Fitness
The New Beauty Trend? Simple Strategies, Visible Results
3 ways to simplify your routine without sacrificing results
Shutterstock
Drastic makeovers and complicated routines are “out”. Today’s beauty mindset is less about doing everything, and more about choosing products and treatments that deliver meaningful, visible results. Rather than chasing every trend, many women are focusing on a few intentional habits that help them look well-rested, vibrant, and like themselves. In other words, it’s about enhancing rather than overhauling.
Whether it’s streamlining your skincare, investing in targeted treatments, or focusing on the features that make the biggest impact, a less-is-more approach can go a long way. Here’s how to do it.
1. Pare down your skin, hair, and beauty routines
More products don’t necessarily mean better results. Take a closer look at your routine and focus on products and steps that make the biggest difference for you. Consider a lightweight, tinted SPF moisturizer instead of a foundation that could settle into fine lines. Take advantage of double-duty haircare products like leave-in conditioners. Or simplify beauty rituals that require more upkeep than you want to give them.
The goal isn’t to give up things you love; it’s about being more intentional about what earns a place in your routine.
2. Focus on the eye area
The eye area can play an outsized role in your overall appearance. Over time, changes to the delicate skin around the eyes, as well as the position of the upper eyelids, can affect how open and awake-looking your eyes appear. The muscles around your eyes can stretch and weaken, contributing to wrinkles and droopy eyelids1. Menopause can accelerate additional skin changes because the effects of declining estrogen tend to show up in the thin tissue around the eyes before other areas.2
That makes the eye area a natural place to focus a streamlined routine. Be gentle with the surrounding skin, avoid rubbing or scrubbing the eyes, and keep the area moisturized.
3. Choose targeted solutions for specific concerns
A less-is-more approach isn’t about ignoring the things you’d like to address. It’s about understanding what is actually causing the concern you want to improve, and choosing solutions designed specifically for it. For example, sculpting facials that release tension in the masseter muscle can refine the jawline. Microneedling treatments promote vibrant skin by stimulating cell turnover and collagen production.
Low-lying eyelids may be another example. Acquired blepharoptosis, or low-lying eyelids, can develop as we age, and may affect how open your eyes appear. You may find yourself straining to keep your eyes open, or that one eyelid sits lower than the other.
Eyelid drooping can also be associated with other serious medical conditions such as stroke, brain aneurysm, Horner syndrome, myasthenia gravis, and eye infections. You should seek additional medical evaluation if you or your doctor suspect this may be what you’re experiencing.
If acquired blepharoptosis is the reason your eyelids are sitting lower, ask your healthcare provider about Upneeq® (oxymetazoline hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) 0.1%. Upneeq is a prescription eyedrop that works by stimulating a muscle in the upper eyelid to contract, lifting eyelids for more awake-looking eyes.
Because everyone needs a Girlfriend™
Sign up to receive our free weekly newsletter every Thursday.
Using Upneeq is easy: just one drop once a day is clinically proven to give visible results that work in as fast as 5 minutes and can last up to 8 hours. Consult with your doctor first to see if Upneeq is the right option for you. With non-surgical and fast-acting options out there like Upneeq, you can be more intentional about where you focus your time, energy, and attention by choosing solutions that address the things that matter to you most.
Click here to learn more about how Upneeq could lift low-lying eyelids for more open-looking eyes.
Important Safety Information
What is UPNEEQ?
UPNEEQ® (oxymetazoline hydrochloride ophthalmic solution), 0.1% is a prescription eyedrop used to treat acquired blepharoptosis (low-lying lids) in adults.
What warnings and precautions are associated with UPNEEQ?
- Low-lying lids may be related to conditions such as stroke and/or brain aneurysm, Horner syndrome, myasthenia gravis, loss of the ability to move eye muscles, eye infection and eye tumors. Tell your doctor if you have any of these conditions.
- UPNEEQ is a type of medication that may affect your blood pressure. If you have heart disease, uncontrolled high or low blood pressure, or feel faint at rest or when quickly standing up, you should call your doctor if your symptoms get worse.
- Patients with reduced blood flow to the brain or heart, or patients who experience eye or mouth dryness due to an immune system disorder (Sjögren’s syndrome), should use care when taking UPNEEQ. Call your doctor immediately if you feel your symptoms may be getting worse.
- UPNEEQ may increase the risk of eye pressure due to fluid buildup (angle-closure glaucoma) in patients with untreated narrow-angle glaucoma. Call your doctor immediately if you feel increased pressure in your eye after using UPNEEQ.
- Do not let the tip of the UPNEEQ vial touch your eye or any other surface. This can help prevent eye injury or contamination. Each UPNEEQ vial is for one-time use and should be discarded after being used.
What are the most common side effects of UPNEEQ?
The most common adverse reactions with UPNEEQ (occurring in 1–5% of patients) were eye inflammation, eye redness, dry eye, blurred vision, eye pain at time of use, eye irritation, and headache.
What should my doctor know about before prescribing me UPNEEQ?
- Your doctor should review your full medical history before prescribing UPNEEQ.
- UPNEEQ belongs to a class of medication (alpha-adrenergic agonists) that may affect your blood pressure. Use UPNEEQ carefully if you currently take an alpha-adrenergic antagonist medication to treat heart disease or an enlarged prostate. Patients taking beta-blockers, or other medications to treat hypertension or an abnormal heartbeat, should also be careful when using UPNEEQ.
- Patients who use a certain class of antidepressant medication (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) should also be careful when using UPNEEQ, as it may affect the way your body absorbs the medication.
These are not all of the possible side effects of UPNEEQ. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
To report side effects or product complaints, contact RVL Pharmaceuticals at 1-877-482-3788. You may also report side effects to the FDA by calling 1-800-FDA-1088 or visit www.fda.gov/medwatch.
This is a summary of the most important safety information for UPNEEQ. For more in-depth safety information, please review the full Prescribing Information for UPNEEQ.
Upneeq® is distributed by RVL Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bridgewater, NJ 08807.
Upneeq® is a registered trademark of RVL Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
SOURCES:
1. The severity of wrinkling at the forehead is related to the degree of ptosis of the upper eyelid https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20456101/ and Even Your Eyeballs Lose Collagen As You Age, Allure (with citations from the Cleveland Clinic) https://www.allure.com/story/are-your-eyeballs-making-you-look-older
2. Does Menopause Cause a ‘Collagen Cliff’? The Conversation with links to studies https://theconversation.com/does-menopause-cause-a-collagen-cliff-what-you-need-to-know-278127
More From The Girlfriend
Sex & Intimacy
Entertainment
More for you, from AARP
We are a community from AARP. Discover more ways AARP can help you live well, navigate life, save money — and protect older Americans on issues that matter.