The solution: Doing your brows doesn’t have to be the big drama-filled ritual influencers on social media claim to be essential.
All you really need is a refined-tip pencil like the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Ultra-Slim Precision Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe ($25, target.com) and/or a waterproof brow pen with tapered top likeMaybelline New York Build-A-Brow 2-in-1 Brow Pen and Sealing Gel ($15, cvs.com) and the Urban Decay Cosmetics Brow Blade 2-in-1 Eyebrow Pen + Waterproof Pencil in Cool Cookie ($28, ulta.com). These let you draw individual hairs in light, believable upward strokes to quickly fill, extend and improve your brows, whatever their color, shape or density. My advice? Start with areas like the beginning of the brow near the nose or the outer tails, and then get to work filling in sparse spots. This prevents you from adding extra product where it’s unnecessary and makes shaping and correcting easier. Opt for cool or neutral/ashy brow shades rather than warm tones for maximum flattery.
4. The mistake: Skipping sunscreen when wearing makeup.
(From left) Olay Glow + Protect Sunscreen Stick SPF 50; RMS SunCoverup Super Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen; Tula Skincare Radiant Skin Brightening Serum Skin Tint SPF 30.
AARP (Walgreens, Ulta, Target)
Many women find the must-wear-sunscreen-daily rule (the only makeup must left) incompatible with their makeup. They say sunscreen makes their makeup pill, change color, streak, or go patchy and gooey. Some (more than you think!) skip the SPF altogether, figuring makeup will keep UV rays at bay. Well, it won’t. UV rays speed right on through.
The solution: Reapplication is the real problem here since it’s easy to include an SPF 30 in your a.m. moisturizer. One excellent solution is to wear a makeup/sunscreen hybrid like the RMS SunCoverup Super Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen ($49, ulta.com) and Tula Skincare Radiant Skin Brightening Serum Skin Tint SPF 30 ($21, target.com) and simply reapply as needed when outdoors. Or take advantage of the new category of sheer stick sunscreens like Olay Glow + Protect Sunscreen Stick SPF 50 ($20, walgreens.com) that glide right over any makeup. Just be sure to wipe the surface of the sunscreen after application for a clean start next time.
5. The mistake: Treating eyeliner as an option.
(From left) Clinique All About Shadow Primer for Eyes; Maybelline TattooStudio Sharpenable Gel Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner in Bold Brown; NYX Professional Makeup Epic Ink Liner in Black.
AARP (Ulta, Walgreens, Target)
Sure, shadows, mascara and false lashes are fun, but eyeliner is the most important makeup product for mature eyes. It’s the one cosmetic that instantly restores real shape and power to older eyes that are hooded, saggy, crepey or watery. Worn with a flash of mascara, it solves problems and provides a contemporary look along with plenty of definition, edge and glam. And it takes five minutes max.
The solution: Get yourself an eye primer, a gel pencil liner and a liquid pen liner. Primers like Clinique All About Shadow Primer for Eyes ($31, ulta.com) were designed to simplify shadow applications and prevent creasing, but they are remarkably useful as liner aids. Applying an eye primer smooths the surface for extra glide on loose, bumpy, creased or crinkled lids, minimizes tugging on dry lids, and keeps the line clean if your lids tend to go moist.
Strong definition at the upper lash base and lighter lining beneath the lower lashes give eyes shape. Keep the line as thin and close as possible to the roots of the upper lashes. A pencil liner like Maybelline Tattoo Studio Sharpenable Gel Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner in Deep Onyx, Bold Brown, Striking Navy, Hunter Green, Rich Amethyst ($9, walgreens.com) or Kosas Soulgazer Intensifying Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in Allure or Hypnotize ($24, sephora.com) can be worn alone or as a base and guideline for a topcoat of liquid pen liner.
Pen liners like the NYX Professional Makeup Epic Ink Liner in Black or Milk Chocolate ($11, target.com) offer an intense, smudge-free frame for the very deepest eyes, anyone wanting a more emphatic look or a subtle cat-eye flick at the outer corner. Black and brown provide a classic defined look, but a hint of navy, deep green or violet can elevate liner to fashionable. Prevent the never-flattering ring-around-the-eye look by using a pencil liner with a lighter touch under the lower lashes (not liquid or gel) or by pairing the black liner above with a softer brown on the bottom.
6. The mistake: Applying blush to the apples of your cheeks.
(From left) NUDESTIX Nudies Bloom All Over Face Dewy Color Blush in Sweet Peach Peony; Almay Color & Care Tint Stick in Rose Flush; Merit Flush Balm Cream Blush in Lusitano.
AARP (Target, CVS, Sephora)
Unless you’ve had a facelift, what was once a great makeup trick has passed its expiration date. Applying blush to the “apples” of your cheeks — the round full part that puffs up when you smile — worked for years. As we age, the loss of collagen causes the cheeks and their underlying fat pads to sag lower on the face. The minute you stop smiling, that blush drops lower, emphasizing the nasolabial crease running from your nose to mouth. Who needs that?
The solution: By moving blush application to the cheekbones, you restore a sense of bone structure and keep the focus higher up near the eyes.
To find the new spot for blush, use your fingers to tap along your cheekbones and just over the edge. While you’re at it, be sure to also swap powder blush for one of the new creams in stick formulas like Almay Color & Care Tint Stick in Coral Flush, Rose Flush, Berry Flush or Nude Flush ($13, cvs.com), Merit Flush Balm Cream Blush in Le BonBon or Lusitano ($30, sephora.com) or Nudestix Nudies Bloom All Over Face Dewy Color Blush in Cherry Blossom Babe, Poppy Girl, Sweet Peach Peony or Sweet Cheeks ($35, target.com). Opt for a clear, vibrant shade of pink, coral, rose, berry or red (depending on your skin tone). Vividly colored in the stick, cream blush is sheer when applied, and the high-pigment hue goes glow-from-within realistic when blended. Those with ruddy skin can benefit, too, by skipping the reds and pinks and choosing a bronze shade instead, which will counteract red tones in the skin.
7. The mistake: Wearing lipstick that’s too nude or liner that’s too obvious.
(From left) Kylie Cosmetics Velvet Liquid Lip Kit in Charm; Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in Bitch Perfect; Huda Beauty Lip Contour 2.0 Automatic Matte Lip Pencil in Pinky Brown.
AARP (Target, Ulta, Sephora)
I have nothing against a good neutral lipstick and liner (I’m a big fan, too!), but is it doing anything for your over-50 lips? Some lucky women still have the shapely lips they had at 25. Others are dealing with faded lip borders, diminished lip color and depleted volume … all normal but annoying.
Some women say their lips disappear completely when they smile, giving the mouth a hard, tough look. Nude lipstick is great for a natural look (or if you like to give eye makeup center stage) and lip liner certainly can help restore definition, but the wrong one and an overzealous approach to lining can work the other way.
The solution: Updating your usual beige or tawny “nude” for a shade that’s a little rosier, pinkier or peachy can bring your lips back into focus. Adding a little more color also helps those with down-turned creases at lip corners or lines around the lips (often due to decades of smoking or drinking with straws) draw attention to lips and away from the problem.
