Is Your Makeup Ageing You?

“Now you may be genetically blessed and express no signs of ageing…”

“But for the rest if us, we have to take corrective measures if we want to minimise these signs,” writes acclaimed makeup artist Rae Morris in her book Makeup Masterclass.

She continues: “But don’t worry, we’re all in the same boat – it comes down to prevention, management and of course, makeup. There is so much you can do by just getting a few simple things right. First we have to break old habits which don’t work for us anymore and replace them with new habits which will instantly take years off how you look.”

Below, in her own words, Morris shares simple makeup tricks that’ll make you look 10 years younger – instantly! Our suggestion: take notes.

“Firstly don’t worry – ageing is not a bad thing. Many people get far better looking skin as they get older. You don’t want to peak to early”
– Rae Morris

GO EASY ON THE POWDER

We need to avoid heavy, cakey foundation and go easy on the powder; it’s ageing because it can make your skin look quite flat and muddy. As we age our skin can lose its glow and you don’t want to accentuate this, so stick with sheer translucent powders and steer clear of anything with beige or pink undertones as these will age you…ridiculously!

CREATE YOUTHFUL LIPS

If you are going to use lip liner, colour the whole lip, don’t just trace the outline. Make sure you lift the outer edges of your bottom lip [by not lining to the edge of the mouth, but curving up just before the creases].

NOT TOO HARSH EYE LINER

Eyes tend to droop, which means the inner rim of the eye becomes more exposed. So it’s essential not to apply harsh eyeliner under your lower lash line. Also, lining only a third or half way along your bottom lash line will mean you will stop right where the eyelid droops bringing attention to the droop.

CORRECT PLACEMENT OF BLUSH

My golden rule for applying blush is to never smile. When you smile, you lift your cheek and this means you don’t push the blush in the right place (when you relax your face you blush will be too low). Also, when you smile, your face wrinkles. If you apply blush to a wrinkled area you won’t get into the wrinkle creases, and therefore the wrinkles will actually be accentuated. Applying blush while smiling is actually a technique we use to create an ageing effect, so make sure you avoid it.

“My golden rule for applying blush is to never smile.”
– Rae Morris

USE WATERPROOF PRODUCTS

As we age, our eyes become more watery so we should start to use more waterproof products, such as eyeliners and mascaras to avoid those running.

LESS IS BEST FOR LIPSTICK

Always use the ‘one wipe test’ for lipstick; that is one wipe of the lipstick to get the colour intensity you’re looking for. If you have to do more than that then it is not the right lipstick for you. You want to use minimal lipstick because then it will hardly run – the more lipstick you put on, the more likely it is to run. Remember, ‘More on the mouth goes south’.

NO SHIMMER WHERE FINE LINES ARE CONCERNED

If you are lined around the eyes, there is definitely no shimmer allowed, only beautiful matte shades. Getting your eyeshadow shades to match your eye colour is so important.

BEYOND YOUR FACE

Your makeup shouldn’t stop with your face. For example, if you are wearing a low cut dress, even just a ‘V’ neck blouse, use a powdered mineral foundation – they even out the skin beautifully and are perfect for sensitive/finer skin in this region. Most mineral foundations contain sunscreen and they are the least likely to rub off on clothes.

This is an shortened and edited excerpt from Rae Morris‘ Book Makeup Masterclass. For more tips, buy it HERE.