My Makeup Tips for the Over 40s

If you haven't changed your makeup routine for years, you are definitely missing out - here are my makeup tips for the over 40's.

I will be turning 45 later this year, and after looking pretty youthful (I think) for a long time, suddenly in the last two years when I look in the mirror, the youthful me has disappeared and I'm now seeing an ageing woman - ugh!

My skin has definitely started to chang, my eyelashes no longer look quite as full and if I'm not wearing mascara it looks AWFUL, and my complexion is definitely more dull - oh the joys of ageing.

But worst of all, my go-to makeup routine, the one where I don't even think what I'm doing has suddenly stopped working for me.  Thank goodness I'm a makeup artist and I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.  

I have begun noticing some problems. The foundations I was using creased into my wrinkles rather than giving me that flawless glowing finish that we all aspire too. My eyeshadows began falling into the fine wrinkles around my eyes and highlighting them.  And my eyebrows are definitely thinner - fortunately I have a good set of brows and this isn't too problematic for me - but that may be an issue in the future. 

Whilst we can't fight the ageing process, thanks to make-up and the right techniques, there's plenty you can do to conceal your skin concerns and enhance your looks - yay!

What I've noticed is that women over forty are often stuck in a rut and wear the same make-up that they wore in their twenties. They tend to wear many a neutral shade of beige - but actually a pop of colour can look so much more youthful.  Makeup when you are over forty should not be about the latest trends but about being simply modern.  I think that you want someone to notice your face not your makeup.  The makeup should be purely to enhance your naturally gorgeous features.

The Foundations: Carefully applied concealer and foundation are vital to evening out skintone and waking up a tired complexion. I'm a huge fan of lighter formulations like BB and CC creams because they even out discolouration, whilst giving a fresh, dewy glow without feeling mask-like and settling in to the fine lines.  I recommend choosing a multi-tasking product; these days most foundations have a wealth of benefits, from added hydration to priming capabilities and SPF protection. My go-to products at the moment: LA Girl's High Definition BB Cream, Arbonne's CC cream and The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation.  I'm just about to trial Charlotte Tilbury's Light Wonder and will review shortly.

Blush: ​don't underestimate the power of a good blusher - a pop of colour on your cheeks can turn your face from simple to simply gorgeous.  Hint: make sure the colour your choose tones in with your other makeup - but honestly you can go brighter than you think.  A sweep of youth-enhancing blush from the apples of your cheeks to your hairline will add volume and brightness, draw attention from fine lines, and have the effect of providing a natural face lift.  Right now my favourite is a very bright pink Taffeta by Arbonne.   Don't be scared of stepping out of your comfort zone.  This actually is not that bright when on the skin and makes me look wide awake and vibrant

Highlight: If you want to achieve that radiant glow from your youth “strobing” your face will do the trick. You want to apply a cream or sheer powder highlighter that is pearlescent not glittery, and choose a champagne or peachy hue under the eyebrows, on the inside corners of the eyes and on tops of the cheekbones for stunning fresh faced luminosity.

The Brows: As mentioned, I've started to notice mine are thinning  and most people will notice that the brows begin to become sparse over time and to remain looking youthful you will want to make sure they stay looking full and healthy. Nothing says age like sad thinning eyebrows so don’t over pluck. If they have begun to fade a bit over time, try a brow growth serum to restore them. If they just won’t grow back then a good brow pencil or eyebrow shadow are the best ways to bring them back to life. Choose one with a super fine tip so the color feathers on and looks natural. I use the Arbonne's Shape It Up Brow Pencil in Dark or Ofra's Eyebrow Quintet Signature Palette.  If you are finding that you have a few wayward eyebrow hairs that need taming then you absolutely need Arbonne's Shape It Up Tinted Brow Cream.

The Lash Line:  I like to define your eyes during the day, but I don't want to make them look overdone.  So choose a chocolate brown eyeliner pencil. Apply along the roots of the eyelashes in small connecting dashes and smooth over with a cotton bud or an angle brush for a softer effect. Then finish with a coat of black water resistant mascara on top lashes. ​

Now You Are In Your 40's You Must Stop:

Powder foundation unless you have very oily skin, powders have a tendency to sit in your lines and wrinkles showing them off.  You are much better off with a hydrating liquid foundation or BB/CC cream.  If you want to look fresh faced stay away from powders that are highly pigmented. 

Matt Lipsticks:  These just make your lips looks smaller and as we age our lips tend to get a bit smaller anyway so you do not want to help that issue along. Instead choose  lightly luminous lip colours in lighter and brighter shades that will enhance your lip shape and show off your gorgeous smile.

Dark Eye Shadows and Liquid Eyeliner: Dark colours tend to make eyes look smaller and liquid eyeliners can look messy and not stay exact on the delicate skin around the eye that is not as firm as it once was. Instead use sheer eye shadows to define eyes and switch to eyeliners in pencil, powder or gel, so that you can create a more blended softer look that stays put.  I'm a huge fan of Makeup Geek shadows.

Avoid Glitter and Frost:  I know they look pretty, but shimmery glitter and frost in any of your makeup products from lipsticks to highlighters and bronzers will work against you now. Those shimmery particles will settle into your fine lines and wrinkles making them more noticeable.  I'm not saying that you need to avoid all radiant, glowing products - just opt for pearlescent finishes that will highlight the skin and not settle in your wrinkles.  

Say No to Waterproof Mascara:  As we age we start to lose our lashes.  Waterproof mascara can be tricky to remove and may cause us to lose even more lashes.  To avoid smudging and flaking choose a water resistant mascara instead.  I love It's A Long Story Mascara.  

What are the tips and tricks that you've found work for you ?

​Emma x