In many ways, makeup can help you look younger by evening out your complexion, lifting your face, and enhancing your natural beauty with all the right colors and tones. However, it’s important to remember that it also has the power to do the opposite; one mistake could add years to your face, especially when it comes to your lipstick products and techniques.
To learn more about the most common lipstick mistakes women over 40 should avoid at all costs if they want to look younger, we spoke to professional makeup artists Natasha Moor, founder and chief empowerment officer of Natasha Moor Cosmetics, and Mary Winkenwerder. They both stressed the importance of choosing the right color and avoiding dry lips. Read on for all of their advice!
1. Choosing The Wrong Color
Here's a truth that may be hard to swallow: just because a lipstick looks good in the tube or on the model, that doesn't mean it will be flattering on you. In fact, Moor says choosing a shade that is too dark or too bright for your skin tone can instantly age you—"Especially reds that might have looked great 10 years ago, but now their complexion has changed," she says. "For example, it might be ruddier, which a dark lipstick will emphasizes."
Additionally, Moor warns that choosing a darker color will "ensure that your lips are the first thing other people notice about you." If you want to go a more subtle route, she suggests opting for lighter colors like corals, nudes, and pinks, which will "define your lips without screaming" and create a more youthful look.
Winkenwerder agrees, adding that you should also pay attention to how your complexion changes with the seasons; what looked great on you in the summer may not work for winter. "Find a color of lipstick that works well with your current seasonal coloring," she says. "There may be more than one shade in that color family that you can wear, so don't be shy to branch out and add a few new colors to your cosmetic wardrobe." Noted!
2. Using Dehydrating Matte Lipstick
As we age, we tend to struggle with dryer lips. For this reason, it may be time to kick some of your go-to matte lipsticks to the curb if you want to appear younger. Moor points out that your favorite matte formula could be adding years to your look if you're not careful: "[Many matte lipsticks] can be drying, and, as a result, aging," she says. Luckily, there's an easy solution. You can do away with this variety of lip color altogether, or you can choose more hydrating matte options. Moor's Molten Matte Liquid Lipsticks, for example, are "power-packed with vitamin E for hydration." Keep an eye out for moisturizing ingredients like this, which can help your lips stay happy and hydrated while still maintaining that matte finish you love.
3. Forgetting To Moisturize And Scrub
Moor warns that you should never apply lip color to dry or flaky lips. Just as we said above, dried out lips will instantly cause you to look older, especially if you add a lipstick on top of it that can accentuate all those cracks and flakes. To avoid this issue, Winkenwerder and Moor suggest prepping your lips with an exfoliating scrub. "Always exfoliate your lips and lip area," Winkenwerder urges, noting that "a nourishing and moisturizing sugar or salt scrub could help exfoliate the dry skin buildup around the lip area." For proper hydration, Moor says you should "try using products with hyaluronic acid for extra plumping moisture." Perfect!
Makeup can feel so hit or miss sometimes, especially when you want to avoid looking older. However, once you nail your lip care routine and find the perfect lip color for every season, as Moor and Winkenwerder suggest, you'll be well on your way to the youngest-look lips around.
