Makeup Looks By Age

I am Loath to Prescribe certain looks for certain ages. Yes, I've heard those rules that say teenagers should wear only lip gloss and grandmas should stick to subdued shades, but I think a lot of what makes each of us beautiful is our uniqueness, and this often comes through in the makeup we like to wear. That said, I will give you a few general age-related guidelines, which you can choose to follow or ignore depending on your tastes.

Your Teens

From a makeup standpoint, the teen years are difficult. Teens are naturally gorgeous ­so gorgeous, in fact, that you don't need makeup. Moreover, too much makeup can literally cover right over your natural beauty. Yet, the teen years are also a time of trying to figure out who you are, so it is natural to want to experiment. My advice is this: Skip the foundation and get a good concealer to mask blemishes, and a powder to help sop up excess oil.

Go ahead and buy all the outageous colors and sparkly tuff you want but don't wear it all at once. A bright fuchsia lip is much more dramatic when it doesn't have to compete with a heavily shadowed eye, and a glittery chartreuse eyeliner will draw much more attention if it doesn't have to compete with bright orange blush.

Avoid the temptation to try heavy foundation in your teens. Be as bold and bright as you like, but take advantage of your youthful complexion.

Your 20s

The 20s are different for everyone. Some people spend a good part of this decade earning university degrees, some get married and start families, some embark on high-powered careers, and still others drift a while, searching for just the right way to live. Whatever you are doing with yourself and however your life may be changing, this is a terrific time to learn how to use makeup. If you don't know how already, spend a little time experimenting at home, let your makeup-savvy friends help you, or find a makeup artist whose work seems in sync with your own beauty thinking. Most 20-somethings are very busy during the day, so looking good quickly is important. If you feel you need foundation, by all means find yourself a product that suits you perfectly, but most people can get by with a good concealer and a dusting of face powder. Finish the look with mascara, lip gloss, and a quick application of blush. When the sun goes down, you may have more time to spend on your face, just don't go overboard - you want to look intriguing and very stunning, not obvious and very cheap (as my grandmother would say).

After applying lipstick, close your mouth around the middle knuckle of your index finger, and then slowly slide the finger out of your mouth ­any potential teeth-staining lipstick will end up on your finger.

Your 30s

During your 30s, your life gets crazy-busy and your looks begin to mature. Combined, these factors emphasize the need for simple, flattering makeup. If you have noticed a bit of discoloration, broken blood vessels, or scars, a good foundation is a practical solution that can save you time and angst. If you want to do full makeup - with eye shadow and lipstick - for day wear, keep in mind that subtle colors tend to be the most youthful. For nighttime, subdued brights are especially flattering.

Sheer lip and eye colors are becoming increasingly popular and most product lines carry some of these colors. They are very flattering in your 30s.

You will probably be feeling more comfortable with the way you look now than you did in your teens and your 20s. If you haven't done so already, now is a good time to start working on your "signature style" where your makeup is concerned. You can still try out new products as you come across them, but hang on to the makeup staples that you know work well for you. Your skin may start to feel a little drier and you may start to see some lines around your eyes and mouth so alter your foundation and powder products to accommodate this.

Your 40s

As women enter their 40s, it's common for their skin to become drier and finely lined. For this reason, dewy makeup, such as moisturizing-formula foundations, loose powders, cream blushes, and cream eye shadows, are smart choices. Subtle colors on the eyes and cheeks are generally more flattering than bright colors. If you love bold shades, however, find yourself a gorgeous, strongly colored, moist­finish lipstick - the lips are one area that can take unabashed color without aging the face, as long as that color flatters your coloring.

Look for foundations with skin-firming properties to pump up your skin and even out dry lines.

Your 50s

How a woman looks in her 50s depends on her genetics and how she's cared for herself. Some women are so youthful-looking that the the makeup they wore during their 40s still works during their 50s, Other women may notice a distinct lack of firmness, deep folds between the nose and mouth, pouches under the eyes, dry skin fine lines, and splotchy discoloration. Makeup can help camouflage these signs - but only if applied lightly. Too much makeup settles into the creases of your face, making you look decades older than you are. Opt for a moisturizing foundation, applied with a sponge. Follow with cream formula cosmetics, which are better for your dry skin than powder. A light dusting of face powder helps set makeup and a finishing mist of water from an atomizer helps keep makeup from looking heavy or cakey. As for colors, subtlety is most flattering for the eyes and cheeks, but if you'd like a shot of color somewhere, put it on the lips. Just be sure the lip color you choose flatters your complexion and has a moist finish. Anything that clashes with your skin can look aging, as can makeup with a matte finish.

Your 60s and beyond

For a lot of older women, a full face of makeup can look aging. There are a few reasons for this: The color of our hair, eyes, and complexion all grow more subdued as we age, and makeup often competes with, clashes with, or totally overpowers our natural coloring. Gravity and collagen breakdown can leave our skin slack, making makeup placement - especially blush and eye shadow - difficult. Finally, our skin grows dry and lined, which in turn affects the way makeup sits on our skin. For these reasons, suggest older women skip foundation and powder, and instead find a good concealer to pat on broken veins, brown splotches, and other skin glitches. Instead of trying to define cheekbones with blush - something that can be difficult if skin is slack - aim for a very subtle touch of color in the cheek area, the temple and the chin. This helps create a soft glow to older skin, which - thanks to slowed circulation - often lacks color. Lip color should also be subtle - and don't forget the lip liner, to keep color from migrating to the skin around the lips. As for eye shadow, I'd skip it. That doesn t mean ignoring eyes outright.

Our lashes often grow skimpy as we age, so mascara is a great way to keep eyes looking youthful. Black is too harsh against older skin. Instead, opt for mascara in brown-black or brown. Speaking of eyes, many older people's brows become unruly and gray. For this reason, keep a close eye on them, trimming long, curly brow hairs and plucking stragglers. You may also notice crazy hairs sprouting in other areas too, such as the top of the nose, the chin, or the jaw. Get a magnifying mirror and once a week position yourself in an area with strong light so you can remove these hairs with tweezers.