by Alexandra Nicole Nuralam

A Guide to Ageless Makeup for Mature Skin

It goes without saying that our skin changes as we age, bringing about issues that never used to be there—think makeup sinking into your smile lines. So, it’s only natural we adapt, switching up the way we do our makeup and the formulas we use to better serve us. 

Ahead, our guide on ageless beauty, ensuring you look as radiant and healthy as possible.

Invest in your skincare routine

Your makeup is only as strong as your skin. Needless to say, following a dedicated skincare routine—cleansing, moisturizing, and exfoliating—is an essential step in achieving a healthy complexion, especially over time. Take some time into finding the right products for your skin.

Create a glowing base

Before you start applying makeup, spread on a veil of a hydrating yet weightless moisturizer on clean, dry skin. Avoid any night creams or rich moisturizers as these will be too heavy to sink into the skin and can mess with your makeup application. After the moisturizer sinks in, you can also apply a hydrating primer for a more dewy base.

Cover up minimally

Full-coverage base products may seem like a good idea since they can conceal noticeable spots and lines, but these heavy foundation products can actually make lines and wrinkles more pronounced, making you look older.

Stick with sheer- to medium-coverage products that boast a liquid or cream texture. Use small amounts and take your time to blend them into your skin. You should be using foundation to even out your skin tone—not to cover your skin. For the eyes, concentrate on the under eyes and inner corners to effectively cover any dark circles.

Prep your eyelids

Even if you don’t have very oily eyelids, using a primer on the eyes can help reduce some of the visible signs of ageing and help your makeup last all day. Tap a very thin layer of eye primer onto your lids to even out the tone and neutralise any unwanted shades. It will make for brighter-looking eyes, even without eyeshadow.

Skip the powder

Skip the setting powder and swap powder-based bronzers or blush for their creamy counterparts. Powders sit on the surface of the skin and are more likely to settle into fine lines, which makes them more noticeable. Creams – in contrast – can be blended to look more natural. If you need to set your face, use a damp sponge to roll a translucent setting powder into the skin.

Change the way you apply eyeliner

Eyelids can start to wrinkle and become more hooded as we age—making it much more difficult to swipe an eyeliner pencil across smoothly. Instead, try dotting a pencil along your upper lash line and fill it in neatly with a brush. 

Curl your lashes

A key step in making your eyes appear bigger and more youthful is to curl your lashes. As we age, lashes often become thinner and more brittle, naturally losing their curl, so give them a helping hand by curling them before you apply mascara.

Go easy on the brows

Thin, sparse eyebrows are ageing on just about everyone – just look at the celebrities in the 90s. Focus on keeping your brows looking full and natural by ditch the tweezers and letting them grow free. In the meantime, you can fake the fullness with a brow gel and fill in arches with hair-like strokes of a brow pencil.