Ageless Beauty

All the serums, peels and lifting creams in the world will only get you so far in the everlasting pursuit of youth – don’t let your makeup sabotage the effort. We asked professional makeup artist, Nicola McGeorge, to share her tips and tricks for achieving a youthful appearance.

It’s all about the base

For me, 70 per cent of a great makeup look is down to the right skin prep. Prepping the skin ensures a perfected canvas and helps makeup perform better. If you take the time to do this, you will need less coverage, and as we mature, less is always more when it comes to makeup.

After cleansing, run First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads over your skin. They exfoliate and brighten to perfectly prep skin for a smooth makeup application.

I am personally not a fan of primers, preferring to use multi-tasking skin care, such as the cult French moisturiser Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré. Thanks to its glow-giving finish and miraculous ability to make makeup stay put, it can be found in most celebrity makeup artists’ kits. Spend the time to really massage the moisturiser into the skin, giving yourself a mini facial. This ‘wakes up’ the face, reduces puffiness and boosts circulation. Remember, the better the skin, the better the makeup will be.

Next, apply the super hydrating Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment, which doubles as an under-eye makeup primer. The eye cream grips makeup to stay in place all-day.

Don’t forget to prep your lips. Exfoliation can make all the difference for a younger-looking pout. Buff lips daily with a clean toothbrush or a damp cloth, which removes flakes and boosts blood flow. Then coat lips in a thick layer of Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask to lock in moisture, fill lines and boost fullness.

Give us a lift

Move onto brows whilst giving the skin care time to really sink in and work its magic. I like to focus on the brows first, as they really help frame a face and, when done correctly, can lift the whole eye area and take years off you.

After brushing the hair upwards, create feather-like strokes to fill the area with the long-lasting super fine pencil, Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil. Keep brows in place with Benefits 24-Hour Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel. Take a tissue and dab off any excess moisturiser. Using a damp Beauty Blender, take your foundation of choice and bounce it across the skin. Start in the middle and work outwards, so there is less product on the outside of the face. I would opt for a more moisturising foundation for mature skin to add a healthy glow and even out skin without building up a heavy layer. I favour Chanel Vitalumiére or Face Atelier Ultra Foundation. Concealers can be tricky to apply; many formulas sink into crevices, emphasising every fine line. To keep concealer from drawing attention to wrinkles, apply it only on the inner halves of your under-eyes to cover up any darkness.

If you have darkness under the eyes, colour correct this area with a thin layer of a Bobbi Brown Corrector, then stipple your concealer on top. Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer is a great budget option. NARS Cosmetics Radiant Creamy Concealer and It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer are also firm faves. Set this area with a clean fluffy brush sprayed with Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray.

Give yourself a mini faux facelift using the power of light reflective formulas. Brush YSL Touche Éclate onto frown lines, tops of cheekbones, outer corners of eyes, brow bones and temples of the forehead to get the maximum anti-ageing effect.

Pump up the volume

Next, we want to create the volume and plumpness of youthful skin. I tend to skip contouring on cheekbones as that hollows out the face, which is the opposite of what we are trying to achieve for mature skin. If you feel your jawline is starting to sag, you can run a little Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream along this area, which will help reduce the pouch.

Highlight the areas you want to bring out or forward. Using fingers, apply a cream, non-glittery highlight such a Living Luminizer RMS Beauty on the high points of the cheekbone (stay away from any fine lines as it will only emphasise them.)

Cream blushes add a glow to the skin. They’re easy to use and can double on the lips as well. Dab a little Fenty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush onto the apples of the cheeks to create a healthy, youthful flush. Go for warm pinks, apricots, or bronzes since they create less contrast.

Set the t-zone with a dusting of By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Powder, a finely milled powder. I use powder very sparingly as it tends to enhance lines, preferring to use setting sprays instead to keep makeup in place.

Kiss me quick The eyes have it

You want to open up the eyes and make them look as big as possible. Start with a lid primer to even out the upper eyelid, creating a bright-eyed look that lasts all day. Press a soft brown kohl liner in between each lash along the lash line to add definition, bringing the look of lush and full lashes even before mascara. Blend the liner up at the outer corners with a Q-tip or flat eyeliner brush to reverse droopy-looking lids. Follow with your eyeshadow of choice - opt for cream shadows or tints and stay clear of anything with a shimmer or sparkle in it.

Curl lashes; this is very important as it opens up the whole eye area. Apply waterproof mascara to avoid the dreaded panda eye look. Take the nude Diorshow Khol 529 eyeliner and trace your lower waterline. By doing this, the whites of your eyes will appear slightly extended, therefore creating the illusion of wider looking eyes.

If lashes are particularly sparse, you can add a few individual lashes to the outer corners, which will really lift the eye area.

Dark shades can be unflattering on mature skin because lips get thinner with age. Extra lipstick migrates; instead of applying colour straight from the tube, apply with a lipstick brush. Choose a moisturising lip colour. For older women, it’s important to look for a formula that’s more hydrating to ensure smooth, even coverage.

Prevent feathering and make your lips look fuller with a lip liner. You can balance the shape by using a lip pencil in a ‘your-lips-but-better’ shade. Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip Cheat pencils can always be found in my kit.

Seal The Deal

Gives the skin a radiant finish by misting it all over with a hydrating setting spray. Spritz your face in first an “X” motion and then a “T” shape. Now, you’re all set—literally.