We’ve all seen the tutorials, so we know that makeup has the power to transform. The question is, can it transform you into a younger version of yourself? Yes, with the right tools and tips. Even if you’re a beginner with no makeup expertise to speak of, there are a few things you can do to effortlessly wind back the clock. Get started today and look as young as you feel with these 15 makeup tips for the mature among us.
1. Skip the powder.
The very nature of powder is that coats and mattifies our faces. If you’re oily, this can be great, but oil production slows as we age. As we get older, powder starts looking dry, ashy, and dusty on our skin, which visually ages us. What we really want is a youthful glow.
Instead of powder, use a setting spray to keep makeup in place. Add an extra layer of moisturizer to dry or dehydrated areas before applying any makeup. Many finer lines can be reduced or eliminated with extra hydration. Additionally, use liquid foundation with light-reflecting particles, and cream blushes and bronzers. (Continue onto the next slide for more tips)
2. Translucent Powder Lashes
So you’re going to ditch the powder that’s been aging your skin. But you also want thicker lashes, so don’t throw it away just yet. You can use a loose powder to coat and prime your lashes before applying mascara. Only have pressed powder? It’s easy to loosen up with a clean mascara wand.
Use the wand to dust the powder onto your lashes. Apply two coats of mascara, wiggling the wand in at the root. From there, sweep up and inward toward your nose. Use a clean brush to sweep away any excess powder that fell out of bounds.
3. How To Remove Eye Bags & Lip Lines Fast
Experts Say, “Take care of your wrinkles now. The problem only gets worse as time goes by.” Discover how a pair of sisters Anna and Samantha are proving experts wrong – and how YOU CAN TOO!
Anna and Samantha were recently featured on Shark Tank for discovering this simple trick that surgeons DON’T want you to know. They made history when every judge on Shark Tank invested millions of dollars into their anti-wrinkle serum that Hollywood celebrities have been using for years.
4. Baby Oil Makeup Remover
Eyelash loss and thinning is another side effect of getting a little older. It’s totally normal, but one thing you can do to slow this down is remove every single trace of mascara every single night. From there, you want to keep the lashes you do have conditioned. To make sure you never have an excuse not to do this, have some baby oil on hand in addition to your regular remover.
It’s gentle enough for babies, true, but you still don’t want to get the oil directly in your eye. Drip a few drops on a cotton round. With your eye closed, swipe the round gently back and forth. Apply one more drop to the other side of the round and repeat to clean up any smears. All clean!
5. Apply eyelash glue with a bobby pin.
So, saving your eyelashes hasn’t really worked out. The good news is that false eyelashes are easier to pull off than you think. First, begin with a “natural” looking strip where the lashes aren’t too dense. Cut off the inner third of the strip; you’ll only be applying to the outer two-thirds of the eye.
Next, take the bulbous end of a bobby pin and drop a dab of eyelash glue on it. Use the bobby pin to lightly coat the lash strip in glue. Wait for five to ten seconds to let it firm up just a bit. Now, use tweezers to carefully “drop” the lash strip directly on top of your lash line. Press it on gently as it dries all the way.
6. Foundation over 50? Choose yellow undertones.
Many makeup articles and tutorials place a lot of importance on foundation undertone. There are various techniques out there to help you determine what’s best. Some of these include eye color and your preference for silver or gold jewellery.
Like other things in life, foundation selection gets easier with age. Instead of wondering if you’re pink or neutral, default to a slightly yellow undertone. It’s not a universal tip, but many women look best with a warmer shade as they mature. The hint of gold adds a bit of warmth that is more commonly associated with youth. Same goes for hair – golden blonde may begin to look more appealing than ashy tones.
7. Make your Own Lip Color
We’re all working with what we’ve got. If you’re the type of person who’s really particular about lip color and doesn’t want to try on a million different shades, experiment with creating your own. Use a blush or shadow in a color that you find flattering.
Take a tweezer or bobby pin and scrape some of the powder out. On a clean surface, mix it with clear lip balm or some petroleum jelly. If it isn’t deep enough, add more pigment. If it’s too deep, add in more balm. Total control!
8. DIY Tinted Moisturizer
Just because you’re older now doesn’t mean you need to cake foundation on your face – there’s nothing to hide! Fresh, even, moisturized skin is more youthful-looking skin. Take a dollop of your favorite moisturizer and mix it with your foundation. It’s the perfect “no makeup” makeup look.
You can adjust the ratio for the amount of coverage you’d like on any given day. This is also a good solution for winter, when your summertime foundation may be a little dark. Speaking of that, don’t forget to layer your SPF underneath, no matter how little makeup you’re wearing.
9. Lipstick Cream Blush
If you want to avoid dry formulas that stick in crevices and emphasize wrinkles, you go with cream formulas. Some cream blushes are much longer lasting than powders, anyway. The trick here is that you don’t always need to go out and buy a new product.
Experiment with using a peach, pink, or red lipstick as blush. You should only need a dot or two, especially if the lipstick is rather bright. Start by placing it further away from your nose than you would powder blush. Blend well with fingers, and finish it off with a little brush blending.
10. Business Card Trick
Business cards, credit cards, key cards – these are all beauty tools. If the outer corner of your eye is drooping a little, whip one out. Place it at an angle up and out from the outer corner of your eye. You can now apply shadow and liner without worrying about going a milli meter too low and dragging your eye down.
Also employ this trick when you’re using a mascara with a messy wand or thick formula. Hold the card behind your lashes, against your eyelid, and go as crazy as you’d like. When you pull it away, there’s no mess.
11. Concealer Lip Contour
Any lines, hollowness, or sagging around your mouth casts subtle shadows. Therefore, if you want to make the most of your lips, conceal the area around them to cancel out any discoloration. This makes your lips stand out a little more. It can also be done after applying lipstick to clean up any little mistakes and keep the lip line crisp and uniform.
Want lips to look a little more voluminous? A little concealer or highlighter can help there, too. After setting/blotting lipstick, make two to four very tiny dots in the center of your mouth with the concealer or highlighter. Use a clean, stiff brush to pat until blended. This will add more dimension to deflated lips.
12. Start multi masking.
Every area of your face has different needs. Dirt tends to clog pores at the sides of the nose and in the cleft of the chin. Cheeks easily get irritated from dryness or sun exposure. Foreheads can be rather oily for some, and dry enough to accentuate lines for others.
This is why applying different masks to different areas of the face is very effective. Clogged pores can unplug with clay masks, chamomile and gel masks can calm the cheeks. Balance can be restored to skin on the forehead with charcoal or rose essence. Don’t forget hydro-gel patches for underneath eyes!
13. Foundation Contour
Contouring is a mainstay these days, and as such, there are a lot of products out there specifically for it. However, you may find that some of these are too stiff, too dark, make your face look muddy, and more. The truth is that you don’t need a special product for contouring.
Instead, you can use a foundation stick in the shade of your choosing. This way, you can avoid contouring with unfavorable tones. After all, contour sticks are really just deep foundation sticks in a limited range of shades – kind of a rip-off right? And if you’re new to contouring and a little worried about your skill level, you can just start with a foundation stick that’s a shade or two darker than your natural skin tone.
14. Apply your perfume to all the right places.
Smelling good is timeless. Fragrance impacts the way we carry ourselves, the mood we’re in, the way we feel on any given day. The trouble is, even heady, highly concentrated perfumes seem to fade away before our day (or night) is done. Get around this and make your perfume last not by layering, but by applying it to all the right areas.
For lighter formulas like sprays, you can use a spritz in these areas, but stronger perfumes should be dabbed on with fingers. The idea is to apply the perfume to pulse points, where the heat of our body helps throw the scent. Except we don’t stop with wrists and behind ears. Hit your bellybutton, and behind knees and elbows. For even more staying power spritz your back before getting dressed.
15. Do a lighting test before you leave.
Is your bathroom lighting aging you? Overhead fluorescent lighting, for example, can add shadows to your face and make your skin look sallow. It might help to revise your lighting situation in the room where you apply makeup. Better yet, find a spot with good natural lighting where you can apply your makeup each day.
In any case, when you’re finished, test it out in different areas. The rear view mirror of your car, outdoors, lower-lit rooms, anywhere. This will give you clues as to what you need to pay attention to during application, such as too much blush or sloppy brow pencil.
