MakeupTips For Women Over 50

Women can remain attractive throughout their lives, but what worked for us in our youth no longer applies. Remember the hot-pants of the 1970's? During the 50's, they were called short-shorts. Do any of you still wear mini skirts or dress like hippies. Teenagers and young women could pull it off and call it vintage. The rest of us would look ridiculous and the same goes for our makeup. Wearing bright colored lipstick and blush or pearl and shimmer makeup exaggerates fine lines and wrinkles; the same goes with shiny bright lipstick and foundation.

A foundation evens up your skin tone. Choose a color that matches your natural skin tone as close as possible. Make sure the formula is moisture based. If you need help matching your skin tone, ask for assistance at  the makeup counter in any department store, or take along a friend to help you choose the correct foundation. Apply your foundation lightly only in the places that need it which usually include the nose, cheeks, forehead and chin . Applied too thick, and  the foundation will accentuate fine lines and wrinkles. If you have dark areas at the inner and outer corners of the eyes and red patches around the nose, dab on a little concealer using a light touch.

 As we age, our dry skin needs all the help it can get. It's time to switch to a hydrating cream blush. Stay away from bright colors to avoid the clown look. Do go with muted and natural looking colors. As with the foundation, apply lightly. Start at the apples of the cheeks and blend out and up towards the temples.

You can use a light dusting of translucent powder to take away the shine, but concentrate it on the nose, chin, cheeks and forehead. Avoid getting powder on any areas of the face where there are fine lines and wrinkles.

When I was younger, to my consternation,  I had a unibrow like Frida Kahlo. My eyebrows were thick, dark and nicely shaped after a little plucking between the eyes. How I long for the good old days. Use an eyebrow pencil that matches your natural brows and feather in color where gaps exist.

As we age, our eyelids begin to droop.  Use eye shadows in muted shades such as bronze, taupe, gray, pink, green and soft lilac. Pick a highlight shade and a medium shade of color. With a light touch,  apply the lighter shade directly below the brow bone first, and then blend the darker shade from the lash line up to the crease. Next, apply a volumizing mascara.

Choose a lip color just a few shades darker than your natural lip color in a sheer, matte or pearly texture.. First outline the lips with a nude lip liner. This keeps your lipstick from bleeding into those fine lines.