The Art of Make Up
'Refined' is the word that comes to mind with first impression of a sixty year old women nicely made up. There is an elegance in her face with subtle colours highlighting her features, creating tones which lift and shine. Its also a message that she cares and is still making an effort to enhance a beautiful face.
There is a difference with creating a mask which hardly moves, with dark lines that are harsh rather than gentle. Its worth going into a beauty salon or a department store and seek advice from an expert in this field. I have often walked through David Jones or Meyers and thought, how sensible that women take time to indulge in their colours. To be honest, these make up artists enjoy this and at times when the store is not busy, approach them and make it a focus to find out what are your best colours, which tones suit etc.
Goodhousekeeping suggests 11 makeup Tips for Older Women, so here is a shortened version:
Foundation that's too pale. Skin grows more pallid with age, so if you're wearing a matchy-matchy foundation, it can leave you looking pasty. (Yep, time to ditch the rule that says you shouldmatch.) Manhattan-based makeup artist Sandy Linter puts life back into her skin with a slightly warmer tone.
Concealer that amplifies wrinkles. "As soon as you've reached the years when you really need a concealer, it can let you down by sinking into lines," says Linter. To keep concealer from drawing attention to wrinkles, apply it only on the inner halves of your under-eyes to cover up any darkness.
Cartoonish brows. Worse than the sparse arch is a harsh, overdone brow, says Linter. The culprit may be the wrong tool, like an eyeliner pencil that is soft and goes on too strong. "A brow pencil is designed to be hard and go on softly, so your brows look natural," Linter says.
Streaky blush. Forget stroking blush from mouth to ear; that technique only emphasizes gauntness as you get older, says Portland-based makeup artist Jessie Powers. An instant trick to lift cheeks: Swirl blush ever so slightly higher on the apples.
Droopy lashes. "Lashes can make eyes look more youthful and awake," says Powers, but one common mistake is skipping the eyelash curler. Use it to curl each lash at the root, holding for 15 seconds.
Lipstick that bleeds. "Extra lipstick migrates, especially as the definition of the lip's border softens with age," explains Powers. So, instead of applying color straight from the tube, apply with a lipstick brush. Dab on the center of your lips, and then spread it to the corners.
OD'ing on foundation. As hormone levels dip and your skin gets drier, you may reach for a cream foundation. Not so fast: "Thicker, creamier formulas are usually made to provide fuller coverage, which means they're packed with more pigment," says Powers. "And pigment is basically powder." If you like a creamy formula's coverage, try it with a richer face moisturizer or a hydrating primer.
Overdone eyes. Oily lids can spell ruin for eyeshadow, but piling on extra will only make your eyes look weighed down. Your best bet: First apply a thin layer of a clear primer.
Wearing the same old lip colors. It's the easiest way to refresh your look. If you've been wearing neutrals since the '90s, try red. If you've been loyal to red, try a pink. Play with the color, but go easy on texture. "Anything that's severe — a lipstick or hairdo — will age you.
Jagged, uneven liner. Avoid tugging at the outer corners of your eyes, says makeup artist Laura Geller. "This can cause skin to crinkle, and your line will not be as smooth." Instead, point your chin up and look down, so your lids are half-closed but you can still see them, and use a liquid liner.
Muddy eyeshadow. If brown and bone are your go-to eyeshadows, take note: "Brown has yellow or red pigments in it, either of which can actually make eyes look tired," says Geller. Also be careful with once-"safe" shadows like bone; they're often too light to cover discoloration on lids. Your new go-tos: sage and jewel tones.
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