Are you over fifty and feeling a little frumpy about the way you look? Has making up your face become a chore, rather than a way to explore the contours of your face, highlighting the best features, while playing down others? Are you often dissatisfied with the results, even after you do manage to spend a quick 10 minutes slapping something on?
Well, to start with, applying makeup shouldn’t be a slap-dash-that-will-do-ma’am kind of thing at all. Making up your face, especially after you are fifty, can be an artful way of subtly enhancing every feature on your face, and therefore ought to be applied with due thoughtfulness. Thus, arises the question how much make up to apply for over 50s. The answer is subtle and slightly toned down.
With increasing age, the texture of the skin changes. Hence, the methods and products you use should be according to those changes. Here are some makeup tips that will help you to look your best every morning:
One of the first tips is rethinking your makeup routine that you have followed since you were in your twenties or thirties. Techniques of makeup that may have worked twenty years back will add age to your face in your fifties.
One of the best things about making up after you’re in your fifties is that women generally tend to look better with much less on their face – as the old adage goes ‘less is more’.
The fundamental factor about skin that looks wonderful at fifty is a great complexion. Hence, before you start your makeup routine, see that your skin is clear of dead skin cells. If you have never followed a skin exfoliation routine, this is the best time to begin. Foundation can only look good according to the skin it is applied on.
Application of correct foundation is the secret weapon to look good. It helps in filling up the rough patches as well as wrinkles. You can mix a bit of moisturizer with your foundation, if it is a little heavy. Try using light reflecting foundation as it scatters light and helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles and spots on your skin.
Do not apply a lot of foundation. Keep it very thin and apply it only in places where required. You can use a makeup sponge or foundation brush to apply a thin layer. Concentrate more on the nose, cheeks, forehead as well as chin.
If you have dark circles, apply a bit of concealer. Dab a little concealer in the inner corner of the eye and move on towards the outer corner. Apply a bit of concealer around the nose as well as hide dark and uneven skin tones.
Apply cream blush instead of powder blush. Skin becomes drier with age and a cream blush contains moisturizing properties that does not make the skin look duller. It also does not end up giving you a patchy look at the end of the day.
When choosing a blush, pick one that is muted in color and is cream based, which blends easily. Smile and apply the blush on the apples of the cheeks, and then blend towards the temples. Blush should appear as if your cheeks have a natural glow, and not end up making your face look gaunt.
Then, apply a light dusting of powder. You need to concentrate on the T-zone that is the forehead, nose, chin and cheeks when applying translucent powder. This will even out your complexion and prevent your skin from looking too dry and matte.
With age you will find the shape of your eyes change. If you feel your eyes appear smaller and sunken, you need to apply mascara to bring out your eyes. Apply brown or gray pencil at the base of your upper lash line. Begin from the inner corner and move towards the outer corner. This will make your eyes look bigger and wider.
Do not apply a lot of eyeshadow as it tends to make your lids appear heavy. Thus, go in for muted or natural shades like pink, green, soft lilac as the highlight color matched with a medium shade for the lids. You need to apply the highlight shade under the brow bone. The eyelid shade should blend from the lash line up to the crease. Eye makeup that is applied to the lower lids smudges down, creating a black-eyed look. This is because the skin at this age becomes thin and stretched. So, it would be safe to say no eyeliner on lower lids after 50, especially if the skin of your lower eyelids is sagging.
The next thing you need to apply is the mascara. ‘Should women in their 50′s wear mascara’ is a common question asked by mature ladies. Yes, they definitely can and should use volumizing formula as the eyelashes tend to thin out with age. You should first use an eyelash curler and then apply mascara. Make sure to apply only a single coat, and only on the upper lashes.
The next step is coloring your lips. If you simply can’t do without the lip liner, choose one that is neutral or nude in tone and apply it lightly and on the lip line, not outside them. Also, lips should be colored very lightly, with natural colored lipsticks being the best. You should opt for matte or pearly finish lip color instead of high shimmer or sparkling shades. Choose color shades that are few shades darker than the natural lip color. Also do not opt for too dark shades as they will make you appear darker.
To look your best after fifty, avoid using vivid colors of makeup as well as shimmer eye shadows. Loud colors and shimmer just accentuates fines wrinkles and lines. Also, avoid using matte makeup products, which are meant for oily skin, for they look dry and pasty, particularly matte lipstick.
As you can see, getting the best makeup for 50-year-old women is not a big task. All you need to do is go for moisturizing creams and foundations and choose softer colors instead of vibrant and loud color shades. You can easily take 10 years off your look by following the correct application technique of makeup. Just follow the make up tips for 50 year old women given in the preceding paragraphs. And finally, don’t let yourself be defined by the makeup you wear, use it to enhance and decorate the features of your face.