10 Makeup mistakes that may be aging you

Nur Syazana H. 18 Aug 2015 updated the 6 October 2015 à 22:52

1/10
Clumpy mascara
Clumpy, spider lashes are never a good look on anyone, but too much of it, especially on the lower lashes, give a heaviness to the eyes that unintentionally draws attention towards crow's feet and under eye circles. Choose a lightweight mascara that holds your curl, to define your lashes and lift the eyes for a more wide-awake appearance.
2/10
Too-dark eyeliner
Though black eyeliner softly smudged out on the top lash lines are very flattering on mature eyes, it doesn't give off the same effect on the lower eyelids. Black eyeliner can be too harsh when applied to the lower lash line and like heavy coats of mascara, it can also highlight the flaws around the eyes that come with age. But we're not saying you should skip it altogether - define your eyes to make them look brighter and larger with a brown eye pencil at the lash line instead. The lighter your skin tone, the lighter brown you should use. Also consider using a nude pencil to line your water lines.
3/10
Messy lipstick
Messy lipstick is synonymous with cat ladies who wear too much makeup or young girls trying out their mother's cosmetics for the first time. To avoid looking like either of the two, use a lip liner that matches the colour of your lipstick to keep the colour within the lips. Also avoid applying your lipstick directly from the tube - the potentially thick formula adds unnecessary texture that is not only too heavy but uncomfortable too. Instead, pick up the product on your finger tip and dab it on starting from the centre of the lips and working outwards (this works exceptionally well for darker lip colours). You can also use a lip brush for more precision.
4/10
Matte lipstick
With age, lips often get thinner - not only in shape but also in texture. Matte lipsticks will lay flat on thin lips and won't do them any good at all, so you should opt for satin-finish lipsticks as you get older instead.
5/10
Too much foundation
You might be tempted to smear your entire face with as much foundation as you're used to, but take a good look at your bare face and you'll realise you don't actually need all that product. Your skin has probably healed from the acne problems you battled in your younger days and balanced itself out over time, so what's left is a clear complexion that's just slightly worn with age. What's more, excess foundation will settle into fine creases and lines and appear cakey on the skin. Accentuate your natural glow with as little coverage as possible by applying foundation only to where you need it the most, with a damp sponge or your fingers for a natural-looking finish.
6/10
Too much blush
Bright, heavy blush is a habit we hope most have known not to adopt but if that's how you've been wearing your cheek colour your whole life, it's not too late. Avoid going ham with a heavy hand on the application so you get the lightest flush of colour to add life to your complexion. Also be sure of the best area to apply your blush - smiling and swirling it directly onto the apples of your cheeks won't look as good once you stop smiling and may drag your cheeks downwards, so apply the blush in circular motions on the outer halves of your cheekbones instead.
7/10
Avoid shimmer
Shimmery products like glitter eyeshadow and patchy light-reflecting foundation doesn't quite look the best on mature skin as it brings too much attention to every fine line on the skin, so avoid it as much as you can. For the eyes, opt for matte neutrals to add depth on the lids to lift the eyes and you only need a touch of a lighter shimmery shade on the centre of the lids and inner corners. As for the skin, a luminizing foundation with extremely fine light-reflecting particles can benefit you when applied to the highest points of your face.
8/10
Heavy contouring
Shadows are extra-defined on mature skin, so adding a dark contour to your face will look muddy and unflattering. If you feel the need to add dimension to your features, dare to go only a shade darker than your skin tone in order to get a natural warmth to the complexion.
9/10
Heavy brows
A brow colour too dark for your skin tone will look jarring against your complexion. This is often the case when one uses an eyeliner as an eyebrow pencil - the consistency of pencil eyeliners are much softer and more pigmented, as opposed to the harder tips of eyebrow pencils that don't transfer the true colour of the pencil. Use a dark brown eyebrow pencil instead of black, and apply with a light hand to avoid filling your brows too dark. Also take note to concentrate most of the colour on the outer arches of your brows to lift and frame the entire face.
10/10
Over-plucked brows
As if hair thinning isn't enough of a problem to show signs of aging, over-plucked brows aren't a good look and are especially so on more mature women. Let your natural brow hairs grow and only groom the unruly strands that appear out of your usual brow shape. Full brows are synonymous with youth and will frame the face well.

Find out what you should avoid to stay looking fresh even as you get older. We share some tips on how you can adopt better techniques for mature skin.

With years of trial and error, we may have developed our own signature makeup looks and aren’t afraid to go bold. But as the years go by, the same makeup looks and techniques that used to give us that edge may not look as good as it did during the hay day.

One of the top reasons why so many women unintentionally make their makeup age them instead of flatter them is because they use the same makeup principles as their younger days. It’s time to switch up your take on makeup now that your skin is more mature.

Scroll through the gallery above for the top 10 makeup mistakes you should avoid to prevent an aged look.

Nur Syazana H.

All photo credits: Shutterstock

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