By: aspooniesmakeupbag
Beauty, Beauty Help, Makeup, Makeup Help, Uncategorized, , , , ,

Makeup for Mature Beauties Face of the Day Series. Episode 1 the Introduction

Hey doll hey! How’s your day/night going? Great I hope. I’m not doing so good right now. I had to stop taking my Fibro and RA meds for a week because I had a biopsy done so this sent my body into a full on fibro flair. This is the reason I haven’t been active on my blog in about 2 weeks or so.

Makeup for Mature Beauties Series

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

The inspiration for this new series is all thanks to my Instagram friend and fellow Fibro Warrior called Annette. She reached out to me on Instagram and mentioned that she was hoping to get some makeup ideas from me but said that she is 64 and so she felt that she needed to be sensible. To which I replied Makeup is timeless and all inclusive and can be experimented with at any age. 💜 You never have to be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and explore the beauty world! But I also didn’t want her to feel like she couldn’t do a great job without going too glam or bold… so I told her I would do a Makeup for Mature Beauties series just for her and asked if I could use her name to give her credit for the series and she said yes and that she was excited to know that I would be willing to do this for her. And so… this new series is born…

Over the nest 6 days I will be doing a neutral, bold, glam, a colorful look, a pop of color look and a low maintance makeup look for our more mature beauty dolls out there…. I’m very excited to be able to do this for her and for anyone who is 50+ who always wanted to do makeup but feels like they can’t just because of their age…. Remember dolls… in the words of the amazing Patrick Starr… “Makeup is a 1 sized fits all”.

Today I am not wearing any perfume because the pain I’m in is causing some pretty wicked nausea. Just the smell of my bar soap made me throw up so I didn’t want to risk it with a perfume too.

Well… on to today’s post and just a warning this is going to be a long read as I have broken down the makeup application process step by step to help anyone who is new to makeup or needs a little extra help…..

*For this initial post I would like to do a makeup 101 style post to help those who are newer to makeup or just do not have enough experience or would like a refresher.*

It’s important for me to tell you, assuming you are one of the worlds more mature beauties and have found this post because you are looking for a bit of help and inspiration, that your age does not define BEAUTY. I know that it can be hard to feel included in the beauty world once you hit middle age. I’m here to try and help you shake that feeling away from you. I’m 47 years old and refuse to be corralled into a basic nude cookie cutter “age appropriate” look and for good reason!

I whole heartedly believe that beauty is in the execution of a look not in the age of the subject!

Let me say that again so that you truly hear me…. Beauty is in the execution of a look and not the age of the subject! What I mean by this is just because we have hit our middle or later years of life doesn’t mean we have to put away fun funky colors or stop winging out our liner or stop wearing that fun pop of color on our lips and eyes. There is no expiration on style and beauty! One more time… THERE IS NO EXPIRATION ON STYLE AND BEAUTY! As a beauty blogger it can feel a bit over whelming when you get past your 30’s and find that beauty brands and companies pass you over because of your demographic or because you are just not the age bracket they are trying to market to… and for a little while I gave up on my dream to have this blog because I thought “Who the hell would want to take makeup tips and advise from an almost up the hill, over weight Latina?” I thought “Who in their right mind is ever going to like the looks I come up with when there are so many girls and guys in their 20’s that are slaying the beauty world?” One day I woke up and saw this amazing campaign done by Cover Girl with the most amazingly breath takingly beautiful mature beauty by the name of Maye Musk and I thought… “Right… it’s time to get back to the computer and share my passion for beauty with the world”.

Before I start actually doing my Face of the Days let’s take a look at 7 AMAZING seasoned beauties that are breaking that “age appropriate makeup barrier”….

Carmen Dell’Orefice

Ms. Dell’Orefice is 89 years old and is a fashion icon, and has modeled for Sephora, Thierry Mugler and H&M. She is just such a stunning example that just because your aren’t in your 20s anymore doesn’t mean beauty goals have to change.

D 33843-04 Daphne Selfe. Obligatory Credit – CAMERA PRESS/John Swannell. SPECIAL PRICE APPLIES – CONSULT CAMERA PRESS OR ITS LOCAL AGENT. There are hints and whispers of a brave new phenomenon in the modelling industry…the Older women. Women in their forties, fifties and even seventies! Leading the pack is DAPHNE SELFE, photographed here in 2004, who has fronted campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana and Nivea TV commercial. Selfe started modelling when she was 20, after being discovered working in London’s John Lewis. Now in her early seventies, she has never been more in demand. 2004

Ms. Daphne Selfe is a 92 year old British phenom who has modeled for Dolce and Gabbana. She has an amazing blog and site where she helps encourage other older beauties to bust through that invisible glass ceiling of beauty standards.

Iman

Ahhh… the always stunning Iman is a 65 year old Somali model who has strutted her beauty for the likes of high fashion designers such as Gianni Versace, Halston, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and Yves Saint Laurent. Not to mention have an AMAZING makeup line called Iman Cosmetics. (I have used products from her line in the past and full intend to purchase a full face of products in the new year to show case her amazing talent).

Lauren Hutton

Ms. Lauren Hutton is a 76 year old American model and actress. She was the face of Revlon the year I was born and I have always looked up to her because not only is she stunning but, like me, she has a gap in her front teeth. I never minded when people picked on my for the gap in my teeth because Ms. Hutton was my roll model… if the beauty industry chose her and she has a gap in her teeth than my gap can’t be ugly or something to poke fun at! Even into her 70’s Ms. Hutton is still modeling for big names such as Alexander Wang, Lord & Taylor, and H&M.

Maye Musk

Ms. Maye Musk is a 72 year old Canadian-South African model who has modeled from Virgin America and Target. She is the reason I started using Cover Girl makeup again. They took her on as a model when she was in her 60’s and she continues to shatter the stereotypes that the beauty community can tend to label older women with. Her campaign with Cover Girl literally launched me head first back into the world of beauty blogging. Her timeless beauty gave me the strength and the determination to let my light shine… well, it’s shinning brightly and I do not intend to ever let anyone make me feel less than ever again.

Pia Gronning

Ms. Pia Gronning is a 71 year old Danish model who has an amazing champagne with J Crew. She was also in the sequel to China Town titled The 2 Jakes where she played the character Dr. Elsa Branchauer. She is another beauty that has such breath taking photo shots with J Crew, so much so that I first started wearing J Crew because of the champagnes that I saw with her in them, granted I don’t have many items… well, they are a bit on the spendy side and I prefer to waste my beauty budget on makeup and not clothes (LOL)

Ok dolls… enough about my idols… grab your makeup and skin care and let’s jump into the fun stuff shall we?

*Please note that any products I recommend or link to are just my personally tested products that I have found give me great results and that I am in no way affiliated with nor sponsored by said brands and companies*

The way we as mature beauties prep our skin is super important! Just like when we paint a house, the deference between an amazing paint job and a not so nice one is the steps we take to prep the walls for greatness.

THE MAKEUP PREP (in order of which I apply them):

I’ll be giving you suggestions and doing this part in the order you should be applying your skin care products.

I have to admit that my skin prep routine is well… let’s say a bit boujee. In my defense I absolutely love the self care of it all, taking time out of my day and night to just sit and care for my skin. Now, just because you want to give your face it’s best foot forward doesn’t mean you have to have a skin care routine with as many steps as I have (don’t worry an updated skin care routine is coming down the pipeline soon) nor does it mean you have to break the bank to see results!

My advise for all beauties (young and older alike) is to at least have a god sunscreen for the face, a good cleansing step, a minimum of 3 face serums, 1 eye serum, a nice essence or tonner, a good eye cream and face moisturizer.

Step 2: Washing Your Face

For aging skin I recommend something that doesn’t strip the skin you also want to avoid jelly and milky face washes… I have found that neither really work well for maturing skin… and I have also found that jelly cleansers just don’t seem to get the face clean enough for my liking. I do sometimes use a cleansing balm at night (on nights when I can’t be bothered to wash my Face Halo to take off my makeup… I will use the Good Molecules Instant Cleansing Balm to remove my makeup and then I will go in and wash my face… it’s important to note that every night I do a double cleanse routine, the first step is to remove my makeup and the second step is to cleanse and remove any residual makeup the first step might have missed).

The face wash I’ve been using for around 6 months now is my holly grail favorite at the moment it’s called HoliFrog Superior Omega Nutritive Gel Wash ($36 on the Beautylish website for 5 fluid ounces) and you only need 1 little pump and it lasts about 2 to 2/12 months of washing 2 times a day with it. I also will alternate with the HoliFrog Shasta AHA Refining Acid Wash (also $36 on the Beautylish website for 5 fluid ounces) every other month or so because it’s designed to tackle adult acne, clogged pores, rough texture, and overall dullness without stripping your skin of moisture. (TIP: a great affordable alternative to these 2 cleansers is La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser ($14.99 at Ulta for 13.5 fluid ounces). This one is a great option that I do occasionally purchase when I don’t want to have to wait for Beautylish to ship my favorites to me.

For all of the products I’m about to discuse * give your skin about a minute or 2 in between each product to allow each product to sink into the skin*.

STEP 3: Face Toner/Essence

Face toner is a very important step in the skin care routine. It helps get rid of any last traces of dirt or impurities that may have remained after you’ve cleansed your skin. It also helps improve the look of your pores as well as help tighten the skin. It also is a great way to get your skin ready for your serums.

The face toner I use is the Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner ($14 on the Beautylish website for 4 fluid ounces). Niacinamide helps reduce inflammation so it’s great for any acne, it reduced redness in the skin, and with daily use will in fact help reduce pores. I like this one because it really does brighten the skin as well as even out the skin and tighten the pores. I also use a Niacinamide serum (more on that later) to really maximize the benefits of using Niacinamide. I just take about 5 or so shakes of this toner into the palm of my hand (instead of soaking a cotton pad which wastes product since it seeps into the cotton pad) and I pat it over my face and neck. I use this in the morning and at night.

STEP 4: Face and Eye Serums


Photo by Shiny Diamond on Pexels.com

There are literally hundreds and thousands of face serums on the market. Choosing the right ones can be a little daunting. My advise is to choose a good hydrating serum, one for fine lines and wrinkles and a texturizing serum. Once you have that taken care of you can incorporate other serums to address other skin concerns but to start with hydrating and retexturizing your skin will help you have a more flawless looking outcome with your makeup. Currently I use 6 face serums and 2 eye serums and while this may seem like overkill it makes me happy and I think I have chosen the best 6 face and 2 eye serums that work for me to give me the best skin possible at 47.

For hydration I use a good Hyaluronic Acid serum (hyaluronic acid helps protect the lipid barrier, helps the skin retain hydration, and tightens the overall complexion). The one I use is Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum ($6 on the Beautylish website for 1 fluid ounce). I’ve used this serum for the better part of a year now and I’ve got to say my skin has never been so hydrated and so supple as when I switched to using this brand’s serum. I use 1 drop in the morning and 2 drops at night… don’t forget to rub some over your neck. It’s important to note that Hyaluronic Acid does better if you start with a damp face… it helps the skin absorb moister better when the skin is damp.

For retexturizing I use a good Niacinamide serum (niacinamide helps reduce inflammation so it’s great for any acne, it reduced redness in the skin, and with daily use will in fact help reduce pores). The one I use is Good Molecules Niacinamide Serum ($6 on the Beautylish website for 1 fluid ounce). Again, I’ve used this serum for the better part of a year now and I have noticed that the roughness I had over my forehead and chin areas have all but disappeared, my pores (while you will never get rid of your pores, sadly there are here forever) look less congested and less pronounced using this serum, and my skin tone is even now… less age spots, and discolorations associated with aging. I use 1 drop in the morning and 1 drop at night… don’t forget the neck.

For fine lines and wrinkles I use a good Peptide Serum (peptides repair and rebuild damaged, and promotes the skin to produce collagen cells). The one I use is Good Molecules Super Peptide Serum ($12 on the Beautylish website for 1 fluid ounce). I’ve been using this one for the better part of a year as well and I have to say while it didn’t completely get rid of my fine lines (nothing truly ever will… let’s face it lines are part of your DNA and can never truly be reversed) this serum has made my fine line look less pronounced and has also completely reverse my creepy under eyes…. my undereyes are smooth and nourished. I use 1 drop in the morning and 2 drops at night… again, don’t forget that neck.

Incidentally I use all 3 of these serums on my undereyes as well… so I just message all the serums into my full face making sure to get it on my undereyes and lids… I mean I already have it on my hands why not use the excess for my undereye right? Also you can find the 3 serums I recommended on the Good Molecules website too, I just use Beautylish because they offer a 4 payment installment plan that I like to take advantage of.

For eye serums I would recommend one with collagen (collagen moisturize the skin and helps stimulate production of the structural proteins that give the skin elasticity) in it. The eye serum I’ve been using for 6 months now is Lanocreme Collagen Firming Eye Serum (made in New Zealand) ($15.97 on Amazon for 1 fluid once). I have been using this serum for right around 5 1/2 months now. I use 1 pump in the morning and at night. This amount allows me to get both eyelids and undereyes as well as there being enough to pop a little on my lips and the fine lines of my forehead. I have noticed that my fine undereye lines are less pronounced and the lines of my lips are all but gone now. You can also purchase this eye serum on the Lanocreme website.

STEP 5: Eye Cream

For years I didn’t believe in eye cream… I would just use my face cream. But I noticed that my undereyes were always a bit sensitive. I read an article about why it’s important to use a cream specifically for undereyes rather than using face cream which talked about how eye creams are specifically formulated for the delicate undereye area. So I promptly switched to adding an eye cream to my routine.

The eye cream I use is No. 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Eye Cream ($21.20 on Amazon for .5 ounces). I’ve used this eye cream for the better part of 4 years now. It’s the only eye cream I will ever use. It has done wonders for my dry lids… I haven’t had dry lids in years because of this eye cream. It’s also done wonders for my fine lines and wrinkles too. Eye cream is a great way to get a smooth canvas for your eyes before eyeshadow. *I learned a really great trick from makeup artist Robert Welsh… he says to use a bit of eye cream on really dry areas of the face because eye cream is more rich in moister than face cream…. so I use it around the tip of my nose and on the sides of my lips since these are the two areas of the face that are the driest for me.* I use just a tiny dot of product for both eyes and I use this both day and night. You can also find this product at Ulta, Target, Walmart, and Walgreens Pharmacy.

STEP 6: Face Cream.

I use a day cream and a night cream the reason is simple. A day cream is formulated to hydrate the skin to help it be smoother for better makeup application while a night cream is formulated to give your skin a nourishing rejuvenation. Night creams tend to be thicker and if you use it in the day time you will notice that your skin will feel greasier and they tend to have more anti-aging ingredients in them. Can you get away with using only 1 cream for day and night? Yes… if you are using a day cream at night… but you wont have the added anti-aging benefits of a night cream. For day time I use the No. 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day Cream ($27.49 on Amazon for 1.69 ounces) and for night time I use No.7 Protect & Perfect Intense Night Cream ($22 on Amazon for 1.69 ounces). You can find these face creams at Ulta, Target, Walmart, and Walgreens Pharmacy as well. I use about a quarter sized amount for my face and neck.

STEP1 : Sunscreen

The trick to making sure you have enough sunscreen applied to your face is very simple. Pour your sunscreen down 4 of your fingers of 1 of your hands…. that’s the amount of sunscreen you need to get optimal coverage for your full face, neck, and ears.

It is very important to use sunscreen… both face and body to help ward off not only the aging that the sun puts our skin through but also to ward off skin cancer. I use La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50 Mineral Ultra-Light Sunscreen Fluid SPF 50 ($36.99 at Ulta for 1.7 fluid ounces). What I like most about this facial sunscreen is that it’s not greasy, doesn’t break up my makeup, and believe it or not the bottle lasts me a good 2 1/2 months of daily use. *Make sure to get the backs of your ears and neck*

Now that we have properly prepped our faces let’s talk makeup!

For a great age friendly makeup you will need:

  • A moisturizing primer
  • A pore filling primer
  • A liquid highlighter
  • A cream bronzer
  • A cream blush
  • A hydrating foundation
  • A cream color corrector
  • A hydrating concealer
  • A light-weight undereye powder
  • A translucent loose setting powder
  • A dewy makeup setting spray
  • A nice lip balm
  • A good brow pencil (or a pomade if you happen to have very sparse brows)
  • A good touch up powder
  • A set of makeup brushes * I recommend a beauty sponge, flat top foundation brush, large fluffy powder brush, duo fiber blush brush, dense bronzer brush, a fluffy crease brush to use with cream highlighter, a large crease brush, a smaller denser crease brush, a flat detailer brush, and 2 pencil brushes.

* Extra makeup items would include: a brow gel, cream/liquid contour (if you would like to contour… it’s not a necessity but I love to contour my forehead, cheek bones, and nose), an eyeshadow palette, a powder highlighter, mascara, eyeliner, lipliner, and a lipstick.

Yes this seems like a lot of stuff and it seems to be heavy on the cream side but just hear me out. As we age or skin gets a bit drier so cream products help keep what hydration we have in place and help to add some brightness to our dulling skin. Cream and liquid products give a more youthful glow tot he skin so I always recommend cream products to all my dolls in my age range and higher. I also fully believe that one needs a pore primer for the best possible flawless look to one’s makeup.

So let’s drive in to my recommendations and how to use these products…. (Also I apply my eyeshadow and brow products first and then work on my base and cheeks and lips)

THE BASE PRODUCTS (in order of which I apply them):

STEP 1: Primers Primer is used as a base for your foundation to adhere to, it gives your foundation longevity and smooths out the skin for a perfect base
  1. The Moisturizing Primer:

I tend to use 2 face primers… a moisturizing primer and a glowy primer because I like to add as much dewiness to my skin as possible, however if you have greasy skin a glowy primer just wont be your friend. A few good moisturizing primers are:

I use all 5 of these primers and they are all really good. The 2 that I love the most are the Believe Beauty one and the Fenty Beauty one, but I use all 5 interchangeably because they are all pretty good.

I use about 3 to 4 pumps to properly coat my face and front of my neck. I then wait 5 full minutes before I move to the next step.

2. The Pore Primer:

A pore primer does just what is sounds like it does.. it fills in the pores of the face creating a flawless canvas for one’s makeup. There are only really 2 pore primers that I recommend they are:

I love them both very much. They both work well although the Tarte one works just a bit better than the E.L.F one does. I use a pea sized amount which I rub between my fingers to emulsify the product and then I press it into the areas where I have the largest pores. I then wait about 2 to 2/12 minutes before applying my other face products.

Step 2: Cream Contouring

3. The Cream Contour:

Some people cream contour after they apply their foundation however I use the underpainting technique where you apply contour and or highlighter before you apply your foundation. I find this gives the most natural and less harsh of a look to your contoured features.

There are many items you can use to contour…

  • There are creams and powders that are specifically designed for contour
  • You can use a concealer 2 to 3 shades darker than your actual skin color
  • You could use a foundation 3 shades deeper than your actual skin color
  • You could use a cool toned deeper than your skin tone powder foundation or face powder
  • You could use a cool toned taupe eyeshadow or blush

My favorite way to contour is to use creams it blends in beautifully with the foundation and you never run the risk that your contour would be patchy or disrupt your base. It also tends to be less ashy than when you are working with powders which tend to get a bit murky. Also, on more mature skin the less powder products you use the better.

Some of my favorite cream contour products in order with which I prefer them are:

The only powder contours I would recommend are:

Since I do my cream contour before my foundation I use a large flat shader brush to apply the contour along my hair line over my forehead, in the hollows of my cheeks, along the bridge of my nose, at the cupid’s bow of my upper lip, at the fullest part of my lower lip, and just a touch on my jaw line. I then use a large fluffy shader brush to blend all the contour in and then I move on to my foundation.

Step 3: Foundation

4. The Foundation:

Foundation comes in many forms… creams, liquids, and powders. It also comes in many finishes… dewy, satin, matte, and demi matte. Lastly it also comes in several coverages… light, medium, and full coverage. Of course there is also BB (or beauty balms are designed to serve as a foundation, moisturizer, and sunscreen all), CC (or color correcting creams are designed to reduce the appearance of skin redness or sallowness or to improve uneven skin tone), and tinted moisturizers to contend with.

So which is the best fit for you? Well… it all depends on what your preference is, save a few caveats. If you have oily skin I would steer clear of dewy or satin foundations as well as BB creams and tinted moisturizers because they tend to break down when your natural oils rise to the surface. Like wise if you have dry skin I would steer clear of matte and demi matte foundations because those will emphasize the drier textures of your skin. For the most part using these caveats as a rule of thumb the only thing you need to determine is what level of coverage you want and what you need to cover.. if you have acne scaring or age spots you might want a high coverage foundation so light coverage and BB and tinted moisturizers wont work well for you. CC creams would be your best bet for lighter coverage days if you have acne or age spots as most CC creams do correct hyper pigmentation.

My favorite foundations (bare in mind I own an extensive collection) in no particular order are:

From Discount Stores:

From Ulta:

From Sephora:

I realize I gave you 18 foundations as my favorites but that isn’t even 1/3 of my full foundation collection.

I use about 2 to 4 pumps of foundation depending on which one I am using and I smear it over the areas of my face and neck where I don’t have the cream contour (avoiding the eye area) and then I pat and buff the foundation in with a flat top foundation brush taking careful measures to not smudge the contour by patting the brush over the contour lightly enough to not disturb the contour but heavy enough to deposit a light layer of the foundation over it. Once my foundation is tapped and buffed in I spray my face with setting spray and then I use my beauty sponge to tap the face and neck to melt the creams into my face and make sure everything is even and smooth. This also helps the foundation last longer.

Step 4: Cream Bronzer

5. The Cream Bronzer:

Over the years I have grown to love cream and liquid bronzers so much! They leave the most natural look to the face without going murky or patchy.

You can also use a deeper stick foundation as a bronzer.

The trick to a good cream/liquid bronzer application is the brush. I love a dense bronzer brush for cream bronzers and a small blush brush for liquid bronzers.

My favorite cream and liquid bronzers in order of how much I like them are:

For all the bronzers except for the bareMinerals I use my favorite bronzer brush the Tarte SEA Breezy Blender Cream Bronzer Brush ($29 at Sephora) and for the bareMinerals brush I use this Sephora VIB Rouge compact blush brush that I received as Rouge Gift 4 years ago (it’s a small fluffy brush with a medium dense bristle arrangement).

I pat the bronzer over the temples of the forehead, bridge of my nose and cheek bones (and sometimes my chin) wait 30 seconds and then I buff the bronzer in.

Step 5: Cream Highlighter

6. Cream Highlighter:

Cream highlighter has got to be my all time favorite step. I love a good ethereal glow to the skin.

I like to take an extra step to my highlight by touching it up after I’ve applied loose setting powder however for mature beauties with drier skin or uneven texture I recommend skipping powder highlight and just adding a touch more cream highlighter to the highest points of the face (above the brows, chin, and above the cheek bones… basically anywhere light naturally hits your face)after you’ve powdered your face.

To apply my cream highlighters I like to use a large fluffy crease brush that I dip into a bit of highlighter from the back of my hand.

My favorite cream highlighters in order of how much I like them are:

You only need 1 or 2 dabs of each of these highlighters for you full face. I like to be very light handed whilst applying the cream highlighters so that it doesn’t disrupt the products underneath.

On low maintance makeup days and on no makeup days I have even been known to apply a light touch of cream highlight to the highest points of my face.

Step 6: Cream Blush

7. Cream Blush:

I’ve got to admit that I was pretty late to the cream blush craze but now I’m seriously obsessed with them!

Cream blushes make the cheeks look supple and youthful and are best applied with a duo fiber brush or a beauty sponge. I prefer the duo fiber brush because there is less risk that the products underneath will get disrupted.

My favorite cream blushes in order of how much I love them are:

With everyone of these cream blush except the NYX one I just dip my brush into the product and tap it into my cheeks. With the Nyx one I tap my finger into the product and add a dot to each cheek and then use the duo fiber brush to buff the blush into the cheeks.

Step 7: Color Corrector and Concealer

8. Color Corrector

Color corrector is great for brightening up dark circles, for neutralizing blue tones, and for masking Melasma and is best used sparingly. What I do is tap lightly into the pot with a round top concealer brush and that is enough to color correct both eyes. (If you have redness under your eyes you could use a green corrector)

I gently tap the concealer brush onto the inner corner of my eyes, a little tap on the middle of my lash line and a little tap on the outer corner of my eyes (this is where I have dark tones). I then gently buff the corrector into those areas making sure not to spread the corrector to the whole under eyes. The reason for this is the less products you use on your under eyes the better so as to not over load your delicate under eye area with products that will cause creasing to happen. I then go in and conceal my under eyes.

I only use 4 different color correctors, I find that they are the best color correctors on the market and they are (in the order that I like them):

9. Concealer:

I do my concealer last because this way I can correct any out of control blush application.

Concealer, like foundation, comes in dewy, satin, and matte and also light, medium and full coverage. I use light coverage for low maintance and no makeup days, medium coverage for BB and CC cream days and full coverage with my foundations.

I use concealer to brighten up my under eyes, to highlight the center of my forehead and to reverse contour my nose (that’s when you add concealer to the sides of your nose to clean up your contour line). The trick to great looking undereyes is to use only 2 tiny dots at the inner corner and 1 dot at the outer part of the under eye and then tap it into place working outward in towards the middle. I like to use my round top concealer brush for this and then I spray my beauty sponge with 1 or 2 spritzes of setting spray, I then pat my under eye with the sponge and then dip my sponge into my under eye setting powder to immediately set my under eyes. I find that this method is the best application and almost always has the most flawless, creaseless application.

Like my foundations I also have a ton of concealers. My 12 favorite concealers, in no particular order, are:

Step 8: Under Eye Powder

9. Under Eye Powder

Not all powders are meant for the under eyes. Most loose powders are way too heavy and will cause the under eyes to look heavy, cakey, crepey, and dry.

The best way to test a powder to see if it good for under the eyes, other than using a powder specifically made for under eyes, is to tap a little onto the palm of you hand and then blow the powder off your palm. If the powder disburses evenly into the air without drifting to the floor it’s perfect for the undereyes. If the powder immediately floats to the floor than it’s too heavy for under the eyes.

The best method of application I’ve learned is to use a slightly damp beauty sponge, tap it into the powder and tap it so that only a little is left on the sponge and then press it onto the undereyes.

I never recommend baking the under eye (the method in which a thick layer of powder is placed under the eyes and left there for 5 to 10 minutes to “cook” the powder into the products, this helps brighten the area but leaves the under eyes looking extremely dry and cakey). The goal here is to use the lightest amount of powder possible.

There are 4 basic powders that I use and they are:

Step 9: Setting Powder

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

10. Setting Powder

Setting powder is the last step of the base products. If you have dry or textured skin and for those who are older setting powder should be used sparingly. Lightly applying it with a huge fluffy powder brush and strategically over the T-Zone (the forehead, nose – including the sides of the nose, and chin) is the best placement for setting powder.

Like foundation and concealer, setting powder comes in different finishes…. glowy, satin and matte.

My 5 favorite setting powders in order of how I like them are:

THE EYE PRODUCTS (in order of which I apply them):

Step 1: Brows
  1. Brow Products:

There are 3 types of brow products and 3 major ways to set them. There are powders, pomades and pencils and setting gels, setting soaps, and believe it or not hair spray.

Powders yield the naturalist looking brows, pomades yield the most opaque brows and pencils give the softest look to the brows. Setting gels hold brows in place but not the longest wear, soap brows are the best of a gel and hair spray as it holds the brows in place very well and mostly all day and hair spray gives the longest hold but is very crunchy.

I apply my powders and pomades with an thin angled brow brush. My favorite brushes are the one that comes with the Milani pomade and the Anastasia Beverly Hills #12 Dual-Ended Firm Angled Brush.

The brow products I like the most (minus hair spray, I just use whatever hair spray I have around) are:

No matter which product for my brows I use I always start by setting my brow hairs in place and then I go in on the lower side of my brows. I sketch out the lower side of the brow and then I sketch out the upper side of my brow and arch. I then fill in the full brow and I use a bit of foundation to clean up and carve out the top part of my brow and I use whatever eyeshadow primer I am using that day to carve out and clean up the lower side of my brow.

Step 2: Eyeshadow Primer

2. Eye Shadow Primer

Eye Shadow Primer is very important when you have aging lids. It helps keep shadows from creasing and helps mute out dull discoloration. It also makes the colors of shadows go on true to color.

Some people use concealer as a primer but this just doesn’t work well for mature skin. It creases, shadows go on patchy and as the day goes on the concealer starts to break down effecting the longevity of your eye makeup. I use a small flat shader brush to carve out my brows with foundation and primer.

There are only 3 shadow primers that I use, and I have tested many primers. The ones I like are:

I start by carving out the top and arch of my brow with a tiny dot of foundation on a small flat shader brush and then I use a small dot of eyeshadow primer on the same brush and carve out the lower side of my brow. I then drag that primer over the rest of my lids (using only 2 small dots for both eyes) and I use a fluffy shader brush to blend the primer into my eyes. I then set my brow line using a cream or white shadow that is 1 to 2 shades lighter than my skin tone.

Step 3: Eyeshadow

3. Eyeshadow:

Eyeshadow comes in several finishes:

  • Matte –  smooth, non-glittery finishes that are ideal for creating smoky and dusty eye looks.
  • Satin – somewhere between a matte and a shimmer. It is not as shiny as a shimmer finish, but not as flat as a matte finish. And the texture is usually not as dry as a typical matte finish either
  • Shimmer/Celestial – sheer coverage with a subtle shine and a hint of sparkle that contain small particles that reflect the light.
  • Metallic –  shiny and resemble actual metal and contain gold or silver shimmer to give a more foiled effect.
  • Sequin Matte – a matte that is infused with flecks of metallic shimmer and is best applied with a finger for maximum shine.
  • Glitter – just what it sounds like… it’s a shadow comprised of pressed glitters or glitters in a gel base and are best applied over a glitter primer.
  • Pressed Pigment – just what it sounds like… they are pigments pressed into a pan or loose in a tube and usually require an eyeshadow bases for max color payout.
  • Crème– come in pots or stick form and are as they sound creamy
  • Gel– oil-free, absorb quickly and at times are the same texture as crème shadows

I have way too many favorite palettes to list on this already long blog post so I will just give you my favorite brands: *I do not like crème and gel shadows so I do not own any*

Eyeshadow is the easiest part of the makeup application, you only need to follow a guide…

It doesn’t matter if you are doing a low maintance look or a high glam look the steps are the same….

I always start by prepping my face with a priming moisturizer for added skin care and to add in clean up later. The 2 that I like the most are:

Start with a fluffy crease brush and buff a shade that is 2 to 3 shades deeper than your skin tone (it doesn’t matter if this a neutral shade or a colorful shade it only needs to be 2 to 2 shades deeper) from the crease to just bellow your brow line. (the shadow should be a matte shadow)

Next deepen the crease by buffing using a denser crease brush and a shade that is deeper than the first shade you used. I use this shade also on the outer 1/3 of the mobile lid framing the eye. (If you have hood lids make sure to keep your eyes open whilst applying the crease shade so that you will be able to see the shade while your eyes are open) .

Deepen the outer v (or c if you have hooded lids) of the eye with a smaller crease brush or a pencil brush and the an even deeper eyeshadow.

I always do my eyeshadow before my base, cheeks, and lips so that I can clean up any fallout from the shadows and so that I can clean up the outer edge of my eye looks.

I learned a great technique from makeup artist Robert Welsh for cleaning up eyeshadow fallout and the outer edge of your eye look. Instead of using a Q-Tip and makeup remover or a makeup wipe, which almost always removes your skin care and darkens the outer edge of your eye makeup, use

For the remaining 2/3 of the mobile lids you can use any type of shadow you like (metallics and shimmers create glam and ethereal looks, matte and pressed pigments create more subtly looks). The goal is to use a shade that is lighter or brighter for this area to open the eyes up. With metallics and shimmers the best way to apply them, in my opinion, is to pat them on with your finger. I find that you get the best color and shine payoff that way. For mattes and pigments the best brush to use is a flat shader brush. For glitters and sequin mattes I find that a silicone eyeshadow applicator works best, however you can also use your finger it will just be super messy.

For the lower lash line I always use small pencil brushes and small detailer brushes. I start with the same shade I’ve used in my crease, then I use the same deep shade that I’ve used in the outer v and apply that closet to the lash line, I then go in on the very outer edge of the lower lash line with the same shade I’ve used for my transition to help buff the undereye shadows out and finally I end with an inner corner highlight that is almost always a light and bright metallic. I finish by adding a small amount of the primer I prepped my face with to a cotton pad or a bamboo reusable cotton pad and I clean up any fallout from my undereye area and I sharpen the line at the outer edge of my eye. I then move on to my base makeup and I come back to my eyes when all the rest of my makeup is done.

Step 4: Eyeliner

4. Eyeliner

Eyeliner can help frame the eyes and really make them pop. On the flip side it can also narrow the way the eye looks depending on how you apply it.

Eyeliner comes in many formulas and finishes. Some of the forms are:

  • Gel pot liners – have highly-pigmented, quick-drying formulas that are applied with a liner brush (my favorite type of liner brush is an angled liner brush)
  • Cakes liners – basically they are a water activated liner that works on the same principle as water color paints do. I prefer to use a pointed eyeliner brush with this type of liner and they are by far my least favorite eyeliner type.
  • Liquid felt tip or brush tip liners – can come in a pen form or a potted well and give a much heavier appearance, often only applied to the upper lash-line only. I use this style only when I want to do a winged eyeliner.
  • kohl liner pencils – soft enough to apply to the eye without tugging the skin, and smudge for more smoky and dramatic eye makeup looks and are typically made from powders, pigments and waxes
  • Gel liner pencils – super creamy, pigmented provides effortless smooth application and lasting pigmented coverage
  • Kajal liner pencils – used to create a smoked look on your eyes, they are used when you want a smudged, blown-out look and is typically messy to work with

The finishes, like eyeshadow, that most eyeliners come in are:

  • Matte– flat and typically opaque
  • Shimmer– light sparkle and often not as opaque
  • Glitter– chunky and can either be subtle or high impact
  • Metallic– slick and super reflective
  • Glossy– has shine and more often than not cracks or feels tight

There are basically 2 ways to apply liner. To the outer rim of the eye and to the waterlines (known as tight lining). For hooded eyes and mature eyes tight lining is the best way. It gives the eye definition without closing off the eyes and making them look smaller.

While I still apply liner sometimes to my upper lash line, I do love a little wing, I don’t wear liner on my lower lash line circa 1980s and early 1990s.. it never looks good and almost always ends up being harsh.

For mature eyes the best method for eyeliner application is tight lining because you don’t have to worry about tugging of the delicate eye area.

Don’t be fooled in to believing that you can’t get away with wearing a wing just because you have hooded eyes or you are older. I nice little wing can turn just about any eyeshadow look into a higher glam look.

For hooded eyes always do a micro lined wing and instead of following your lower lash line to create a wing try instead angling the eyeliner straight out from the upper lash line and then flick the liner up toward the brow arch instead of the tail of the eyebrow.

For older beauties instead of creating a ticker wing or one that is long, try creating a thinner or even micro lined wing and try to stop the wing at the end of the eye socket and angling it toward the tail of your brow. This way you have the glam of a wing but it doesn’t emphasize any fine lines of the upper eye area.

Step 5: Mascara and Lashes

5. Mascara and Lashes

The final step to the eyes is mascara and lashes (should you choose to wear them).

As we get older our eyes tend to water more so I always recommend a good waterproof mascara.

I start out by curling my lashes with a lash curler and then, since I wear false lashes, I use 1 coat of mascara (if you aren’t going to wear falsies follow up with a second coat of mascara). *Note: when I wear falsies I do not use waterproof mascara*

Some of my favorite mascaras are:

THE CHEEK and LIP PRODUCTS (in order of which I apply them):

Step 1: Powder Blush
  1. Powder Blush:

While powder blush isn’t necessary if you’ve already used cream blush, I like to top off my cheeks with the lightest layer of powder blush to bring back some of the pigmentation that is lost once you set your face with loose powder.

This is a step I would skip if you have dry or textured skin or if you are older with fine wrinkles and pores in the cheek bone area.

I love to apply my powder blushes with a small tapered blush brush.

For older beauties and anyone with a wider face, you can achieve a youthful look by simply applying your blush to the back part of your cheek bones in ward, stopping at the start of your pupils of your eyes and also applying the blush a bit higher up the cheek bone instead of directly on the cheek bone.

Another technique is to do what is called blush draping, where you wrap your blush application around the side of your temple… this gives a youthful look to the cheeks and also helps slim a wider face.

Powder blush comes in matte, satin, and shimmer formulas and I always recommend matte for oilier skin and satin for drier skin. I don’t really like shimmer blushes as they tend to emphasize texture.

Some of my favorite blushes are:

The final thing I think will help with makeup looking it’s best on mature skin is setting spray.

It comes in matte, dewy, and glowy finishes… personally I HATE glowy setting sprays they tend to be filled with mica and glitter and just look a mess.

Matte setting prays are best for oily skin and for mature skin and dry skin beauties dewy setting spray is best.

I spray my face with setting spray and then let it dry down to almost completely dry and than press a beauty sponge over my face to help melt my products into the skin more.

My favorite setting sprays are:

Well that’s all for today’s episode dolls. I hope that I was able to help you understand makeup a bit more and that this post doesn’t come across as being boring, snobbish, or as if I’m talking down to anyone… that is never my intent… I just love makeup so much that I want to share what works and what doesn’t for me with you to help you understand makeup more. I hope that you enjoy the rest of your day/night and that you are in great spirits and health.

Remember… Save a spoon for a bit of lipstick….

XOXO, Nita