Don’t Let Your Hair and Makeup Age You

As we age, our hair and skin changes and I’m not just talking about gray strands and wrinkles. Avoiding some common mistakes can help take years off your appearance.

Hair Color

Because our complexions lose some color as we mature, we should make sure our hair color is richer.Choosing a color that is too dark will make your wrinkles stand out even more by casting dark shadows on your skin. Dark hair also causes scalp to show through more prominently if you have thinning hair.Minimize this by going a little lighter than your natural color. The other extreme, a color that is too light will also age you because it causes your complexion to look too washed out. Red hair is hard to pull off on women with mature skin because it highlights age spots, blotchiness and sallow complexions.  Look for colors with golden tones, like a honey blond.

Bangs Before Botox

Just because you are over 40, doesn’t mean you have to cut off all your hair. 40 is the new 30 after all. Consider whether your long hair is healthy and shiny looking. If your hair looks dry and frazzled, you should be doing some serious deep conditioning, or give up and cut some of it off. Bangs are one thing that can quickly take years off your face. Long, side swept bangs look great on just about everyone and do a lot to cover the lines on your forehead.

Cake is for Birthdays

Don’t make the mistake of pancaking on makeup to cover wrinkles and sun spots. In fact, as you age, you risk looking even older by using makeup that will settle into lines, in colors that make you look pasty and pale. Visit a makeup counter where an expert can find you a slightly warmer or deeper color than you have always used. Always make sure your skin is moisturized before applying makeup and if you don’t use one, consider trying a primer. Primers are usually a silicone based product that makes your skin smooth, fills tiny lines and provides a perfect surface for your makeup.

Avoid traditional concealer and use a highlighter, which contains minerals that diffuse light. Go easier on the blush, poorly placed it can make your face look gaunt.

Lip Service

If you must wear lipstick, use a lip pencil in the same color to help avoid lipstick bleeding into the fine lines around your mouth. Buy a lipstick brush to apply lipstick rather than applying it straight from the tube. A more youthful look will always be a light colored gloss. Dark colors on lips will look harsh and make you appear older so if you refuse to give up red, find a sheer one.

Windows To Your Soul

The delicate skin around your eyes ends up looking crepey with too much makeup. Use a small amount of primer and then choose colors that cancel red and yellow tones, like sage. Avoid cream eyeshadows, which build up in the creases.

Gloria Marquez is a mother and writer who works for Eco-Tools Makeup so she considers herself an expert on cosmetics. She often blogs about makeup and how to get the most out of your look.

Photo Credit: Lord_Henry