Mommy Makeover | Makeup for Women 50+

Today, we’re talking about makeup for women over 50 – moms, aunts, cousins, sisters, friends. One of my goals for Brighter, Darling in 2016 is to do makeup on more friends and family so my readers can see the techniques in action and not have to see my gorgeous face every time I post a tutorial 😉 My beautiful mother is the first victim volunteer of the year, which is perfect because not only do many of my readers have moms in the same age range, but many of my readers are in their 50s themselves (based on blog’s analytics)!

My mom is most likely going to kill me for posting these pictures, but it’s all in the name of education, right!? And of course, looking good. Continue reading after the jump to see more details of the makeup and a breakdown of everything I used and how/why I used it. Feel free to share with your mom or friends if you found this helpful.

Let’s start by clarifying what type of skin my mom has – which is probably exactly what will happen to me as I get older. My mom has oily skin, which is always a balancing act when it comes to anti-aging treatments since many brands still assume that if you want anti-aging, you must also be dry. Not true. At all. She loves her Neutrogena makeup remover wipes and moisturizes with CeraVe cream, in combination with Retin A (by prescription) a few nights a week. During the day, she uses Olay Complete Daily Defense Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin SPF 15.

When my mom finally allowed me to do her makeup (it’s taken years, lol), I knew I wanted to give her a softer, warm and glowy look without feeling heavy or greasy.

For the face

1. I applied Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonder Glow Foundation in Shade #6 all over her skin. This is an amazing foundation for women over 50 because it’s ‘youth-boosting.’ I don’t know what sort of sorcery Charlotte has really put in this formula, but even when I use it, it takes like 5-10 years off my skin. It has a way of plumping the skin and giving a healthier look to anyone. It’s a light/medium but buildable formula which is great for women over 50 because you don’t want to be wearing a mask that can settle into any fine lines or wrinkles at this age (or any age, to be honest). It also has great lasting power, but be sure to set it if you have combo/oily skin.
2. I used a very light, tapping motion with my ring finger to conceal any dark circles with this Maybelline concealer. I lightly dusted this mineral powder in Golden Glow with this brush under the eyes to set the concealer and add just a little more coverage. It’s also a great all-over mineral foundation, FYI.
   1. ***DO NOT APPLY MORE CONCEALER TO AREAS YOU HAVE MORE FINE LINES/WRINKLES. I don’t know who started this advice, but this technique is not flattering. My mom told me she read it somewhere and I was abhorred. Less is more. Light, buildable layers with the right formula is the way to do it.***
3. I used a sponge to press Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder into the rest of the skin – particularly focusing on the areas with fine lines around the mouth and forehead because we don’t want foundation settling into these areas later in the day. Press, do not brush.
4. Using Kat Von D’s Shade/Light Contour Kit (review/demo here), I used the darkest shade on the temples, beneath the cheekbones, and along the jaw line – leaving the chin area alone because my mom has a more square/heart-shaped face and we don’t want to add darkness to her chin which would shorten her face. I buffed out the dark color with the lightest contour shade in all the same places and then the medium contour shade to the apples of the cheeks, the bridge of the nose and a light tap on the chin. I mixed all three matte highlight shades and applied lightly under the eyes up towards the temple, upper lip, and below the contour I placed on her cheekbone.
5. I added the Balm’s Mary LouManizer to the tops of the cheekbones, bridge of the nose (not the tip), and on the cupid’s bow of her lips. If you have dry skin, Benefit’s Watt’s Up highlighter in the same spots would be stunning.
6. For blush, I believe warm-toned shades brighten the complexion of those over 50 without looking “made up.” Since my mom has oily skin, I chose to use MAC’s Melba, a matte powder formula in a peach/beige shade. If you have dry skin, a cream blush would be great (try this one, in 315 Peach Beige, for a similar look).

For the eyes

For women over 50, I think the fear of eyeshadow is that is can look garish or enhance fine lines. However, it’s all about the right color/undertone. A frosty silver isn’t the way to go, but a warm, light gold satin sheen can be very flattering. That’s what you need to keep in mind – no to frost, yes to satin/sheen.

1. From the moment I got the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita eye quad, I was dying to use it on my mom. I knew the warm, bronze shades would be so flattering on her dark, warm brown eyes. I love Charlotte’s shadows, especially for those fifty and over, because of the gel-powder texture that blends amazingly and never allows you to go overboard. I primed her lids with MAC’s Painterly Paintpot to even out her eyelid and help the shadow last longer. I then dusted the lightest champagne shade in the quad all over the lid – from lashes to brow bone with a tapered, fluffy brush.
2. Next, take the garnet/bronze shade through the crease and pull it up towards the brows with a fluffy brush.
3. I used MAC’s Blacktrack gel eye liner and lined my mom’s upper lash line but then immediately smudged the hell out of it using the chocolate-brown shadow in the quad. I like the look of a sexy, smudgy liner on women over 50 because it not only gives the illusion of much thicker lashes, but it is a lot more forgiving of any crepiness on the lids compared to a thick, dark swipe of eyeliner.
4. On the lower lash line, I used MAC’s Powerpoint liner in Engraved (black) and immediately smudged that with a mix of the garnet/bronze and chocolate shadows.
5. To help brighten the eyes (since my mom swears she’s perpetually exhausted), I dabbed my pinkie into the champagne shade from the quad and tapped it right on the inner corners of her eyes.
6. For fun – and because we were going out that night for my sister’s birthday – I applied the gold ‘sophisticated’ glitter shade on her lids. For every day, you can skip this step if you’d like.
7. To finish it off, my mom got to use my new Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir extreme volume mascara (review here). I think a volumizing formula is an amazing option for women over 50 because again, it helps plump up the lash line and open up the eyes. The more mascara the better, to be honest!

My mom likes to use Anastasia Beverly Hills brow powder in Soft Brown on her brows.

For the lips

My mom is a lip product junkie and always is on the hunt for her next favorite lip combo. She’s been on the lookout for a nude that won’t wash her out and I think we nailed it!

1. My mom lined her lips with my Charlotte Tilbury Iconic Nude lip liner, which she really liked.
2. She then used MAC’s Velvet Teddy matte lipstick.
3. To add some shine and also help plump up the lips (hint: a good gloss diminishes any extra fine lines on the lips), she used Buxom’s lip cream in Hot Toddy, which is a favorite of mine because the formula stays put, plumps the lips and has a sweet mint taste. This is a great everyday gloss that isn’t too gloopy, will match any lip color and looks great even on its own.

I hope this post helped give you some ideas, suggestions and product recommendations for you (or your mom)! Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I think a few of the products I used here would be gorgeous gifts (hint: the eyeshadow palette, lip combo or foundation).

Happy mommy makeovers,

-Steffanie

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