14 DAY TRIAL // It’s a well-known fact that one of the many uses of makeup is to help hide imperfections that come with age and Sun exposure, aside from placing more emphasis on the strong suits. However, past a certain age, more makeup can actually mean more years added to the face, which is why stylists tell Allure magazine that women must learn which are the “traps” they should avoid when applying cosmetic products to the face.
For starters, there is no bigger blunder than believing that caked-up foundation can hide all age signs, to the point of 50something women being mistaken for 20-year-olds, the mag says. Once of a certain age, stylists explain, showing more skin on the face could actually be better than trying to cover it in its entirety with layers upon layers of foundation, which is why we should only cover the wrinkles carefully.
“Heavy makeup is a one-way ticket to looking older than you actually are.” makeup artist Chrisanne Davis says. Sandy Linter agrees: “The more skin you can see, the better. As long as it is well-hydrated, fresh skin looks much more youthful than an obviously covered complexion.” Another thing about foundation that we should bear in mind at all times is that we should avoid choosing a shade that is lighter than our skin tone, since that would only make all imperfections stand out, instead of the other way around.
Applying too much concealer on dark circles will have the same effect, stylists say. “The skin under the eyes gets thinner as we age, making thick cover-up look like concrete. Keep it light and apply it with a brush. […] And put it only on dark areas, not under the entire eye.” Allure writes. This way, we’ll be able to cover the dark circles without drawing attention to them – or to our inability to keep it discrete.
Speaking of drawing unwanted attention, this is precisely what we’ll do if we apply blush to the apple of the cheekbones, stylists assure us, preferably in “drama queen colors.” Instead, we should “apply color on the highest point on your cheekbones, not too close to the nose, and lift it upward with a brush that’s large enough to cover the whole cheekbone,” Allure recommends, saying that delicate shades of neutral rose will not make the skin look saggy or old ahead of its time.
When it comes to eye makeup, applying mascara or eyeliner to the lower lashes can have quite the opposite effect of what we were hoping for, stylists say, even if there was a time when we could not think of doing things differently. Makeup on the lower lid draws attention to the dark circles and crow’s feet, while also making the eyes look smaller and tired, which is the last thing we’d want. Instead, we should focus all our attention to the upper lid, use black mascara, a good lash curler and as much eyeliner as we want to make the eyes look brighter, wider and younger.
For more tips on what not to do with makeup, please see here.