Makeup Over 40

Eye shadow makeup can be a little more challenging over 40, but it can still be fun.  It’s a matter of putting to the back of your mind what you’ve done for years, and learning some new techniques.  It might take a few times to get used to the new ways, but you’ll very likely be pleased with the results.

The Eye Makeup Challenge

Although I keep saying “40″, these issues can pop up at any age, really; they’re just more common as you get older.

That being said, there are two main challenges:

• Hooded eyes (skin on your browbone area starts drooping to your lid area).
• Downturn of the corners of your eyes.

And fortunately, both can be minimized with the use of good tools and good makeup!

There’s actually a third issue, but it’s related to the two above, and that is that the skin around your eyes isn’t taut anymore.  This means puffiness and fine lines.

Now I’ll go into specific techniques for the two parts of the challenge, but first, you need to know your tools and supplies!  Here is what you will need:

• Eye shadow primer
• Concealer (specifically for under the eyes or an all-purpose concealer)
• Eye shadows (start with 3 colors; a highlight, lid color and crease color)
• Eye liner (or you can use a darker shadow color for the liner)
• Mascara
• Eye shadow brushes; minimum of a flat brush for the lids, a fluffy brush for blending and a liner brush (and here’s a quickie overview on make up brush sets)
• Optional but recommended:  Eyelash curler

Whew!  Seems like a lot, but it really isn’t.  You probably have at least the shadows and mascara.  Possibly also the concealer and eye liner.

What is Eye Shadow Primer?

Here’s a post where I go more into detail on what is an eye shadow primer, but for now, we’ll call it a necessary tool.  In a nutshell, though, it helps your eye shadow makeup stay on longer (which is a good thing for sure).  After all, you don’t want to see your handiwork disappear in (almost literally) a blink of an eye!

Eye Shadow Makeup

One thing I want to mention before we go any farther is this.  If your current eye shadow is old or is of the ”no-name” dollar store variery, do yourself a favor and get some new, good eye shadow makeup.  You don’t need to spend $25 for a single M.A.C. shadow by any means, but you might want to spend somewhere in the vicinity of $15 for three or four good-quality shadows.  Treat yourself!  (In other words, don’t get the cheapest shadows you can find outside of the “no-name dollar store” makeup,)

Or think of it another way — how much would it cost you to have cosmetic eye surgery?  No, makeup isn’t quite so dramatic a change but you might be very, very surprised at what the proper makeup and techniques can do to take years off your looks!

Naturally, you can use drugstore brands; there are some good ones out there from Revlon and L’Oreal.  And don’t forget Mary Kay — they have some nice, good quality eye shadows as well. 

But here’s a suggestion; once you try some of the tips, and feel more confident with your techniques, treat yourself to something really nice like Bare Escentuals, Urban Decay eyeshadow, NARS, Sue Devitt or Smashbox.  Maybe even a M.A.C. eyeshadow or two, if your pocketbook can handle it.

Ready?  Set?  Let’s Eye Shadow!

Next up for eye shadow makeup:  Tips for making sagging outer corners of the eyes almost disappear.  It’s a trick I use to help hide those downturns.  Get ready with some coordinating eye shadow colors in neutral tones for this technique!

Under eye concealer is primarily used to hide those dark circles that seem to follow you around these days.  You know, the ones where people ask you if you feel alright, or if you had a rough night and were tired?  (Even you are otherwise bright-eyed and bushy tailed.)

Yep, they’ve come to stay, but let’s talk about ways to make these unwelcome visitors from becoming permanent residents.  And we’ll talk a little about specific products that can help.  Read on!

Where Did These Dark Circles Come From?

As you age, your skin becomes thinner, and more uneven in tone.  The skin beneath and around your eyes is especially thin and vulnerable, which is why it’s usually the first place that fines lines and wrinkles appear.  And also dark circles.

Dark circles can also be hiereditary, in which case they show up when you’re younger.

Either way, a good under eye concealer can help you beat back those circles and make your eye area appear brighter.

What Color Are Your Circles?

You may think  this is a silly questions, but grab a mirror and take a good look.  Are your circles on the blue/purple side (most common) or are they on the yellowish/green side?  The vast majority of people fall into the blue/purple range, so that’s where we’ll concentrate (but I will talk a little about the other tones.)

In a color wheel, you want to take the opposites of your color to neutralize the shadows.  Blue and purple means yellow and peachy.  Yellowish  usually goes for purple and green for the warmer beige.  So your first step is finding a concealer with the right colors.

(By the way, the yellow and peachy tones are not bright colors; they are more muted pastel.)

Make Up For Ever (see photo on right) makes pretty much the best pallet for this entire range, seeing as there are a total of 5 shades that you can mix and match.  They also have pallets with purple and one with darker tones, for women of color.

You’ll notice a green on the pallet; that is for concealing redness (like rosacea, small capillaries, acne breakouts and such).  Extremely useful, so it’s a great addition.

Applying Under Eye Concealer – Dark Circles

You might be wondering how to apply the under eye concealer to the dark circles.  Your best bet is to use a concealer brush. I know, you can use your fingers, and I do sometimes, if my circles aren’t too dark that day.  But when they are dark, a makeup concealer bush will give you the best coverage by a long shot.

The Make Up For Ever pallet is a creamy based concealer.  There are also mineral (powder-like) concealers and those that are more liquidy (come in a tube or bottle).  Everyone has preferences, so it’s a matter of finding what works best for you.

You want to pat the concealer (on the concealer brush) gently on the dark circles, concentrating on the inner half (from the middle of your pupil over to your nose) of the circle.  This is where your circle is generally darkest.

Once you’ve got the concealer in place, you want to blend it out some.  For this, your ring finger and your pinky finger do the best job, because you want to do this very gently. 

Ready?  Set!

Now you want to set your concealer with either a regular powder or a mineral “powder”.  Just lightly fluff your choice on top of the concealer to set it, to keep if from disappearing.  If it looks too powdery, take a barely-damp cosmetic sponge or even a slightly damp cotton square and gently press it over the power (picks up any excess).

Under Eye Concealers and Lines

Up til now it’s been a piece of cake, but as you may have already discovered, not all concealers are alike.  Some look good for hours; others tend to creep into the fine lines under your eye and start to look cakey (almost as bad as the circles themselves).  Argh!

Now the steps I have given you above will help most halfway-decent concealers from “creeping” for several hours.  It will keep the better ones looking good most of the day. 

I’m getting ready to do some trials of 4 different under eye concealers for dark circles; 1 drugstore brand and then 3 more that fall into the “better” class.  But who knows how they will stack up?  (You will, as soon as I finish up the trials!)

So keep watching for those reviews, as well as for more tips for applying under eye concealer to banish the dark circles! Meanwhile, you can also check out the set below that looks to be very interesting (I may have to try it after I finish my current trials).