These 6 Common Makeup Mistakes Are Making You Look Old. Here’s How To Fix It.
Small tweaks. Monumental difference.
Image: Universal Pictures
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by The Candidly Team
We use makeup to make us not look like tired, splotchy, gray, raccoon-eyed versions of ourselves. So it is a deep, deep disappointment to carefully apply and eradicate all these issues only to look a decade older when we walk out the door.
Why does makeup do this?
Here’s the hard truth. It’s not the makeup. Or not just the makeup we should say. It’s us.
Most of us are making 7 very small, very significant mistakes when we do our make up that ages us up.
But each of these can be corrected, and not to be hyperbolic here, but it can kind of change your life.
1. Stop powdering like Marie Antoinette. It’s 97% of the problem.
Powder can be horrid on mature skin. It settles into creases and makes you look like your own older, dryer sister. Even on young skin, if you’re a smidge under-hydrated or have an ounce of texture, powder can cake in and exacerbate these issues.
Instead of powder, use a foundation or a skin tint for more natural, all-over coverage. Then dab blemishes with a concealer. Here are two of our favorite cream foundations for all skin, but especially for 35+ skin.
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD:
bareMinerals Complexion Rescue® Tinted Moisturizer Mineral SPF 30
This is the best tinted moisturizer (but basically concealer) if you want smooth, gorgeous coverage without a fake, sticky finish. Your skin will look even and glowy but not “makeuppy.” There’s also a matte version* if you run greasy that still leaves you with lovely, lit-up coverage. There’s a reason we keep writing about this one over and over and over. It’s eternally in our makeup bag.
Price: $30
Jones Road Just Enough Tinted Moisturizer
For the complete, your-skin-but better coverage, the wizards at Jones Road have come up with the dream formula. It’s a lighter coverage than the one mentioned above, but that can be just what you want if you’re longing for a wildly healthy-looking, “no-makeup makeup” finish.
Price: $44
* Gifted product
2. Your eyeliner is dragging you down (literally).
Thick, black liner is no longer the way to achieve drama. Unless that drama is you looking like Mommy Dearest at her 89th birthday party. We exaggerate. But only to make this point: Thick, black liner is incredibly aging.
Use thin, accurate, softer shaded liners only on your upper lid for a lifted, eye-opening effect. This one creates the thinnest, most perfect line known to man. You can also use blendable, no drag formulas that are impossible to mess up to create a killer over-40 smokey eye. We have to say Victoria Beckham’s is spectacular. And you truly have no idea what you’re doing with an eye pencil, use a cream eyeshadow you can safely smear all over the lid and under lower lash line with your finger, layer on your finest mascara, and call it a day
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD:
Soshe Waterproof Precision Eyeliner
Here is that liner we talked about. It’s waterproof, and the line is so slim, smooth, and even, we stockpile Soshe’s very easy to replace refills in all 4 gorgeous shades. For advice on which will make your particular eye color pop, go HERE.
Price: $24
* Gifted product
Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liner
You can truly use this divinely creamy kajal liner alone in cinnamon to create the most stunning, smokey eye that doesn’t drag or settle into lines. We go through it step by step HERE. But a 4-year-old couldn’t mess it up.
Price: $34
* Gifted product
Merit Solo Shadow
Like powder, eye shadow can be aging, but this no-smudge, cream formula is so blurry and ethereal, we’re on our way to owning it in every perfect shade. We swatched all the colors for your viewing pleasure HERE. Vachetta is our go-to for a warm, natural touch of French girl allure. And we use social in the evenings to bring out the sparkle in our eyes.
Price: $24
3. Stop watching concealer tutorials cuz you’re old and they’re not.
For starters, never use concealer that’s lighter than your skin tone. They’ll make you look ghostly. Instead, choose peach shades which will blend beautifully in a luminous, skin-like way. And Most of all: USE HALF THE AMOUNT OF PRODUCT YOU THINK TOU NEED. THIS IS KEY.
We have some very specific recommendations with very specific uses in this category, so we’ll get right to them.
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD:
Tower 28 Serum Concealer
Every human in their 30s and beyond will deeply appreciate Tower 28’s concealer. Just use tiny dabs on inner corner and outer corner of the eye, never directly below, otherwise concealer can sink into wrinkles and make us look ancient
Price: $22
* Gifted product
Lisa Eldridge Pinpoint® Concealer Micro Correcting Pencil
If you need to cover real spots use this from Lisa Eldridge. The precision and blend is unrivaled.
Price: $34
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish
If you are super dark or have purple or red under the eyes use this magic little eraser from Charlotte Til.
Price: $32
3. Your blush game is stuck in 2001.
Powder blushes have the same issue as powder in general: cakey, creasy, bad for wrinkles and skin with less firm texture. A creamier formula applied higher on the cheekbone will offer lift and a more youthful, sunkissed finish.
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD:
Rhode Skin Pocket Blush
We were floored by the unbelievable, pinched-cheek effect of this blush. We fully expect it to dominate the cream blush field for the foreseeable future. We have already purchased many, many colors, two of which you can see one of us modeling here:
It gives an unbelievable flush on mature skin without any splotching, and it actually lasts. The color selection is also a fever dream.
Price: $24
Jones Road Miracle balm
If you hate the feeling of all makeup but want that healthful glow and sweep of color on your cheeks, this will be your new favorite product. “Miracle” is the correct word for how this formula doesn’t sink into lines or pores and give you such a pretty blend of color it seems like you could have been born with or at least taken straight from the beach.
Price: $40
* Gifted product
5. Your lipstick is too dark, thick, and drying.
Dark lipstick can have its appeal, but it will always, always make you look older. There are so many holy grail lip products that have such plumping, hydrating, gorgeous-colored possibilities, we could write a whole article on them. But here are 4 of our absolute top, top choices.
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD:
Chanel Rouge Coco Flash Hydrating Vibrant Shine in Boy
This is indeed the most amazing your-lips-but-better color. We have written entire articles about this fact.
And if you’re a no-color lady who still wants huge loooong lips THIS* balm from Yves Saint Laurent is pure magic.
Price: $50
merit Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner
This liner is unreal. It’s sheer so you don’t have a line just a shadow that makes your lips look huge.
Price: $24
Fré Plump Me
Peptide Lip Tint SPF 50
Use SPF balm, otherwise your lips will shrivel. This one has a very pretty, plumping effect.
Price: $24
* Gifted product
6. You’re not starting with a clean slate.
Skincare is singularly CRITICAL to creating the smooth base that will help keep your makeup from aging you. We’ve done our best to create the most compact yet comprehensive of guidelines of the essentials that will transform your skin to its glowiest, plumpest, most glazed and youthful.
1. Use THIS* gentle yet pore-clearing cleanser from iS Clinical to create your cleanest slate. Every one of us at The Candidly uses this cleanser.
2. Use THIS* unbelievable, easy, and transformative peel once a week to exfoliate, which is key to your makeup not looking thick and muddy.
3. Lacquer on a richer moisturizer than you think (you need this as you get older). THIS* one is the absolute best in existence but it is expensive, so we shuffle in THIS* $36 French pharmacy dupe.
4. Sweep on THIS* luscious lip balm before bed to keep your lips big and juicy.
5. Use THIS* miracle serum at night for your clearest skin and THIS* vit C serum in the am for your glowiest. That’s it for any serums period
6. Use THIS* gorgeous oil in summer for your moisturizer. It’s half water half oil so it doesn’t make you greasy, just radiant on an otherworldy level.
7. SPF is essential to protecting you from the one thing responsible for 90% of aging - the sun. We use THIS* in lieu of foundation most days. It’s light and lovely, never drying or chalky.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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