Does makeup age you?

[Elegant]

My mother used so much makeup that I decided from an early age not to wear any at all. Recently I have decided that I would like to start wearing some, like mascara and light lip gloss. I have a good complexion, or so I have been told, and I look young for my age (I''m 33). My mom is 59 years old and looks it, especially around her eyes where she wore tons of eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, foundation, etc.

So what are your thoughts?

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Like with most things, it depends. Makeup done wrong can age you....shimmers, glosses, heavy foundations and powders should be avoided when you''re older because they get sucked into fine lines very easily. However, the right the makeup on an older woman can do wonders as far as subtracting the years.
A good rule of thumb is make sure you''re buying good brands and trying things out before. Even if you just do a sample, and let it wear naturally for a few hours. Another thing, less is more. Even when you''re older and you feel like you have more problem areas on your face, avoiding a ton of makeup is advisable. Use primers and do the base work, these are products created specifically to help you out so that you do get settling, running, or creasing.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 8/1/2009 8:02:24 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor
Like with most things, it depends. Makeup done wrong can age you....shimmers, glosses, heavy foundations and powders should be avoided when you''re older because they get sucked into fine lines very easily. However, the right the makeup on an older woman can do wonders as far as subtracting the years.
A good rule of thumb is make sure you''re buying good brands and trying things out before. Even if you just do a sample, and let it wear naturally for a few hours. Another thing, less is more. Even when you''re older and you feel like you have more problem areas on your face, avoiding a ton of makeup is advisable. Use primers and do the base work, these are products created specifically to help you out so that you do get settling, running, or creasing.

Speaking up for all the old folk here. I''m sure we would love to hear your recommendations Italia, starting with the primer. I have always had very dark circles under my eyes, which I have successfully covered up for many years with touche eclat (YSL). Now I''m starting to get the puddling thing going on, so any tips would be so welcome.

And to answer th original quesion - I never did feel that make-up aged me until very recently.

Fast approaching 48 despited the brakes being full on!

 

[Indylady]

I''ve heard that a rule of thumb is for every night you sleep with make up on, your skin looks eight days older. I would definitely believe that make-up does have the power to age you when used too often/incorrectly.

 

[cellentani]

As a 40yr old, I can say that less is more, but I''ve come to realize two things: having good skin to begin with is crucial (nothing goes on right if your skin is flakey, bumpy, or dry - texture is key!), and applying makeup that looks like you''re not wearing any, takes a surprising amount of time to apply.

Maybe we need some before and after pics - anyone feeling brave?

 

[HollyS]

Makeup won''t probably cause aging, unless extraordinary measures are needed for cleansing the face to remove the makeup.

However, too much makeup merely ''highlights'' problem areas like lines around the eyes and mouth, or crepey skin, loss of tone, etc.

I use far less makeup now than when I was in my 20s. I almost never wear foundation for instance. Just concealer, a little powder, lipgloss, and some eye makeup. I gave up lipliner, dark eyeliner, dark and matte lip color, and blusher. If I have too much color, I look like a clown. Too little, and I disappear. It''s a delicate balance. Too much makeup looks matronly - - a word that makes me cringe!

 

[Black Jade]

Don''t know.
I''m so allergic I never had the choice to wear makeup; neither can I use skin products.
My mom is the same. My father started saying by the time she was in her forties that her skin looked so much better than the women he knew who had always used makeup--but he was talking about 1940''s products, they probably were harsher.
She is almost eighty now and still has lovely skin. I am over 50 and have no skin issues--I don''t have any lines on my face yet nor bags under my eyes nor any loss of firmness on face or neck or hands. But my sister ALWAYS wears makeup and quite a lot of it and she doesn''t have any of these issues either. When I see her without makeup, her skin is exactly the same as mine and she''s over 50 too. So we may jsut have good genetics. On the other hand though, neither of us does anyof the things that are known to cause premature aging--we don''t suntan, ever; we don''t smoke; we don''t drink caffeine, we drink tons of water, mymother raised us on health food (no fast food ever and no prepared food with chemicals, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables) and eight hours sleep every night (yes, I know I''m typing at 4 in the morning, but this is unusual, I get my eight hours). I am normal weight also--I mean, I am not underweight. I lived in NYC a long time and always noticed that the very, very thin women there seemed to wrinkle really fast--I don''t mean a little thin, I mean what they used to call the lollipops, where your head is way the biggest part of you. Of course a lot of them also smoked and drank coffee, but I do think a little subcutaneous fat is helpful, especially as you getter older to avoid that very drawn look.

I actually don''t think wrinkles are terrible; I know women who are pretty who have wrinkles and I would expect to have some wrinkles in my 60''s and 70''s--my mom doesn''t have NO wrinkles now that she''s eighty. But I don''t think its actually normal for women in their 40''s and 50''s to be wrinkling the way women do nowadays (much less in their thirties, like you see sometimes). I don''t know that makeup is so much an issue as the sun damage people get nowadays, on purpose. If you look at photos of women in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, before the craze for sun tanning started, you see older women with very smooth skin. Also, cultures that don''t practice this, Asian people, black people, Arabic descent, women don''t have the wrinkles early even nowadays. I don''t know that I''d worry about makeup (although if you wear so much that your skin never breathes and you wear it 24/7, that could be a problem) as I would just stay out of the sun (I always wonder if sunscreen is really as good for you as a big hat, an umbrella sometimes and staying indoors between 11-2--sunscreen has chemicals too). And give up coffee (sorry) and go to bed earlier.

 

[Lorelei]

As you age tone it down, use less but more effectively and concentrate on one feature, either eyes or lips - not both. A fresh pink for blusher is very flattering moreso than peach tones I find. Gloss or sheer lip tint is more flattering than traditional lipsticks, if you must use lip liner apply lip colour first then fill in lightly where needed. Don't draw your mouth with lip pencil before lipstick, harsh lines look very ageing and old fashioned. Powder very lightly only where needed, nose, chin and so on. If you wear foundation use a light quality one, some modern foundations don't need powder to set them nowadays. Use concealer for problem areas rather than a foundation mask.

 

[ecf8503]

I agree with what''s been said so far - and less is more often times! Although, my beautiful grandmother had very droopy eyelids, and i remember her looking gorgeous with her black liquid liner and sable brown shadow, as it barely showed anyway! She wore foundation, blush, and a nice cherry pink lipstick, had beautiful, although droopy skin, and I thought she was stunning! Fwiw.

I''m 38 now (!!!) and as I get older I''ve experimented with the mineral makeups and I like them a lot - done wonders for my skin I think since I''ve used them. They are much less heavy than the liquid foundations, and you can put them on as heavy or light as you want. I''ve been experimenting with some natural-tones eyeshadows and different (lighthanded) blushes too, and so far so good most of the time I think (then again I love watching the Bare Escentuals things on QVC and marveling at how the ladies look there. And they do use models of all skin tones and ages too!).

I second all the things said here in terms of staying out of the sun (especially since skin cancer runs in my family), drink lots of water, minimize caffeine (not necessarily coffee, which has proven antioxidant health benefits apparently, like teas of some varieties), eat nutritiously, exercise, get plenty of sleep, etc.

 

[Lynn B]

Interesting thread.

No, I don''t think that make-up products in themselves "age" a person. On the contrary, a lot of foundations, powders, etc., nowadays have effective SPF protection that can benefit the skin, long-term.

HOWEVER, sometime just a woman''s CHOICE of products can "age" (or "date") her.

I think a good piece of advice for women past 40 or 50 is this... look frankly and critically at your make-up products. Are you still wearing the same thick "pancake" make-up or the same frosty blue eyeshadow you wore 20 (or more) years ago?! Or the same shimmery candy pink lipstick? These are out of style now!

Keep an eye on what''s fashionable NOW and adjust your make-up products accordingly.

Ditto with hairstyles.

 

[Lorelei]

Oh and watch the mascara too - some thickening mascaras can look as if they have been applied with a bead gun

, so build up gradually and watch out for blobs and clumps. I spend a lot on mascara and find it is worth it, Lancome do some good ones.

 

[Steel]

Thick make up rarely does any complexion a favour - referring both to skin care and beauty-look.

Everying in moderation - including the slap.

ETA: What does scare me is watching American TV like MTV; the girls who are 12-15 looking like 18 + year olds. I would be so worried to be a young man looking at these 'young women' plastered in slap, dressed like hoochie mommas thinking what young men think about young wonen not knowing they are really minors.

ETA2: I say American TV because over here and in the UK a 14 year old in teeny clothes with piles of make up looks like a a 14 year old in teeny clothes with piles of make up. The American girls somehow all look much older.

 

[Shopaholic]

I like to use make-up TO age me! hehe! Yet people still think I am way younger than I am with it on, so you can imagine how much younger I look sans make-up! There comes a time when teenagers hitting on you gets bothersome!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/2/2009 8:39:48 AM
Author: Lorelei
Oh and watch the mascara too - some thickening mascaras can look as if they have been applied with a bead gun

, so build up gradually and watch out for blobs and clumps. I spend a lot on mascara and find it is worth it, Lancome do some good ones.

 

[rainwood]

I''m a big fan of tinted moisturizer. I''ve never liked foundation, but even less so now that I''m in my 50''s. The tinted moisturizer adds some color but doesn''t look like makeup. A lot of people swear by Laura Mercier but her tints don''t work for my skin tone. I use a bronze moisturizer by Caudalie in the summer to give me some glow.

I have noticed that I need to wear a matte eye shadow now rather than shimmer, and cream eye shadow can be tricky. Crows'' feet don''t bother me though nor do any of the other wrinkles that come from smiling. They just mean you''ve led a happy life!

 

[Haven]

I agree that too much of the wrong makeup will age anyone. I''ve seen teenagers cake on the foundation and it makes their complexion look like it''s suffered through years of beatings from the sun.

I''m with you on the tinted moisturizer, Rainwood. I started wearing it after a makeup artist at Mac told me I needed *something* on my face. (I don''t wear foundation, and I find that I''m to heavy handed with bronzer to use it effectively.)
Sometimes I mix a bit of foundation with my face lotion when I''m feeling too cheap to buy actual tinted moisturizer, it works just the same.

Elegant--I imagine your mom''s skin is showing her age due to sun exposure, sleeping with her makeup on, or just plain genetics, rather than her habit of wearing makeup. But, who knows?

 

[Elegant]

Interesting. I do also try to stay out of the sun but when I go on field trips, like outdoor field trips, I put on my sunscreen but still get burned! I am pretty fair skinned. Yeah, my mom isn''t a sunbather but she has olive skin. I get my fair skin from my father. She smoked and did all the crazy 70''s partying.

I usually wear clear chapsticky type of stuff with no color. I was also thinking about using the mineral face powder if I had to. I don''t know if I have to though?

I find that when I use eyeliner it starts smearing or something. I like mascara because it defines my eyes. My face tends to blend in on itself...

I wouldn''t use eyeshadow though. Hmmm...

 

[brightlight]

Date: 8/2/2009 2:50:24 PM
Author: Elegant
Interesting. I do also try to stay out of the sun but when I go on field trips, like outdoor field trips, I put on my sunscreen but still get burned! I am pretty fair skinned. Yeah, my mom isn''t a sunbather but she has olive skin. I get my fair skin from my father. She smoked and did all the crazy 70''s partying.

I usually wear clear chapsticky type of stuff with no color. I was also thinking about using the mineral face powder if I had to. I don''t know if I have to though?

I find that when I use eyeliner it starts smearing or something. I like mascara because it defines my eyes. My face tends to blend in on itself...

I wouldn''t use eyeshadow though. Hmmm...

Smoking can really age your face. She probably has a bit of the "smoker''s face." My dad smoked for a long time and has it bad.

 

[gemgirl]

Date: 8/2/2009 8:33:18 AM
Author: Lynn B
Interesting thread.

No, I don''t think that make-up products in themselves ''age'' a person. On the contrary, a lot of foundations, powders, etc., nowadays have effective SPF protection that can benefit the skin, long-term.

HOWEVER, sometime just a woman''s CHOICE of products can ''age'' (or ''date'') her.

I think a good piece of advice for women past 40 or 50 is this... look frankly and critically at your make-up products. Are you still wearing the same thick ''pancake'' make-up or the same frosty blue eyeshadow you wore 20 (or more) years ago?! Or the same shimmery candy pink lipstick? These are out of style now!

Keep an eye on what''s fashionable NOW and adjust your make-up products accordingly.

Ditto with hairstyles.

I so agree with Lynn. Some women never let go of the style that was in when they were young. Oprah did a show on "blue eye shadow ladies" years ago. It was very funny. My own mother wore "I Love Lucy" red lipstick until the very late 1960s when my Aunt (her sister) bought her a tube of frosty pink lipstick to try. At least that was in style back then.

I also think that using the wrong products can cause a woman to look older than she is. Oil based foundations are out. Too heavy. If your skin is dry even after applying the foundation, it will settle into all the lines and wrinkles and cause skin to look worse. As we age, we should opt for the sheerer foundations and ones with light defusers. I''m in my 50''s now and I use two moisturizers under my make-up in winter time and my make-up has moisture in it too. The moisture helps an awful lot. And a good rule of thumb for make-up in general is less is more.

 

[beau13]

Date: 8/1/2009 10:19:46 PM
Author: szh07
I've heard that a rule of thumb is for every night you sleep with make up on, your skin looks eight days older. I would definitely believe that make-up does have the power to age you when used too often/incorrectly.

It's a fact!!
Indeed, for those who wear their makeup to bed, without washing their faces before retiring for the night, you are
aging your skin 8-10 days! So..if you wear never wash your face for one month straight (in the evening, before bed, removing makeup, pollutants, environmental toxins ), you have just allowed the delicate skin on your face to age an entire 9 months!!
WOW!! An easy way to look months, and years younger is to remove makeup before bedtime, your skin needs to breathe!

 

[radiantquest]

I don''t know for sure, but I have heard that make up can age your skin. I get out of the shower and moisterize my face then I put concealer in the corners and under my eyes to get rid of those dark areas. Then a layer of powder to absorb excess moisture. Then I put on a bronzer then blush. I wear eyeliner, mascara and eyeshadow on my eyes. I finish off by using a sheer highlighter powder. I don''t have a problem with clogged pores and I am a firm believer that the better products you use the less it will harm your complexion or make you age.

 

[vespergirl]

I think that I light touch is the way to go. First, start with a good eye cream. I''m also 33, but I''ve been wearing eye cream since I was 17, and every time I get a facial, the estheticicans tell me that I have no wrinkles around my eyes, like someone ten years younger.

I would wear a tinted moisturizer - Laura Mercier and Clinique both make excellent ones. I also recommend a liquid highlighting concealer around your eyes, like YSL Touche Eclat. Then you can use a rosy cream or gel blush on the apples of your cheeks (Tarte makes a good one), and maybe some shimmery cream eye shadow on your eyelids (Revlon makes a good one). Also wear some brown mascara, and some lip gloss, and you''re good to go (I love Cover Girl mascaras and lip glosses).

I recommended all creamy formulas because they are moisturizing, look a lot mroe natural, and "melt" into the skin. Also, they won''t cause or accentuate wrinking. The look I described above is my "every day" look (I''m a SAHM) and I occasionally get compliments on how I look good with no makeup - I am wearing some, but it''s such a natural look, that I look refreshed, not "made up."

 

[plethora23]

Date: 8/3/2009 9:23:37 AM
Author: vespergirl
I think that I light touch is the way to go. First, start with a good eye cream. I''m also 33, but I''ve been wearing eye cream since I was 17, and every time I get a facial, the estheticicans tell me that I have no wrinkles around my eyes, like someone ten years younger.

I would wear a tinted moisturizer - Laura Mercier and Clinique both make excellent ones. I also recommend a liquid highlighting concealer around your eyes, like YSL Touche Eclat. Then you can use a rosy cream or gel blush on the apples of your cheeks (Tarte makes a good one), and maybe some shimmery cream eye shadow on your eyelids (Revlon makes a good one). Also wear some brown mascara, and some lip gloss, and you''re good to go (I love Cover Girl mascaras and lip glosses).

I recommended all creamy formulas because they are moisturizing, look a lot mroe natural, and ''melt'' into the skin. Also, they won''t cause or accentuate wrinking. The look I described above is my ''every day'' look (I''m a SAHM) and I occasionally get compliments on how I look good with no makeup - I am wearing some, but it''s such a natural look, that I look refreshed, not ''made up.''

What eye cream do yo use? I''m on the hunt for one that won''t cause milia around my eyes...

 

[Amethyste]

I have mixed feelings about make-up. I love it and hate it at the same time. i NEVER rely on makeup to camouflage my skin or its flaws, I try to use it in a way to enhance my assets. I use a good moisturizer, mineral powder lipgloss and mascara. I am almost 40, and my skin still looks really fresh and mostly wrinkle free.

I personally rather look at a minimal makeup lady with wrinkles than a face that looks like the Joker. Ugh.

LESS IS MORE!

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 8/3/2009 12:38:41 PM
Author: plethora23

Date: 8/3/2009 9:23:37 AM
Author: vespergirl
I think that I light touch is the way to go. First, start with a good eye cream. I''m also 33, but I''ve been wearing eye cream since I was 17, and every time I get a facial, the estheticicans tell me that I have no wrinkles around my eyes, like someone ten years younger.

I would wear a tinted moisturizer - Laura Mercier and Clinique both make excellent ones. I also recommend a liquid highlighting concealer around your eyes, like YSL Touche Eclat. Then you can use a rosy cream or gel blush on the apples of your cheeks (Tarte makes a good one), and maybe some shimmery cream eye shadow on your eyelids (Revlon makes a good one). Also wear some brown mascara, and some lip gloss, and you''re good to go (I love Cover Girl mascaras and lip glosses).

I recommended all creamy formulas because they are moisturizing, look a lot mroe natural, and ''melt'' into the skin. Also, they won''t cause or accentuate wrinking. The look I described above is my ''every day'' look (I''m a SAHM) and I occasionally get compliments on how I look good with no makeup - I am wearing some, but it''s such a natural look, that I look refreshed, not ''made up.''

What eye cream do yo use? I''m on the hunt for one that won''t cause milia around my eyes...

My favorite for the past couple of years has been Clinique All About Eyes "Rich." I don''t care for the regular All About Eyes formula, but I love the "Rich" formula. It hasn''t given me any milia, and totally takes away any creasing around my eyes from dry skin or makeup (I can even use powder over it with no creasing). It also claims to take away puffiness & dark circles, but I don''t have issues with those, so I haven''t noticed a difference either way when it comes to those things - I really think it''s great to combat wrinkles & crepiness. I''ve tried $100 eye creams, and this $30 Clinique is still my favorite

 

[plethora23]

Date: 8/3/2009 1:04:14 PM
Author: vespergirl

Date: 8/3/2009 12:38:41 PM
Author: plethora23

Date: 8/3/2009 9:23:37 AM
Author: vespergirl
I think that I light touch is the way to go. First, start with a good eye cream. I''m also 33, but I''ve been wearing eye cream since I was 17, and every time I get a facial, the estheticicans tell me that I have no wrinkles around my eyes, like someone ten years younger.

I would wear a tinted moisturizer - Laura Mercier and Clinique both make excellent ones. I also recommend a liquid highlighting concealer around your eyes, like YSL Touche Eclat. Then you can use a rosy cream or gel blush on the apples of your cheeks (Tarte makes a good one), and maybe some shimmery cream eye shadow on your eyelids (Revlon makes a good one). Also wear some brown mascara, and some lip gloss, and you''re good to go (I love Cover Girl mascaras and lip glosses).

I recommended all creamy formulas because they are moisturizing, look a lot mroe natural, and ''melt'' into the skin. Also, they won''t cause or accentuate wrinking. The look I described above is my ''every day'' look (I''m a SAHM) and I occasionally get compliments on how I look good with no makeup - I am wearing some, but it''s such a natural look, that I look refreshed, not ''made up.''

What eye cream do yo use? I''m on the hunt for one that won''t cause milia around my eyes...

My favorite for the past couple of years has been Clinique All About Eyes ''Rich.'' I don''t care for the regular All About Eyes formula, but I love the ''Rich'' formula. It hasn''t given me any milia, and totally takes away any creasing around my eyes from dry skin or makeup (I can even use powder over it with no creasing). It also claims to take away puffiness & dark circles, but I don''t have issues with those, so I haven''t noticed a difference either way when it comes to those things - I really think it''s great to combat wrinkles & crepiness. I''ve tried $100 eye creams, and this $30 Clinique is still my favorite

Cool. I''ll try it. I''ve been using the Kate Somerville Line Release at $125 a bottle and although it hasn''t clogged my pores or given me milia (like La Mer or Chanel did) it doesn''t seem to help that much with the crepiness. I''m the same age as you so I hope it works for me too! Thanks!

 

[luv2sparkle]

I had problem skin most of my early years and started wearing Bare Esentuals about 10 years ago. I couldnt believe what it did for my skin. The first time I
put it on, my husband said Wow! That was good enough for me. Over the years my skin has steadily improved and I constantly get compliments on it. I dont
think the problem is make-up, but all the chemicals that are in it. When I was in my early 20''s I tried Clinique''s oil free and wound up with cystic acne that took
months to get rid of. Minerals are a benefit to us in most cases and I have had excellent results. I also use retin-A several times a week and stay out of sun.

Some people say that they cant wear mineral make-up but I think there is a learning curve in using it. Moisturizer or primer is a help as well. It is worth a try.
If you buy it from some retailer they have a return policy that if you dont like it you can return it. Nordstrom, Sephora and QVC are a few.