Beauty & Style Advice for my 30 Y/O Self

This weekend is my 55th Birthday! I am so excited!!! I know that sounds nuts; everyone else I know is complaining about getting older, but I’m such a kid at heart. I love my birthday. I don’t care what the number is, and I’m not embarrassed about my age, or apologetic. I loved turning 40, and 50. Those round decade numbers give a freedom to not give a rip about many things that used to be important. I don’t want to know what my future holds, thank you, and wouldn’t have believed you when I was 30 if you’d told me what my life would look like right now. But a little style and beauty advice might have been appreciated… Not understood, but maybe paid a few seconds mind!

Start taking care of your skin now! I know it is hard to imagine when you are constantly fighting acne, but be gentle with your skin. It’s hard to believe your skin needs moisture, and will need even more later. Spend some time finding a gentle routine that works. Make skin care a daily treat for yourself. Wash your face well at night, stop tumbling into bed with your makeup on, and moisturize afterwards. (If you need a hint where to start, try Cetaphil cleanser and add a spoonful of baking powder when you need something scrubbie.)

Don’t take your amazing metabolism for granted.  Your Energizer bunny metabolism is a gift, and that pregnancy and nursing metabolism is a blessing to enjoy! (Just don’t get carried away with that sweet tooth of yours…) Eat more fruits and veggies now, and start cutting back on starches in your 40’s. It will make life easier when you play through the next hormone shift.

Learn to love exercise. I know it’s hard to imagine that someday you will not get all your exercise running after small people! Walk everywhere you can with them, and play outside with them. I know you think weights are a “man gym” thing, but pushups and situps will bless you later. Stretch! Believe it or not, someday you will want to do a pull-up, and you need to start now. Just in case you need some motivation, it will literally save your life.

Stop drinking through a straw. Just like smoking cigarettes, sucking down all your cold bevvies through a straw (especially shakes) is going to create more pucker wrinkles around your mouth. The only good way to earn those is kissing! Drink out of the glass, honey. I know, you don’t like it when people call you honey, but someday you will be living somewhere everyone does, so you may as well get used to it now, and “ducks,” too, but that’s another story.

You won’t regret letting go of those clothes, purses, or shoes every time you purge for a move. (No, not even that red Dooney & Bourke Cabriolet Backpack…) You’ll find a denim one you like even better on Ebay 20+ years from now. (What’s Ebay? I can’t even begin to explain that. You’ll need a cocktail or two before it’ll make sense!)

What decade are you in? What advice would you give your younger self? Please share in the comments below! I love to hear what you are thinking…