Makeup for women over 50 is a hot topic for me, as I will be turning 60 at the end of July.
Let me tell you, this is an ongoing process in my life. Makeup and skincare are evolving at a fast pace like technology. Staying up to date with advances in skincare and cosmetics is hard. But, there are simple things that can be corrected in one’s makeup and skincare arsenal that can help mature skin look radiant and glowy.
This has nothing to do with looking younger, but looking the very best you can at your current age.
As we age and go through menopause, our skin becomes dry and dull due to the lack of hormones- which also causes us to not produce collagen like we once did. We lose fat and elasticity. I know it sounds like a horror story, but how we take care of ourselves during this time can be life-changing.
Making sure you are on a good skincare routine is a big part of this. I also recommend you go get your skin checked out by the dermatologist. If you’re in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend Dr. Elizabeth Whitaker at Atlanta Face and Body! Right now I’m using a pharmaceutical line by of skincare Neocutis. I’ll write more about my skincare routine in a later blog post. I know I started noticing changes in my skin when I turned 50, and a lot of what I was seeing was sun damage from when I was in my twenties. That’s why it is *so important* to wear sunscreen, and to preach it to our kids and grandchildren!
What I have found is many women are using the same makeup they have for the last 10 years. Does that sound like you? We are definitely creatures of habit. I have had a lot of changes happen in the last 10 years so here are a few things that have changed and how I am dealing with them.
This is one of the reasons I started “buy this not that” reels series on makeup for women over 50.
When I was in my twenties and thirties I liked to wear fuller coverage makeup.
It was all about having flawless skin with a matte finish. As my skin has matured, I have gone from a fuller matte coverage foundation to a light/medium buildable coverage foundation. I like a dewy finish, which gives my skin a more hydrated look. I also have done away with powdering my entire face, and now I use a very translucent powder that has been milled very fine and I only use it around my hairline, a dab around the corner of my nose, and a pinch under my eyes. That being said, let’s hop into the breakdown of my Buy this, Not that series.
Buy this, not that; Foundation
So while we are on the subject of luminous/hydrated looking skin I need to address foundations. This is what I did for my reels on makeup for women over 50. Foundation for me has changed a lot over the years. When I was younger ir was all about having that matte look. Nothing could be shiny! It also involved a lot of powders, like powder blush, translucent powder over my my entire face, and powder eye shadows. I am not against a matte makeup, I will say on me I prefer a more sheer and hydrated makeup. I’m already battling drier skin, so powder is only reserved for a light dusting under my eyes, around the corners of my nose and along my hairline to stop my hair from getting makeup in it. I compared Cover FX Power Play (which I used a couple years back and still carry in my makeup kit) to Stay Naked HydroManiac Tinted Glow Hydrator by Urban Decay. They both are medium coverage formulas. The Stay Naked HydroManiac Tint Glow Hydrator leaves my skin looking glowy and hydrated. The Cover FX Power Play leaves my skin looking flat and dull. This make also grabs where my skin tends to be more dry.
Buy this, not that; Eyebrows
The first area I addressed is my brows. Over the years I have over plucked my brows that was what was in the 70’s and 80’s. Then add in the aging process with hair thinning and or loss. It’s a problem. I started using a brow serum to help with growing back some of the hair. It’s been helpful and has worked. It hasn’t given me thick brows, but has helped fill in some of the gaps. This has helped give my brows a better shape. I had in years past penciled in my brows, now I like a more nature look. I like to be able to see individual hairs so I went from using Benefit’s Ka-brow because I have to draw it on where as with Mac’s Eye Brow Big Boost Fibre Gel it actually clings to what hair you have. It works great for those of you who don’t want to color your brows. I have a lot of white hairs in my brows and I do color mine. This product brushes on like a mascara and its waterproof.
I also use a serum on my lashes due to the aging they have thinned out too. We have lashes to protect things from flying in ours eyes. I was wearing lash strips and decided I would try the serum to help lash growth. I had tried Latisse and wasn’t super thrilled with the price. It did work well though. I just knew there had to be another product out there for less. I found GrandeLash MD at half the cost and have been hooked ever since.
Buy this, not that; Highlighters
Next up was highlighter which helps give your skin a luminous look. This is something we lose over time. Our skin get flat and dull. This all happens due to hormones and other factors play into this as well. I used to use powder highlighter, now I grab a cream. We have fine lines and powder tends to sit on top of my skin. A cream highlighter blends in nicely into my skin. I really like this cream by Mac cosmetics. It’s the perfect piece of makeup for women over 50! We love a dewy skin moment.
Whew, I know that was a lot to take in, so leave me a comment down below if you have any questions!
XO
I agree with you about foundation. I have the hardest time finding just the right color and consistency of foundation for me. I think I am basically neutral but do lean a little toward warm. I live in a small town with few options to buy makeup so I usually but either Walmart or a pharmacy. I so wish we had a department store with a really good makeup department with a cosmetition who really knew what they were doing to help. The closest we have is Merle Norman and they really aren’t much help. I also have switched to cream blush but it seems to disappear before the day is over. I usually use a little powder blush over to make it last. I have a container full of different colors, consistancies and labels of foundation, blushes ,mascaras and eyeshadows. So I’m definitely not one who has used the same thing for years. Just always looking for just the right look. I’m 72 so I do have a pretty constant skin care. L’Oreal is my favorite and I’m constantly checking out their new screams and serums. Like you, not trying to try to look younger, just trying to look good for my age. I’m actually lucky as I have pretty good skin. I think that’s thanks to my Mother who always took care of hers and started me early taking care of mine.
Hi Sherrie,
Thank you for commenting. I understand what you are saying about living in a small town. When I was first starting to wear makeup I went to Merle Norman. That’s been many moons ago. I’ll tell you what I do when I find a foundation I like. I purchase the color I wear in the winter and then I purchase the darkest shade and mix the color I need through the different seasons. I use self-tanner during the summer. That way I can get the color I need regardless of the time of year. I wished I had stayed out of the sun when I was younger, but what’s done is done. My Momma has gorgeous skin, but she stays out of the sun. I think our skin has to do with a couple of factors, DNA, our diet, how much water we drink, and how much we were in the sun when we were younger. blessings and love to you and yours.