Age makeup: main rules

Elena Krygina, member of Intercoiffure Ukraine (2012–2015), art director and leading teacher of the author’s makeup studio, national trainer and official exclusive representative of TM Felix Shtein – Essence of Beauty in Ukraine

The material was first published in Makeup&YOU Professional magazine and is intended for professional makeup artists.

To answer the question of what makes a woman beautiful at any age, I will put intelligence and dignity in the first place. Each decade of female age has its own challenges, so 16-year-old girls trying to look 25, or mature ladies who have lost the sense of age in the intense race for youth, can look funny and ridiculous. Secondly, the appropriateness of the image. Evening outfits, hairstyles and makeup are for the evening, and a business image or relaxed casual is for daytime. Thirdly, flexibility and the ability to change at any age in accordance with fashion trends. And here there are stereotypes that can and should be abandoned. You need to accept the fact that the hair color, lipstick or eye shadow that suited you so well back in the 80s no longer works and you need to look for other color and stylistic solutions.

And this is where the fun begins: you either trust a professional, or through trial and error (not without adding extra purchases to your cosmetic bag) you set out on your own. I do not hide my age: I am 45 years old, 15 of which I have been working in the beauty industry and I adore beautiful, high-status, self-confident women who treat themselves and their lives with humor, who are not concerned about the number of wrinkles on their lively, beautiful and intelligent face. It is for you, my dear girls (40+), that I am revealing the secrets of lifting makeup today!

Age makeup rules

I leave the need for proper skin care (cleansing, peeling, moisturizing, massage) to your cosmetologist; I will only say that all this is necessary to perform high-quality age-related makeup. The guarantee of beautiful, flawless and youthful-looking skin is the right foundation. Here's what you can't save on! Your tone should be liquid, light, preferably with a lifting effect, ideally matching your color. With age, the skin accumulates gray pigment, and cool tones (pink, beige) can give it a tired look, so if you have red blood vessels, choose shades with a yellowish undertone, and if the skin has a grayish tint or pigmentation, apply an orange undertone. It is better to avoid dense tones altogether, as they will emphasize the structure of mature skin, and we have absolutely no need for this. In lifting makeup, delicate use of concealer is important. It should be liquid and have a reflective effect. Under no circumstances should we apply concealer to the “crow’s feet” area, so as not to emphasize expression lines. In this area there can only be a moisturizing cream that will not dry out and emphasize the wrinkle, but will reflect and soften it. The same can be said about powder - too much of it will highlight all the unevenness on your face! I don't mind setting lightly with translucent powder in very small doses in the morning (avoiding the eye area), but carrying a powder compact in your purse and powdering your nose every hour is not the answer! So you simply layer the makeup on the skin, and by the evening the number of small wrinkles will noticeably increase. If you have combination or oily skin, go over the T-zone during the day with just an empty brush, without powder: the shine will disappear, and your makeup will remain fresh. For age-related eye makeup, we use shadows in soft tones in natural and neutral tones, giving preference to sand, peach, cream and beige shades. It is better if they have a soft satin shine, since pearlescent shadows emphasize skin imperfections, while matte ones age them. It is better to replace black eyeliner with dark blue, purple or smoky gray. Highlighter and blush with a creamy texture (not powdery!) will make your skin radiant and fresh. Using a pencil or eye shadow, make the eyebrows expressive, but not too dark. Thick dark eyebrows make the face look older. Lips are the center of sexual attraction. Avoid choosing lip shades that are too pale or too bright. Choose colors that are close to natural: peach, apricot, pink or beige-pink.