By Peggie Walker

You’re never too young or too old to be beautiful. It’s about setting goals and living your dreams.  Be persistent and you will develop discipline along the way. Healthy good looks can be obtained through your own efforts at home, or with professional help, or the use of both.

On the Road to Natural Beauty

What does ageless beauty mean to you?  When I was 29, I decided I wanted to be 29 forever! So I began an adventure of increasing my attractiveness over time.  Anybody can do it!  On my journey, I discovered that there are two types of beauty: “natural” and “enhanced.”  Natural beauty is about optimal health, a shapely body, luminous skin and shining hair.  Enhanced beauty, simply put, is natural beauty with a little help, aka procedures and surgical enhancements.  I’m all for mixing and matching based on individual preference and my little motto, “all things in moderation.”

3 Simple Steps to Lasting Natural Beauty

1. Wash Your Face Before Bed: Not thoroughly removing makeup before bed is one of the biggest causes of early signs of aging.  In order to have healthy, radiant skin it is important to remove makeup at the end of every day so that skin can breathe. For efficient clean-up, remember to use a remover that is tailored to your specific type of make-up, e.g: oil-free makeup requires oil-free makeup remover and water-based makeup requires water-based makeup remover for both face and eye area.

2. Don’t Skip Meals: Starving yourself (different from fasting) to lose weight and skipping meals as opposed to grazing (snacking throughout the day on fruits, veggies, and protein/energy bars) results in sagging skin, wrinkles and hair loss and graying.  Always remember to eat and to do so mindfully. Give your undivided attention to your plate when eating 3 moderate meals a day. And when you are multi-task-grazing, be sure to pre-measure your portions so you don’t over-eat while distracted.

3. Exfoliate, Exfoliate: Baby-soft skin and a healthy glow are two of the best all-natural ways to retain a youthful look. The best part: You don’t always have to opt for expensive products or treatments to get the anti-aging results you desire. You can use kitchen staples to make your own body scrubs.  My current fave is mixing French Vanilla & Chocolate Cherry flavored ground coffee with salt and olive oil.  It’s an effective scrub that leaves your skin energized and soft to the touch. Use anywhere from one to three times per week, depending on skin sensitivity.

It’s never too early, or too late to start your anti-aging adventure!  Anti-aging strategies not only work toward prevention, but they work toward reversal.  If you’re in your 20s, you should already have a daily skin-care routine that includes cleansing, use of sunscreen and moisturizing before applying makeup.  Your routine should also include exfoliating once a week as well as a face mask once a week depending on your skin type.  As you enter your 30s, you can add anti-aging treatment creams.  Your anti-aging skin care routine should be taken with you through each new decade, increasing the strength and frequency of the products you use. Remember you can start at any age! It’s about dedication coupled with using the right products at the right time. Start now!

Our friend, Peggie Walker, is the Executive Editor & Lifestyle Consultant for The Quest for It. She recently re-ignited her longtime passions in the areas of inter-generational beauty, fashion, and health/wellness lifestyles. Many of her articles reflect her long-time practice of living and promoting an age defying life. Early on in her career, Peggie worked at a local New York City School of Modeling where she developed and instructed classes in model makeup, exercise, and fashion. During the 90s, she worked as a Certified Personal Trainer while working toward an MBA Degree in Marketing. Peggie considers herself a warrior against the aging effects of gravity, both physically and mentally. Her quest continues to be filled with aspiration, inspiration, and education.