A full face of makeup doesn’t have to be so complicated to apply. With a few tips and tricks, you can be party ready in no time.
Beauty expert Rebecca Robeson is turning 65 and is here to offer her absolute best tips for making up your face over 50 — meaning: she pays close attention to the areas of the skin and facial features that could benefit the most from a lift, contour, or highlight.
Ready to gain a ton of inspiration and perfect your own makeup look? This is the simple way to do a full face of makeup for women over 50 for a timeless look.
Start With a Thin Layer of Foundation
Starting with primer and a thin layer of foundation helps cover up red spots, age spots, and blemishes. This makeup should also be applied over eye lids and over the neck to provide an even tone and base.
Add a Liquid Eyeshadow
Before you apply actual eyeshadow that you’ll use to contour and highlight the lid area, start off with a neutral liquid eyeshadow that you apply all over the lid. This base makeup giving you a starting point for your other shadows, but it also helps cover up any discoloration on your lid.
Blend Concealer With a Dampened Sponge
Don’t push your concealer around with a brush or your fingers — instead, apply it to the outer and inner corners of eyes, where you may naturally have some darkness, and then buff it with a moistened sponge so that it blends evenly.
Apply Another Layer of Foundation
If you feel comfortable applying another layer of foundation because there are additional areas of discoloration that you want to address, this would be the time to do so. Blend it out with a moistened sponge.
Set Your Makeup With Powder
It’s important to set your foundation and concealer with a loose powder or pressed powder so that your makeup stays in place for hours and doesn’t cake. Press the powder into your skin using a dampened sponge and don’t neglect areas we often skip, such as the outer corner of your lips and the skin between the tip of your nose and your lips. Follow this up by blending with a large brush.
Outline Your Eyes With a Dark Eyeliner
Robeson now takes a black eyeliner and outlines the upper AND lower lashes (forget everything you’ve been told about not applying makeup to your lower lash line — some beauty experts aren’t on board with that ‘rule’). Robeson then adds some warmth with a subtle light brown eyeshadow that she applies under her lower lash line, as well.
Contour Your Lid With Shadow
Follow up your liquid liner application with a shadow application. Apply a medium shade of brown shadow to the area between your upper and lower lid and blend really well.
Magnetic Eyelashes Are No-Fuss
Instead of fiddling around with messy glue, you can apply magnetic eyelashes in half the time. Robeson cautions to keep the magnetic eyeliner on your lid and NOT get it into your lashes. Robeson also applies a fair amount of the liner to the corners of the eyes because it helps hold the lashes for longer — let the liner dry for about three minutes before applying the lashes.
Eyebrows
Remove any foundation that may have accidentally gotten into your eyelashes by running a wet Q-tip over it. Do the same on your lips to prepare them for lipstick. This is also a great time to fill in sparse eyebrows with a brow pencil and brush them up and in place.
Contour
A lot has been said about contour makeup these past few years, and many of us have gotten used to thinking contour means a full face of contour. Not necessarily. A bit of contour powder beneath the cheekbones may be all that’s needed to highlight the cheeks and give your face a sculpted and lifted look.
Mix Your Blush Colors
Can’t find the right shade of blush for your skin tone? Take a cue from Robeson and mix two colors. Robeson says she blends red and pink blush together and applies it directly on the cheekbones. Take another brush and blend your contour and blush together.
The Final Touch: Lips
It might actually take longer to line your lips than to apply lipstick. Robeson says sometimes she also overlines her lips, which gives them fullness and emphasis. Choosing a lipstick with a glossy or satin finish over something more matte helps make your lips look healthy and plump.
And that’s a wrap. A few simple steps and products are all that’s needed to create a smooth base, add pops of color that make you look radiant, and get you ready for whatever day’s tasks or night’s parties you have ahead.
