Everywhere you turn, be it TV or social media, makeup seems to be everywhere, I like many others love to see all the new trends and products coming out but I have learned that not everything on the market even if it is targeted at my age group, is suitable for me.
As a teen you didn’t really look at labels or care if your honest, if you liked a colour or shade and it was cheap and cheerful you bought it, whacked it on and off you went. My true love at 16 was my Pan-stick foundation and my Rimmel silver liner, thought I was gorgeous!
Nowadays there is quality makeup out there to suit everyone’s age and budget so nobody should be feeling left out, or worse, wanting to wear makeup but not knowing exactly what to do with it!
Here are some tips that just might help anyone feeling over-whelmed but still not ready to leave down the makeup brushes just yet.
SKIN –
The one thing I find as your getting older is the need to keep your skin feeling moisturised can lead to your down fall when applying your foundation. So many ladies have come to me for makeup wearing their usual moisturiser which is way way too greasy to apply makeup over, they usually seem shocked when I inform them of this and then the lightbulb moment when they wondered why their foundation slid from their faces. You need to find a good moisturiser that will sink into the skin without leaving a greasy layer on top. Anything like Ponds, Astral etc, ditch it ladies, or if you can’t live without it, keep it for going to bed!
Some ladies feel like their skin looks terrible and needs lashings of foundation to hide whatever flaws they might have. This is the worst thing you can do! Full coverage foundations are great for skin that doesn’t have too many lines. If you have a lot of lines then that foundation is going to sit right into those cracks, highlighting them even further. A little simple list to keep in mind is the wording used on products will always point to what they are there to help with :
Matte : Anything that has matte in the name, is mostly for people who have oily skin.
Aqua/Water: If is an Aqua/Water based foundation tends to be lighter on the skin and can suit both oily and dry skin.
Oil: Oil based liquid foundations can be thick depending on the coverage it offers. Full coverage foundations can be used but try not to go too heavy under the eye areas and lip areas, leave these for some lighter concealers that wont fall into lines or cracks.
Glow: If you see the word Glow, don’t worry it doesn’t necessarily mean your going to light up the office in work, it just means that it offers an illuminating touch which can be great to brighten up older/ tired skin.
Mineral : I have to say I don’t like mineral makeup, I find the powder dries me out completely but know plenty who love it, as its powder based it can work well with someone who has oily skin.
Stick: Stick foundations are usually full coverage and need to be blended well using a buffing brush, you need a good moisturiser and primer beneath these to allow them to blend well and give you the staying power you need, again concentrate on the outer face when applying and blend in towards the eyes and mouth area, it will mean the coverage isn’t too heavy here and you can conceal the more lined areas.
Concealers :
These will be your best friend. For mature skin you want to stay away from heavy cream based concealers, you might see the words CAMOFLAUGE and think right I am buying 10 of these, don’t! Many times these are very thick and they end up highlighting lines. Less is more when it comes to concealers, especially if your using it to brighten up tired skin and on lines. I tend to only use heavier concealers when hiding spots etc.
Any concealers that say brightening etc will be your best friend, these are used solely for under eye areas and anyone over 30 will benefit from these.
***Lightly apply your concealer under the eye and pat lightly with your fingers then blend with a small soft concealer brush, if you have to really rub it in , then its not right for you, this will pull and drag the skin under the eye and make them worse than to begin with.***
If you have discolouration under the eyes, dark circles, purple tones or broken blood vessels, concealer won’t always cover these, for this you need to colour correct. This will make a big difference and save you from piling on the coverage.
If you under eye circles are more of a blue tinge, use a yellow colour corrector, on the colour wheel this cancels out blue. If you are sallow and they are more of a brown/purple colour use a peach/orange toned corrector. I will upload some pics of products designed for this.
POWDER –
For mature skin, I would always use powder sparingly, if you find your skin is looking a little shiny, dust some translucent powder over it to keep it in place. If you are a fan of the trends then you’ll have heard of contouring and highlighting. No one is stopping you from trying this out but a few little tips first before you do.
Contouring : This was actually a technique used by makeup artists to the stars many years ago. If clients had a rounder face, then contouring between the cheeks and jawline in a different tone created the illusion of a thinner face, the forehead can be contoured if people find its too high, chin / jaw line etc. You can contour is cream or powder, so remember if you have chiselled cheek bones, or a thin face you really don’t need to contour.
Highlighting: This is the process where you want to show off your best features by highlighting them, so over the cheek bones are highlighted, down the middle of the nose etc. The problem with doing this on mature skin is yes it highlights alright, for the wrong reasons, highlighting powders will more than often show any lines. If you really want to use a highlighter, I would suggest a liquid highlighter, patted on with the fingers gently.
Blush : I love a bitta blush, don’t be afraid to use some blush. A nice soft pink or peach blush brushed lightly across the apples of your cheeks is timeless and can be used on every age group. If you don’t like powder , then try a cream blush, for this I always use the tips of my fingers and lightly tap and blend.
EYES & BROWS
Ok, I think this is what most mature women struggle with. Eyeshadow and brows. Don’t give up on your brows! They really frame the face, they don’t have to be big and bold, but treat yourself and get them shaped or tinted, your eye makeup is never going to look good if you have unruly or sparse brows that haven’t been touched since your debs in 1990.
When finding your perfect eyeshadow, always keep in mind that yes the Sparkly shimmering eye shadow palette looks beautiful but anything with shimmer etc in it will also draw attention to lines etc. Go for matte shades on the eyes they will be your best friend. If you really love a bit of shimmer, add a small bit in a lighter shade, eg gold or shell coloured shimmers just on the lid above the lash line, never bring it any further.
Cream based shadows might jump out at you just because they seem easier and you can quickly rub them on with your fingers, but be aware that a lot of times after an hour or two you look and see that it has all settled into the crease of your eyes! Annoying!
Eyeliner…. If you eyes are hooded or tend to droop downwards, it can be almost impossible to do winged liner. Instead your best bet is to smudge your liner into your lash line, its less harsh and still gives a bit of glam for special occasions.
Lashes – Ladies, do not be afraid of false lashes, they can take years off of you and make you feel like a queen! Gone are the days of the horrible thick black sheets of plastic on the lids. Now you can get little wispy individual lashes to suit any eye or natural lash. They might prove difficult to put on, if you really can’t manage it, any beauty counter or makeup artist should offer a service where so you can get them put on, once you buy the lashes or pay a small fee at the counter.
LIPS –
Lips I find are something more personal, some people love bold lip colours, some ladies aren’t bothered with lips at all. What I would say is, if you have dry or lined lips, try and stay away from matte lipsticks or lipcreams, they are very drying and again will highlight this. Go for a sheen formula, or a lip stain. If you are wearing bolder colours always line the lips in a similar shade to stop it bleeding out onto the skin.
Hope that has helped you ladies. If anyone has any questions please don’t be afraid to pop me a mail!
Stacey x
thefacefairy.blog 