Studio 5 Beauty and Style Contributor Holly Stone shares make-up tips for the maturing face.
It happens to us all. We wake up one day to find those fine lines and wrinkles more prevalent than the years before. Aging gracefully can reflect true beauty. Own your age! Each year represents a magical journey which defines your character. As we mature, our mind and spirit becomes wiser, and our bodies and skin change. As our skin changes so should our skin care and make-up routine. Here are a few tips to follow for a healthy glow in your maturing years:
Three products to avoid:
1) Powder
As your skin matures, it looses moisture. Powder can make skin appear even drier than it actually is thus making it look older than it actually is.
2) Shimmer
Shimmer draws attention to fine lines and wrinkles
3) Sunless tanner
Mature skin is generally drier and this product is harder to blend evenly on dry skin. The more mature the skin, the streakier the coverage.
“Cold Cream” or an extra emollient moisturizer is the one product that should be used consistently morning and night. This keeps the skin dewy and more youthful by replenishing the loss of moisture that hormone changes and the environment can evoke.
Cream foundation is the best option for mature skin. It goes on smoother and can accommodate dry patches easier. It has additional moisture the skin can use as well. This evens out the skin tone and can make you look younger by smoothing out the appearance of the skin.
Three products that will last all day:
1) Waterproof mascara
2) Waterproof eyeliner
3) All-day wear lipstick
If you are over 60, concentrate on the lips and cheeks. Adding color to these areas can create a healthy, warm look.
LIPS
Stay away from red lipstick. It can bleed into fine lines and wrinkles and is too overpowering. Opt for a pink raspberry or rose color. It is softer and not so quick to draw attention to wrinkles.
The more fine lines and wrinkles the lips have, the less you should use lip liner. Lip liner can set in fine lines and wrinkles making them appear deeper than they actually are. Use lipstick alone to avoid this problem.
CHEEKS
Use cream blush instead of powder. With mature skin being drier, powder blush doesn’t blend as well and can make you look older. Cream goes on smoothly and blends into skin easily. It also has richer pigmentation which gives brighter color with longer staying power. Come all the way down to the apples of your cheeks for adequate color application.
Eye shadow can be unflattering to crepey eye lids. Shadow can make your wrinkles appear deeper and more prevalent. If your eyelids have excessive wrinkling, avoid eye shadow all together.
The most difficult product to use as we age is mascara. The eyelashes become more sparse and brittle with age. Mascara is an optional product. Don’t use it if your lashes are brittle or sparse. It will only draw attention to the fact that they are such. Use eyeliner to emphasize the eyes.
Never apply eyeliner underneath the eye. This will make you look older by closing the eye and drawing attention to possible sagging under eye area. Apply to the top of your lid at the base of the lashes. Line entire lid.
The basic routine for a woman with mature skin should be:
• Wash face with a cleanser for dry skin
• Apply moisturizer with sunscreen (you are never too old for skin cancer to strike).
• Apply foundation ONLY in the areas that need to be evened out
• Eyeliner (optional)
• Mascara (optional)
• Blush
• Lipstick
Holly Stone is no stranger to business and the beauty industry. Starting as a model at the age of 14 she decided that she preferred to be behind the scenes rather than in front of the camera. She choreographed fashion shows, selected models for events and assisted her agency with make-up.
Her skill for make-up artistry quickly became recognized and the demand for her talent launched a career that would take her all over the country. She received a bachelor’s degree, and took a position as VP of Merchandising for Overstock.com. There she learned the business skills of resourcing, buying, marketing, and negotiating. She moved on to train in Los Angeles at AWARD, a leading make-up artist school in the west.
Today, with her business skills and her passion for the art of make-up, she manages a successful career as an educator and a veteran make-up artist of 16 years. She works in various media with actors/actresses, models, brides, and photographers. She is a consultant to several cosmetic distributors, spas, and salons where she teaches application and technique. She is a nationally recognized educator of cosmetic application and is a personal image consultant to people ranging from high position corporate figures to the every day woman.
Holly is the owner of Re-Creation Studio, School of Media Make-up Artistry and a regular contributor on Studio 5. For information about her classes, visit www.learntodomakeup.com.
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