Looking Younger

Here are two simple tricks you can try at home that will help give you a more youthful appearance. And they may not be what you think ...

Tip 1: Whiten your teeth. The simple reason tooth whitening has become a national pastime? White teeth make you look younger. The best ways to master at-home whitening:

• Be realistic. There’s a limit to how white teeth can -- and should get. (Remember that episode of "Friends"?)
• Studies have shown that yellow and brownish discolorations (most often from coffee, tea, red wine, and cigarettes) respond well to at-home whiteners, whereas gray-tinged teeth (usually from antibiotics taken during childhood) usually can¹t be helped at home.  
• Start fresh with a trip to the dentist. On dirty teeth, whiteners bleach unevenly.  
• Know when to stop. Bleach-orexics beware: Using kits for longer than the prescribed time won’t yield whiter teeth --and may even damage them.
• Keep it light. Bleaching products can make teeth temporarily more susceptible to new stains.
• Avoid the worst culprits -- coffee, tea, red wine, cola, and soy and tomato sauce --for the first few days afterward to prolong results. If you can¹t live without your coffee or Bordeaux, drink them through a straw.

Tip 2: Paint your nails. A woman¹s hands look younger when she wears rings and nail polish, according to a recent study. Here¹s how to do your own at-home manicure. (We¹ll leave the rings up to you.)

• Shape. Remove all polish. Cut nails straight across with clippers so they extend no more than 1/8 to a 1/4 inch beyond the fingertips. Then, round off the corners with an emery board filing in one direction, from each side to the center.
• Soften. Rub a generous amount of oil or moisturizer into the cuticles.
• Soak hands in a bowl of warm water with a splash of olive oil or milk–not soap, which can be drying. After three minutes, blot water from the hands, and gently push back cuticles with an orange stick, a stone cuticle pusher, or a damp washcloth. Wipe oils from nails with polish remover.
• Polish. Brush basecoat on the center of the nail from base to tip in one even stroke. Repeat on either side of the center stripe. To apply colored polish, wipe the brush against the edge of the bottle, then place it 1/8 of an inch from the cuticle and paint on color in three stripes. Re-dip for each nail, and allow the coat to dry at least two minutes before applying a second layer.
• Protect and correct. Seal the polish with regular top-coat, then fix mistakes with a cotton-wrapped orange stick dipped in remover. Give nails 30 to 45 minutes to dry. (It will take a full three hours for them to be totally dry–so don¹t go digging for your keys.)

Come back next week for new advice from Allure.

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