Makeup at my age.

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I'm 39 years old, I have naturally dirty blonde hair, but I dye it black(looks much better!) I have green eyes and pale skin with a yellow undertone. I've always loved to wear my eyes in shades of green, purple or brown, depending on my mood and my outfit. I'm starting to notice the signs of aging in my skin, fine lines around my eyes and on my forehead, crepier eyelids, and slighty looser skin on my face. Oh, I wear glasses too.

I'd love to be able to wear greens, purples and browns still, but in a more age appropriate way. I've always loved shimmers, but I've heard they were a no-no for more mature women? What sort of eyeshadow finishes would be better for me? Do you think it's still possible for me to wear the strong pink and red lips I've loved for so long?  I want to wear colours I love, but in a way that suits my age. Any advice would be most gratefully received. Thanks!

 
You stated that your starting to notice signs of aging and fine lines on various parts of your face so I would recommend always using a primer for both your face and eyes so that your makeup doesn't settle into those lines and that it can last longer. You should try investing in anti-aging products, I know Olay has a tremendous line of products for anti-aging. You should also try Sephora and see what they have to offer.

I think your best bet is to stick with natural/neutral colors for daytime wear. Try investing in an eyeshadow palette from BH Cosmetics and play around with the different eyeshadows to see what suites you and what doesn't.

Here's a link to their 88 matte palette and for around $12 you really can't go wrong.

http://www.bhcosmetics.com/products/88-Color-Matte-Eyeshadow-Palette/

They have a ton of different eyeshadow finishes for you to choose from.

I think it's still possible for you to wear a bright pink or red lip. Make sure you use a lipliner to fill in your lips before applying lipstick to ensure the lipstick doesn't settle into the cracks of your lips. My best advice is to head over to MAC or Sephora and play around with the different color lipsticks and finishes to see which one compliments you better.

Hope this has helped!

 
My mom is 54, she and I have coloring similar to yours with green eyes. She still gets away with all the same colors as I do, I'm 32. I think the difference is in the details, using shadow and a eyeliner brush instead of a sharp line of liquid liner softens the eye, enhances without being too harsh. I think the key to bright lipstick at any age is a good lip liner. Bold lipstick can look great on anyone! I think a rosy gloss looks great on my mom, even though she has great lips, she's just never been a lipstick person. I, on the other hand love a bold lip and rock it on the regular :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I don't think there is an age limit to makeup, it's all in the application not the color or wether it's shimmer or matte. Maybe use a matte and shimmer together...it's all personal preference. Good luck! I don't think there is any time that I'll put myself in a box that says nope, that's not for you ;) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I agree, you can still wear the same colors, but go for soft, blended, smoky looks rather than sharp and bold.

 
Beware the shimmer! It will highlight lines and crepeyness. Go for mattes and satin shades, or at least avoid shimmer nearest the lined areas. You wear the colors that are most comfortable and fun for you. If you want to wear a bold color, go for it, or you could also go for a neutral palette but have fun with a colored liner, or just use both neutrals and colorful together to balance your look. I don't think there is an age limit to bold lip color, you just have to be careful to use a lip liner so it doesn't bleed. If you think it looks good on you, it probably does!

Oh and about the hair color, although most people think that blonde is better, or more interesting, it can look mousy or wash certain women out and they do choose to go brunette or red. Here are a few that might surprise you....

http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/entertainment-secretlyblonde/1/

 
You can still enjoy shimmer but you have to be very picky about which brand you choose. Drugstore, Urban Decay, and MAC will have intense shimmer so best to stay away from those. "Adult Shimmer" is a new term floating around describing eyeshadows with a HINT of a sheen shimmer to it. Makeup brands that are age conscious are the higher brand names like Burberry. Burberry is very expensive but their foundation has a light coverage to avoid highlighting any wrinkles and their eyeshadows are netural with adult shimmer. 

 
I'm two years younger than you are and how you described yourself is almost a description of me - I have black hair, yellow undertones and I love the colors you mention. When it comes to fine lines, which I have, you CAN use shimmer but in moderation. I have fine lines under my eyes and use Anastasia's firm serum before applying my foundation and makeup. At $45 it's pretty pricey but if you have a local Sephora get a free sample from them. :D /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Go ahead and use shimmer on your lid as an accent. Use it on your cheeks to give yourself a healthy glow. A little shimmer on your lips will look fantastic. Just practice, practice, practice with the products you have to see what looks best on you.

 
Bah.

I think the key to wearing shimmery eyeshadow in middle/ older age is blending. Blend, blend, blend!!

 
I also forgot to mention, if you end up not liking how the shimmer looks on you but love the colors you used you can always use a matte translucent powder and apply a bit over the make up to take down the shimmer.

 
I know mattes are suggested for mature skin, but I hate the look. It looks so dry, and to me ages people worse than shimmer. I would use satin everywhere and shimmer in strategic places, like the center of the lid and brow highlight.

 
Wow! I got some interesting replies, thanks to all of you! Some of them were unexpected, and some were contradictory to others, I suppose it's all a matter of perspective, really. I just remember when I was younger, looking at some older women, thinking to myself and saying to my friends, 'shoot me if I ever end up looking like that!' I don't want to look like mutton dressed up as lamb(as we say in England...even though I haven't lived there for a long time I still use all the slang terms, lol!) At the same time, I don't want to look like my mother or my grandma, elastic waist trousers made with  nasty material, shapeless tops, grey hair...yuck! (I do have the grey hair, but bless the creator of hair dye!)

I have a lot of heath issues, which really don't help. I'm in constant pain, which again, really doesn't help, as I frown a lot.

I just want to reach a happy medium, grow older gracefully( love Joan Rivers, but don't want to look like her) love Mum and Grandma, but don't want to look like them either. And I certainly don't want to look like the women I'd sometimes see...the 'mutton' ones...

Where can I get the 'mattifier'? That sounds interesting. And it's worth a go, even if it turns out I don't like the look. Is there a cheap on out there? Cheap face care too? We're not in the money unfortunately! I don't work, although hubby does.

 
Since you're in the UK... Rimmel London has a matte pressed powder. If you like loose powder there is Diorskin (I've never tried but Dior cosmetics are suppose to be nice). There are a few others listed on Boots website just use the keywords "matte powder".

http://www.boots.com

 
I'm 49, I wear Hourglass primer. I like Nars foundation, better than mineral powder foundation, cause it hides the wrinkles. But I use visnionarie by Lancome,and my face looks like a 30 year old's face. I have brown hair, with blonde streaks (my beautician colors it0, and I wear whatever color i want, generally matching my clothes. Visionaire is expensive, but it changed my  skin.I was one considering botox. Not now. 

 
Originally Posted by zadidoll /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Since you're in the UK... Rimmel London has a matte pressed powder. If you like loose powder there is Diorskin (I've never tried but Dior cosmetics are suppose to be nice). There are a few others listed on Boots website just use the keywords "matte powder".

http://www.boots.com
No, I'm not in the UK anymore! I'm form England, but I moved to the States 12 years back.

 
That's another thing too. I can't wear any of the minerals foundation, it used to be ok, but I had a hysterectomy when I was 35. Since then, obviously, my body has gone into full-blown meonpause, and I now not only get extreme hot flashes, but more subtle ones, my face sweats(yuck!) and I get warm and/or too hot very quickly regardless of temperature. The minerals reacts to the heat, and starts a very unpleasant burning/itching sensation which is really nasty, to be honest. So anyway, no more minerals for me!

 
I wore mineral foundation, I like it, but it doesn't have good coverage. I really like it. It doesn't stay on well, even with Hourglass Primer. foundation? Either Nars or Airbrush foundation by OCC. No more mineral.

 
Originally Posted by internetchick /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I know mattes are suggested for mature skin, but I hate the look. It looks so dry, and to me ages people worse than shimmer. I would use satin everywhere and shimmer in strategic places, like the center of the lid and brow highlight.

Yeah, mattes can be hard to work with, dry and powdery. I do like using a medium matte under my brow instead of the lighter shimmery colors that are expected. As I've aged the skin there has fallen/sagging somewhat and light shimmery colors highlight that, but matte medium ones make it recede so it looks more "normal".

 
Originally Posted by coachdiva /img/forum/go_quote.gif...

I have a lot of heath issues, which really don't help. I'm in constant pain, which again, really doesn't help, as I frown a lot....

I have herniated cervical discs so I know what you mean. I was getting a deep wrinkle between my eyes from the pain. I was put on morphine and it disappeared! You really can read pain on your face and the frowning and grimacing will cause wrinkles. I hope your doctor finds some relief for you soon.

 
Originally Posted by DonnaJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif



I have herniated cervical discs so I know what you mean. I was getting a deep wrinkle between my eyes from the pain. I was put on morphine and it disappeared! You really can read pain on your face and the frowning and grimacing will cause wrinkles. I hope your doctor finds some relief for you soon.

Thanks hon! Honestly, I've run the gamut with painkillers, and treatment, from physical therapy, to massage therapy, from Oxycontin, Methadone, Vicodin, Morphine..none of them work. I'm now on a mixture of Opana and stronger Percocet, it helps a lot. I'm probably be going in for an op soon, where they implant a neuro-stimulator into the nerves in your head, implant a device under your skin, then give you a control to turn it off/on, up/down etc. That should really help with the headaches. As for the other pain, there's not much can be done really, other than pain management. So there you go! It's a case of grin and bear it!

 

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