Everyone Ages, it Just Depends on how Graceful You do it
These days many makeup artists are less likely to talk about hiding a woman’s age and wrinkles than about playing up her individual gifts. “For me to get a great result on an older woman, age is not what I see,” said David De Leon, a makeup artist who often works with Jane Fonda. “I look for her potential.”
But finding the makeup that makes that woman look and feel great can be tricky. Application techniques that worked for years start to fail as one’s skin changes. Longtime favorites begin to detract, not enhance. Mature skin is typically drier, and those mattifying, pore-shrinking products don’t deliver like their hydrating and illuminating counterparts.
The New York Times asked the makeup artist Carolina Dali, whose clients include Ali MacGraw and Sharon Stone, to illustrate the best techniques for mature skin.
Tips to Enhance for the Day
Eyebrows thin over time. Fill them in, but not with a pencil, Ms. Dali said. A powder will look more like the real thing. She likes the Chanel Brow Powder Duo for its hair-approximating shades. Choose a color that is close to your actual brow color, not darker.
For eyeliner, Ms. Dali suggests gently tapping a black eye shadow directly on the lash line (between the eyelashes) with an angled brush. This technique creates a line that opens up the eye without overwhelming it. The same can be said of spare mascara application. “One coat is enough to thicken lashes,” she said.
On the face, go translucent and dewy, not matte. Mattifying foundation can flatten the face because naturally bright places on the face, like the tops of cheekbones, lose their highlighting. Apply foundation only where needed — to red spots, discoloration or hyper-pigmentation.
“Both concealer and foundation should have a sheen to them,” Ms. Dali said. “Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat is a lightweight concealer that will attract light to where you apply it. If you have a line, say a smile line that you want to cover, light reflection will blur it.” Look for sheen, not glitter, which would draw more attention to the area.
Liner keeps lipstick in place when lips begin to crinkle. “Most people match their liner to their lipstick or go darker,” Ms. Dali said. “But I like liner to match the color of the lips. Otherwise, it will look like ’90s makeup.”