Iris Apfel
A little about myself.
“Old age is not for softies, i'll tell you. It's very funny. I have a close friend, her mother passed away, who was very funny. When I would ask, “Yuda, how do you feel?” She would say: “Oh, when I get up in the morning, all my paired organs, one of them hurts.”
I think it's important to do something and be active
As you get older you have to work hard or it's very easy to fall into a trap.
You start to fall apart - you just need to do your best to pull yourself back together. I think it's very important to do something and be active. When your mind is busy, you are not as hurt. Thank God, I like to keep myself busy. I am blessed to have all these opportunities at this stage of my life. I've always been very busy with different activities and I'm used to it. But in my nineties, I have all these new career opportunities - creating a cosmetics collection with MAC, working on eyewear for Eye-Bobs, you can find me on Home Shopping and YOOX, and I'm developing a big program with the fashion school at the University of Texas at Austin - I've become a real professor.
Aging with dignity
“Nothing gives away a woman's age like her desperate effort to look young.”
In general - I don't wear much makeup. I use the simplest cosmetics for facial care. I don't have time for that. I always buy face masks, then come home burdened, pay big dollars for it and never use it. Anyway, one day a dermatologist recommended that I use Cetaphil to cleanse and moisturize my facial skin, and I do. When I was younger, I used to wear extremely heavy makeup and very bright lipstick.
Now I don't apply eye makeup at all because as I get older, my eyelids get wrinkled. And, if you apply blue or green shadows and you're not a professional makeup artist, you end up looking like a turtle.
I like a thick lipstick, otherwise it's like you haven't applied anything. If you have a little rosebud mouth, this might work for you, but more grown up women need more brightness.
You need to age with dignity. It's not about heavy makeup and powder as they get into the wrinkles, it's not about turtle eyelids and it's not at all about trying to look young. You don't need to be an old grump at all, but I think Chanel said: “Nothing betrays a woman's age like her desperate effort to look young.”
In my opinion, you can look attractive at any age. It is ridiculous to try to look like a young girl when you are no longer young. I'm against plastic surgery. I think that - God forbid - if you are in an accident, or you are cursed with Pinocchio's nose, then you have to undergo plastic surgery. But undergoing wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation surgery is so painful and expensive. It doesn't make much sense to spend as much time in the hospital as I did, subjecting yourself to surgeries when you don't need them. But who knows? If women spent more time and money on their heads, they'd have a better life. No one is going to see you as a 32 year old, so what's the point?
Now I don't apply eye makeup at all because as I get older, my eyelids get wrinkled. And, if you apply blue or green shadows and you're not a professional makeup artist, you end up looking like a turtle.
I like a thick lipstick, otherwise it's like you haven't applied anything. If you have a little rosebud mouth, this might work for you, but more grown up women need more brightness.
You need to age with dignity. It's not about heavy makeup and powder as they get into the wrinkles, it's not about turtle eyelids and it's not at all about trying to look young. You don't need to be an old grump at all, but I think Chanel said: “Nothing betrays a woman's age like her desperate effort to look young.”
In my opinion, you can look attractive at any age. It is ridiculous to try to look like a young girl when you are no longer young. I'm against plastic surgery. I think that - God forbid - if you are in an accident, or you are cursed with Pinocchio's nose, then you have to undergo plastic surgery. But undergoing wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation surgery is so painful and expensive. It doesn't make much sense to spend as much time in the hospital as I did, subjecting yourself to surgeries when you don't need them. But who knows? If women spent more time and money on their heads, they'd have a better life. No one is going to see you as a 32 year old, so what's the point?
Anyway, I don't like trends - I'm in favor of tradition.
I lead an active lifestyle and hardly ever sit still. I like to eat well, but I don't eat fatty and unhealthy food. I used to drink a lot, not to the point of passing out, of course. Now I only drink wine at dinner. I like healthy, wholesome, well-prepared food. I don't eat junk food, and I don't eat cakes.
Sometimes people say I don't eat enough, but it's better to eat less than more. Many people get sick from overeating junk food. The body is like a car - if you fill it up with bad oil, it won't run well, or it will clog up altogether.
And I used to be an avid smoker - four packs a day - but about fifty years ago I gave it up in one fell swoop. My husband once bought me a beautiful mouthpiece with a filter that you could take out and see this brown gooey stuff, and I exclaimed: “Oh, it's all in me? Ouch!”
I never really had mentors or role models. I just labored step by step. I think when I was younger, probably in my teens, I experimented until I found what I liked. It took a little bit of time. Anyway, I don't like trends - I'm in favor of tradition.
Of course, saying I don't change is to say I'm shallow. You change as you get older. But my basic feelings remain the same. What I did 50 years ago is not much different today.
Sometimes people say I don't eat enough, but it's better to eat less than more. Many people get sick from overeating junk food. The body is like a car - if you fill it up with bad oil, it won't run well, or it will clog up altogether.
And I used to be an avid smoker - four packs a day - but about fifty years ago I gave it up in one fell swoop. My husband once bought me a beautiful mouthpiece with a filter that you could take out and see this brown gooey stuff, and I exclaimed: “Oh, it's all in me? Ouch!”
I never really had mentors or role models. I just labored step by step. I think when I was younger, probably in my teens, I experimented until I found what I liked. It took a little bit of time. Anyway, I don't like trends - I'm in favor of tradition.
Of course, saying I don't change is to say I'm shallow. You change as you get older. But my basic feelings remain the same. What I did 50 years ago is not much different today.
Based on materials Into The Gloss
Nelly Latypova
Translater