Makeup can be a complicated conundrum for many of us, further complicated by the fact that our skin care needs change as we age, necessitating adjustments in the ol’ arsenal. Do we need matte or shimmer shadow? Dewy foundation or powder finished? Is a color correcting cream in order? Should concealer be a shade lighter than foundation? There’s a lot to consider, and who wants to think about all this at 6 a.m. when getting ready for the day? Not me.
For help in this department, we enlisted the expertise of the beauty experts at Gus Mayer’s Chanel counter to break it all down for us. (And, yes, we’ll be back a later date with some great drugstore makeup finds as well!)
20s
Oh, to be young again! Take advantage of youthful skin’s natural glow and embrace products aimed at preserving and protecting your skin. Experiment with brighter colors to make eyes or lips stand out. For a polished look, add a brow-taming gel, and remember that brows are intended to frame the face so by all means, DO NOT OVERPLUCK YOUR BROWS. Trust us, you’ll regret it later.
On Brailyn Hardy, makeup artist Evelyn used a touch of concealer to even things out and accentuate her healthy glow. A sheer foundation was topped off by a bit of sheer powder for shading. She used blush in Malice to accentuate Brailyn’s cheeks. On her eyes, an eyeshadow quad called Tisse Fivoli was used, as well as eyeline rebene and marr on glace with a volumizing mascara and brun naturel eyebrow pencil. On her lips is Edith #424 from the soon-to-be released Coco Rouge collection available February 25.
Brailyn’s favorite product
Early 30s
Skin may begin to show signs of aging in your 30s, so it’s a good time to take inventory of your products and phase in multitasking firming and wrinkle-reducing products, eye cream and perhaps a prescription-level retinoid cream. Learn how to use concealer to your advantage to mask discoloration or blemishes, lighten shaded areas and work with foundation to provide a smooth, even skin tone.
Eva used a bit of Correcteur Perfection plus Vitalumierre Aqua on Alicia Rohan, topped off with a light touch of beige powder to finish the look. Her cheeks were accentuated with a swipe of Innocence. To set off her eyes, a brightening eye shadow base was applied prior to the Tisse Camelia quad and Ebene and Cassiss liner. It’s a bit hard to tell in the photo, but Alicia’s lashes were swiped with a generous coat of prune-colored volumizing mascara, and her brows were filled in and tamed with Brun Cendre. Alicia is wearing lip color Coco Rouge Cecile, a great universal color that works on multiple skin tones.
Alicia’s favorite product
Mid- to late-30s
As we approach the upper 30s, this is the time when skin can start to show visible signs of aging with fine lines beginning to creep in and a loss of elasticity. Feather lines around the lips may also begin to appear, so consider adding a some antiaging serums to your routine.
For Krista Conlin’s look, Sherrie used a CC Cream, plus a correcting concealer and tinted moisturizer to achieve a perfect skin look. To brighten and bronze, Les Beige Healthy Glow was added followed by Jardin de Chanel blush from the new Spring collection on her cheeks. Tisse Rivoli quad shadows with Ebene and Espresso liners give Krista’s eyes a natural looking enhancement. Lips are lined in Rosey, then filled in with color in Roussy topped with a bit of Affriolant gloss to finish this look.
Krista’s favorite product
40s
This is the time when the ghosts of spring break-past start to revisit with dark spots, hyper pigmentation and even breakouts due to hormonal shifts. Skin tends to be looser, thinner and drier in our 40s, so combat this with antiaging serums, a good moisturizer and add a multitasking primer to your makeup arsenal. Use light-reflecting products with subtle shimmer (too much shimmer can stick to fine lines and creases making you look older while matte products can be aging, too).
Eva started with a color correcting cream and concealer and then used a compact foundation which provides more coverage. She used Jersey blush to highlight my cheeks. For my eyes, a brightening base was applied followed by the Tisse Vendom quad, Ebene and Espresso liners and a generous application of volumizing mascara. She filled in my brows with a pencil and lined my lips with plum liner. Coco Rouge Elise lipstick topped with Happy gloss complete the look.
My favorite product
50s
As we enter our 50s, we begin to notice further pigmentation, as well as spider veins. Pores begin to enlarge due to loosening skin, and maintaining hydration is growing ever-more important. Our eyes can turn on us, revealing our age via sagging eyelids and more pronounced wrinkles. And while this may all sound gloom and doom, fear not! There are options to help enhance the strong points and hush the not-so-strong ones.
Our 50s model is Rebecca Stallings, Gus Mayer’s assistant manager. Her face was prepped with a CC cream and Chanel’s Les Beiges line of contour and powder. To add definition, her cheek bones and the edges of her face were contoured with a rose bronze. Since brows tend to get more sparse with age, her brows were filled in with a brow definer with slate-colored shadow. Her eyes feature Mystic Eyes shadow with espresso-colored liner and Le Volume mascara. Sherrie used the Claire pencil to enhance and correct the lips before lining them in scarlet and filling in with Arthur lipstick.
Rebecca’s favorite product
Thank you Eva, Evelyn and Sherrie for showing us how to look our best as we age! For more beauty tips check out our beauty and skin care stories HERE.
