.)
THICK FOUNDATION
"Heavy makeup is a one-way
ticket to looking older than you actually are," says makeup artist Chrisanne Davis. Choose a sheer foundation or tinted moisturizer
(such as Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20), and after you apply it, press a damp makeup sponge into areas where you
have wrinkles to soak up any excess. While the less-is-more maxim may seem counterintuitive, "the more skin you can see, the
better," says makeup artist Sandy Linter. "As long as it is well-hydrated, fresh skin looks much more youthful than an obviously
covered complexion."
HEAVY CONCEALER
ON DARK CIRCLES
The skin under the eyes
gets thinner as we age, making thick cover-up look like concrete. Keep it light (we like Lancôme Effacernes Waterproof Protective
Undereye Concealer), and apply it with a brush. "The brush distributes the color more evenly," says Linter. And put it only
on dark areas, not under the entire eye.
FACE POWDER ON
TOP OF LINES
Powder is fine for reducing
shine on the nose and the chin, but on other parts of the face it exaggerates wrinkles and can make skin look too dry, says
Linter. The only time Linter dusts powder on clients over 40 is when she knows they're being professionally photographed (a
loose translucent formula does help cut glare), but even then, one unbreakable rule still applies: Avoid the eye area completely.
MAJOR LIPSTICK
Bright colors, dark shades,
and anything metallic or iridescent are too heavy for thinning lips. Instead, choose a neutral rose shade. And consider switching
from a lipstick to a sheer gloss—it will give you more fullness.
MASCARA ON THE
LOWER LASHES
It highlights crow's-feet.
And dark circles. And it just generally looks bad. Coat your top lashes with the blackest black mascara you can find—"it
will make the whites of your eyes look clearer and whiter," Linter says. It's also best to avoid superthick formulas that
don't separate easily. Lashes get dryer as we age, making mascara more likely to clump and fall onto your face. (Try Cover
Girl LashExact Mascara or Lancôme High Définicils High Definition Mascara.) And don't forget your curler. "Curling your lashes
is the easiest thing you can do to make your eyes look bigger—and therefore younger," says Davis. (We love the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler.)
