How To Rejuvenate For A Night Out

I’ve always enjoyed the ritualistic aspect of getting ready for a night out. I don’t know what it is exactly. Perhaps it’s indulging in a time that’s reserved just for me, or the element of play and fantasy. It’s superficial, certainly, but not exclusively. There’s a meditative quality to it. And there’s something distinctly feminine about it too. It’s our superpower.

In recent years, I’ve developed a ritual that gets me looking young and in a young frame of mind; it’s part nostalgia, part illusion, part wishful thinking. All I need is the right atmosphere, effective products, and a few props, and by the time I head out the door, I feel like I look rejuvenated. And that’s the key.

It saddens me that as some women age, they renounce this central part of womanhood. Instead, they get ready with not so much as a thought. Our already fragile self-esteem becomes even more fragile as we age. We don’t want to linger too long in front of our own reflection for fear of what we may see. There may be a new wrinkle, always a bit unanticipated and slightly bewildering. That wasn’t there last week. Or was it? I’m obsessed with a particular one on the side of my eye. I need Botox, I think. Or our body isn’t cooperating with the clothes that so desperately want to fit it.

I think, too, our role as we get older is to supposed to change. We’re told we should seek things like inner peace and outer adventure. Things that are meant to take the focus off of how we look now that we’re past our ripeness. But this yearning to feel young and sexy doesn’t go away with the turning of a calendar page, does it?

We’re all little girls inside wanting to play dress up…still. We all want to look desirable…always (whether you admit it to yourself or not).

Perhaps I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll mention it again: no matter how old I get, I don’t want to give up on the things that make me feel sexy and young. Giving up on this ritual would be robbing me of a celebration of the overwhelming power of femininity and youth, and it would be the equivalent of giving in to aging.

I’m not ready to do that.

Instead, I choose to glory in my own youthful femininity for as long as I can. This means, that when I have a party or it’s date night or I’m going to dinner with friends, I invest in the ever-lengthening time required to get all young-dolled up.  I let go of my limiting beliefs about aging and tap into my imagination: who do I want to be tonight? Femme fatal? Rarely. A spring chicken? Always!

Nothing exists outside of this moment when I’m cultivating a young face. My muse: younger me.

I’ll pour myself a glass of wine because wine has been proven (by me) to make you feel younger. I’ll have the music turned up to some beautiful song from my youth. This simple act evokes an emotive response and I’m transported to another time, 1979 probably — one of my best years — and transported to another place, my teenage bedroom.

Once when I was young (er), getting ready for a party intoxicated me. I’d start prepping the night before. Thursday night has always, always been my at-home spa night.

These days it requires a little more prep work, but it’s time worth taking.

A home facial followed by a mask or two is always in order. Either a brightening one, a tightening one or a plumping one, depending on how my skin is feeling. Sometimes, my skin requires more than one mask and I’ll multi-mask.

A great tightening mask is Clarins Shaping Facial Lift Wrap. It’s like a shrink wrap for the face.

I used to stick my face in a bowl of ice before going out, but since I bought the ice roller I do this instead.  I reserve the ice bowl for hangover face.

I discovered this Ren Beauty Shot and I love it. It’s like a thick, gooey serum that instantly tightens your skin, which is by far one of my favorite feelings these days. I save this only for nights when I’ going out, although I’m sure you can use it every night.

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Next is a moisturizer. I massage this into my skin to get the blood flowing, slapping my skin around a little to bring a youthful flush to the cheeks. And of course, I never go anywhere without my trusted Prep H for zee neck. You know that already.

A night out face isn’t complete without a youthful glow. I always spritz with something hydrating. This Josie Maran Nirvana Hydrating Mist is…well, not nirvana, but still super hydrating. I spritz before makeup, after powder, and as the final step. I go a bit glow OCD.

 

 

The final prep work…

Defuse the pores. Nothing does this better for me than Dr. Brandt Pores No More primer. I haven’t heard too many people talk about this product, but I’ve been using it for years, and nothing else even comes close. I apply a tiny bit on my T-Zone where my pores are more visible, and voila: pores no more.

Here’s my trick for feeling extra sexy. Sexy undergarments. You know why? Victoria’s Secret…except it’s my secret…and my hubby’s. And nothing is more rejuvenating than a sexy secret. Don’t you agree?

Last step: my party hair. For the very special occassions 0although I haven’t been needing them lately). Clip-on hair extensions as I mentioned in this post are the best. Easy, inexpensive, and they look like your hair but younger.

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Smoke and mirrors…

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Finally, after a spritz or five of my favorite scent, I’ll come running down the stairs on the way to the door but not before I take one final look in my hallway full-length mirror which I affectionately call my amusement park mirror. It stands slightly slanted against the wall, which gives the viewer (me) the illusion of being thinner and taller. Coupled with dim illumination that diffuses even the deepest of wrinkles, I step out of the house feeling confidently tall, thin, and young.

Then at midnight (3 am), when the tightening serum wears off, my hair extensions are in my purse, and I’ve taken off my very sexy but painful heels (pata susia for those Spanish speaking chickies), I turn into a pumpkin, or in my case, a 55-year old woman again who desperately needs her youth sleep.

If you’ve made it this far reading my very chatty post, I reward you with this funny video making fun of this whole process. Enjoy.

Do you relish getting ready? I hope you do. Do you have a youth secret you swear by for a special night? Share the youth!

xoxo