Makeup Tips

Have you changed your makeup application recently? I’ve made a few adjustments and worn less makeup as the years pass. However, studying my face at the end of the day helped me see that the final effect was not what I intended. Instead, color gathers and travels or smudges into expression lines around the eyes and mouth.

I start with a clean face and fill in my now sparse light-colored brows with a cool grey brow pencil here. If you also have unruly brows that need some gel, this clear one is the best I’ve found. Next, I use a black eyeliner pencil found here to fill in the base of my upper lashes and the waterline on the top lid only. After smudging and blending to just the outer corners of my lashes, I add a dark eyeshadow on the top of the lashes to further blend and soften the line. The color ‘Storm’ here is a great one for this step. Blend the color up to the orbital bone and just above. Next, I blend the color ‘Cocoa’ here with it to look more subtle. Finally, I also apply the color ‘Chamois’ found here at the inner corners near the nose to brighten up that area.

I use a soft eye shadow brush to apply the color and blend carefully, but not beyond the outer corner of my eyes. I try to keep any color near the center of the lid only. As we age, the corners of our eyes and lips may turn down, so if I follow the line to the end, it makes me look sad.

You can see in the photos below that I keep the color mostly above the lash line on the top lid only. If I add any mascara or shadow on the lower lashes, it looks too harsh. If I continue the lipliner and color to the corners of my mouth, that also travels too much and emphasizes the downturned corners. Blending and blotting have become much more important as I age. I strive for stain rather than color sitting on top of the skin, and I always use a very light hand.

My lip color is Little Black Dress (now discontinued). My (always black) mascara is here. I also like the brand here.

I no longer wear foundation and rarely use blush, but I sometimes use a tinted moisturizer here to give my skin a dewy finish and to provide some SPF. Unfortunately, my face flushes easily, so blush is nearly always too much. Also, you can see from the age spots and freckles that I enjoyed being in the sun a little too much.

Foundation can give a one-dimensional look that requires more time and artistry than I am willing to apply. It also gathers into my lines and creases, making them more noticeable. I am not a fan of contouring and highlighting, so I never add those steps.

Skincare has become much more important to me as I age. I use the same routine twice daily and tweak it with the seasons. For example, I use more moisturizer and oil in winter and only a lighter daytime moisturizer in summer. All the products are defined here.

I skip color on my manicures, but I do a pedicure every week and often use Dutch Tulips here. This color is perfect for me because it falls between red and pink.

None of my items are new, so the links are to similar current items. Top – Pants – Shoes – Bag. The statement necklace is by Petra Meiren, a jewelry designer from Germany. It is from Caravans in Asheville, NC. I wore this look when I joined the gals in Bravissima! to have dinner and tour the new Martin Center in Johnson City.

After the tour, our group enjoyed a delightful dinner at Wellington’s in the Carnegie Hotel next to the Martin Center.

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