sensational at 82

Sara Bliss Writer, Beauty Jun 18, 2014

Joyce Carpati is one of the many wondrous gems on Advanced Style, Ari Seth Cohen’s blog, and documentary celebrating the fabulous over-50 set. Joyce, who splits her time between Paris and New York and still works as a beauty consultant, is glamorous, witty, and, not surprisingly, given her 82 years, full of sage advice.

“I have a lot of wisdom to impart,” exclaims the former marketing director for Cosmopolitan. From looking beautiful as the years move on—“don’t do too much!”—to be happy—“Life is a privilege; embrace it!”—you’re going to want to listen.

Eighty-two and proud: I’m 82 and I don’t believe in lying about my age. I’ve worked hard to be 82 and I’m proud of it! It is a wonderful time of your life if you feel well. You can be who you are. I find I have no inhibitions; I am going to tell you what I think. I have been through a lot. I have some wisdom to impart and if someone wants to know something, here I am.

On aging beautifully: Less is more! You shouldn’t try too hard. It’s a natural process to get older. “C’est normal!” as the French say. What we have to do is look as lovely as we can at every age. You shouldn’t try to look younger, just look as lovely as you can whatever age you are.

Young at heart: I always tell people that to be relevant, you have to know what is happening in the world. Understand how people feel, style, and job situations. It is about being involved and being interested in everything. I love music, theater. I enjoy the opera and I just got back from Paris, where I have an apartment and family. I am very interested in politics and what’s happening in this country. I am almost obsessed with it.

The 100-year-old product: I have gray hair and I wear it in a lovely braided style that people admire. I get stopped on the street all the time. I do my hair myself. I sometimes add a little shade of blue-gray or a little darker silver-gray with a spray rub called Fanci-Full. It’s been on the market for 100 years, and what is so nice is that you can wash it out. I also use a German shampoo that enhances gray that I found living abroad called Schwarzkopf, and it is excellent.

For glowing skin: I use Ivory soap and warm water, I like that clean feeling. I have a night cream I’ve used for 25 years, Dr. Orentreich’s night cream, with Retin-A. I’ve also always used sunscreen. Even when I was younger, I stayed away from the sun.

The merits of drugstore makeup: I love makeup from Boots, an English company. They are the finest cosmetics you can imagine. They have wonderful eye makeup, the lipsticks are sensational, and they make a lovely group of moisturizers and masks. I love Chanel, but Boots you can just buy at Duane Reade and Walgreens!

Keep on moving: I go to the finest Y in New York, the 47th Street Vanderbilt Y. I do water-walking in the pool, marvelous exercises that a therapist gave me. There is also a gym upstairs, and I often bike and watch the news of the day.

Beauty foods: I start the day with a wonderful breakfast of oatmeal. I’m noticing everyone is eating oatmeal, young and old, very good for your arteries. I also eat a lot of fish and vegetables.

The gift of life: Life is a gift. Living long and aging is a privilege and we have to embrace it with every bit of strength in our body because it is a wonderful time.

A note from Kate : :

Thanks so much to Sara Bliss | Writer for this article. Sara’s voice adds to the call for all of us to change the way we look at aging. Why are so many brains, out there, still awash in the “old lady” meme? All we have to do is look around at the beautiful, vibrant, alive woman that surround us. There’s a new paradigm of aging and all I have to say to those that have not caught up yet is: Hurry up because we are all headed in the same trajectory of aging. I don’t know about you, but I’m planning on being spectacular to my last breath! xok

this post was originally published in Platinum Boomer 2014