Many women as they age continue to apply makeup in the same way they did when they were 25, they go straight ahead, without stopping to think that what worked for them years ago no longer works. The explanation is very simple, mature skin needs to look fresh and luminous more than ever, and to do so it requires carrying out another makeup technique.
Something that must be taken into account from certain ages onwards is that not only do you have to adapt the way you apply your makeup, but you also have to know how to choose the right products. The textures of the products, the finishes, the formulas and of course the tones.
As makeup artist Ana Espejo has explained to the publication Instyle, throughout her professional career she has seen many makeup mistakes, including “not knowing how to do makeup on her eyebrows, doing contouring wrong, forgetting mascara and using glittery eye shadows,” she adds.
The expert knows better than anyone how to work with mature skin, and with her experience she is clear about what she would not do. “If I were 60 years old, what I would never do would be put on makeup with a very covering base or only use a creamy lipstick because they accentuate wrinkles much more,” she says.
Makeup base yes, but the right one
One of the big mistakes when it comes to makeup is choosing very covering makeup bases. This happens because there is a false belief that the more a foundation covers, the more it will cover all imperfections, even wrinkles. “It is a very common and blundering mistake because in reality what these types of foundations do is mark even more wrinkles and lines and I also encounter many who do not get the tone right and wear one darker than their skin, applying makeup up to their neck or also the opposite, very white,” explains Espejo.
What Ana advises is to always go from less to more and build the base layer by layer, this way you can see the process until you achieve the perfect balance between coverage but without reaching the mask effect. “And always hydrating very well before, a lot of hydration for mature skin before starting to apply makeup,” highlights the makeup artist.
Some of the bases that we like the most for mature skin are the Revitalessence Skin Glow Shiseido makeup base that looks ultra natural and provides extra hydration. Another foundation that looks beautiful on the skin is the Clinique Even Better Clinical Makeup Base, which has a delicious serum formula and a second-skin finish.
Lipstick in long-lasting textures
Another issue that the expert addresses is the issue of lip makeup and if something is quite common in mature skin, it is the famous barcode. When it comes to makeup, these perioral wrinkles tend to complicate the process quite a bit. “Many don't know how to outline and only use creamy-textured lipstick that ends up leaking precisely into those lines that we don't want to be noticed,” she says.
What the expert recommends is precisely formulas that are long-lasting and do not smudge, in this sense she opts for using “a long-lasting ink and then a permanent lipstick with a touch of a color that suits the skin tone (not too dark) so as not to pale. And a well-applied eyeliner can also help.” We would bet on the famous Benetint Tint from Benefit and as a fixed lip liner, the Lip Lingerie Stain from Nyx that leaves us with super defined and long-lasting lips.
Regarding tones, Ana emphasizes that you have to be careful with reds and dark tones in general. “It horrifies me when they put on bad makeup and in a short time you have half of their makeup removed. They must have permanent ink underneath, contouring and touch-ups constantly so that they look pretty. If not, my advice is to always wear a natural shine because it is safer and 100% flatters everyone.”
Don't go overboard with the quantities
Recently we told you what was the best and only expert advice to rejuvenate mature skin, and it was precisely about less is more. Women over 50 usually apply too much product, both foundation and concealer, and all this does is highlight wrinkles more, take away freshness, and obtain a heavy finish. “Using too much concealer on dark circles in a very light shade that makes it look like you're wearing a mask.”
Regarding blush, the formulas that we like the most for mature skin are undoubtedly creamy ones. Among our favorites is the Ilia Multi Stick for lips and cheeks or the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Blush Liquid Blush. The expert warns that although in current trends we see how blush rises a lot towards the temples, she highlights that mature skin should be careful with this. “They have to continue wearing it on the apple and not raise it because with the expression wrinkles that they normally have in the eye area, if you apply blush after the concealer, the wrinkle will be more marked and you will draw attention to that area,” he adds.
