Makeup techniques to update your look

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

Eye make up techniques and fresh looks for lips can keep you up-to-date

It is usually us oldsters that are guilty of hanging onto a make-up regimen that is long gone out of style but even young women can get stuck in a make-up rut. Look at yourself in the mirror. Is your make-up improving your looks or does the make-up look dated? Does it make YOU look dated? Does it accentuate those, yes, say it, wrinkles around your eyes? If so, here are some lip and eye make up techniques to update your look.

Even though the tendency is to pile on more make-up, more foundation, more concealer and eye shadow when you get older and your skin is far from perfect this is precisely the wrong thing to do. Less is more. Use light-handed techniques with your eyes and brows, lips and color palette.

Use foundation sparingly. Mineral foundations provide coverage but do so discreetly yet effectively. Thickly applied foundation settles into lines and creases and emphasizes your deficits. Some women quit using foundation altogether and opt for tinted moisturizer.

Concentrate more on what is going on under your eyes than the area above. Dark circles and puffiness can age you. Invest in a quality under eye concealer. This will brighten your eyes instantly and lift your face as well.

Eye shadow can be very outmoded if you are wearing too much or the wrong shades. Maybe Cher can still get away with it (but even she has cooled her jets). The rest of us common folk — especially the 50 plus set — look better in neutral shadows rather than a garish “day glo” color or shimmery shadows that scream: Look at the crepey skin above my eyes!

Give your eyes a sheer wash of eye shadow, using a light hand. Here is a tip at the top of eye make up techniques: Consider putting the darker shadow all over the lid and in the crease as well as up to the brow. Dab a bit of lighter eye shadow on the center of your lid and then blend it in. This will highlight the eye subtly.

Avoid frosted eye shadow because it will broadcast your winkles. Do not go for a heavily applied three-color technique, where the crease of the eye is darker than the lid and bright white high lighter is used on the brow. Because lids tend to droop as women get older stay away from eye make up techniques that accentuate the upper lid.

Another eye make up technique to update your look includes finding a liner and mascara that do not smudge. Smudged make-up is going to make you look worn out and emphasize the circles under your eyes, all of which is aging.

In your younger years, you may have piled the mascara on both the upper and lower lids. Mascara is a great product, but back off on the lower lashes to avoid the spider eye look. Apply the mascara as closely to your lash line as possible. Remember to keep the darkest colored make-up (liner and shadow) close to your eye.

Pay attention to your eyebrows. Keep them nice and neat, using an eyebrow pencil to fill in sparse areas but do not overdo it.

Do not underestimate the power of eyebrows. If they are well groomed they will pull the focus up to your eyes rather than toward your jowls or laugh lines. The eyebrows are a frame for your eyes.

Treat yourself and go to a reputable cosmetics counter in a department store and ask the saleswoman what colors you should be using. Your skin tone and color changes as you age as does your hair and even your eyes. Perhaps you need to spice it up or tone it down for the best overall effect. If you have perfected your look with just the right shades and colors, and are now trying to find discontinued lipstick or other products, consult a specialty makeup consultant. Sometimes updating your look means lightening your application or changing one item, not your tried-and-true makeup colors.

You can get a lot of mileage out of a good lipstick, which is very much in vogue in contrast to lip gloss. It may take some trial and error but find the perfect color for your lips and this will improve your appearance ten-fold. Look for lipsticks that have blue undertones to whiten the appearance of your teeth. Stained teeth can be very aging.