Anti-aging makeup tips from the pros
We all know that celebrities and models who come out in magazines have a huge team of experts to make them look young and picture-perfect.
Photographers, lighting specialists, hair and makeup artists, art directors, photo retouchers, and beauty editors are responsible for that money shot that sells a product, story, or idea.
But unlike such highly-paid stars, we don't need a huge professional team to make us look fresh-faced and flawless; all we need are simple beauty tricks that pro makeup artists swear by.
1. Stay neutral.
"Deep, dark shades are harsh and tend to age you," says wedding makeup artist Ces Guerrero. "Use soft pink and coral hues for your lips and lightly reflective nudes as eyeshadow to open up and brighten your eyes," she adds. To top off the look, Guerrero suggests to use brown eyeliner to define your lash line and a swipe of black mascara.
2. Brighten your under eyes.
Makeup maven and artist to the stars Bobbi Brown believes that concealer is a woman's best friend and is a "must-have for disguising under-eye circles the morning after a too-late night," she writes in her book Bobbi Brown Beauty Evolution.
To banish dark circles, Brown suggests using a concealer brush or your ring finger to pat on your choice of concealer in thin layers, then blend well. "Bring it all the way up to our lash line and into the inner corners of the eyes… to give your eyes that open, clean look we used to have when we were younger and didn't have such dark under-eye circles," she says.
3. Don't be too gung-ho with the tweezers.
"Over-plucking your eyebrows tips off the balance of your face. Very thin arches sharpen your features, thereby aging you," says makeup pro Jasmine Mendiola.
When tweezing your brows, pluck one or two strands first, then pull the mirror away from your face to survey the difference with the other eyebrow. Make any necessary adjustments with the other arch rather than cleaning up just one eyebrow so as to avoid overdoing it.
4. Moisturise.
"Fine lines look more pronounced when skin is dry, and more so when makeup is applied, so pat a light layer of moisturiser (with SPF for double-duty protection) before putting on colour," says makeup expert Cherry Pacheco. Too much moisturiser makes your skin slick and lets the makeup slide right off, so if you think you've put on too much, dab any excess with a sheet of tissue paper.
5. Fill 'er up.
Over the years, our collagen production slows down, making our pores bigger and our lines deeper. These dips in the skin create unsightly makeup deposits, which highlight the imperfections even more. To treat this, Pacheco suggests prepping your skin with a pore and line-diffusing primer prior to makeup.
"Priming your skin prevents your makeup from 'cracking' or setting into the lines," says Pacheco. Target areas like the pores on the cheek area closest to the nose, your nasolabial folds (the parenthesis that runs from the corners of your nose to the corners of your mouth), and your laugh lines.
6. Keep it light.
My favourite tip on looking young is something my mother taught me by example: Don't wear too much makeup. You don't need a lot to look polished, so be light-handed when you put on the color. Pat some concealer under your eyes, dot a bit of cheek colour to brighten up your face, swipe a layer of tinted lip balm, curl your lashes, fill in your eyebrows with feather-light strokes, and swish a layer of loose powder to top off this no-makeup makeup look. Plus, taking care of your skin to keep it looking young won't have you needing to put on top much makeup in the first place.