When I turned 50, I thought I'd basically figured out how to look after myself. I was a working makeup artist with three decades of experience. I'd seen everything. I knew what worked.

I was wrong about almost all of it.

Now I'm 63, and the seven habits that have actually made the biggest difference in how I look and feel came as complete surprises. None of them are the usual suspects you see on these lists. Most of them I would have rolled my eyes at when I was 45.

Here they are, in the order they changed my life.

1. Sunscreen on my hands and chest, every single day

If I could go back and tell my 35-year-old self one thing, this would be it. For 30 years I religiously applied SPF to my face and forgot the rest. Now my face looks 10 years younger than my hands, and there's no closing that gap. Buy a daily SPF 30 in a non-greasy formula (CeraVe AM is around $15 and lasts months) and apply it to your hands, chest, and the tops of your ears every morning. Future you will weep with gratitude.

2. Strength training with two soup cans

I started this at 58 and laughed at how light I was lifting. Three months later, my posture had changed, the bag of dog food felt easier to lift, and a pair of jeans I'd written off years ago fit again. A 2024 study of 40,000 people found that just 2 to 3 sessions of strength training per week reduces premature mortality by around 20%. You don't need a gym, a trainer, or fancy clothes. Two cans of soup and 15 minutes is enough to start.

3. A glass of water before my morning coffee

It sounds laughably small. I used to skip it too. But after years of waking up puffy and dehydrated, I started drinking 8 ounces of room-temperature water the moment my feet hit the floor. Within two weeks, the morning puffiness around my eyes and jaw was visibly reduced. My foundation went on smoother. I stopped reaching for concealer most mornings.

4. Letting my brows lead instead of my lipstick

This one is from my chair. After 30 years of doing makeup on women in their 50s and 60s, I've watched something happen over and over: a client comes in dressed nicely, hair done, lipstick on — and somehow looks tired anyway. Nine times out of ten, the brows are too thin, too pale, or shaped for a face she had 15 years ago. Fix the brows and the whole face wakes up. I do my own brows before anything else now, even on no-makeup days.

5. Ten minutes outside before any screen

This one I resisted for years. I'm a maker, not a meditator. But a Mayo Clinic article I came across cited research showing that even five minutes outside regulates the nervous system. So I started forcing myself to drink my morning coffee on the back step before checking my phone. Within a month, I noticed I was less reactive all day. Less crabby. Less likely to argue with my husband over nothing. That alone took years off my face.

6. Switching foundation for tinted moisturizer

This is my biggest professional regret of the last decade — that I waited until 58 to make this switch. Heavy foundation settles into every line on a mature face. By midday it's caked into the corners of the eyes and the sides of the nose. Tinted moisturizer (I use Laura Mercier, around $50, lasts six months) gives you coverage without the cake. The difference in how my skin looks at 5pm is honestly not subtle.

7. Saying "I'd love to but I can't" without an excuse

The biggest beauty tip I have isn't a beauty tip. It's that stress shows up on the face faster than any product can fix. For years I overcommitted, said yes to everything, and watched my skin pay the price for it. Now I say no without explaining myself, and the difference in how I look — yes, look — has been bigger than any cream I've ever tried.

I'll be honest with you. Not all of these felt life-changing in the moment. Some of them felt almost silly when I started. But six months in, and a year in, and three years in, the small things compound. That's the part nobody told me at 50.

LET'S HAVE A CONVERSATION

Which of these would be easiest for you to start tomorrow? Is there a small habit you've added in your 50s or 60s that's made a real difference? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.