2020-04-01 Real Simple

Our hairstylist cut

Theresa’s bangs on a whim

and applauded her for

being “brave.” Her response:

“When you’re my age,

you just go with it.”

IN SIXTH GRADE, Theresa Elvera, now 58,

became acutely aware that her nose wasn’t like

everyone else’s. “I remember thinking, ‘Man,

your face is so long, and your nose is kind of long

too,’ ” she says. That was when her comparison

spiral began, lasting through her 20s. She recalls

spending time with a good friend during those

years: “She was blond, absolutely adorable,

and she and I were just kind of polar opposites.

We would go out together—we called it ‘clubbing’

even though we were in a small town in

Minnesota—and the heads really turned for her.

I felt as though I was just along for the ride.”

One of eight children, Theresa had siblings

with similar features, but she felt alone in being

self-conscious about her nose. She started exper-

imenting with haircuts and using more makeup

to try to detract from what she thought was

unattractive—but in time, she learned that no

one else saw quite what she saw.

In her early 30s, Theresa had her daughter,

Emily, and decided to choose confidence. (Emily,

now 27, had no idea her mom ever disliked her

nose until we began writing this story.) Five years

ago, when her father passed away, Theresa had

another epiphany. She realized that her nose was

the very feature that made her look so much like

him, and his grandmother before him. What once

made her insecure has become something she

celebrates, she says: “I look at myself now and

think, ‘How could I have ever thought my nose

wasn’t a good thing?’ ”

SUN SHIELD

Neutrogena Hydro

Boost SPF 50

“Sunscreen has

become my friend

big-time,” Theresa

says. “When I wear

sunglasses, the sun

reflects onto my nose.

I have to use SPF

or a burn will accen-

tuate it.” TO BUY:

$15; at drugstores.

SKIN SMOOTHER

Eminence Stone

Crop Oxygenating

Fizzfoliant

“I have the oily skin of

a 17-year-old, but that

means fewer wrinkles,”

she jokes. This resur-

facing treatment

removes dead skin

and sebum buildup.

TO BUY: $52;

dermstore.com.

COMPLEXION

QUENCHER

Blue Lagoon Rich

Rejuvenating Cream

“I used to wear more

makeup to draw atten-

tion from my nose, but

now I focus on my skin,”

she says. She prefers a

glow-boosting mineral

moisturizer like this one.

TO BUY: $145; shop-usa

.bluelagoon.com.

THERESA’S GO-TO

PRODUCTS

PRODUCT IM

AGES COURTESY OF M

ANUFACTURERS. LAPEL NECK COTTON SHIRT, $99; COSSTORES.COM

52 REAL SIMPLE APRIL 2020

THE REALIST

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