beauty

Lessons We Can Learn About Aging From the Fabulous Maye Musk

Women are often taught to be terrified of aging but Maye Musk, 70 year old model, dietician, author, and matriarch of "the first family of tech", is proving that beauty has no age. While her billionaire son Elon has been revolutionizing transportation both on earth and in space, Maye has been busy revolutionizing the beauty industry. At the age of 69 Maye experienced the biggest career change of her life when she became one of the new faces of CoverGirl's latest beauty campaign "I am What I Make Up."

Maye has been modeling for over 50 years and dishing out nutrition and lifestyle advice for over 45. Eat well, be active, feel fantastic is a modo this model lives by. There's no denying Maye is a stunning force to be reckoned with. She started modeling at the age of 15 in her hometown of Johannesburg, South Africa and became a very popular model in the 1960s, modeling for Revlon and Clinique. She's even appeared in a Beyonce video, playing the heroine in "Haunted".

While it's easy to imaging that the fabulous Maye Musk might have a complex approach to beauty and aging, her advice is surprisingly simple. Follow science and common sense.

Science, Maye says, tells us to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Her common sense tells her to eat when she feels hungry. No crazy diet fads found here. In fact her advice to those of you who are downing health juices you can't stand is to simply stop.

"If you don't like the flavor, you shouldn't' eat or drink it, no matter how healthy it is," Maye advises.

She's a fan of pumpkin seeds, sweet potatoes, spinach, greens, broccoli, and cauliflower. Maye makes it a habit to eat vitamin rich foods prepared in ways she actually enjoys and is primarily a vegetarian, eating meat only when she eats out. Her beauty routine takes a similar no frills approach.

Maye makes a huge effort to stay out of the sun and always wear a hat, a habit she didn't adopt until her mid 30s. She checks in with her dermatologist once a year and indulges in monthly massages. While she exercises everyday (a combination of biking, stretching, and weights) she doesn't believe in a "no pain, no gain" approach. Instead she opts for a calmer "no pain" pace when working out.

Her favorite beauty products? They're all found at Ralphs on the West Coast or Duane Reade when she's on the East Coast. While she hasn't revealed exactly what her go-to products are she does always use a moisturizer with SPF, an eye cream, chapstick, and Covergirls natural finish foundations. Her beautiful white hair is kept healthy and bright with Oribe shampoo and conditioner.

At the age of 70, Maye says, life is actually easier and doesn't scare her at all. While she isn't against the concept of "anti-aging" products per say because looking better gives women confidence and confidence is beautiful, she is concerned about the beauty industry's obsession with not looking your age.

"If you say, when you wear this, you will suddenly be younger, then that's odd. I guess that's what the anti-aging idea is. To make women feel insecure about their age — that's concerning," she says.

So what is her real secret to aging beautifully and naturally?

"If you enjoy your life, than you become more beautiful because you're happier," she says. " Spend more time sharing your wisdom with others, mentoring young people and showing them that [as we age we] have a lot of energy and good stuff left in us."

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