#Over 40: Holiday Glow-Up

Donna Brazile’s recent makeover had the internet abuzz. The 58-year-old political strategist turned pundit always was always on point with her analysis but her look was matronly and outdated. At some point, Brazile must have decided that she wanted a change.

Here is how we most remember seeing her.

Certainly attractive, but we’re going to guess that most people figured Brazile for a woman older than she actually is. We ALL know that person. Or maybe we ARE that person. But just because you’re older or divorced or a grandmother or even a great-grandmother doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself or your wardrobe to drab old-lady clothes.

Here are some tips and tricks to help you achieve a glow-up this holiday season.

Ask your kids. 

Well, unless you have sons. Some of the people who had the hardest time with Brazile’s makeover were men. Unless you have the kind of son that’s urging you to be more fashionable, then ask your daughters, nieces, cousins or even your aunties. Who’s the fashionable one in the family?

Ask her for some pointers or to take you shopping. If you are the family’s dowdy person, or just the busy mom that never dresses up, most of the time they’ve been dying to do it anyway. Should you ask your husband? Ask yourself this first – will he be honest? Will you accept his honest assessment? Will he finance a makeover? If you can answer all three in the affirmative, then ask him.

Get out of the past. 

Yes, that snatch back ponytail worked when you were taking multiple kids to soccer games. But now they’re in college or worse, they’ve graduated, and you’re still wearing the same look. When you met in 1985, he loved you in jeans and a T-shirt. But now, does that fit your daily life?

Husbands number one and two loved you in tight clothes, but after two babies and a weight gain do those clothes really still flatter you? Yes, that LBD looked great at your high school reunion but haven’t styles changed up since then? Part of what keeps women looking aged is hanging on to past styles that worked. Don’t.

Be real about your age and size. 

You were always a size 6, not you’re a 16. Or you don’t want to acknowledge that you’re in your 40’s, 50’s or 60’s. Girl, everyone knows, especially if your style is wack. You can look great at any age. But you have to acknowledge that age. Yes, you and your daughter can buy from the same places, but should you be wearing the same things the same way?

I think you know the answer. But don’t over-age yourself, either. You don’t have to put on a caftan and orthopedic shoes because you are older. You don’t have to suppress your vitality or sexuality. But being a grown woman requires that you at the very least work with the body you have…not the one you had. Even if you are at a healthy weight (yay!) things don’t lay the same way with age.

Unless you’re a Cross Fitter, bodybuilder or other super fit chick, then do you. Wear those tight dresses and athleisure with pride. For the rest of us, though, assess where you are until you get where you want to  be.

Find a fashion role model.

You want to be fashionable? You don’t have much of an excuse, as long as there’s social media. There are fly, fab celebs doing the damn thing every day. One of them is your age and/or your body type. Yes, they have thousands to spend on glam squads and clothes.

But you can look at what they do and wear and find your own style on a budget. Discount app Poshmark and handmade site Etsy have budget-friendly options and Nordstrom, Kohls, and Rebdolls, one of the fast fashion lines that has outfits made of non-flimsy materials and goes up to a 5X, have sales. Take advantage. Here are some fashion role models to check out:

For plus sizes:

Amber Riley

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpDHtGpBEp5/

Queen Latifah

Cute outfit, hair and accessories, sexy NFL player optional

Dascha Polanco

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn0HYcKlbMf/

Retta

40’s

Mary J. Blige (OK, the Fendi boots cost a grip. But you can see that you can still wear thigh-high boots over 40 if you’re in shape and there are much cheaper options.)

50’s

Michelle Obama

60’s

Angela Bassett

Gayle King (with daughter Kirby)

Vanessa Bell Calloway

Upgrade your hair:

Let’s face it…aging can take its toll on hair. You might not have as much – or any – or you may be losing or have lost edges to years of weaves. Or maybe you’re wearing too much weave or a natural look that doesn’t look good anymore. We understand that some of you don’t want to fight nature but if you’re grey, keep a hairstyle or cut that still looks contemporary.

Find a good hairdresser that keeps up with the latest trends and find a style you can live with if yours is outdated. Also ladies, spend some money on your wigs if that’s your option and look for styles that mimic ones you see on celebs or social media influencers you like.

If you’re natural either be attractively gray or color, but the half and half look is not cool. Some of you may need to get rid of some hair and others may need to add it. But take a look at some fly haircuts and styles online and see if you feel like yours is tired by comparison. Yes, its work to keep up your looks as you age. But sometimes its worth it to your self-esteem.

Take care of your skin and learn to do makeup.

Skin reveals your health more than anything else. If you eat right and exercise, it will show on your face. If you do nothing else, find a skin care regimen – at least a moisturizer and cleanser that work for you. It can be simple – you don’t have to spend thousands to have good skin, despite what beauty advertisers tell you.

Anything with retinoids will help your skin BUT they can be very irritating so you will almost always have to mix them with a moisturizer or layer with aloe vera. Start out with the weakest formulation and see how you tolerate it.

As for makeup, Sephora or Ulta or even department store makeup counters can help you pick out a basic foundation, blush and mascara and you can play with lipsticks until you find the ones you like. Note though, on older skin, less is more.

Buy the best clothes you can afford.

The truth is – cheap clothing just doesn’t look as good on older bodies. And those clothes don’t last. While young people just need an outfit to get through summer festival season, if we grown, we need work clothes and things that last. So when you can afford to, splurge.

Save up for quality basics if nothing else, because they cost the most to replace. Coats, a good quality dark jean, a good suit and dresses are all worth a splurge. There are sales everywhere these days so plan your major shopping around them.

A word on shoes.

Shoes are important. If you spend money on nothing else, spend it on shoes. You can’t have your feet hurting. I don’t care if you have three basic pairs you rotate if they are good quality, they are better than 20 cheap pairs. Add rubber soles to shoes that don’t have them and they will last longer.

Quality brands like Cole Haan, Coach and if you can afford it Stuart Weitzman (and they have sales each quarter, you can also find sweet deals on Poshmark and Amazon) along with popular department store brands like Sam Edelman, Via Spiga and Vince Camuto are what you should focus on. Older feet cannot hurt.

Also if bunions or other foot issues are plaguing you, don’t wait until the they get so bad you can’t fix them. Go to a foot doctor. If you spend all day on your feet, make sure you wear comfortable shoes both at work and at leisure. But they don’t have to be ugly. Make sure you wear the right size, whatever it is, and that shoes are comfortable in the store. They will give some but not a whole size.

Also ladies, you can wear heels. They just might need to be shorter, thicker and definitely a quality brand as you age. Unless you have significant foot issues, there is a heel you can wear. If you do have a foot issue, then make cute sneakers or colorful/pretty flats your trademark.

Be as healthy as possible.

Once you get to a certain age, you just can’t play games with your health. Brazile’s glow-up included weight loss. Look at Mo’Nique, who lost over 100 pounds. Obesity is rampant among Black women and despite curvy acceptance, it really needs to be eradicated as it takes a toll on our health.

If you want to live not just longer, but a happier and more vibrant life, find an exercise you like and eat as best you can. If you still smoke and eat fast food, your looks and your health outcomes will show it.

Love yourself wherever you are.

Don’t let anyone knock you off your square as the saying goes. If you had a bad breakup, never took time for yourself, didn’t take care of yourself or never thought you were pretty when you were younger, you’re grown now and can decide for yourself.

Self-love and self-care are the best accessories you will ever have and they are generated from within. No matter your income or life circumstances you can always glow-up from within with positive thinking, affirmations and meditation. From there, you can find your way to a better life and look.

PHOTO: Donna Brazile Twitter Screenshot, The View screenshot