Looking Great at Every Age: The Pros Share Their Top Tips
Being age-appropriate with your make-up doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun with it. Credit: …love Maegan, Flickr
MAKE-UP
Because you can’t cover it all up with fabulous clothes.
The Expert
Carlo Longo, freelance make-up artist and and product development manager at Vincent Longo (and yes, they’re related — Vincent is his uncle and got him into the business at just 17 years old). Longo is based in New York, but has traveled the globe as a make-up artist working for clients like Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Self and V Magazine, just to name a few.
In Your Teens and 20s
Use light, gel-like textures whenever possible. Your skin needs to breathe as it’s going through many changes. Opt for tinted moisturizers over full foundations, gel blush over powder and a gel stain lipstick over full, matte coverage.
And take care of yourself! Remember, glowing skin, lips and eyes are youthful.
In Your 30s
Achieve a more grown-up look by shedding the glitter or sparkly elements of your 20s.
Try, maybe, adding a matte red lip for a specific occasion, but make it special, not a regular thing. Create a more manicured and defined eyebrow, and stick to matte eye shadows for the work environment.
Experiment with false eyelashes when going out — you can still have fun, but grow with your make-up application.
In Your 40s
Here’s where you want to start using less make-up; we want to look more and more youthful throughout the next decade. Still keep a strong focus on a well-maintained brow. Nothing says young like a full, groomed brow! Think Brooke Shields here.
A full lash line is also sexy, grown and effortlessly chic. Curl your eyelashes and give it two coats of mascara. Leave the rest to a minimum. And remember, lashes over glittery shadows!
You might consider firming and plumping products for skin care, and at this point, regular facials are important.
In Your 50s
Here’s a surprise for you: the less make-up you use in your 50s, the better. Why? Makeup sits on the skin and pores and reveals fine lines and imperfections that wouldn’t normally be visible otherwise.
In this decade it is more vital and rewarding to focus on skincare to achieve a radiant look, so choose creams that even out complexion, help regenerate collagen and plump the skin. (I like collagen serums from Biologique Recherche, for example.)
In Your 60s+
If you’ve lived in a wholesome manner and took care of your skin the right way, you probably look 45 and at this point it’s just routine living well. But, the tips from the previous decade still apply. Remember — less is more.
All Ages
Whatever your age, a healthy glow is the best way to begin. True beauty starts from within — it sounds so cliche but, oh my, is it true! Positive thoughts change our bodies; we are not only what we eat but also what we feed our mind. Focus on the positive rather than the negative, and remember, flaws make us unique — let’s focus on what’s great and enhance it!
As far as products go, do not indulge in too much powder/bronzer/shadow or blush. Powder dries your skin’s surface, which ages you. Blotting tissues can sometimes work better than powder.