You are beautiful because you are you

“I believe that all women are pretty without makeup and can be pretty powerful with the right makeup.”–Bobbi Brown

“Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.”-Coco Chanel                     

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Makeup is a woman’s best friend, regardless of her age. Every woman loves looking beautiful and getting complimented for her looks in her 70s or 20s. As we age and the skin changes, we can’t use the same makeup looks, products, and techniques we did in our 20s or 30s. It is called “beauty evolution.”

What you will notice in your 50s is that everything starts to fade-your hair color, your skin tone, your eyebrows, and eyelashes. The most noticeable changes to skin as it matures are the development of lines, wrinkles, and sometimes an increase in pore size. Additionally, there’s an overall dulling of the skin. Besides losing elasticity, mature skin can also become drier and develop an uneven tone or texture.

But don’t feel discouraged; it is a matter of making some adjustments to your beauty routine to suit these natural changes. This piece will provide helpful information about the changes that need to be made regarding makeup products and techniques. The current post contains valuable, easy to adopt tips, makeup expert tricks and secrets, and some “what not to do” makeup advice for mature skin. If you haven’t switched up your routine in a decade or two, there could be room for improvement. The market is filled with products to make you look beautiful and more confident as you age. If some of you are confused about which products to buy, keep reading to find out!

Now that you are older and wiser, you need a lot of knowledge about makeup. You will be wearing more color on your face, so you need to know what you are doing. I stand firmly in the camp that age is truly nothing but a number. Look at iconic beauties like Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Iman, Jennifer Aniston, or Elizabeth Hurley. Their faces look radiant; why? Because of good skincare, wellness, specific non-invasive treatments, and the right makeup techniques. Granted, we don’t have the means or the fame they have, but we can learn from the experts and do it ourselves. A bit of knowledge can go a long way.

Many women try to combat the skin changes and appearance of aging by piling on the products. The secrets to keeping makeup radiant and in place prove to be a much-needed lesson in getting back to the basics.

 According to renowned makeup expert and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown in her book Bobbi Brown Beauty Evolution:

“I see lots of women in their fifties who go overboard and wear too much makeup-It’s almost like they don’t want to see themselves. I suggest taking off all your makeup and really looking at yourself in the mirror. Look at what’s good about your face, and don’t look at what’s “wrong.” Start to appreciate what you see. Once you’ve done that, now you can look at what you don’t like. Look at that feature and try to see what you can do to improve it or distract attention away from it.”

At a time when the fashion industry is, at long last, embracing women above a certain age, says Sandy Linter, an industry veteran:

“There is no time like the present for older women to now just embrace makeup but have fun with it. “There are no rules.” Wear the makeup, don’t have it wear you. Instead of trying to hide flaws, enhance what you’ve got.”

I include the quotes from these two beauty experts because that’s the way I view makeup at our age. There is no reason for women to feel less beautiful because they are, and obviously, look older. The best advice for makeup techniques is that rather than trying to hold onto your old look, embrace a new one as a gorgeous, mature woman. Any makeup artist will tell you that adapting to your canvas is part of creating a work of art. With some advice and knowledge, you can look better than ever. Read on for specific tips!

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Makeup Tips and Tricks for Mature Women

  FACE

• Create a perfect, glowing base

Regardless of your age, one of the best things you can do to look best is to invest in a good skincare routine -for extended information about skincare, read my post “Best skincare routine for women in their 50s”-. Healthy skin is happy skin. Taking care of yourself and your skin can save you a lot of money on makeup products. Following a dedicated skincare ritual-cleansing, moisturizing, exfoliating, and applying sunscreen daily- is an essential strategy for achieving a glowing complexion, especially over time.                                                                          Click here for additional skincare recommendations                                                                

As skin gets older, especially after menopause, it begins to produce less sebum (skin’s natural oil) and doesn’t retain moisture as well. The best base for makeup is well-hydrated skin.

Before applying makeup products, spread on a hydrating yet weightless moisturizer on clean skin. The right moisturizer can help plump up fine lines and wrinkles, making them less apparent.

I also recommend trying a facial oil for a light-catching glow. The best way to achieve that youthful, dewy look is with a bit of oil. Press the oil onto your cheekbones to help hydrate, and it will take years off. Everybody’s skin is different, so it may take some research and time to figure out what works for you.

• Use a face primer

Using a primer is essential for achieving that flawless look. With a thin layer of primer over moisturized skin, you can create a smoother appearance. It makes a smooth base on which to apply your foundation and will help to smooth wrinkles and fine lines while evening out your skin tone, and it helps your makeup last longer. Additionally, primers reduce the appearance of large pores, allowing the foundation to glide seamlessly.          

There’s a primer for every skin type, so choosing the right kind will give you the best results.

• Select the right foundation

You can not continue using the same foundation that you used in your 30s. A lightweight foundation, tinted moisturizer, BB cream, or CC cream will give a more natural look. Know that less is best. A creamy foundation formula is recommended for mature skin. Skip all types of powder makeup products. Steer away from full-coverage foundations as these can create a mask-like effect on the skin instead of a natural look. Go for a dewy look. It’s best to use a CC cream (color correcting creams, they are a lighter version of foundation while still having more coverage than BB creams) because it covers skin imperfections impeccably, improves the texture of your skin, and covers up pores.

If you can’t go without foundation, opt for light liquid foundation formulas. Use a moist sponge or foundation brush to apply a sheer, hydrating foundation.

Tip: Try opting for a shade that is just a shade or two darker than your natural skin tone to give your face an overall warmth. When foundation matches mature skin too closely, it can make the complexion look washed out.

• Blush

Blush adds a healthy look to your skin and wakes up a face, so don’t skip it. Quoting Bobbi Brown again, “A cream formula is always better for dry skin since it doesn’t settle in lines but pass on anything with sparkles. Since our “apples” fall lower on the face with age, try my trick. Smile and apply a natural blush from the round apples of your cheeks upward towards your hairline. The color should be close to the color of your cheeks when you’re naturally flushed. They apply a brighter blush just on the apples for a real pop.”

EYES

One of the first areas of the face to show signs of aging are the eyes. Whether it’s puffiness, dark circles, age spots, or crow’s feet, the under-eye area is often a top skin concern for older women.

• Apply a concealer + corrector after your foundation

As this delicate skin becomes thinner over time, you’ll want to look for concealer formulas with textures that are hydrating, light, and fluid. Please steer clear of any matte, cakey formulas, as these can highlight signs of aging.

Choose the wrong concealer, and it will just sit in any creases and draw attention to eye wrinkles. Make sure you are using a product that is specially formulated for the delicate skin around your eyes.

Tip: Use an eyelid primer. It’s designed to keep your eyeshadow in place but equally suitable for the delicate skin under your eyes. Then apply a pastel corrector-a pink shade for light to medium skin tones or a peach shade for medium to dark skin tones. Then use the chosen concealer on top that’s one shade lighter than your face makeup or skin tone.

• Play up the eyes

You want to open up the eyes and make them look as big as possible because it’s more youthful. The first step is to curl the lashes with an eyelash curler, starting right at the root. Next, you need to pick the right mascara, which requires a fair amount of trial and error (this is inevitable, but you will find the right one).

Fall in love with black mascara; it makes the whites of your eyes look brighter and your lashes thicker.

Make sure you wear eyeliner and define the entire upper lid from the inner corner to the very outside corner. Use pencil liners and create soft lines using them. In your 50s, eyelids have wrinkles and are more hooded, making it much more complicated than to just swipe a pencil smoothly across the lid and go. Try dotting a pencil along the upper lash line and smudge with a pencil sponge.

Take some time and reevaluate your eye makeup. Most people find that using natural and lighter eyeshadow (I recommend creamy textures instead of powder formulas) helps their eyes pop and gives them a youthful glow.

With age, the shape of your eyes changes. Avoid both bright and dark eyeshadows. It is best to use natural and light-colored shadows.

Don’t take an eye shadow and just plop it on the center of the lid. Using a small eye brush, start from the outer corner of the eyes and work inwards gradually light the color. It’ll give you a bigger, wide-eyed look.

ACCENTUATE THOSE BROWS

Well-defined brows make you look younger. They make you look like you had a facelift surgery without actually going under the knife. After years of waxing and tweezing, many women are left with thin brows because those hairs tend to stop growing as we age. Now natural and full brows are back in style, so focus on keeping the brows full naturally. Says Sandy Linter, “You want to save every eyebrow hair you have, so instead of tweezing, trim them.”

Tips to get those perfect brows

• Use brow gel, which is like mascara for your eyebrows.
• Use a brow pencil to make your eyebrows appear fuller.
• Draw-in brows are a strict no-no. Instead, fill in your thin brows.
• Avoid overplucking by getting your brows done by a professional. Use brow powder to conceal them.

LIPS

Line your lips

One of the most significant focal points on the face is the mouth; it’s also one of the areas that age affects the most. The lines and wrinkles around the mouth become more noticeable, and the lips become thinner.  As you get older, the lips can also become asymmetrical, and it can be aging. Thankfully, there is a simple solution. Use a hydrating lip liner to help define your lips and give them a slightly fuller look. Make use to use a color like your lipstick, and be careful not to overdo it. You want the pencil to be so soft that the minute it touches the skin, it glides on. After applying the lipstick, add a gloss on top to add shine and definition. And voila!

The Takeaway

Smile! Because that’s the best makeup. If you are unhappy on the inside, no amount of makeup can make you look beautiful. Working on your inner self is the first step to be happy from within. If you are genuinely happy, it will reflect on your face.

Best makeup advice for mature women (summary)

1. You want to embrace your features, accentuate your natural beauty.
2. Tone down your eye makeup and blush if you are going bold on your lips.
3. Don’t wear mascara on your lower lashes; it can make your eyes look droopy and draw attention to the dark circles.
4. Apply moisturizer on your neck as well. The neck tends to be forgotten.
5. Hydrate! Now it’s more important than ever to drink lots of water. Your skin will benefit from it greatly.
6. Invest in quality lipstick. Find a product that doesn’t feather.
7. And remember, just be your beautiful you. Wear the makeup and colors that make you feel beautiful.                                                                                                                                 These are two recent photos of myself. That’s how I usually do my makeup. It takes me between 5 and 10 minutes to do it.