This is not a picture of me. But there is one thing I have learned, after more than a decade in the business, that mere mortals can look model-esque, provided they follow a little expert advice. Oddly, despite written hundreds of articles full of such advice, I have never taken myself before turning 30. But then I hit 30 - and many, it was not enough. That's when I vowed to really practice what I preach. And you know what? He made a difference. So, without further ado, I bring you the 30 strokes of beauty I wish I had committed before 30. Fortunately, it's never too late to get back on track, lookswise.

1. Focus on your eyes when you want to make an impact. They are what people notice. False eyelashes, black shirt, shadows and good shimmery eyebrows takes you away, even if you do not wear lipstick and have not washed her hair in three days.

2. Avoid creams made from powder, unless you are really oily. If your skin is combination, normal or dry, the product will suck out all the moisture as it evaporates.

3. Sidestep veins by mixing self-tanner with moisturizer before applying. This weakens the formula so that you do not look stripey.

4. Blow-dry rather than chemically straighten your hair. Most designers say they prefer to see you use a hairdryer every two days (although you risk heat damage) than applying chemicals drives your hair. I learned the hard way.

5. Learn how to blow-dry as an expert. The real reason why we can not replicate the way your hair looks after a visit to the salon? Bad blow dryer skills. Ask your hairdresser to show you exactly what it does, step by step. (For example, once I stopped using a round brush on my bangs, I finally got flat.)

6. A professional brow help. Eyebrows are like the hair on your head - dramatically better when treated by a specialist.

7. Buy the right tools for the job. I now rely on a crease eye shadow brush (for Bath & Body Works) and a blush brush (for T. LeClerc). They make the application goof-proof.

8. Keep two bags full makeup to save your health in the am - one for items that you use every day (and may be in the dark), the other for all the crazy impulse buys you try only when you have time for experimentation.

9. Keep the razor away from your bikini line. Peeling and waxing - exfoliator and a few others - is really the only way to avoid the bumps.

10. A perfume own wardrobe. My favorites include Botrytis by Ginestet, Morning Calin by Comptoir Sud Pacifique, Prada and Narciso Rodriguez for Her Musk. Scent is the fastest pick-me-up: You just feel confident when you feel well. Why do you need more than one? For the same reason that you have a closet full of clothes - options.

11. Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize. Unless you have excessively oily skin, you have to hydrate. Think of leather: Left untreated, and lines, it is curled. And you do not want to look like a bag worn.

12. To look younger, you bangs. Every barber will tell you that. I think it's because we associate bangs with children (there is not a long trail to be seen in the park where my 3 year-old daughter plays).

13. Splurge on your haircut. Search for the best designer for your hair type, it may cost more, but if the technical part of your style is not good, no amount of product will be corrected.

14. Never line your lips or eyes too harshly. Repeat after me: "Mixture." (Unless, of course, you try to make it look smaller.)

15. Use a curling iron (even have naturally curly hair) to get perfect spirals. To do: Wrap (not clamp) wide sections of hair around the barrel.

16. Pamper your feet. If you are going to engage in any spa, go for a pedicure. It costs more than a manicure (but much less of a body treatment), but it has lasted for weeks and includes a leg massage. Furthermore, the process of getting a professional toenails trimmed can effectively prevent ingrowns.

17. Aquaphor love! Each dermatologist that I have never met the fact. Why? This salvo occlusive by Eucerin is the antidote to cracked hands and feet. Apply a thick layer at night, cover with socks or gloves and awake to perfect skin.

18. Keep it fun. Beauty should never be taken too seriously. Just for kicks, I love using Vanilla Secret Sparkle deodorant (to teenybopper) and Crest Whitening Expressions toothpaste Lemon Ice (lemon meringue in a tube).

19. Make the most of your appearance - in moderation. Thanks to plastic surgery, to a level and face transplants news, you can actually change something. But going under the blade can be painful, expensive and notables - in a bad way. A better bet: Dabble in less invasive, as Botox and Restylane. They may be all you need to look refreshed.

20. Wearing high heels when you want to look like you have lost five pounds in five seconds.

21. Never apply lipstick on the tube. To deliver just the right amount, and keep it longer, pat it into your mouth with your fingers instead.

22. Cure cellulite with self-tanner! Well, nothing really you rid of cellulite, but self-tanning hides very well.

23. Go light on Foundation. Make-up artist Jemma Kidd taught me to use it only under my eyes and my nose around. Since I agreed to cover my face with her, I learned that I look at everything, "rested and ready" to "younger."

24. You can never go wrong wear your hair down. You can, however, look back on the photo in which you are sporting updo bizarre and surprising, What do I think?

25. Stick shadow within one or two shades of hair you were born with when natural (but better) is the effect you are looking for.

26. Apply facial products with a light touch. A beautician once told me that many of the skin, we incur damage is the result of the way we manage our skin. That means Mom was right: It is time to stop rubbing your eyes and begin to deal with this face like yours, it is valuable object.

27. Leave your cuticles cut. I am still working on it, but I know a manicure leave, and it has much less now than it did cuticle when she was a tailor.

28. Pull rather than squeeze your zits. Put your fingers on each side of the question mark and gently pull them away from each other so that the butcher is working its release. If you push inward, you risk scars.

29. M'habille without deodorant stains. Here's the trick: Take your head first, then the arms.

30. Pat, but do not rub, concealer. Eugenia Weston, founder of Senna Cosmetics, showed me how: Apply your concealer to just above the inner corner of the eye downward (or more) of your under-eye circles. Then gently tap makeup until it melts into your skin coverage for a truly effective.