Beauty News

Anti-ageing solutions

Don't just cover it up - make small adjustments to your routine to enhance your natural glow

In the modern world, there is no age limit to being glamorous. Just look at the amazing older women photographed by Ari Seth Cohen for his Advanced Style blog, or even the stunning 82-year-old supermodel Carmen Dell’Orefice. As the legendary Elizabeth Arden once said, “Every woman has a right to be beautiful.” But as your face matures, you need to change the make-up tricks that have left you in good stead in previous decades.

GO LIGHTLY

Hands down, the biggest mistake a woman can make is choosing the wrong foundation. While it’s tempting to apply a thick, creamy one to cover flaws, you’ll get a much younger, fresher look with a thin layer of a light fluid product and then blending out any blemishes, dark circles or pigmentation with concealer. Look for foundations with a dewy finish rather than a flat, matte option. The idea is to illuminate the skin – having said that, anything with sparkles is to be avoided!

Right now I’m loving Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Hydrating Liquid Foundation $57 (1), which is almost like an ultra-light second skin.

Others worth checking out are the bestselling YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat $94 (2), Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Instant Perfecting Makeup $64 (3) to correct uneven texture, and for natural fans, there’s Inika Truly Organic Liquid Foundation $69.99 (4).

REFINE

The secret to skin that seems to be glowing with good health is an extra, invisible layer you press on over your foundation. Often I’ll use some MAC Strobe Cream $70 (5) as I have dry skin that needs the extra hydration. But Benefit has created a specially-designed skin refiner called Dr Feelgood $47 (6) that you dab on with a sponge.

This is a great middle-of-the-day make-up refresher.

The effect is subtle and it’s almost as if someone just changed the lighting to make it more flattering.

STEER CLEAR

Some make-up formulas simply don’t work for women beyond a certain point. High-shine lip glosses and very creamy lipsticks bleed into fine lines round the mouth, while shimmery eyeshadows accentuate any creases on and around the lids. The solution is to make the advisers on department counters work for you and identify effective products.

Long-lasting lipsticks such as Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede $28.50 (7) or Maybelline New York Super Stay 14hr Lipstick $23.99 (8) are a good solution as they don’t slip.

Or, try a gloss/stain such as L’Oréal Paris Shine Caresse $27.99 (9) which doesn’t budge once it has set. As we age, our lips grow paler, so you may find you need a brighter shade to bring some life to your face.

With eyshadow, you can still wear lightly pearlised powders, even a subtle shimmer, as long as you avoid going above the crease of the lid.

KNOW-HOW

HOT TIP

If you need to powder high shine areas, such as the nose, just dust on a little. Too much will make you look older.

DO Define your brows, but don’t overpluck as that will emphasise any sagging in the brow area.

DON’T Forget blusher, but reject anything frosted as it will look artificial.

DO Conceal under-eye circles, but don’t choose a shade too light as you don’t want to highlight them.

DON’T Forget to apply a little concealer on the hollow side of the nose, next to the eye socket, to open up your eyes.

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