than your natural face colour and use it sparinglylook after your locks contrary to popular opinion grey hair is finer than pigmented hair but because its lost its oils it feels coarser heavy conditioners will make grey hair limp so choose a style and hair product that give it volume like 69yearold silver fox helen mirren cutting your hair short can be as ageing as refusing to chop off your old straggly thin locks if your long hair is in good condition like 54yearold julianne moores flamehaired locks theres no reason to cut it off if you do go short avoid elfinstyles as theyre hard to carry off unless you are actually an elfin queen like 45yearold cate blanchett midlength choppy shapes suit older women when covering grey hair staying blonde is easier than keeping it dark if you do dye your hair dark brown make sure you break it up with lowlights at some point a woman with blonde highlights has to change to an allover blonde tint unless she wants her hair to look like shes a 40aday smokerbe lamb not mutton get dressed to make an entrance not sneak in quietly through the back door just because youve hit 50 doesnt mean youre invisible avoid the cougar uniform of bodycon frocks and spiky heels but dont let it all go and start wearing loosefitting stretchy clothes either if you can curl up in a ball in your clothes then save them for the yoga class elasticated waists may be more comfortable but they let you eat more than you should and in your 50s you really shouldnt because it gets tougher to lose the weight theres no reason why you shouldnt buy the odd item in trendy high street shops but the latest fashion trends will always look better on undernourished teenagers classic shapes in wellcut materials will suit you better by now you should know your own shape and what makes the most of your best features and disguises the ones you dont like apple shapes suit skinny jeans and tulip tops pearshaped ladies can work an aline skirt and cute short jacket combo but be prepared to experiment with different styles even if youre bigger than a high street size dont wear large shapeless clothes they just make you look bigger belts will give you definition even if you dont have a waist and never wear clothes that are too tight youll spend all day tugging at them neutral colours are the scourge of the middleaged if you insist on dark colours then at least choose navy over black and cream over white as monochrome is too harsh on older skins get some colour in your lifestart with powder blue if youre too nervous to wear azure small patterns like tiny flower prints will make you look matronly if youre over 50 but feel free to experiment with bold prints