Do Beauty Looks Have an Age Limit?
By Elizabeth Angell, Allure magazine
The recent occasion of Paris Hilton's 30th birthday got me thinking that if anyone's look doesn't age well, it's hers. Leaving aside the questionable antics, there's something a little sad about a woman in her fourth decade wearing pink minidresses and Hello Kitty accessories, batting her eyelashes at the paparazzi.
Related: The 7 Most Flattering New Makeup Colors for Spring
It got me wondering: What other beauty looks have an expiration date? For me, it's letting my hair air dry. My hair is frizzy and unmanageable if I don't spend a little quality time with a blow-dryer and a round brush, and I hate how sloppy it looks. It's the beauty equivalent of wearing sweatpants-something I'm also definitely too old for. (Full disclosure: I'm 36.) I asked the rest of the Allure staff about the beauty looks they've retired:
"I have toned down and limited my nail polish choices now. I only do nude, wine, or red. Personally I think crazy or bright colors look tacky-even for a pedicure-once you're out of your 20s," says Executive Editor Kristin Perrotta, 37
"I don't wear super-dark lipstick anymore. As a teen I did black to dark berry. Now burgundy is my absolute darkest shade and I save it for winter. I find going too dark makes my lips look smaller and washes me out. Also, I always go matte because glossy formulas move around too much, and collect in the fine lines around my mouth," says contributing editor Meirav Devash, 33
Related: What's Beautiful Now: The Allure American Beauty Survey
"I've definitely given up the freedom to just run out the door bare faced. I always put something on my skin-sunscreen and a tinted moisturizer at the very least-before I go outside," says West Coast Editor Kelly Atterton, 41
"I used to wear crazy-color eyeshadow-like green one day, purple the next. Now I feel like I'd look silly doing that, so I'll do it in a more subtle way, like green eyeliner maybe and then nothing else," says writer Sarah Z. Wexler, 29
What about you? Are there any beauty looks you used to love that now feel too young?
More from Allure:
• 10 Hairstyles That Will Make You Look 10 Years Younger
• 17 Bad Skin Habits
• 31 New Hair Ideas for 2011
• 10 New Sexy (and Speedy) Makeup Looks
• Perfect-Skin Secrets From Hollywood's Best Derms and Facialists
Photo Credit: Getty Images
