Beauty at every age: Top tips at 42
TEST OF TIME
Michelle Villett asked asked five women to reveal their diet, skin-care and exercise habits—and then got the world’s top anti-aging docs to weigh in.
KIM VALLÉE, 42
“Looking good for my age has always concerned me, but I probably feel better today than when I was younger,” says Vallée, a Montreal-based lifestyle and entertaining expert. “I’m at a stage where all my dreams are at least possible or taking form in some way.” First up: the birth of her first child, a boy, this past March. “I think it’s important to live in the moment and to accept the aging process, because with each [decade] you experience something new.”
HER DIET
“Since I became pregnant, [my diet] includes more dairy.” For breakfast, she has muesli with milk, a banana and decaf coffee or green tea, followed by some yogurt. For lunch: soup and salad with chicken, and fruit for an afternoon snack. For dinner, “we probably eat out four or five times a week,” usually at a Japanese restaurant, where Vallée often has tofu, edamame, shrimp tempura and seaweed salad; for dessert, she has a cookie or a piece of dark chocolate. She also takes a prenatal vitamin daily.
HER SKIN-CARE REGIMEN
Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, Toning Lotion with Camomile, Advanced Extra-Firming Eye Contour Serum, Advanced Extra-Firming Eye Contour Cream and Extra-Firming Night Cream, and Chanel Beauté Initiale Eye Energizing Multi-Protection Eye Gel. She wears sunscreen only in the summer. Her main concern is dry skin all over. As for cosmetic procedures, she says, “I’m not against them, but I think it’s better to wait until later.”
HER LIFESTYLE
“I’m quite happy with my life. Little things can annoy me, but my husband is good at calming me down. Sometimes I worry too much and wake up in the night. Usually I get between seven and nine hours of sleep.”
HER EXERCISE ROUTINE
“I don’t like the gym. Living in the heart of Montreal, I walk everywhere. In the summer, I bike 20 to 30 kilometres a few times a month, and in the winter, I ski.” About three times a week, she performs a series of exercises with her Kinect for Xbox 360.
WHAT THE DOCTORS SAY
“Kim’s diet isn’t bad, but it could be better if she ate some protein at breakfast [to aid cellular repair],” says Dr. Perricone. “I’m also not fond of soy [because it may increase estrogen activity].” Dr. Murad is concerned about the salt content of the restaurant food sheís eating. “It can lead to water retention and bloating, and has a drying effect in your cells and skin.” She should make sure her meals are prepared without additional salt and increase her water intake to maintain hydration. Dr. Weil also recommends that she get more healthy omega-3 fats via a fish-oil supplement.
Although insomnia during pregnancy isn’t unusual, meditation, yoga or deep-breathing exercises before bed will help relax the mind and body. Since cells repair during sleep, “post-pregnancy and breast-feeding, Kim should take a natural sleep aid, such as melatonin or gaba [gamma-aminobutyric acid], to help her fall asleep faster and stay in slumber,” says Dr. Murad. She should also check with her doctor to make sure the products she’s using on her skin are safe during pregnancy. One to add: a daily SPF 30 sunscreen, worn year-round. (“Just because it’s cloudy outside doesn’t mean she’s safe from harmful sun exposure,” says Dr. Murad.) To repair dry skin and prevent stretch marks, she should use a body lotion with shea butter, vitamin C and vitamin E.
DOCTOR’S ORDERS
Crabtree & Evelyn Lily Body Cream ($33, at Crabtree & Evelyn); Murad Resurgence Renewing Eye Cream ($72, at Murale) Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen SPF 40 ($40, at department stores)
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://fashionmagazine.com/beauty-grooming/beauty-at-every-age-top-tips-at-42/&title=Beauty at every age: Top tips at 42&picture=https://fashionmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/may11Vallee1.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_40098" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Photography by Coey Kerr (hair and makeup by Andrew Ly)."][/caption]
TEST OF TIME
Michelle Villett asked asked five women to reveal their diet, skin-care and exercise habits—and then got the world’s top anti-aging docs to weigh in.
KIM VALLÉE, 42
“Looking good for my age has always concerned me, but I probably feel better today than when I was younger,” says Vallée, a Montreal-based lifestyle and entertaining expert. “I’m at a stage where all my dreams are at least possible or taking form in some way.” First up: the birth of her first child, a boy, this past March. “I think it’s important to live in the moment and to accept the aging process, because with each [decade] you experience something new.”
HER DIET
“Since I became pregnant, [my diet] includes more dairy.” For breakfast, she has muesli with milk, a banana and decaf coffee or green tea, followed by some yogurt. For lunch: soup and salad with chicken, and fruit for an afternoon snack. For dinner, “we probably eat out four or five times a week,” usually at a Japanese restaurant, where Vallée often has tofu, edamame, shrimp tempura and seaweed salad; for dessert, she has a cookie or a piece of dark chocolate. She also takes a prenatal vitamin daily.
HER SKIN-CARE REGIMEN
Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, Toning Lotion with Camomile, Advanced Extra-Firming Eye Contour Serum, Advanced Extra-Firming Eye Contour Cream and Extra-Firming Night Cream, and Chanel Beauté Initiale Eye Energizing Multi-Protection Eye Gel. She wears sunscreen only in the summer. Her main concern is dry skin all over. As for cosmetic procedures, she says, “I’m not against them, but I think it’s better to wait until later.”
HER LIFESTYLE
“I’m quite happy with my life. Little things can annoy me, but my husband is good at calming me down. Sometimes I worry too much and wake up in the night. Usually I get between seven and nine hours of sleep.”
HER EXERCISE ROUTINE
“I don’t like the gym. Living in the heart of Montreal, I walk everywhere. In the summer, I bike 20 to 30 kilometres a few times a month, and in the winter, I ski.” About three times a week, she performs a series of exercises with her Kinect for Xbox 360.
[caption id="attachment_40182" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Photography by Carlo Mendoza"][/caption]
WHAT THE DOCTORS SAY
“Kim’s diet isn’t bad, but it could be better if she ate some protein at breakfast [to aid cellular repair],” says Dr. Perricone. “I’m also not fond of soy [because it may increase estrogen activity].” Dr. Murad is concerned about the salt content of the restaurant food sheís eating. “It can lead to water retention and bloating, and has a drying effect in your cells and skin.” She should make sure her meals are prepared without additional salt and increase her water intake to maintain hydration. Dr. Weil also recommends that she get more healthy omega-3 fats via a fish-oil supplement.
Although insomnia during pregnancy isn’t unusual, meditation, yoga or deep-breathing exercises before bed will help relax the mind and body. Since cells repair during sleep, “post-pregnancy and breast-feeding, Kim should take a natural sleep aid, such as melatonin or gaba [gamma-aminobutyric acid], to help her fall asleep faster and stay in slumber,” says Dr. Murad. She should also check with her doctor to make sure the products she’s using on her skin are safe during pregnancy. One to add: a daily SPF 30 sunscreen, worn year-round. (“Just because it’s cloudy outside doesn’t mean she’s safe from harmful sun exposure,” says Dr. Murad.) To repair dry skin and prevent stretch marks, she should use a body lotion with shea butter, vitamin C and vitamin E.
DOCTOR’S ORDERS
Crabtree & Evelyn Lily Body Cream ($33, at Crabtree & Evelyn); Murad Resurgence Renewing Eye Cream ($72, at Murale) Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen SPF 40 ($40, at department stores)
){kind=link}