This article has been updated since its initial publish date to include more expert insight.
While makeup has the power to conceal acne, emphasize your best features and help you develop your personal aesthetic and style, it could also inadvertently add years to your look if not used correctly. With that said, we reached out to professional makeup artists for two quick, go-to tips to keep in mind for a more youthful-looking, radiant feel overall.
Read on for tips and suggestions from Mandie Brice, professional makeup artist, Natasha Moor, Global AAPI makeup artist and founder of Natasha Moor Cosmetics, Victoria DiPietro, cosmetologist and owner of Bella Angel (whose clients include Chelsea Handler, Elizabeth Banks, Bridgit Mendler, and more), and professional makeup artist Mary Winkenwerder.
Mistake #1: Using a Drying Foundation
As we age, our skin loses its elasticity and produces less oil. This, Brice explains, means that using a foundation with a matte or drying effect can draw more attention to wrinkles and have an undesired peeling effect.
"I would say that the main issue is when people use a foundation that is drying, like powder, or even liquid," she says. Skin with texture (aka wrinkles), works best with a "cream or serum foundation," she advises, as anything drying can accentuate the wrinkles.
"Skin prep is also a huge part of it," she points out, so ensuring that you are (at minimum) cleansing and moisturizing can "also help the foundation look better," as well. In addition, Brice says many people are in the habit of using powder as a last step, and they may not need it.
"Our skin produces less moisture as we age, so we may not need powder to matte-ify and set anymore, but could be unnecessarily applying it," again, as she stresses, "accentuating" the wrinkles.
#2: Adding Too Much Blush
While too much of any makeup product won't create the look you're aiming for, blush can look unnatural if not used sparingly, Winkenwerder says. Blush should be applied with a "poofy" or densely packed brush with lots of soft bristles for a soft application (like a kabuki brush), Winkenwerder explains.
"When too much color pigment ends up on the brush and then on the face, it creates an uneven application of color," she warns. To avoid this, she suggests "gently dabbing the brush onto the pigmented blush or lightly swirl," then gently tapping the brush to shake off any excess color. Afterward, she emphasizes, it is essential to clean the brush.
Another error here could be using the wrong blush color or one that is too bold. "The creative element is great, but the reality of wearing heavily pigmented color in public is not so great," she says. Extreme colors like purple, bright fuschia, neon green, neon orange, and bright yellow are "better suited for Comicons, special events, and editorial purposes," she says, as extreme makeup colors worn on the face or in specific places on the face, are "specially made for short-term wear."
If your skin is not used to wearing the ingredients used to make these unique products, she concludes that skin irritations can set in. "In addition, these colors, if not washed off the face after wear, cause extreme skin irritation," Winkenwerder says, which will also accentuate wrinkling.
#3: Drawing Attention To Dark Circles With Eyeliner
With the wrong eyeliner style, dark under-eyes and crow's feet around your eyes can be inadvertently highlighted, DiPietro warns. To avoid this, she suggests "not [using] eyeliner under your bottom lash," and instead, only using eyeliner on your upper eyelid. "By using eyeliner correctly, you can create the illusion of a lift on your eyes," she explains.
She instructs to "outline your eyes on the top lid and just in the corner of your eye."
And, DiPietro emphasizes that you can "go a step further and add a cream color eyeliner or white on your waterline." This will brighten up your eyes to create a more youthful look.
"Another tip to create a younger look with eyeliner is [to] create a subtle wing," DiPietro recommends. She says you should "make sure when you make the wing that you start at the last lash and go up just a tiny bit." It's crucial to "stop right under where your eye creases, so that the wing doesn’t disappear and exaggerate your crease," she adds.
#4: Putting On Too Much Shimmer
Shimmery highlighters and glittery eyeshadow have become popular over the last few years. While a little shimmer in just a few places, like the tops of cheekbones and brow bones, can make you look stunning and give you a healthy glow, moderation is key here.
Too much shimmer, whether it's a glittery blush, bronzer, contour, highlighter, or eyeshadow, will only emphasize lines and wrinkles, Moor notes. "Instead, use a creamy, moisturizing formula with a more matte finish," Moor advises. Good to know!
#5. Choosing Dark, Matte Lipsticks
When it comes to your pout, Jackson suggests "steering clear of blue-based red lipsticks or darker lip tones." These products, she notes, can "make your lips appear thinner and definitely make you look older than you are." Jackson goes on to say that "the trend of dark lipstick comes and goes with much regularity these days."
This fad, she points out, will "never help anyone look younger, and this is due to simple principles of light." Black or dark red shades "absorb more light than lighter and brighter shades," she continues.
Now that you know what colors are best to avoid, Dennis also has a tip for picking the right formula. While matte lipstick may be popular and durable, it has the potential to dehydrate the lips. As we get older, our lips lose their natural moisture, which can lead to flaking, chapping, and dryness. To prevent further damage, Dennis says to avoid both matte and dark lipsticks.
"Too dry of a formula of lipstick can emphasize wrinkles and dryness," she warns. Instead of a matte lipstick, Dennis advises selecting a "moisturizing and balm lipstick" in shades that "emulate a youthful flush." She also suggests "a clear lip liner or one that matches the lip color that will keep the color from feathering and look more natural."
