With a little know-how, the right makeup can wipe years from a woman’s face.
As you age, your face changes and the way in which you apply your makeup should change too. But makeup for the mature woman is not about trying to hide lines or look the way you did at 25.
Indeed, sticking to the colours, products and application techniques from your 20s and 30s can actually add years to the face of a 40-something woman. Conversely, there is a new approach to makeup application that can wipe a decade or more off the older woman’s face, without a knife or needle in sight.
Here, we share our top 10 dos and don’ts for wiping the slate clean and making over your face for a younger looking you.
Brow power
Eyebrows completely control the shape of your face. With age, the brow lowers, leading to a drooping appearance around the eyes. To restore a more youthful arch, imagine a line from the corner of your nose to the outer corner of your eye, and make sure your brows don’t fall short of it. Over arching your brows accentuates your brow bone and can appear unattractive. This is because the more the brow bone protrudes the more sunken the eye looks.
When shaping your brow, try to avoid:
– The Triangle: it gives you a frowning, permanently annoyed or disgruntled look.
– The Tadpole: the further apart your brows, the wider your nose looks.
– The letter M: the rounded shape amplifies droopy lids.
– It’s important not to overpluck your eyebrows – this will accentuate eyelids, which tend to become fuller and droopier as you age. Also, it’s always best to try and match your brow colour to your hair colour.
Base camp
An amazing foundation is the most crucial product in your makeup bag. A foundation that makes your skin moist, radiant and helps even out skin tone can make you look up to 15 years younger. Only use one product under your foundation – adding too many will make skin oily and your powder cakey – use a water-based moisturiser with sunscreen. Also, go easy on the powder. Makeup is meant to be reapplied during the day: it’s all about how good it looks, not how long it lasts.
What cheek
Blush gives skin an instant boost, but forget what you’ve heard about applying it to the apple of your cheek while smiling. The ‘apple’ drops as we get older, so all you will end up with is colour in the middle of your face, dragging it down. Rather, blush should be applied above the cheekbone to provide a lifting effect. Never apply bronzer straight onto the cheeks – it will make skin look muddy and dull. If used, it should be applied over blush.
Eyes right
When you’re in a hurry, always apply makeup to your eyes first, as you can easily apply foundation and lipstick later on. Don’t go overboard on liner under the eye. Rather, use it on the top to get some lift. Shimmery eyeshadow should be avoided on older women as it accentuates lines and crepiness. Instead, opt for matte shading colours such as browns and black for shape and definition, and blend well.
Lip service
As you age, your lips become thinner, more lined and droopier at the corners so it’s best to avoid dark lipstick, which draws attention to these ageing features. Try softer colours, such as beautiful nude shades. Use lipgloss sparingly as it makes lipstick bleed and emphasises lines. Use it only in the centre of the lip to make the mouth look fuller and rounder. And no frosty lips – you’re not a 90s Spice Girl. Wearing red lipstick is really dependent on the shape of your mouth, irrespective of age.
Mineral mayhem
Another danger is the use of mineral makeup. Most mineral makeup brands reflect in a pink/white/purply way, making skin look flat and washed out. It also photographs two to three shades paler than your natural skin tone. Mineral makeup is great for the décolletage, however, as most brands contain SPF and therefore do not run.
Hit the dec
Don’t stop applying your makeup at your neck; apply a soft wash of foundation to the décolletage.
Big is not always best
As you age, big hairdos can make you look like you have an oversized head. Rather, opt for a simpler, sleek look.
Fuzzy logic
Remove unwanted facial hair rather than facial hair bleaching – a blonde moustache looks no better on a woman than a dark one.
Look yourself in the eye
Apply 80 percent of your makeup whilst looking at yourself directly in the mirror. The rear view mirror in a car provides the best light for application, although we’re not suggesting you apply your makeup while driving!
