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Makeup is definitely an art and it can take some time to master, especially when your skin is ever changing. As you age, you may start to notice that the old makeup tricks you used to swear by may not work so well now that your skin is maturing. It can get frustrating when your makeup just all of a sudden stops working for you and it can be a bit overwhelming not knowing what is the most flattering anymore. However, you should have no fear! There are tons of ways you can bring back your youthful glow and many of them are as simple as changing up a product or using something as a two in one.
You may know the latest trends but not all of them are best for maturing skin so taking a quick look at the next 20 tips may save you from one of those panic stricken moments when you look in the mirror and think “have I looked like this all day??”. There are many different ways to combat thinning skin, drooping eyes, and dark circles, and we’ve found the easiest and most economical solutions for every woman.
20. Mascara=Eyeliner
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As women, we can have very busy schedules between work and family responsibilities, and sometimes there isn’t a lot of time to get ready in the morning. If you ever find yourself in a rush and can’t seem to find your eyeliner or haven’t had time to replace it, no worries you can use your mascara as black eyeliner! Just use an angled brush and wipe some mascara of the bristles and viola! This technique works really well because most of the time there seems to be a giant blob of mascara at the end of the brush anyway. To be honest, this trick works for anyone who wears mascara—no matter what age you are.
19. Skip The Powder
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If you are over 40, do yourself a favor and skip the powder. I know this might be difficult because for many of us powder was our first attempt at wearing any makeup. It’s easy and quick with decent coverage, but the problem is that as we age our skin loses a lot of its oil production and powder only dries us out. Not only that, but it also settles into the fine lines and creases, making them more apparent.
Instead, try moving towards a liquid or tinted moisturizer, depending on the amount of coverage you want. A setting spray can also help set your makeup without drying you out.
18. The Right Concealer
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For dark circles and puffiness under the eyes, concealer is your best friend. The trick is finding the correct kind of issue you’re dealing with. If you have a blue-ish tint under your eyes you’ll need a reddish color correcting concealer first. This will help even out your skin tone, giving you a flawless blank canvas. The next step is finding a concealer that is about two shades lighter than your foundation to brighten up your under eyes.
Once you’ve got the right concealers it’s important to apply them with a damp makeup blender, or better yet, your ring finger. Personally, I believe that your ring finger is the best tool for this job because it warms up the product just enough to evenly cover yet gentle enough not to damage the tender and thin skin around the eyes.
17. Lip Contouring
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Another unfortunate side effect of aging is the loss of fullness in the lips. This occurs due to the overall loss of fat in the facial structure and well the loss of collagen in the surrounding areas. However, you don’t have to get any work done to bring back the fullness and youthful pout you desire. Just like contouring your face helps bring out your cheekbones, contouring your lips helps create the illusion of a fuller pout.
All you need is a lipstick, a liner that compliments or matches, and some concealer. Start by outlining your lips right outside your natural lip line and draw straight lines from the outside to the inside of your lips. Take the lipstick and carefully fill in your lips and then use the concealer with an angled brush to clean up the outer lip line. For the fullest pout place a lighter shade or a gloss in the center of both lips. You’ve just created a subtle yet youthful appearance. The best part about this trick is you can use any variety of shades from dark red to nude.
16. Choose Yellow Undertones
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Finding the right shade of foundation can be extremely tricky and it can take years to find the right product for you. You can even have the same skin color as someone but have a completely different undertone, which makes your skin uniquely yours. The one good thing about aging is that this whole process becomes a little easier because women over 40 tend to look the best with foundations that have yellow undertones due to the way it brightens your complexion. The brightening comes from the yellow tones counteracting any greyness your skin may have.
15. Index Cards For Mascara
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Putting on mascara without getting any on your eyelids can be a hassle regardless if you’re wearing eyeshadow or not–and when you age it only gets worse as you age. The reason it gets harder to avoid smudging mascara on your eyelids is because they start to droop and can become swollen. The best way to avoid this is by using an index card as the buffer between the mascara brush and your eyelid. For the best fit cut out the shape of your eyelid and place it right above your lash line!
14. Multimasking
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The days of one multi use face masks are over–and for good reason! You can expect one face mask to fix all of your problems, such as dryness, redness, and oily patches because they all have different ingredients. Clay and charcoal are great for getting rid of excess oil, while masks with natural oils and oatmeal work great for dryness and redness. For best results and the easiest application use a brush to apply each mask, and make sure to thoroughly rinse it in between application. This is the best way to nourish your skin because you’re essentially customizing your skin care.
13. Lip Balm As Eyebrow Gel
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If you’re not current on the makeup trends, have no fear! You don’t really need most of the products makeup artists like to push and it’s fairly obvious because the new “It” product changes weekly. A great trick to minimizing the number of products you carry around with you, use a colorless lip balm as an eyebrow gel. It’s great for keeping any wild hairs in place while making the process of shaping your brows easier. Not to mention, you can obviously use the lip balm for its original purpose as well. Two products in one!
12. Lighting Test
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I’m pretty sure we’ve all experienced the moment when you look into the mirror and think “How could I have left the house looking like this?!” and you’re in shock because you thought you really had thing makeup thing down after twenty plus years experience, right? Well, don’t worry it happens to the best of us. In fact, it’s probably not your makeup skills, or even your foundation color, but the lighting that you’re applying it in. Natural versus artificial lighting can DRASTICALLY change the way your makeup looks so do yourself a favor and do a little light check before you go. Look at yourself in both artificial and natural lighting so you’re not surprised at any point during the day.
11. Blurring Primer
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You may not be familiar with primer or blurring primer for that matter, but what I can tell you is this is one of the trends that can actually help increase the appearance and the texture of your skin. Much like a photo filter or photoshop, these primers actually help blur fine lines and imperfections. They fill in acne scars and even large pores, giving you that photo finish. Primers also always help keep your makeup on throughout the entire day.
10. Apply False Lashes With A Bobby Pin
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This tip isn’t just for women over 40, but it’s for anyone who enjoys wearing false lashes. This tip is one developed by eyelash experts and it turns out, it works extremely well! Using a bobby pin to apply glue to your false lashes works because it applies just the right amount, just where you need it. When there is too much glue it tends to build up in the corners and it becomes visible. The key to keeping it young and fresh is choosing lashes that aren’t too full or long, but just the right amount to give you an enhanced natural look.
9. Know Where To Spray Perfume
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A lot of women feel that as they age, they lose a certain sex appeal they had in their youth. While we don’t think this is true as women are like fine wine, we do have a tip that might make you feel like you’ve still got it going on. If you spray your perfume in the right areas it will keep you smelling beautiful all day long. Areas such as your hair absorb the scent and lock it away, until every time your hair moves and it releases it into the air around you. Areas like behind your knees and elbows are warm so it continuously warms and releases the perfume.
8. Don’t Give Up On Braids
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Although thinning hair is something that happens with the aging process, it doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy those playful styles you loved when you were younger. Braids aren’t only for people with thick hair, you can spruce up any thin braid easily with the help of a toothbrush. Run the bristles of the brush against the grain of the hair and you’ll gain volume in minutes. It’s easier to do this after you’ve actually created and secured the braid because if you do it before it will become a giant mess. Also pulling the hair width wise helps make your hair look thicker and healthier.
7. Makeup With SPF
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SPF should be worn anytime you’re in the sun and to make that easier, find makeup with SPF in it so that you don’t have to apply anything extra. Sun damage doesn’t just stop at wrinkles, but it can cause cancer and sun spots, which can be extremely serious. Many brands have foundation options with sunscreen so chances are your favorite one has an option that will work for you!
6. Blush Instead Of Bronzer
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A great tip for thinning hair is actually using eyeshadow to fill in your hair line. This instantly makes you look younger because it gives the illusion of a full head of hair within seconds. The key to this trick is using a shadow that perfectly matches your hair color and not to go overboard with it, but rather give yourself a natural hairline. It’s harder to find a matching color if you have lighter hair, so take the time and look for the right one or this can go wrong real quick.
5. Use Lighter Shades
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Although it can be fun at times to do a bold makeup look when you’re young, the truth is darker colors on aging skin isn’t so flattering. Darker shades can dull down the glow of maturing skin so try using a lighter eyeliner or lighter eyeshadow to help accentuate your natural beauty. If you can’t resist your desire to wear bold shades, stick with a bold lip.
4. Use Blush
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Youth has a distinct glow and as our skin matures we can lose that. Instead of using bronzer to give yourself a warm, healthy glow, use blush that compliments your skin tone. Use a fluffy brush and focus the majority of the product in the center of your cheeks and blend in a circular motion. Blush gives you a youthful look that bronzer just can’t compete with and the technique will give fullness to the cheeks.
3. Hydrate To The Max
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Obviously, the more hydrated you are the better your skin will look and feel, but drinking water just isn’t enough as you age. Always moisturize before applying makeup and choose foundations that have moisturizers in them and always apply your creams and lotions when you wash your face. It’s pretty simple–the more hydrated you are, the better your skin will look and the younger your skin will feel.
2. Keep Your Eyelash Curler
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You may not use your eyelash curler that much anymore, but you should bring it back into your makeup rotation because it turns out your lashes age with you! As you age your lashes start to get thinner and droop down rather than curl up. Give them a little help and curl them before layering on a little mascara.
1. Shimmer NOT Sparkle
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Sparkle isn’t the most flattering for maturing skin because it can bring out fine lines and wrinkles, but shimmer, on the other hand, is amazing. A little shimmer shadow or highlighter can really bring out that youthful glow we were talking about earlier! Shimmer products will reflect any light and illuminate your beautiful complexion.