Get serious about skin care. Unlike American women, Buck said, the French do not feel compelled to share their beauty secrets. But her job at Vogue made her aware that many of them rely on a mix of pharmaceutical, botanical and homeopathic remedies.
As for her own regimen, Buck reported using "a goat's-milk facial soap, a special botanical serum of horsetail and devil's claw (for my joints) and lavender spray — I mist it around me 24/7, especially if anyone sneezes, and it's good for your skin and mood, too."
Though Buck said she doesn't like the idea of dramatically altering one's face with a surgical face-lift, she does endorse "microcurrent treatments," which use low levels of electricity to stimulate facial muscles "for a tighter, smoother look." Popular in Paris, according to Buck, this particular skin therapy is now catching on in New York as well.
Make over your makeup. "Red lipstick is not for everyone," noted Buck (who no longer wears the shade herself). "Frenchwomen sometimes wear more makeup than we do, but they apply it with a lighter touch, so the effect is subtle."
Pressed to divulge a few beauty secrets, Buck allowed that "Lauren Hutton taught me always to put concealer under my nostrils — that instantly gives your face a fresh look. Oh, and no more smoky eyes, be they black or brown; I've switched to a mauvey-gray powder shadow blended above and below my eyes, with a neutral lip."
We'd been on the phone a good two hours by now, and Buck concluded the back-and-forth on an upbeat note: "It's funny how when you're 50, you think life ends at 65," she told me. "But then you just keep adapting to the here and now. Today's women in their 50s, 60s and 70s don't want to look like someone's mother; they're dating, they're working, they're highly visible on social media. The goal is to spark a connection or delight other people, and I think we're doing that."
For more beauty and style tips for women age 50-plus, check out The Woman's Wakeup: How to Shake Up Your Looks, Life, and Love after 50, as well as AARP's new Beauty & Style special edition for tablets.
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