Turn Back Time with your Makeup
(previously published in The Experts Magazine)

Here are some simple tricks to turn back time:

1. Keep colors light and fresh. Throw out the deep plums, burgundys and browns and switch to lighter peachy, rosy colors. They are softer and tend to brighten our skin tones.

2. As we age, we lose fat in our faces and our cheeks become more hollow. Contouring with a dark blush will only emphasize this. Instead, apply a rosy hue in a circular motion to the apple of the cheeks (the fullest part when you smile), then blend out toward the hairline. Now your skin glows.

3. Lose the frosted eye shadow. Not only is it too harsh, it settles into the creases of the lid and makes the eyes look heavy and droopy. Instead, use a lighter textured eye shadow that will not crease so easily, with a soft shimmer or sheen to it, and watch those eyes sparkle.

4. Ease up on the liner. If you used to use black, switch to a softer charcoal or brown. Heavy liner on the lower lids can make the eye look droopy and emphasize lines and bags underneath. Either leave it off entirely, or smudge it with a q-tip for a soft, smoky effect.

5. Use a light touch with the powder. Too much powder can make the skin look dry and flaky and settles into the lines and wrinkles of the face, emphasizing them even more. Dust powder lightly on the nose, forehead and chin and avoid the lined areas at the eyes and the mouth.

6. Instead of re-applying powder throughout the day, set your make-up with a spritz of water or skin freshener (make sure it is a fine mist that comes out of the nozzle). This will not only set the make-up, but will hydrate the skin and give a dewier look.

7. Lips tend to lose their color and their fullness as we age. Brown lipstick on a full rosy lip looks much different than it does on a lined and faded lip. Again, choose the peachy or rosy pinks which are more natural hues, and make sure your liner follows suit. This will make the lips appear larger. A dab of gloss or shimmer at the center of the bottom lip will reflect light and give the illusion of fullness.

8. Try a tinted moisturizer in the summer to give a healthy glow without the use of foundation and powder. Check that it comes with a sunscreen at SPF of 15 and you have all bases covered.

Note: This is a plus for gals going through those “tropical moments” that happen at a certain time in life. This way there is no need to worry about make-up running.

9. With make-up, as in other things in life, sometimes less is better. Instead of agonizing over the lines and flaws and trying, unsuccessfully, to cover them up, just concentrate on the best features….. “Less is Best and Leave the Rest”.