Can make-up help you turn back the clock? Last week I met celebrity make-up artist Deborah Williams who answered that question for me. Deborah is the founder of GRACE (www.gracemakeup.com). She specializes in helping midlife women look their best!
Deborah says make-up can almost reverse aging. “Time marches on, but there’s a lot you can do with the colors you wear and makeup choices and the way you apply it to help you look as good as you ever did. Some clients tell me they’ve never looked better! The way to do this is with color and care, and by forgetting what used to work for you at 18 or even 28. Learn what will work for you now.”
Here are some of the tips Deborah gave me to get the head start on aging (gracefully) with GRACE:
1. Know your colors
1. Know your colors
For this you may need to consult an expert (Deborah at www.gracemakeup.com). Determine whether you’re winter, summer, spring,or fall. You may remember when this was the hot thing to do and it still should be. Wearing colors that suit will make you look brighter, fresher, younger, and bring out your best. Your season is one of the factors that also determines the colors to use on your face,
particularly for your eyes and your lips. However, please note: as you age, your colors may flow. If you were a winter when you were 18, you might be a fall at 48 —depending on skin
tone and hair shade!
2. Go softer
particularly for your eyes and your lips. However, please note: as you age, your colors may flow. If you were a winter when you were 18, you might be a fall at 48 —depending on skin
tone and hair shade!
2. Go softer
Don’t use the heavy streak of Cleopatra black eyeliner that may have worked in the past. Ninety percent of the time, the color used in your brows should be the color used as the first contour to shape your eye.
3. Remember your roots, please
3. Remember your roots, please
You want eyelashes to frame your eyes, not spider webs. To achieve this, apply mascara to the roots only to give a lustrous look and pull the brush up andout of the eye to open it up. Don’t ‘ski’ down the top of the lashes.
4. Outside only
Don’t use mascara on the inner eyelashes (closest to your nos!). This tends to draw attention to the heaviness in the eye bag
5. Glow with blush
Don’t use blush to shape your face as you may have in the past. Instead,dust lightly on the apple of the cheeks to give a healthy glow.
6. Careful when you line
6. Careful when you line
When you are lining your lips, make sure that the pencil is either on the inside of the lip outline, on the lip, or that the pencil just skims the outside lip line for the most natural look.
7. Watch the Frosted Shadows
7. Watch the Frosted Shadows
Frosted eye shadows are fine, but only at night. Use where the candlelight will enhance andnot make it gleam too harshly.
8. Play up the Positive
8. Play up the Positive
Accent Your Choose your best feature and accent it. Select either your lips or your eyes, but not both.
9. Be sure to wear Foundation
9. Be sure to wear Foundation
Foundation not only evens skin tone; it can make the years fade away. Use it to soften areas that have shadows.
10. Reduce Eye heaviness
10. Reduce Eye heaviness
Use a single light tone of neutral shadow in a light wash from the lashes to brow bone to reduce heaviness around the eyes.