The skin around your eyes may change over time, but that’s no reason to swear off eye makeup! We asked the pros to weigh in on the best eyeshadow tips for aging skin.
Just like how your skin needs an anti-aging regimen, so does your makeup bag. Skin changes over time, which means it’s necessary to change up your makeup routine to accommodate its evolving needs. The skin around the eyes can be especially challenging to work with since it’s prone to fine lines and wrinkles, so we asked beauty experts for their best makeup tips for aging eyes, plus the products they recommend to flatter creases, hooded eyes, and more.
1.Make Eyes Look More Awake
Even your eyeliner and mascara can benefit from a change-up. They’re the finishing touches to your eye makeup, after all. Trizzino says a 24-hour eyeliner is your best bet to keep it at your lash line without transferring to the upper section of your lid (and ruining your shadow). For a softer look, a cream pencil looks great; for a bit more drama, nothing beats a liquid liner.
“Finally, a good mascara will change your life… and your eyes,” Trizzino says. She recommends a smudge-proof and transfer-proof formula that has some curling power to help make your eyes look bigger and more open. Check out our top drugstore mascaras to find one that’s right for you.
2.Pump Up the Moisture
“Good makeup starts with good skincare,” makeup artist Mandie Brice says. A healthy and hydrated complexion is a key step in optimal makeup application, especially as skin ages and needs more moisture. Apply a moisturizing cream like Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream (To Buy:amazon.com ) to your eyelids and under eyes before your makeup. Brice says this cream is perfect for during the day as it dissolves instantly into skin. At night Brice recommends Dr. Hauschka’s Eye Balm (To Buy, Amazon.com), “It is so thick, creamy and hydrating!”
3. Skip Powdery Formulas
As you age, the formula and finish of your eyeshadow should also be taken into consideration. Brice suggests a matte finish shadow, as ones that are glittery and shimmery often settle into fine lines and wrinkles and accentuate them.
Instead of powder shadows, which can also sink into wrinkles, opt for cream shadows and eyeshadow sticks. A good cream shadow is more hydrating and may also blend better, Brice says. Swipe on Bobbi Brown’s Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick (To Buy amazon.com) to achieve your look and get the best of both a cream shadow and eyeshadow stick in one.
And when it comes to shadow color? “I don’t think there should be any rules when it comes to shadow shades,” Trizzino says. “But nudes, soft roses, taupes and pale browns are traditionally the most flattering colors and can help eyes look wider and brighter.” Brice agrees, saying that more mature women benefit from neutral tones to avoid highlighting wrinkles.
4. Give Shadow Staying Power
Priming your eyelids is a useful trick to help shadow stick any age, but especially as we get older. “As we age, our eyelids can tend to become a bit more hooded—making it harder for shadow to wear all day without creasing,” Jeniece Trizzino, a beauty expert with Deck of Scarlet, says. An eyeshadow primer provides the extra assurance that your shadow will stay in place; try out Urban Decay’s original Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($24, Sephora) which is a cult classic among makeup-lovers.
