Looking good after 40.

Everyone wants to have youthful skin for as long as possible. The big question is, how?. Many people, especially women, give up at the age of 40, while there is so much that can be done to look great. Here are a few tips for all of us.

1. Reduce the intake of cola, coffee and tea. If you have to take tea, go for green tea. Strong beverages will make you hydrated and your skin will appear dry. Not so good. Instead of the beverages, take water. The temperature doesn't matter. If you want to cleanse your system fast, go for hot water. If you want to burn extra calories, then go for ice-cold water.

2. Include a lot of fruits in your diet. Fruits with a lot of vitamin C are good antioxidants, and are responsible for great skin. These are fruits that taste a little bitter, because they contain citrus acid. To name just a a few, Oranges, lemon, apples, pineapples, berries and cherries and so on. Others include water melon, cucumbers, tomatoes, which have a high water content that will hydrate your skin and make it smooth.

3. Get enough sleep. We all know that if we stay awake for long, we not only look tired, but ugly as well. Eye bags, blood shot eyes, dark under-eye circles are some of the things that can be avoided by getting enough sleep

4. Shower everyday and apply some make-up. Who said women over 40 cannot use some lip gloss? Lip gloss takes a lot of years off. Shape your eyebrows, apply some mascara and eye-liners. Remember to apply very little mascara on the lower lashes. You don't want to look like a spider.

5. Exfoliate the skin on your face once a week. You can use a gentle soft brush, a small face towel or facial scrub. Whatever you do, have mercy on your face. If you scrub vigorously, you will invite early wrinkles. Exfoliating generally removes dead skin and increases blood circulation on the face. This will make you glow.

6. Exercise regularly. This will help you keep fit. Consult with your doctor if you are allowed to exercise, as some ailments and conditions can be quite limiting. Exercising will make your muscles tight and you will end up having a flat stomach., tight hips and things. You can then easily slip into a tight pair of jeans. Ditch the mum-jeans. They just make you look older.

7. Change your hairstyle. If you think your hairstyle makes you look older, have a haircut that takes years off. There are many celebrity hairstyles that take 10 years off.You may need to cunsult a beautician or your hair stylist for this, because most of us tend to think we look fine, a hair stylist may have another opinion.

8. Drink a lot of water. I always tell people to drink a lot of water. I may not be 40 yet, but i have been drinking a lot of water and I love the way I look since then.It is one of the easiest ways to appear younger and have radiant flawless skin. It will hydrate your skin and make you look fabulous without even trying.

I hope this helps someone, because I want to look 10 years younger too when I hit the 40 mark! Look great, feel great.