Thread: Makeup for 'older' women

Hi
I'm 46 now and I've started to notice more and more lines under my eyes from years of sun worship, stress and computer work strain on the eyes. (Plus a nickle allergy that caused an itchy rash under my eyes which would only calm down with a Hydrocortesone cream which as we all know,thins the skin - not good Generally my skin is good condition and I feel the lines around my eyes make me look a lot older than I would without as many of them. I am considering plastic surgery (when I win lotto!). My question is, how do you put on stage makeup without looking like you've got zillions of lines around the eye area. I've practised doing the sultry look eyes, but my eyes end up looking small from a distance and caked up close like Barbara Cartland (no offence, she was quite a lady, but quite a bit older than me). I end up doing the same old makeup which really isn't heavy enough for stage.
I've always taken my makeup off at night, used creams etc but age is catching up and I feel quite disheartened when I come to dress up now as all I see are the lines around and under my eyes. PLus,because of the nickle allergy,a lot of the shiney eyeshadows start off a reaction. Any pearls of wisdom would be great. Thanks.
Sahher
:Aembarassed:

Welp, I'm 45 this year and unlike you, have lived in NZ for most of my life so like most of us Kiwi chicks I lined up early. It's the squinting. So be aware that what looks really lined to you probably doesn't look overly lined to other people in NZ!

Makeupwise a lot depends on the look you want to achieve plus the kind of eye shape you have. Heavy upper lids, which we get with age, will limit some of the makeup options available. If you are not Asian, Asian make up techniques become helpful.

For me personally, I don't go near shine on my eyes. I think shine and glitter can look nice when you have young smooth skin but as we get older it does get a bit Barbara Cartland. I do find it's harder to do my eye makeup effectively now that I am older and my eyes are crepier than they ever were, *but* I have my best results with neutrals, which for me are offwhite, a sort of grey-brown and black. Scads and scads of black liquid eyeliner on the top lid only, black shadow in the outer corner c-shape, modified ballerina-50s/60s look really.

Eyebrows are also very important.

I can't stand false lashes but one of my students, who's 50, rocks them stunningly. She uses a bit of shine on her eyes, but not wacky colours. I think it's the wacky colours that age, unfortunately.

I do think a metallic on the inner corner can look nice and dramatic regardless of age.

A light coloured shawdow in the inside corner of the eye opens it up.
A light refelecting make-up ..yes I know it has to be slapped on for theatre,
MAC,Lancome.
I agree with everything Zum says.
Being in my 60s I have to try very hard to avoid the Barbara Cartland look but I do wear natural-looking false eyleashes since that photo shoot!
By the way did you know Barbara Cartland was buried in a cardboard coffin at the foot of an oak tree planted by Elizabeth I at Hatfield so she end up entwined in its' roots...romantic till the last ....I have to say I liked it even if I founf her books very put-downable!

I am 61. Here is what I do. Use eye cream. Be careful to pat and not rub around your eyes. Wear sunglasses and sunscreen always. I use Olay's new Pro-X eye cream which is absolutely wonderful. I always use a primer over moisturizer and before makeup. It makes the make glide on so you aren't pulling the skin and lets it come off more easily. Plus it slides over the fine lines. I tried a lot of different primers. Some contain sunscreen. Actually the one I like the best is not a makeup primer at all. I got the idea right here on Bhuz. It is Monistat Anti-Chafing gel. It is clear and silky feeling.

Souzan

Oooo, Souzan, I want to try out your favorites.
Monistat Anti-Chafing gel? I've never seen this before. Where should I be looking?
Thanks
Rosette

I'm 50, and last fall I started using Obagi system on my face and neck. It utilizes skin lighteners and retin A to reduce sun/age spots and reduce wrinkles. I also got restyline filler under my eyes and it took 10 years off. love it.

So, I use bare minerals foundation, neutral shadow on the eyes, never frosted/glittery anything, eyeliner.

Originally Posted by Rosette

Oooo, Souzan, I want to try out your favorites.
Monistat Anti-Chafing gel? I've never seen this before. Where should I be looking?
Thanks
Rosette

Look for it in the feminine hygiene products area of a larger drug store. I found it at a Walgreens.

I'm 44 and I've noticed that I've had to make a lot of changes in my makeup in the past 5 years or so. I'll share it all, though only the first bit relates to your specific question.

I *really* like the anti-aging foundations (Boots makes one, so do most of the US drugstore brands). They seem to contain a little bit of wax, so your face has to be free of water before you put them on. The secret is to be sure you're not rubbing it in like a lotion but creating a very thin layer over your skin. Sounds gross, but it's the same way latex paint works if you've ever painted a room with it.

So... after moisturizing, I take a little dab of foundation and pat it on to distribute it evenly over my skin. Then I use fingertips OR a sponge to spread it lightly and evenly everywhere. Finish with a VERY light dusting of powder because these foundations are a bit shiny. I use a powder brush, tap it in the powder and then blow on it, because too much powder looks cakey -- AND I mostly apply the powder down the center of my face and over my eyelids, a bit of sheen on the cheeks is youthening.

Also, stop using powder blush because it will cake in the little lines at the top of the cheeks. Gel or mousse are my favorites, you can use a stronger color than you'd think because it sort of blends with your foundation.

Also, eyes are smaller relative to your head/face as you age (think how big a baby's eyes are!). If I rim my eyes with black liner, as I did when I was young, they look small and sunken. Now I use a deep green or blue or a soft brown to keep an open eyed look. Teal is my fave on my green eyes.

I also find that as I age it's much harder to curl my lashes!! So I take my time with the lash curler. (i have stick-straight lashes, so curling them REALLY opens and enlarges my eyes)

Light, spidery false eyelashes for stage are a great help.

Also, since my brow area is sort of ... er... falling (!) I find that keeping my brows extra-arched also helps.

I use a light sheen (liquid highlighter, not sparkly powder usually) on my browbones and cheekbones. I find it very youthening.

Also, dark lipcolors really age me! Bright reds I can still wear for stage, for everyday I have to go pink or rose.

I ditto much of what was said. Alas, I too can only wear red lipstick for evening. I used to be able to wear it all the time. I have a real hard time with lip liner now as my lips have thinned out. If I use it at all I use a nude color. I switched to bare minerals has a foundation. Anything else seems to cake in the pores and makes me look even older. I stick to neutrals, grey, black,taupe for the eyes for stage/evening. Although I can do pink/purple and a clear green in the daytime. I can do a little glitter as an accent on the lid but not as much as I did when I was younger. I only use eyeliner on the top lid now extending from the outer corner to the middle of the lid. Blush sparingly. Keep the eyebrows plucked and arched high as that helps open the eye area. Basically, less is more.

I always wear a moisturizer that has anti-aging properties and a sunscreen. Drink lots of water. Eat fruits and veggies and TRY to sleep 8 hours a day.

Fantastic tips above! I'll add one that I picked up from Zumarrad here a few years ago:

Try gel eyeliner in place of liquid. I've always had a really hard time applying liquid liner anyway -- it's tricky on any skin, I think, but much more so on skin that is not perfectly smooth. Gel liner, the kind that comes in a little pot, is easier to use and control and much more forgiving of wrinkles, but no less dramatic. It comes in a lot of (blendable) colors and will give you either a precise line or a dense smudge, which on my eye is more flattering. I've had good results with the versions from Bobbi Brown, MAC, and L'Oreal HIP. The key is a very fine brush -- I started with the ultrafine eyeliner brush from Bobbi Brown but am now very happy with a $5 paintbrush in the same shape from the craft store.

I tend to stick with neutrals, but I still use some shimmer. Outside of theater work, I can't do black unless I pair it with a warm gold. Lately I've been having fun with black or dark chocolate brown liner (BB) smudged into a band of "old gold" liquid shadow (Clinique) on the lid, fading to an almost-matte champagne powder shadow (L'Oreal) up to the browbone. Feels very retro!

I try to stay away from the Bobbi Brown counter because the prices are higher than I can justify paying, but her Pot Rouge is a fabulous cream blush/lipstick. If anyone has another favorite cream blush to recommend, please do! Otherwise I just use lipstick blended with a bit of moisturizer.

One trick for eyeshadow allergies--find a good base or primer that's eye safe and that you don't react to, and then try applying the eyeshadow over that. I am sensitive to red shadows (including some shades of purple/reddish brown), but using something like MAC's cream colour base creates a barrier between my skin and the eyeshadow and eliminates the problem. A base will also help prevent shadows from settling into the lines around the eyes, and provide an overall smoother look.

Originally Posted by Zana

I try to stay away from the Bobbi Brown counter because the prices are higher than I can justify paying, but her Pot Rouge is a fabulous cream blush/lipstick. If anyone has another favorite cream blush to recommend, please do! Otherwise I just use lipstick blended with a bit of moisturizer.

Recently I was looking for a cheaper alternative to Tarte gel blush in stick form and found one by Jane at Target that's halfway between a cream and a gel. I'm really liking it for everyday as a subtle warm glow, though the shade I bought isn't enough for stage.

Ooh! That sounds great. What shade did you get? I'm actually looking for subtle at the moment -- shocking, I know.

Originally Posted by Zana

Ooh! That sounds great. What shade did you get? I'm actually looking for subtle at the moment -- shocking, I know.

Mine's called 'shimmering pink' but it looks more mauve to me. It's just a freckly bit... I want to say 'greasy.' If your skin is at all oily, it might not be right for you, but if you're dry it's good.

I'm eyeballing the Sonya Kashak gel stick, too.

A couple of things that work well for me (I'm 51): I like the felt-pen style eyeliners. They're sort of a cross between a pencil and a liquid. Maybelline Unstoppable is one that I've tried and liked. Doing a bunch of little strokes, rather than trying to draw a straight line in one long stroke, seems to work better on crepe-y eyelids (which pretty much make a straight line impossible anyway).

Instead of an entire false eyelash, which looks cartoonish on me, IMO, I use the individual eyelashes (they're not really individual, but sort of in little clumps). I put about three of them on the outside of each eye, on the upper lid.

I am big on moisturizing my skin...I use a night-time skin lotion and in the mornings, before I apply make-up, I use a moisturizer before I put on my foundation. For special events/occasions, I use a product from Clinique called Moisture Surge, which is gel-like and that makes my skin dewey. I also use a primer and when blending foundation, I dampen the make-up sponge. Sometimes, I think it takes me more time to "prime" my face then the time to actually put on the eye make-up. Although I am nearing the 48-year mark, I still continue to wear the colors that compliment me.

Silicone either primer under your foundation (I like DHC) or a foundation with silicone (I love Face Atelier) are fce savers - they make the foundation "float" on the skin. You can get samples of both of these products.

Wow, thanks for all your wonderful pearls of wisdom. That's fantastic and I really appreciate you all sharing your tips with me (and the forum). I never realised there were so many products out there that could help - suppose I've still been looking at the young makeup etc. I never knew about primers although I do use a moisturiser after washing and before makeup. But these primers seem to help when applying the makeup. Thank you for advising different brands to check out too - that's a great help. I'm going to have lots of fun trying out more suitable ways of doing my makeup.
Thanks a bunch :-)
hugs
Sahher

I have used both MAC and Smashbox PhotoFinish primers and I swear that the Monistat gel for chaffing is just as good if not better. And way cheaper. It is a silicone gel and comes in a generous sized tube for maybe $5-6. It feels good on my face, is nonirritating and makeup goes on easier, use less, and comes off easier. I don't know who here on Bhuz suggested it first, but thanks. Saved me a bunch of money!

I'm keen to try a primer. I have some hardcore beauty buff friends from way back who work in the industry, who swear by primers. I should check out the Monistat...

heehee i didnt actually read the whole thread, so sorry if i'm repeating things! :X well, my only warning is to stay away from any eyeshadows with glitter particles...they find ways of sliding into your wrinkles and emphasize them. instead you could use an "illuminating" matt concealer that visually makes any lines more shallow. also, using colors that are close to natural pigments (ie beige, kelly green, brown) looks classy and is visible from stage, if enough is applied. unfortunately, stage makeup ALWAYS looks cakey when you're off stage, so you might like to bring some wipes and cotton to your next staged performance, in case you want to greet the audience.
i've seen that there are a few night creams around that contain collagen and are quite cheap, so you could give that a go instead of playing lotto and going under the knife :D
my 2 cents
xxx
Athena

Hi Ladies
yes, I'm going to look for a primer this weekend and some neutral colours too. I'll check out if the local pharmacies stock the Monistat gel, if not I saw the smashbox website which looks good or I can check out the MAC shop here. Yes, I also think the really glittery eyeshadows aggravate my allergy (I reckon some must have nickle in them).
,m:: Oh yes, a word of warning about nickle allergies. I never used to have this allergy when I was younger. It developed about 6 years ago and at first everyone thought it was hayfever as typical symptoms were, running nose, itchy swollen eyes and then I started getting like a rash around my eyes. It mostly affected my right eye for some reason. I tried eye drops first then found antihystamine and hydrocortesone cream worked when it had flared up. But sometimes I'd have it, other times not. Of course I'd have to leave the makeup off when irritated and it'd calm down then flare up again. I got new makeup thinking it might be that, washed brushes etc. It'd happen out of the hayfever season too though and not just at home, in all different areas and settings. I finally went to a specialist to get tested and that's when he told me it was nickle plus a small reaction to Joico hair shampoo, and cats. The nickle thing tho? I used to use eye lash curlers all the time! Hence the reaction no matter where I was. Nickle is in anything shiney - keys, coins, fashion jewellery, paperclips etc etc, so I now have to remember not to touch my eye area if I've been handling anything like that. I use a plastic eyelash curler or a gold plated one. And of course now I only wear diamonds and use $100 notes (ha ha - I wish!!)
But I'm really happy with everyone's suggestions and help and am overawed by the knowledege this site provides. It's fabulous! ..g.:
And many thanks Athena for the advice about lotto and the knife - yes, I do think I'll keep trying the creams out to find one that suits - I'm a bit nervous at having any surgery around the eyes. (Plus I'd need to take out a small mortgage to get it done!) Hugs to you all :-)

great information, thanks ladies

i have allergies..lancome powder eyeliner is best for me they have a good black.i second the white shiny shadow in inside eye corner, learned that in ballet.it really opens the eye.

This stuff looks really good - apparently for anyone over 35. Lauren Hutton Face Disc; using shading and toning to even out the skin, to bring out the areas you want to bring out, and conceal or diminish other areas. Apparently she couldn't find makeup to suit her once she got older, so developed her own. Could be a complete blag but I use a similar system using different shades of MAC foundation to achieve as flawless a look as I can, and it makes a massive difference.

Makeup Kits | Face

Also as I've got older I do a lot more blending, am wary of some powders cos they can sit in the creases, go very easy on shimmer and use a "Bobbi Brown" sort of palette in terms of pigment, so that it looks more "natural", even if it's applied quite heavily.

One thing I am experimenting with at the moment is stage makeup, in terms of achieving a flawless and non-ageing or non-tacky but dramatic and colourful look.

Good thread btw

xx

Originally Posted by Shalimah

A couple of things that work well for me (I'm 51): I like the felt-pen style eyeliners. They're sort of a cross between a pencil and a liquid. Maybelline Unstoppable is one that I've tried and liked. Doing a bunch of little strokes, rather than trying to draw a straight line in one long stroke, seems to work better on crepe-y eyelids (which pretty much make a straight line impossible anyway).

Instead of an entire false eyelash, which looks cartoonish on me, IMO, I use the individual eyelashes (they're not really individual, but sort of in little clumps). I put about three of them on the outside of each eye, on the upper lid.

I'll have to check this one out thanks as I like Maybelline too. I do have some 'individual' eyelashes too that I could try. Many thanks for that.
I tried looking for the Monistat gel over here in Auckland and the Pharmacies I went in had never heard of it. I took myself off to the MAC store and 'stalked' (LOL) an assistant till she was free to see me because her makeup was by far the best and flawless. (I then found out she'd worked as a makeup artist for the BBC in Ireland for 6 years!) I explained to her what I needed and with her professional help, I left with a primer, foundation, gel liner, some eyeshadows, couple of brushes that would do for multiple uses and creme blush. (And a Visa bill to suit! :Aohmy: Well, at least I have a base to add to now). I used it all on Sunday night when I went out. The primer felt lovely on my face. I was really pleased with how it all went on and I have to say I felt the most glamorous I have in ages and not overdone at all. My makeup seemed to 'wear' better and I had no allergic reaction. The test will come when I have to do it for stage and dance wearing it.
I am so pleased that this thread has been of use - the ideas, products etc from you are great and I'm looking them all up on the net etc. It's fantastic to have your tried and tested wisdom. Not only is it helpful for dance it's beneficial for everyday use too. Thanks ever so much once again ..g.: I'll probably have to source the Monistat gel online, as the MAC primer isn't that large and won't last for too long I should imagine. But that's OK, it sounds like it'd be worth getting. (I just didn't want to wait - ,r:;) hugs xx

Really take advantage of how much false eyelashes open up the eye, rather than relying entirely on black eyeliner or products that can cake and settle into lines.

And false lashes not all are created equal.*

There are many many varieties out there so as to avoid looking like a clown. Also, if you're seen from farther away, you won't look like a clown, only at minus 12 inches from your makeup mirror.

There are demis, pixies, faeries, and clumps to name a few. The most suitable for you will depend on how heavy your eyelid is, eye placement, depth, size, etc.

*Page 40 companion PDF to the makeup DVD.

There is also something to be said for better quality (oftentimes more expensive) makeup. Used and applied properly you don't need as much because of the stronger pigmentation or formulas. Do not scrimp on something that is as intimate with your skin as makeup.

Originally Posted by Souzan

I have used both MAC and Smashbox PhotoFinish primers and I swear that the Monistat gel for chaffing is just as good if not better. And way cheaper. It is a silicone gel and comes in a generous sized tube for maybe $5-6. It feels good on my face, is nonirritating and makeup goes on easier, use less, and comes off easier. I don't know who here on Bhuz suggested it first, but thanks. Saved me a bunch of money!

I can't believe that my "secret" is out of the bag! I've been using Monistat gel for about 6 months and it is miraculous. (And safe for the face -- after all, it is meant to be used on the "lady garden." )

Now -- here's the funny part, since we're confessin' and all -- I also swear by Preparation H to use under my eyes. (yes, Preparation H -- the hemmorhoid cream.) It temporarily tightens up the skin under your eyes and -- voila -- wrinkles disappear! So in my stage makeup bag I have the usual assortment of bindis, safety pins and eyelash glue -- but I also have Preparation H and Monistat gel! Anyone rummaging through my bag no doubt thinks my **privates** are a disaster area, hee hee!!

har. I have a bottle of astroglide in my makeup kit because it works great for adhering glitter. ;)

the number one makeup item I can't live without for my 40 year old face is primer. I've tried several brands and always go back to laura mercier. it fills in all the fine lines around my eyes so my makeup doesn't settle in to them. and yes, it helps makeup go on more smoothly and gives it something to grip, and gives your skin a nice finish on it's own. but the wrinkle-filling is the main thing I love it for.

another yeay for mac here. i'm allergic to everything in the makeup department, worse when wearing lenses, and the mac stuff (and eye candy!!) both are great solutions here!!!

now i just need to find some other glue for it, as the liquid sugar gives me itches too.

i have some students in the 40-50 range who are very happy with the permanent makeup they got done (eyeliner and such).

Originally Posted by badriya_al_ahmar

One trick for eyeshadow allergies--find a good base or primer that's eye safe and that you don't react to, and then try applying the eyeshadow over that. I am sensitive to red shadows (including some shades of purple/reddish brown), but using something like MAC's cream colour base creates a barrier between my skin and the eyeshadow and eliminates the problem. A base will also help prevent shadows from settling into the lines around the eyes, and provide an overall smoother look.