The Makeup Changes We Need To Make As We Age

by BR Amelia

The other day I attempted to do a wing. Failed. Tried again. Failed. Then I gave up and admitted defeat, knowing I was asking my makeup to do the impossible. Why? My eyelids have officially sagged thanks to gravity and the ageing process. My days of winging it are over. As are my days of thick foundations. They sink into my pores and wrinkles, and even if I blend until the cows come home I still look like I'm wearing a mask. The times they are a changing, which is why I've had to rethink my makeup application and adjust how I wear makeup to suit my no longer quite so youthful face.

So what changes can we make as we grow older to ensure we continue to feel confident with our makeup application? Read on...

Base

The biggest change you can make to refresh your makeup look as you age is to ditch the heavy, matte foundation - especially if your skin is becoming drier as time goes on. Heavy, matte makeup will sink into fine lines, wrinkles and enlarged pores, emphasising that which most people try to minimise. The fix? Invest in a hydrating primer (a good moisturiser will also do the trick), then find a foundation that has light to medium coverage, or try a BB or CC Cream. Once you've applied your base, then you can spot conceal to minimise areas of pigmentation or scarring. 

Cream bronzers, blushers and highlighters come into their own as we age as they provide a gorgeous glowy, dewy look without settling into lines or emphasising pores. If you do prefer powder, look for a product that is finely milled... and you might want to avoid anything too shimmery to avoid enhancing texture, fine lines and/or pores. The same goes for highlighter.

When applying blusher you'll also want to think about using it to create the illusion of lifing the skin. Experiment with where and how you apply it - a little higher up the cheek can work wonders. One tip is to stop smiling when applying, as the moment you let that grin down the colour will drop and give you a droopy look, which can have the effect of aging you. 

Eyes

An eye primer is a must to help combat the creasing that can come with ageing eyelids. As for eyeshadow, cream is great if you find creasing is a big issue, otherwise stick to powder. To keep your peepers looking big, bright and beautiful, apply a darker shade to the outer corners, then make sure the inner corners are highlighted with a lighter shade, keeping things neutral through the middle. Lining your eyes is still all good, but remember that going for a heavy black look can work to make your eyes look smaller, whereas a hint of eyeliner at the outer edges of your lower lids along with a nude liner in your waterline will create more of a youthful look. Finally, curl your lashes, add mascara and you're good to go! 

Lips

As we age our lips can lose their edge - literally. Not only that, lines can set in, which can cause lipstick to bleed. The first thing we need to do is to exfoliate and moisturise our lips to create a smooth, hydrated surface. Once that's sorted it's time to grab a good lip pencil, then use it to define your lips. Once done add your lip colour and dab it out so the colour is nicely diffused. Then dust a tiny bit of translucent powder over your lips and you're ready to rock and roll! Alternatively a lip liner that's in a similar shade as your lips as well as a good gloss is an easy way to create lush looking lips.

The adjustments we can make to our makeup look as we age aren't huge, but they can make a huge difference. Do you have to make them? Not at all! You do you! Which is why my last thought goes to the glorious woman, who looked to be well into her wise years, that I saw getting out of her car the other day. She had a long thick rope of plaited, grey hair, was wearing a cool floppy, black hat and a long flowy kimono over jeans, and her makeup - red lips and dark kohl eyes - was fierce and fabulous. This woman broke every 'rule' in the book and still looked amazing. To you, glorious lady, you will never know that you are my hero. You're everything I want to be. (And that's where I stop sounding like a Bette Midler song...)

So, my lovelies, have you had to change up your makeup as time has crept on? What are the tips and tricks you've learned along the way? Sharing is caring, so get chatting below!