cover image How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better

How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better

Charla Krupp, . . Hachette/Springboard, $25.99 (224pp) ISBN 978-0-446-58114-1

Krupp, style expert for the Today Show and former beauty director for Glamour , offers easy-to-follow, tried-and-true fashion advice for women well beyond their 20s. Presented in eye-catching, highly skimmable, fashion-magazine style, here's how to trade in the things that scream old lady (simply “OL” in the book) for a look that's younger and hipper (“Y&H”). Krupp is straightforward about the physical shortcomings of older age. Aptly (and sometimes rather brutally) she steers readers away from these OL pitfalls. She is quick to point out that fashion that works on 20-somethings looks ridiculous on older women (i.e., bare midriffs, go-go boots and tattoos). As much about what to do as what not to do, some of the tips are as easy as wearing pink lipstick, a bra that fits properly and hair with bangs. Others take more thought, time and money—like Botox shots, chemical peels and hair extensions. Whether high or low maintenance about their beauty routine, women of a certain age who want to compete in our youth-obsessed culture will treat this easy read with interest. (Jan.)