Tricks of the Trade: Makeup that makes you look young, hides wrinkles

HI KELLY. While I have embraced my age and all the wrinkles that come with it, I was wondering if you had any makeup tips for me so that I don’t end up emphasizing the lines on my face. The last thing I want is to look older because of makeup. Can you help me out?

As we grow older, we find ourselves having to change our makeup routine, switching one product for another to better suit our skin’s needs. Just like fashion, there is such a thing as age appropriate makeup. Not to say that certain trends should only be worn by a specific age group, because you should still be able to follow beauty trends at any age (that’s the fun part about makeup trends). What I mean is using the right makeup for your skin and making the most of the latest makeup innovation to keep you looking fresh at any age.

Yes, there are ways to keep your skin looking young and radiant using makeup. The trick is to use the right products that will emphasize your favorite features while minimizing the appearance of your not-so-favorites, like wrinkles around your eyes or lines around your mouth. Below is a list of makeup tips that promise to keep you looking young.

Switch to a hydrating foundation. Skin goes through significant changes in your 40s: it becomes thinner, drier and looser. As you start to approach menopause, estrogen levels drop, which causes skin to dry. This is why it is so important to find a foundation that will keep your skin moisturized. Luckily, a couple of brands have infused anti-aging ingredients in their makeup, which really work well for dry skin. These keep skin happy and hydrated, so it is worth spending a little more on them. Another option is to use tinted moisturizer, especially on days when you don’t need to wear a full face of makeup. The rule of thumb for foundation or tinted moisturizer: the creamier the consistency, the better.

Go easy on the powder. While powder was your best friend back in the day when you wanted your skin to look matte, these days you might need to hold back on this. Powder has a tendency to make skin look dry and can make lines look more pronounced. Using cream-based makeup can be better for you (as long as your skin isn’t on the oily side), as it can blend into skin without drying it. If you can’t do without your powder, stick to the loose, translucent kind and lightly dust it on using a big fluffy brush.

Keep your brows full. In case you didn’t know, thick, well-groomed eyebrows can make you look younger. This is because our eyebrows tend to thin out as we grow older. Growing out your brows can do you good, just be sure to keep them shaped and properly groomed. If your brows are sparse to begin with, use a brow pencil to define them and apply brow powder to fill them in.

Add a healthy dose of color. At this age, you no longer need to be concerned about contouring or shaping your face. You’ll want to apply your blusher on the apples of your cheeks instead to give you a youthful glow. Stick to warm shades of pink, like peach or apricot instead of cooler shades. Blush with gold tones work just as well, too.

Plump up your pout. Constant exposure to UV light, along with natural aging, can cause the collagen in our lips to break down. This is why lips seem to shrink and thin with age. Not to worry, because there is a way to reverse it with lipstick and gloss. A trick I learned is to apply matte lipstick first, then top with clear gloss in the center part of your lips. This gives the illusion of full lips.