There are a few typical beauty complaints that come with age- skin looks duller, fine lines and wrinkles appear around the eyes and lips, and brows and lashes may get sparser. These simple makeup tricks can take off ten years.
Skin
- Skin thins as you get older, so use lighter coverage- heavy foundation collects in wrinkles, drawing attention to them. Tinted moisturizers, mousses, light liquid or cream compact foundations give sheer coverage and absorb well.
- Use foundation sparingly, just where you really need it. Choose light-reflecting formulas.
- If you need powder for oil control, choose translucent talc-free powder with light-reflecting particles, or use blotting tissues. Mattifiying products can make mature skin look dry.
Eyes
- To cover dark under eye circles use a pink-toned concealer. Dab a creamy textured yellow-toned concealer on top, matching the color to the rest of the face.
- A neutral palette of brown, taupe, beige, peach, and soft pinks is more flattering for mature skin. Blending is key, so invest in good brushes.
- Opt for soft brown or gray mascaras and eyeliners, as black can be harsh. Apply mascara to the upper lashes only and don’t overload them.
- Once you are over 50, steer clear of liquid eyeliner, which can feather into fine lines.
- To make eyelashes appear thicker, work dark brown pencil eyeliner between the roots, then go over it with a dark shadow and smudge gently.
- Use an eyebrow pencil in the exact shade of your brows to fill in any gaps with light feathery strokes, then apply a little brow powder.
Cheeks
- A touch of blush on the apple of the cheeks draws attention away from drooping eyes and adds warmth.
- Apply blush only to the apples of the cheeks. With age, the face becomes thinner and applying blush to the bones exaggerates this.
- Use moisturizing cream products rather than powder blush, and blend thoroughly.
- Warm bronze or peach blushes are more flattering than bright pinks.
Lips
- Lipstick will often bleed into the fine lines around the mouth, so apply a waxy lipliner to seal the lip. Draw the outline first, then smile to stretch your lips and reapply. Don’t draw outside your natural lip line. Apply a little translucent powder around the lip to set the color.
- Sheer finishes look more flattering than matte. Always choose a moisturizing or hydrating formula.
- Dark colors minimize lips, whereas a lighter, shimmering color makes lips look fuller. A dab of gloss at the center of the lower lip gives a fuller pout.
- For a glossy finish, either mix balm with your favorite lip color or try a lip stain layered with a dab of gloss.
