Makeup for mature skin

The right approach uses two or three very thin layers instead of one heavy one, each applied only where it is needed.

This works because a thin layer follows the relief of the skin while a heavy one fills it in. Filled relief reappears over the course of a day — and that is the moment it becomes obvious where product was applied too thickly.

On mature skin the choice of texture matters more than brand or price.

• Cream products — better, because they move with the skin
• Dry powders — emphasise texture, so minimal and only through the T-zone
• Glitter particles — emphasise pores and fine lines
• Matte lip formulas — emphasise vertical lip lines
• A hydrating base — the most reliable choice of all

Product always gathers in the same three places: the nasolabial fold, under the eyes, and the vertical lines of the lip.

Those are the three most mobile areas of the face. So they are exactly where product goes on most thinly — not most thickly, as instinct suggests.

With age a face loses natural contrast: brows lighten and the lip edge softens. Those two changes affect how a face reads more than skin tone does.

So on mature skin, rebuilding the brow and defining the lip line often make a greater difference than any base.

The common request is for makeup that makes someone look younger. In practice youthful technique on mature skin emphasises the difference rather than hiding it — a shimmering lid and warm pink blush being two typical examples.

A better result comes from another direction entirely: clean tone, a clear brow and one well-executed accent. That is what still photographs well years later.