When you are over 40 you shouldn’t be using the same make up routine you used as a teenager. As we age so our facial features and skin tones, so we need to do our make up differently.
Step up the blusher. As we get older we lose some of the pigment in our skin and the skin often has less glow. So don’t be afraid to use blusher to replace it.
Avoid Pink or Beige based Foundation. This will age you instantly. Pink or Beige or any cool toned powder or foundation sucks warmth out of the skin, avoid this at all costs!
Anything cool toned appears paler on the skin that it actually is and results in that washed out look. Go for warm tones in a shade slightly darker than you think you need, certainly darker than the one you wore at age 20. This also applies to concealer. A slightly darker shade will give a warmer, more natural and flattering look. Too pale and panda eyes can result.
Don’t over-pluck your eyebrows. Maybe fine eyebrows worked in the 1940s and 1950s. Well for Marlene Dietrich or Betty Davis it did. But unless eyebrows are pencilled in by an expert you can age yourself by a good 10 years this way.
As we age our eyelids become fuller and droopier and they begin to sag, sorry but they do! If you over pluck you will accentuate the puffiness and this will drag your eye shape down.
Don’t use more eyeliner under the eye than on the top. Look in the mirror, place a finger in the middle of your lower lashes and gently pull down slightly. This is just not a good look is it?
Yet this is what happens when you put more eyeliner or shadow under your eye than above. It drags your eyes down.
Make sure that your upper eye liner or shadow is at least 3 times heavier than below as this will automatically lift your eyes.
Don’t use frosted eyeshadow or white frosty highlighter, not ever. If you own some, bin it! Any frosted or shimmery eyeshadow or highlighter accentuates lines because it makes skin look scaly, yuch! Also frosty pinks, blues and purples are best left to teenagers.
Don’t forget your decolletage. This area will probably have had more sun damage than anywhere else and will be prone to burst capillaries, lines and uneven pigmentation.
It is such a shame to see a beautifully dressed and made up woman let down by this area because she has not looked beyond her face in the make up mirror. Skillful use of foundation and powder can work wonders and always use a sunscreen here. If the damage is too bad then a fine silk scarf can be very flattering.
Don’t over-powder. Our skin becomes more porous as we age and the use of moisturisers and anti-aging products accentuate this. The result can be caked powder. If you have time leave a 10-15 minute gap between applying moisturiser and foundation and another gap between foundation and powder.
Don’t use dark or harsh lipstick shades if you have small lips. As we age our lips begin to sag downwards, so applying harsh lip liner or dark shades just draws attention to this.
Try using a lighter shade in the middle of your lips to give them a rounded, fuller shape. Use a little concealer on the outer corners of your mouth and go to just on the inside of your natural lip line on the bottom outer lip corner. This will help to lift the mouth.
Don’t over use lip gloss. Lip gloss makes any lipstick susceptible to running and if you have any lines around your mouth, no matter how fine, the colour will find them and bleed into them. Keep lip gloss to a minimum. Use foundation or concealer around your lips before applying lipstick and gloss and consider a product specifically targeting this area, for example Elizabeth Arden’s Lip Fix.
Last but not least, use an eyelash curler. Always think of creating up-lines wherever possible. An eyelash curler gives your lashes an upward sweep that is very youthful and flattering in just a few moments.
