“Your wrinkles reflect the roads you have taken; they form the map of your life. My face reflects the wind and sun and rain and dust from the trips I’ve taken. My face carries all my memories. Why should I erase them?” penned fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg in her
Whether those fine lines and growing-older signs are something you’re embracing or not, you may have noticed that the change in your skin’s character as the years go by has meant you’ve needed to tweak your makeup to suit.
Though we may be seeing more advertising and marketing directed at people with “mature skin”, brands don’t tend to make products specifically with this age group in mind, unlike Generation Z.
Because of this, you may be struggling to figure out how to evolve your makeup to accommodate changes in your skin’s appearance and texture. We sat down with Revlon’s national education manager and makeup artist Nica Marcello to get some expert advice on how to put your best face forward in your 40s and beyond.
Prep your skin
We’re often rushing to get our faces on in the morning, but slowing down and taking a beat between skincare steps is essential to ensuring you not only get the benefits promised by your lotions and serums but that your foundation sits cleanly on the skin, too.
“When products are not fully absorbed, they can mix with the foundation, affecting its texture and potentially diluting the effectiveness of the skincare ingredients. It can also provide a smooth base, which will avoid patchiness and streaks with your foundation,” explains Nica. She recommends waiting around five minutes between each step (serum, moisturiser, SPF), allowing them to settle on the skin.
For a simple prep routine, Nica recommends applying moisturiser and a hydrating primer to skin to blur lines and create a smooth canvas for your makeup application.
Choose skincare-infused foundation
For skin with fine lines, avoid heavy, matte formulas that can settle into creases and emphasise your texture, and instead opt for a foundation with a natural or dewy finish.
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Advertise with NZME.Revlon’s new Illuminance Skin-Caring Foundation has moisturising benefits through the inclusion of hyaluronic acid, plant-derived squalane and glycerin, and its medium coverage helps to blur imperfections without caking into lines and wrinkles.
Always choose a foundation that matches your skin tone; if you have to blend your foundation down towards your neck, it’s not the right shade. You’re best to find your perfect shade, then add colour with your blush, bronzer and highlighting products instead.
Opt for soft natural brows
Enhancing your natural eyebrows is the quickest way to lift your makeup look, but it’s important to avoid creating harsh lines or overly dramatic shapes — softness is key. “Use a light hand when filling in your brows,” suggests Nica. “Using a powder-based product will also help to make them appear softer.”
Choose a shade of pencil or powder that’s either the same shade as your brow hairs or slightly lighter, to keep them looking as natural as possible. Fill in any gaps with a fine-tipped pencil and create a more awake appearance by brushing brow hairs upwards, either with a clean spoolie or a clear or tinted brow gel, which should set them in place for the day.
Go easy on the highlighter and blush
The goal with highlighter is to illuminate, rather than add shimmer. Cream-based highlighters are great if you have dry skin or fine lines as they are more hydrating than powders.
“Strategically place the product on the top of your cheekbones, brow bone and Cupid’s bow to add dimension on the high points of your face,” says Nica.
When it comes to blush, look for shades that suit your complexion and provide a similar level of colour to that of your naturally flushed skin.
“Sweep a small amount of blush along the cheekbones, starting from the outer corner of the apples and blending upward toward the temples,” suggests Nica. “This technique can help contour and define your cheekbones, giving your face a more sculpted and youthful look.”
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Advertise with NZME.Keep your lips hydrated
Lips are one of the first areas of the face that can develop fine lines and signs of ageing, and the richness of your natural lip colour may begin to diminish with age, too.
Dark and matte lipsticks can make lips appear smaller and drier, so add colour and moisture back with glossy balms that have soft pigments instead, such as Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine or Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, which has a chameleon-like effect, enhancing all natural lip tones.
“Remember, makeup is about enhancing your features and expressing your personal style,” says Nica. “These tips can easily be adjusted based on your preferences, skin type and desired look,” she adds, so have fun experimenting and find a look that makes you feel like you.
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Revlon Illuminance Skin-Caring Foundation, $48.
