How to Look Good at 40

Last Updated: February 16, 2022 References

Turning 40 is a stepping stone towards middle age, but it doesn't mean you can't still look and feel good. It's easier now more than ever to age gracefully. With the right look, the right habits, and the right attitude, you'll have everyone wondering if you're not 10 years younger.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Taking Care of Your Face

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Change your face make-up to fit your age. Our skin naturally changes over time. Imagine if you were using the make-up you used to cover those pimples in grade school! And even though you may not have noticed much, your skin changes from 25 to 30, from 30 to 35, and 35 to 40. It’s high time to update your make-up – you want very thin coverage that makes you glow. It’s your natural beauty that’s ready to be center stage.
- Stay away from liquid eyeliner which is cakey on less-than-firm skin. Stick to thicker pencils for that smokey on-the-town look at night. During the day, a bit of mascara and just a touch of eyeliner is more than enough.
- Don’t wear too much makeup! There are very few occasions in your 20s when lots of makeup is appropriate, and there are even fewer in your 40s. Keep it simple. By now, your skin is beautiful. You don’t need it!
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Learn how to contour your face. Adding low-lights around the edges of your chin and forehead add depth to your face, bringing out the light areas and your cheekbones. It’s no longer about hiding blemishes and looking awake – it’s about literally bringing out your best features.
- Add a highlighter to the "t-zone" of your face – this includes the center of your forehead, nose, and chin. These places are all closest to the light source, so they should be the brightest. Use a makeup brush with a bit of cream concealer or pressed powder and blend the highlighter into these areas.
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Use an anti-aging cleanser. One of the simplest things you can do for yourself is wash with an anti-aging cleanser every morning and night (or however often your skin allows). Make-up should not be left on your face and using an anti-aging cleanser can leave your skin feeling bare and able to breathe. It also gets into your pores, tightening everything up and making it glow.
- Develop a beauty regimen that you can stick to and that you think works. It should include a cleanser, light makeup, and anti-aging creams and lotions. Experiment with a few products to find which ones work best for you.^{[1]
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Use a night cream, too. Take advantage of those 8 or so hours you have every night and put your skin to work – repairing itself, that is. Night creams sink into your pores acting as a collagen boost, slowing the progress of wrinkles and skin damage.^{[2]
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- Feeling ambitious? You could use a day cream, too. Sure beats having to get botox regularly and it's much better for you in the long run.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Taking Care of Your Body

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Drink lots of water, green tea, and the occasional glass of red wine. Hopefully water is a no-brainer – 8 glasses a day will keep your body hydrated, your skin glowing, and your hair and nails growing. But green tea (and plenty of it) and the occasional glass of red wine are great, too. They’re full of antioxidants that keep your insides churning at 100%.
- Feel free to drink as much green tea as you like – if you don’t already, a glass in the morning is a good place to start. And when it comes to red wine, stick to 1 glass a day. Any more than that and the cholesterol-busting and antioxidant positive effects go by the wayside.
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Stick to a healthy diet. This is good advice for everyone: when you feel good on the inside, you feel ‘’and look’’ good on the outside. Concentrate on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Staying away from processed junk foods – anything that comes in a package, really – is best. Your body wants to eat fresh and natural and look fresh and natural!^{[3]
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- If you struggle with your weight and have never found a diet that's worked, consider reading wikiHow's How to Choose a Diet that Suits You for an extensive look at two dozen of the most popular, current diets.
- The older you get, the more your metabolism slows down and the more you have to watch what you eat. Nothing should be off-limits, but everything should be consumed in appropriate portions.
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Tone those muscles. Cardio is great for the mind and body, but even the skinniest of us need to keep firm. In the 40s, you want to target your arms, abs, and butt. That means pull ups, push ups, crunches, squats, and lunges.^{[4]
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Research source} Sounds like bad news, but you can do all of those in your own home, a few minutes at a time or even while watching TV.
- Aim for thirty minutes of exercise a day, with a combination of cardio and weight-training. Recent research has stated that a combination of both types of exercising is best for speeding up fat loss.^{[5]
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- As you age, your stratum corneum (a layer of your skin) gets thicker. This leads to wrinkles and cellulite, amongst other skin woes. However, it's coming to light that exercise prevents this from happening. In recent studies, those who are aging and who exercise have better skin than those who live mainly sedentary lifestyles.^{[6]
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Get rid of that unwanted hair. Often with age comes unwanted hair in the most of unwanted places. One day you’ll glance into the mirror at just the wrong angle and see a perpetrator that’s been growing for what has to have been months. To keep this from happening as much as possible, go in for regular waxes or consider LHE, Light & Heat Energy Technology that can laser the hair off. It’s getting cheaper and cheaper, especially for small areas like the chin and upper lip.
- If you’ve got time and a few cups of sugar on hand, why not wax it off yourself? It’s cheap and takes only minutes. What’s more, a sugar wax can leave your skin feeling baby smooth.
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Stay out of the sun. As we age, that sun exposure we just had to have as teens starts popping up in the form of dark spots, blotches, and sometimes even melanoma or cancer. Though you can’t change your less-than-wise teenage years, you can start staying out of the sun now. And good news: pale is in!
- Apply an SPF 15 lotion regularly when going into the sun can’t be avoided. It will moisturize your skin too, keeping it hydrated and glowing.
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Dress for your body’s best. Just because you’re in your 40s does not mean you should be buttoning up and hiding your body. Though you should be adult and professional, you should also feel sexy, comfortable, and fashionable.^{[7]
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- Take into account your body’s shape. What do you want to accentuate and what do you want hidden? Play up what you're proud of.
- Stock your closet with classic pieces that you can rotate into dozens of different outfits. Have people saying, "That is one distinguished 30-year-old right there, that is."

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Taking Care of Your Hair, Teeth, and Nails

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Color your hair the right color. Grays are a dead giveaway to your age, even though they look good on a few people. If you’re not one of them, don't hesitate to cover them up. Choose a natural color that’s only a shade or two away from your own actual tresses.
- If you're seriously graying, you may wish to color eyebrows, too – they may end up giving you away if they're also changing color.
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If you want, grow your hair long. Just because you’re not chewing on your hair in algebra class anymore doesn’t mean you can’t have long hair. Sure, it’s a bit harder to fuss with, but your hair is beautiful! Keep it to layers and highlights and you can appear trendy and younger in one go.
- That is, if you want long hair. You may decide that after years of dealing with it, it's just not worth it anymore. Though long hair can be an indicator of youth, as long as your hair is taken care of, you'll look good.
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Get your teeth whitened. With age comes experience...experiences of smoking, drinking coffee, and teeth turning yellow or gray. Take initiative and get them whitened, either with a kit or at the dentist’s office. They don’t need to be blindingly white, just the natural ivory shade of 10 years ago.
- There are a number of kits out there you can do at home that range from a few days to a few weeks. Most involve somewhere around 30 minutes a day. And if that’s not enough, there are often whitening toothpastes you can combine with the kits, too.
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Pay attention to your nails. When our hormones change as they do with age, it’s natural for nails to get a bit brittle. Combat this by putting a strengthener on your nails, or using a strengthening colored nail polish. Keep them at a trim yet delicate length, too.
- Go in for regular manicures and pedicures for an excuse to relax as well. Clear, French, and pastels and lighter, neutral-tinted tones are best. That goes for just about any age if you want to appear sophisticated and professional.