A woman's guide to staying stylish after 40

Women over 40 who want to look hip must walk a fine line between acting their age and trying too hard to look young.

While countless beauty books tell women how to look good, few have tackled this tricky challenge.

Veteran style guru Charla Krupp is working to fill that void and help women become "effortlessly chic" with her 2008 bestseller, "How Not to Look Old," now out in paperback.

Krupp's book, dubbed "a bullet-pointed battle cry against the forces of aging" by the New York Times, promises to help women look "10 years younger, 10 pounds lighter, 10 times better" using tricks such as lighter lipstick, age-appropriate jeans and skin savvy.

Krupp, a former style expert for the "Today" show and a former editor at Glamour and InStyle magazines, said the ever-competitive job market demands that women look sharp and confident.

"I'm not saying, 'Look younger now,'" Krupp said. "If you're in your 50s, you don't want to look like you're 20. But you want to look hip and you want to look current. It's a boot camp for boomers who have gotten off the trail."

Polished appearances can be critical to the personal and financial survival of aging women, caught in a culture obsessed with youth and constantly changing technology, said Krupp, who won't reveal her age but describes herself as "definitely over 40."

"When the book came out, the economy was still good," Krupp said. "Now I think the book has even more urgency. Every other woman I know, at least in New York City, is looking for a job. They're all trying to reinvent themselves."

Using a breezy and self-deprecating tone, Krupp urges women to banish all things OL (old lady) in favor of Y&H (younger and hipper).

She presents a buffet of practical tips along with more than 300 recommendations for tried-and-true products from 133 companies, called "brilliant buys," ranging from inexpensive brands at Target to high-end beauty lines.

In the back of the book, she lists top salons in 21 cities, including 14 in Seattle.

Krupp explains what to do and how to do it -- shorten that skirt, but not too short -- as well as what not to do -- avoid perfectly matched accessories, tanning beds and heavy eyeliner.

Photos illustrate what's hot now in fashion, including shots of celebrities such as Tina Fey, Sarah Jessica Parker and Madonna.

The Saggy Boobs Test, which includes advice on how to take measurements, explains how women can lift their busts to an appropriate height with a variety of brand-name bras.

In the "Manage Your Wrinkles" chapter, Krupp skips plastic surgery and focuses on her preferred instant-gratification techniques, including lasers, peels, microdermabrasion and injectables such as Botox.

"We want fast fixes," she says in the book. "That's why there's also no mention of the fact that diet and exercise are essential to looking younger and staying healthy over the long haul. There isn't a woman alive who doesn't already know that."

Women can take only what they need from the book, Krupp said. To-do lists at the end of each chapter are broken into low-, medium- and high-maintenance strategies.

"It can really be easy to not look old," Krupp said. "When I see people on the street, I just want to say, 'Just change your glasses; just color your hair.'

"They're not hard things."

Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.