Keeping Beauty Timeless: What Would Carrie Bradshaw Do Now?

Two decades after Sarah Jessica Parker created a covetable look for sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw on the iconic Sex and the City TV series, here are a few tips for aging icons on how to keep it timeless.

Hair Force

“Curls can feel more coarse and harder to control — for curl to have good definition, the solution is to hyper-hydrate,” says Marilisa, artistic director for Marc Anthony True Professional. Try Marc Anthony True Professional Strictly Curls 3x Moisture deep treatment mask, with marula oil and coconut cream. (Shoppers Drug Mart; Walmart). For thinning hair, try Phytonovathrix by Phyto Paris — a three-month treatment that works for both men and women, using botanical ingredients on stem cells to trigger and stimulate growth and slow hair loss. (phyto-canada.ca) 

Blond, Naturally

“Always do a test on a hair strand,” says Brennen Demelo, L’Oréal Paris hair artist and expert, on changing your hair colour safely. “Manage expectations in terms of stages. It can’t be done all at the same time.” He also advises to avoid double processing (such as highlighting and strengthening treatments at the same time) as it could affect the colour. Look for a non-permanent product specifically for grey or mature hair. Try L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Beautifying Colour Care, which neutralizes yellows and gradually fades over two to 10 shampoos.

Brow Now

“A full, natural brow that is well-groomed can transform anyone’s look,” says celebrity brow expert, Paulo Siqueira. For thinning brows, try RapidBrow, a cocktail of polypeptides, amino acids and known hair-boosting biotin and keratin to condition and help add density. (Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs, Lawtons Drugs, beautyboutique.ca).

Word of Mouth

The lips are another area that may experience thinning. “Lining lips with a nude pencil and going ever so slightly outside your natural lip line will enhance lips in a way that suits your face,” says Revlon beauty expert Sabrina Rinaldi. “Gloss is also a way to enhance shape and size — because it’s reflective, it gives the illusion of fuller lips.” For fall, Rinaldi likes enhanced neutrals and deep plums. Try Revlon’s Ultra HD Vinyl Lip Polish in So Shady from the new collection. “It’s rich, yet very wearable.” Or enhance the lip colour Mother Nature gave you with a balm that reacts to your body’s chemistry. Try Dior Lip Glow colour reviver in 001 Pink, above. (Hudson’s Bay; dior.com)

She’s Got Legs

Even though the legs are the last to go, aging isn’t the only culprit. UV exposure, weight loss or gain, collagen- and elastic fibre-loss and a slowing of renewal can also affect skin tone. Complement your exercise routine with Clarins’ Extra-Firming Body Lotion, a lightweight formula that targets skin firmness to help restore density and elasticity with plant-derived ingredients such as lemon thyme, centella extract and bocoa tree (from the Amazon) extract.

A version of this article appeared in the September/October 2019 issue with the headline, “And What Would Carrie Do?” p.26.