Hello friends! Thank you for joining me on the first official post on my spanking new site: Glamwah (queue popping of Champs).
Now, strap yourselves in as I dish the dirt on my top 5 offensively aging makeup techniques. Enjoy!
1. Beige Eyeshadow
While most of us have come to the sound understanding that donning white eye-shadow is a horrific makeup faux pas, many are still using the 2nd most horribly aging shade of BEIGE. Argh!
Why is Wearing Beige Eye-Shadow Now a Criminal Offense?
Firstly, beige is beige. It is a lifeless shade. And you know very well that the last thing you need around those tired peep-holes is a LIFELESS colour. Also, like its friend, the very dated white eye-shadow, beige can be too stark against other colours you may use on the eyes. This will create high CONTRAST makeup. Contrasty makeup is what you see all over Instagram on 20-year-olds who highlight and contour their face within an inch of its life. Then they do the whole light colour with a contrasting dark outer corner on the eyes teamed with a dirty big winged eyeliner. Makeup with high contrasts on your aging face will highlight imperfections—the smaller eye that is now the size of a currant, drooping eye-lids and the crow’s feet. Leave it the influencers to experiment with beige eye-shadow. You’ve moved on.
But What About Using Beige as a Base Colour?
If you are using beige coloured eye-shadow as a wash on the lid to then apply other colours—tools down! You are only shooting yourself in the foot. Beige eye-shadow will weaken the intensity of whatever colour you layer over it—and your whole eye look is sure to become a lifeless mélange of half colours. And you don’t want to do things by halves.
Instead, base your eye with the smallest amount of foundation or eye primer (this will give your lid some stick) and then add your eye-shadow. You’ll thank me later.
And remember—wash your brushes regularly! Dirty brushes equal a muddy result.
2. Matte Foundation that is Too Pale
When your foundation is wrong, you’re wrong. If it’s the wrong shade and texture, everything else goes to pot. This is especially true when you are over 40, and you’ve opted for a shade that is paler than your skin. Couple this faux pas with an unflattering matte texture and hello, you’ve just aged yourself 5 years.
Choosing the right foundation is trial and error. Even being a makeup artist—I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve bought the wrong shade. But the truth is, as a makeup-artist, we rarely use just one colour of foundie. It’s standard practice to custom blend two shades, to get the perfect colour. So, if you are wearing a colour that drains your life-force, just keep it aside and mix with your inevitable future purchase of one that is too dark. This is the endless joy of foundation shopping.
Tip: Choose a colour that is a little warmer than your face, and that matches your décolletage. Keep in mind that if you tan in summer, your foundation shade needs to go up a shade or two to avoid the makeup crime of mismatched head to body.
Why is Matte Bad? I Don’t Want to be Shiney?
There is a big difference between shiny and the carefree glow of youth (sigh). As your skin is now moving into the Dry and Dull phase, it needs all hands on deck to look alive. Matte or powdered foundations look good on oily complexions (actual youthful faces). And as matte textures don’t add lustre to the skin, they are generally not suitable for the aging visage. But the good news is, there are so many beautiful luminous foundations out there with some delishy ingredients to make your skin look better than it deserves.
My fave foundations of the mo: Tarte sold at Sephora has an incredibly vast colour range so you should be able to get your colour in one hit. Plus, some beautiful formulas that add glow and coverage. Perf!
Clinique Even Better Refresh: I love this range and have used it in my kit for a while. However, I generally mix 2 colours to get the right colour. You could be lucky, though. It does give the skin a gorgeous sheen and coverage.
3. Lighter Concealer Up to Lash–line
This is A.G.I.N.G 101, and it’s a crime that I see all the time.
As we age, another beautiful development is the massive baggage department that forms under the peep-holes. Raising children, working full time, looking after sick parents, paying off a mortgage—it’s all there in swooping cavernous dark circles under the eyes. Naturally, one would assume that piling lighter concealer in this canyon of fatigue will throw them off the scent. WRONG! What this does is create a garish grey disaster that tells the world: I’m FINE.
When it comes to the trickery of making up the aging face, we need to go back to the colour wheel. Choosing peachy shades (orange undertones) will counteract the tones of blue in the under-eye baggage department.
Caution
Tread carefully with the placement of concealer. Always use a day eye-cream pre-makeup to soften those fine lines. Then, apply a smidgen of concealer or foundie just in the crevice of darkness; NOT TO LASHLINE. As you’ve probably experienced, this part of your face is aging faster than the speed of light. It needs makeup, but then makeup sits in the creases (the irony). So choosing a concealer that is a liquid, peachy in undertones and applying just to the darkest crevice is the only way to go. Good luck.
What I’m Using in my Kit: Makeup Forever has a fantastic water-based liquid very light and doesn’t grab every fine line. The colours look deceivingly light in their package.
Tarte Shape Tape is quite a dense concealer. Only a smidgen is needed. Could also be suitable as a clutch touch-up tool, and a very handy prod for those times of high coverage.
4. A Grape Hued Lip Colour
I know, it’s been your favourite colour, like forever but there lies the problem. Sorry, I love a grape as much as anyone. Especially if it’s been pressed and aged into a bottle of wine, but as lipstick colour? No. AGING.
But It’s My Colour
The best way to illustrate this is to remember when you’ve seen someone who has drunk too much red. Obviously, this has never been you. Try very hard, using all your mental powers to recall when someone else drank too much red wine, and they sported the dreaded Shiraz stained mouth with the dark purplish hue. Did it look good? Or did that person (again, not you of course, but the OTHER person you’re thinking of) look kind of like a washed-up booze-hound? Well, that’s what your favourite grape hued lipstick looks like. It is too cold of a shade to give your face the lift it needs and can make your lips appear thinner than they are. And trust me, aging will do all that for you unassisted.
So, to fight the good fight, choose the brighter warmer shades of pink, rose and peaches to looking fresh, youthful and healthy. And by all means, treat yourself to a statement red on occasion. But no to the grape.
5. Misplaced Bright Pink Blush
Blush is a total game-changer in looking younger and more vibrant. I totally live for blush. However, if you go too bright, too pink and slap it on in the wrong place, like your Shiraz-stained mouth friend—you will look a little bit tragic. This, unfortunately, is the downside of blush. Like many great things, it’s a two-edged sword.
So again, colour choice and texture is imperative. Personally, I go weak at the knees for a peachy cream blush. It can do no wrong. Throw a little golden-toned bronzer as a loose contour (no taupe stripes) under the cheekbones, smile like your delirious and then press the peachy goodness into those cheek cushions (what’s left of them). And voila – you look vibrant and healthy.
But I Love Pink Blush
If you are a fan of pink powdered blush, there is nothing wrong with that. Of course, I think you should move on, but there is an option where you can have your pink cake and eat it too. Try pink blush that has a sheen through it, to give those little cushions a glow. Or better still a formula that throws some gold (delsh) like the classic Nars Orgasm. This will give you a more modern look.
Where Do I Put Blush?
I’m so glad you asked. So the real crime here is when the aforementioned powdered bright pink blush is placed in stripes under or on cheekbones. The horror!
The best way to apply blush: Team it with a light application of bronzer as a contour under the cheekbone with an angled brush. And then with a blush brush (fingers if it’s a cream) apply blush onto the apples of your cheeks when smiling ghoulishly to yourself in the mirror. If you look clown-Esque, your shade of blush is too dark for your complexion. Think mid-tones. You’ll know when it’s right when you look suspiciously good.
Melli Cosmetics Sweet Cheeks Blush is my total go-to. Looks good on practically everyone, and I can’t live without it.
Nars Cosmetics Orgasm blush is an oldie but goodie.
There you have it, friends, some makeup tips to help you be a more spiffy version of yourself.
For more on this topic, and to hear the dulcet tones of myself and podcast life partner @bynormie, please tune into https://soundcloud.com/normie-rosales/3-makeup-mistakess-that-are-aging-you-111220-1053-am.
Mwaah.x