There are pressures on women to maintain the youthful appearance of women in their twenties, but this isn’t always achievable with just a good diet and a healthy lifestyle – sometimes you need to add the glow with the help of make-up. Thanks to make-up, surgery doesn’t have to be an option. With expertly applied make-up, you can fake the glow and skin of people far younger than yourself, without having to inject or go under the knife to hold back the years. Here are five of the best make-up tricks used by the pros to fight ageing and appear youthful once more.
Accentuated apples
Focusing on the apples of your cheeks, which you can find by smiling and locating the fleshiest area of your cheeks, use a blusher to highlight them. As women age, the cheeks begin to become hollow and sallow. Highlighting them with blusher helps to give the illusion of fuller cheekbones, which can knock years off instantly. You can either use a cheek stain, cream blush or powder to achieve this look. Keep it natural by opting for colours which are close to your skin tone and don’t be too heavy handed with the make-up – the goal is to appear lightly flushed, not caked in make-up.
Moisturise
As women age, their skin needs change, so the basic moisturiser you used when you were 20 won’t cut it anymore. Older skin needs nourishment in order to retain its suppleness and youthfulness. Your daily moisturiser should contain an SPF to combat the effects of the sun, as well as being light and not too oily as this will clog the pores. Hydrating options are best to reduce wrinkles and keeping the skin soft, so it may be worthwhile applying your moisturiser after getting out of the shower to lock in the moisture. An eye cream becomes more necessary in older age as well, as the skin around the eyes is delicate and needs nourishment. Finally, a night cream will ensure that your skin stays supple during the night, when it can become dehydrated. It may seem like a hefty routine, but it’s needed in order to ensure soft and smooth skin.
Lip balm
As women age, their lips become thinner which is due to the lack of collagen, which is a protein which keeps the lips plump. A softening lip balm will hydrate them and keep them looking luscious – one with shea butter, jojoba oil or avocado oil will work best. If you can find one with an SPF in it, all the better. If you want to fake the look, you can create the illusion of plumper lips with a lip pencil applied slightly outside the actual lining of the lips, filled in with a plumping lipstick. The, follow this with a dab of transparent lip gloss just in the centre of the bottom lip to create the illusion of thicker lips.
Light reflecting make-up
Your skin can start to look dry and lacking in lustre as you age, which is where light reflecting make-up comes to the rescue. Even your foundation must have an SPF and be close to your natural skin colour. You can use a yellow concealer to hide brown spots and dark circles. Mineral make-up is the best choice, even if it can sometimes be a bit pricey. This is because it offers a more natural look when applied, and also is better for your skin as it’s natural.
Dark circles
The skin around your eyes gets thinner, meaning dark circles become more prominent. You can hide these easily with an effective concealer and eye cream, which will put the spark back into the skin. The trick is to apply one which is one tone lighter than your natural colour, so that you can give the illusion of light in this area.