Turn back time

lifestyle magazine online london

"Makeup tips for women over 40"

If I could turn back time; if I could find a way. . . ,” sings Cher in her 1989 hit Turn Back Time. At 43 years of age, she was strutting her stuff in a revealing fishnet costume and looking amazing doing so.

She might have been singing about what many women desire – the ability to turn back time and take better care of our skin. Neglecting to wear sunscreen on one’s face, forgetting to remove makeup and do a thorough cleansing before bed, smoking or choosing a poor diet can all show up in one’s face as the years add up.

But there are some ways of minimizing how much of this damage we show to the world through some tricks of the trade that make up artists know and share.

“Great makeup starts with great skin,” says Nina Badr, co-owner of N U Hair and Make Up Studio. She also teaches in the Fanshawe College esthetics program and tells students that exfoliation and moisturization are key, especially as skin ages.

Rokhsana Purdy, owner of Purdy Natural – a local company that makes and retails all-natural skin care and makeup products, agrees, adding “skin is skin, whether you’re 20 or 50.” She encourages customers to “find natural products that suit your skin type and to eat a healthy diet, drink lots of water and protect skin from the sun” as one gets older.

Image consultant with Pink Ink Makeup Artistry and author of Finesse Your Life, Jennifer Slay concurs. “Food and drink have an effect on skin. The wear and tear we incur on our skin takes longer to heal as we age.”

She encourages a re-evaluation of skin care products as well as the colours one chooses to wear as we pass from our 30s to 40s and 50s.

“Often we need to tweak or change our whole regimen as we get older,” she explains. “For instance dark lipstick can make you look older. More neutral and lighter colours can lend a more youthful look.”

“Limit how much sparkle and frost you wear in the daytime as they can settle into creases and emphasize wrinkles, which ages you.”

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Another area that often shows age faster is the eyes. All three experts agree that wearing shimmery eye shadows can be a mistake. Badr explains, “Limit how much sparkle and frost you wear in the daytime as they can settle into creases and emphasize wrinkles, which ages you.” Since evening lighting is softer, she says that adding some sparkle and shimmer after dark is fine.

Working on one eye at a time (as products can set quickly), Badr says to start with a matte eye primer as it will lessen the effects of hot flashes and humidity on your eye makeup.

Next, use an under eye brightener on skin around the eye for a fresher look.

“Using an eye highlighter in a powder or cream without sparkles around your eyes is a good way to add lift and bring brightness around the eyes,” advises Badr.

Then she says to apply under-eye concealer or colour corrector to minimize dark circles; finish with a light powder to set the whole look.

Acknowledging that this process may take more time than women want to invest in an everyday look, Badr says that steps can be eliminated to make it faster but for special occasions the full treatment might be called for.

Purdy concurs, “Wearing bronzer and mascara can go a long way to bringing life to your look when you’re busy.”

Slay adds, “A smile and confidence will get you everywhere no matter what age or what you’re wearing.”

A youthful outlook, good skin care and careful reevaluation of one’s colour and product choices can help you turn back time.