Which are the most common anti-aging makeup mistakes, Make Up For Ever asked me. I replied during a «Makeup for Mature Skin» Master Class at the Make Up For Ever space in Paris.
I explained and showed to the audience of professional makeup artists the special techniques to be used on mature skin, and most importantly, which are the trends and products, which should better be left to young girls with baby skin. Here’s my checklist of the 7 most common makeup errors you will want to avoid in order not to emphasize your lines and wrinkles and take on 10 years instantly.
1. Too heavy and too matte foundation
One might think that, for a youthful complexion, you’d need to apply more foundation. But the opposite is true, and the one most ageing thing to do is working up a heavy and thick layer of foundation, which will magnify every single line and wrinkle.
To be also avoided are powder foundations, which will give you a very matte finish. While it is true that a veil of powder can gently smoothen skin, a matifying powder foundation applied all over your face will give you a masklike, frozen look. It’s the shiny parts in your face, like for example on top of your cheekbones, that make it look natural.
The solution is a lightweight texture foundation or tinted moisturizer (like my favorite one by Laura Mercier), which will keep your skin luminous and naturally glowy. Then, if you feel you need to take the shine a notch down, apply a hint of very transparent powder only on your forehead and nose.
2. Wrong shade of foundation
Another bad one of all anti-aging makeup mistakes is the wrong foundation color! Foundation, one or two shades darker than your skin, often meant to give a more healthy color, does just the opposite: The complexion looks greyish and lines are emphasized. To find the perfect shade of foundation for your skin, please follow my advice here.
3. Going too heavy on the concealer
The same rules apply to concealer: Pick the right color and avoid thick plaster textures which will make your delicate under eye area look dry and wrinkly. Go for rather light and creamy formulation which ideally has a hydrating effect.
But even with the best product, don’t use too much of it. Try to find the very minimum of product necessary to cover up the blueish areas under your eyes and in the inner corner. Any excess will inevitably end up in your lines and wrinkles and make them stand out. For more tips and advice when it comes to mature skin makeup, please have a look here.
4. Contouring which makes you look tired
A subtle contouring can bring more structure to a young, round face. Beyond 40, you don’t want to emphasize shadows and create depth as it will make you look tired. The goal should rather be to smoothen the face for a fresh and dashing look.
Highlighter should also be used sparingly because it’s shine emphasizes wrinkles and lines.
However, you can apply a bit of a creamy highlighter on top of your cheekbones (an area where skin tends to me smooth) blending it very carefully.
5. Unnatural blush
Blush in dark or bold tones can quickly have a garish and worn-out effect on mature skin, on of the most unfavorable anti-aging makeup mistakes. A safer option is a light touch of a warm pink or peach on top of your cheeks for a natural and fresh look.
6. Small and tired eyes
When it comes to your eye makeup on mature skin, softness is key, a velvety blur much more flattering than eyeliner or any other graphic makeup styles. A special mention goes to the black line on the bottom eyelid: This style makes any eye (no matter what the age) smaller and oftentimes a bit sad.
Apart from black, stay clear also of too bright or bold colors, which tend to look harsh. Better are greys, taupes and browns with a satin finish to bring out your eyes.
A no-no are all iridescent and pearly shades as they literally highlight unevenness and wrinkles. Stay away also of very light pigments, like white and beige, as they often look thick and heavy. Want to know more about mature eye makeup? Here are 5 essential tips and tricks…
7. Thin lips and bleeding lip color
Neither very glossy nor very matte lipsticks are going to do you great favors. The very fluid glossy textures are going to bleed into small lines around your mouth, thereby emphasizing them. Matte lipsticks will flatten your lips (which naturally loose volume with age) and make your mouth look smaller. Unless you have very full lips, this is a trend better left to young girls.
Bold or dark lip colors will also make your lips look thinner.
Here’s the solution: Start with a silky lip liner pencil, defining your lips and creating a “barrier” which will keep the lip color in place. Then dab on your lipstick, for example in a satin texture. Very useful are (invisible) lip line perfectors. They are applied around the mouth outside of your lip lines and make sure your lip color won’t budge.
More makeup questions? Maybe very personal ones? Book a Beauty Coaching session, I’ll be very happy to find all the answers for you! 🙂
By Louise Wittlich
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