Buzz
As women age, they often feel dissatisfied with the appearance of dark circles, wrinkles, and puffiness under their eyes, which can make them look older and less vibrant. However, with the right makeup techniques and proper skincare, your eyes can appear youthful and become your most attractive feature. Eye makeup can brighten your face and make you feel more beautiful, boosting your confidence in your age and body.
Steps
Preparing for Makeup Application
Moisturize. The first step to achieving healthy, youthful skin is to moisturize daily. As you age, the skin around your eyes tends to develop wrinkles and sag, but moisturizing helps retain some of the skin's natural hydration, giving it a radiant glow.
Exfoliate your skin. Every night before bed, gently exfoliate to remove dry or flaky skin. You can use a facial exfoliator or natural products like coconut oil, ensuring it’s gentle to avoid irritation. Choose an exfoliator designed for your skin type, especially if you have sensitive skin.
- Exfoliation is beneficial when done correctly, but overdoing it or being too harsh can lead to redness, excessive peeling, or a stinging sensation.
Apply sunscreen. While a tan might make you feel younger, sun damage accelerates skin aging. Always apply sunscreen before prolonged outdoor exposure to prevent wrinkles and dark spots.
Use an eye cream daily. Dark circles under the eyes can be tough to conceal, but applying an under-eye cream nightly and a brightening eye cream in the morning can help. Choose a shade that matches your skin tone for seamless blending with foundation and concealer.
Remove makeup before bed. After a long day, you might want to skip washing your face, but removing makeup is essential for healthy skin. Makeup clogs pores and accelerates aging, preventing skin from recovering from daily environmental stressors.
- Your skin is exposed to dirt and pollution all day. Cleansing at night removes oil and impurities, allowing your skin to recover. Leaving makeup on traps oil and leads to wrinkles and signs of aging over time.
- If you’re too tired or short on time, use a makeup wipe to clean your face and eye area. While daily cleansing is ideal, occasional use of wipes is fine.
- Sleeping with eye makeup isn’t as harmful as leaving foundation on, but it can still cause irritation or infections.
Get quality sleep. Lack of sleep is one of the most damaging factors for your skin, as it doesn’t get enough time to recover, leading to dark circles and a dull complexion. As you age, ensuring adequate sleep is crucial for a fresh, vibrant look in the morning.
- If you struggle with sleep, try relaxing activities before bed, such as yoga, drinking hot tea, taking a bath, journaling, or walking. These practices can reduce stress and improve sleep quality.
Makeup
Embrace your age with confidence. Women often feel insecure about aging, but growing older is natural, and the more confident you are about your age, the more beautiful you’ll feel. Understand that your skin now differs from your 20s, but that’s not a bad thing. Avoid overdoing makeup and focus on what’s best for your skin.
Remember, less is more. Using eyeshadow and other eye products is a skill, and as you age, you might tend to apply heavier makeup to hide imperfections. However, overly dramatic makeup can draw unwanted attention to your eyes. Opt for a natural look that enhances your eyes without overdoing it.
Choose makeup wisely. Expensive products aren’t always better; effectiveness depends on your skin type, tools, and experience. Ensure you read reviews from people with similar skin types to gauge what might work for you.
- Everyone’s skin is different, so experimentation is key to finding the right products.
- Don’t underestimate the impact of tools. High-quality makeup tools can make the difference between a mediocre and stunning look. Try different tools to see what works best.
Understand your skin tone. This includes both your skin color and undertone. Using makeup that doesn’t match your undertone can result in an orange or gray cast, which is unflattering.
- There are many ways to determine your undertone. A quick method is to check the veins on your wrist—greenish veins indicate a warm undertone, bluish veins suggest a cool undertone, and a mix means neutral.
- Don’t hesitate to consult a professional to identify your undertone!
- Your face’s skin tone and undertone might differ from the rest of your body. Choose products that match your neck or overall body tone for a seamless look.
- Once you know your skin tone and undertone, select products accordingly. Matching foundation is crucial, but eyeshadow and lipstick shades also make a big difference. A general rule is to choose products that complement your undertone (warm tones for warm undertones, cool tones for cool undertones).
- Those with neutral undertones are lucky—they can pull off both warm and cool tones without looking washed out or orange.
- However, these are just guidelines; experiment to find what makes YOU look your best!
Apply primer to your entire face. This creates a smooth base for makeup and helps it last throughout the day. Some primers can also brighten your complexion.
- To minimize wrinkles and pores, use a thicker primer to fill in fine lines and create a smoother appearance.
- Choose your primer carefully. Its effectiveness varies by skin type, so read reviews and test products before committing.
Use foundation to even out your skin tone. This step enhances your skin’s natural glow and ensures your face matches your neck and body.
- Opt for liquid foundation. Powder foundations often provide less coverage and can make skin look dry, emphasizing wrinkles and aging you. Avoid setting with powder—use a makeup setting spray for longer wear.
- Apply foundation with a brush or damp sponge (like a BeautyBlender) for even coverage. Using fingers can leave streaks. Blend the foundation down your jawline and onto your neck for a seamless finish.
Use concealer to cover dark circles or puffiness that foundation can’t hide. Apply sparingly—dot a small amount under and around your eyes, then blend with your fingers or a sponge. Choose a concealer one or two shades lighter than your skin tone, focusing on darker areas to avoid a patchy look.
Apply blush to your cheekbones, not your cheeks. Blush on the cheeks can make your face appear droopy, while applying it closer to your cheekbones adds a youthful, healthy glow.
- Look up tutorials for blush application online. Blend the edges well for a natural, radiant look.
- Use liquid or cream blush in small amounts. Powder blush can make skin look dry.
- Choose a bright blush tone (in moderation). Darker shades can look harsh or make your cheeks appear sunken.
Use an eyelid primer. As you age, your eyelids may droop, causing eye makeup to smudge, shift, or crease throughout the day. Applying primer before eyeshadow ensures better adhesion and longevity.
- Eyelid primers come in various shades. Most are skin-toned to even out discoloration, but white primers can brighten the lid and enhance eyeshadow colors. For mature skin, opt for a skin-toned primer and use eyeshadow to highlight your eyes subtly, avoiding overly bright colors that draw attention to drooping lids.
Use neutral-toned eyeshadow. Eyes with wrinkles or slight drooping don’t need bold colors—opt for lighter shades to add vitality. Choose neutral or light tones that match your skin (champagne, beige, or taupe for light to medium skin; light gold or soft brown for darker skin) for the lids. For a more dramatic look, like an evening out, apply matte dark eyeshadow to the outer lid and crease to define and enhance your eyes.
- Powder eyeshadow is the best texture for mature skin. Cream shadows tend to settle into wrinkles and folds more easily.
- If part of your eyelid extends beyond the crease, use a light shimmer to highlight it. However, use shimmer sparingly, as too much can draw attention to wrinkles and drooping, making your eyes appear smaller.
- Be cautious with dark shades, as they can make eyes look sunken. When used correctly, dark colors can add depth and brightness, but the line between enhancing and overdoing it is thin. Use minimal dark shadow and rely on experience.
- Focus on the lid and crease, avoiding distractions from these areas. Applying shadow too high can make eyes look hollow. A matte light shade under the brow can highlight the brow bone, but this isn’t necessary and can look overdone. A touch of shimmer in the inner corner can open up the eyes, but this doesn’t work for all eye shapes—experimentation is key.
- Choose clothing that complements your eye color rather than competing with your eyeshadow. For example, if you have blue eyes, wear a top that enhances them, letting the eyeshadow accentuate rather than dominate. Glasses that frame your eyes can also highlight their beauty.
- Look up tutorials online for guidance, but adjust techniques to suit your eye shape.
- Blend eyeshadow well! Create a soft fade at the edges of each shade, avoiding harsh lines. Use a small, soft, and clean brush for precision.
Use eyeliner pencils or powder. Choose a soft shade like graphite or dark brown to draw a thin line on the upper lid, blending it with a small brush for a natural look. Liquid eyeliner in dark shades can be too harsh for mature eyes, while softer lines enhance without appearing outdated.
- Avoid lining the lower lid, as this can make eyes look smaller. If you want to add color below the eyes, use a flat brush to apply a thin line of eyeshadow just below the lashes. Use sparingly, as too much attention to the lower lid can make eyes appear droopy.
Choose the right mascara. Even if your lashes are thin and sparse, opt for lengthening mascara over volumizing formulas. Adding volume without length can make lashes look clumpy. The color isn’t critical, but choose one that matches your brows (black for dark brows, brown or dark brown for lighter brows).
- Curl your lashes before applying mascara to lift them, then use a mascara primer to ensure longevity. Avoid pumping the wand in and out, as this dries out the mascara.
- Consider waterproof mascara for all-day wear, but use an oil-based remover to clean it off at night.
Apply mascara. Start at the base of your lashes, wiggling the wand as you brush through to coat the inner lashes, then pull outward to the tips. Repeat two to three times for a polished look.
- Avoid over-applying, as this can create a spidery, unnatural effect. The line between perfect and overdone mascara is thin.
- Use minimal mascara on the lower lashes. You want to define them without overshadowing the upper lashes. For some, blinking to transfer mascara from the upper to lower lashes is enough.
Don’t shy away from false lashes! Not everyone enjoys wearing them, but if your lashes are thin or nearly invisible, investing in natural-looking false lashes can make your eyes appear more youthful. Opt for individual lashes (high-quality ones can be pricey) rather than full strips.
- False lashes can be reused if handled carefully. You can purchase separate lash adhesive if the glue included isn’t sufficient.
Define your eyebrows. As women age, eyebrows can thin out and become less noticeable. Consulting a professional for brow shaping can make your eyes look younger by creating a more defined arch, preventing a droopy appearance.
- You can also enhance your brows at home to make them appear fuller and more youthful. Use brow powder or pencils one or two shades darker than your hair color to improve their shape and color. Draw light, feathery strokes to mimic natural hairs rather than heavy lines.
If you want your makeup to last all day, especially in hot or humid climates or for outdoor work, use a makeup setting spray. You don’t need much—just a light mist will do. Hold the bottle 20-30cm away from your face and spray in a T-shape followed by an X-shape to lock your makeup in place.
Tips
- Remember, makeup is temporary and can be washed off at the end of the day. Have fun experimenting! It’s an art form, so don’t stress about making it "perfect" or deviating from the tips in this article. It’s your face, and you’re free to choose what works for you!
- Consider consulting a makeup artist for personalized advice. Many professionals offer classes where they apply makeup to one half of your face and guide you through replicating it on the other. Some stores even offer free makeup lessons based on your purchase amount, so check for promotions when shopping.
- Use the right brushes for each task. Trying to blend eyeshadow with a large brush or apply foundation with a tiny one will only complicate things.
- Practice new techniques a day before an event and test the look under different lighting conditions.
