How not to look older -- I'm only 32

[missrachelk]

Hi Ladies! I'm brand new to silk naturals, natural makeup, really makeup in general : )

I'm 32 and am starting to have some fine lines.

The instant I put on some of the things I tried out I look OLDER it's horrible! The sleep in a jar and the lighter eyeshadows are the worst. The sleep in a jar makes my undereye area look super baggy, yes less dark/purple-y but so much worse than nothing.
Same with the eyeshadow. The Friday eyeshadow that I had high hopes for makes every little line in my eyelid super evident and makes my lid look much more hooded.

Am I doing something wrong?

What products / colors are better for 'older' skin / fine lines?

[rymorg2]

Welcome!

My first thought is do you use a primer on your face and eye area? Primers fill in fine lines and make the makeup apply very smoothly. I'm going to be 40 in March and I wear minerals every day. Wearing a primer really makes it look far better than when I wear the powders alone.

[Xarata]

have you tried the cream sticks instead?

[shiny]

I feel your pain! Fifty-five with hooded eyes and fine lines now becoming not-so-fine. I've learned that most shimmers make me look old, but the mattes and suedes are very flattering.

You didn't say what color your eyes are, or whether your skin tone is cool, warm or neutral, so I can't say that the colors that work for me will work for you, too. But if you have hooded eyes, here's a technique that helps:

Use a light highlight color on the inner 2/3 of your lids. My favorites are Bristol, Restless and Goddess.

For the crease and outer 1/3 of the lid, use a medium matte or low shimmer color, bringing it higher than the crease. Don't go too dark! With my grey-blue-green eyes, I prefer coppers, pinks, browns and brownish taupes- something opposite of my eye color to bring them out. Some of my favorites are Mink (the shimmer is barely noticable), Eutaupia, Stag, Terra, Martian, and Scene Stealer... all applied with a light touch, not laid on heavy and thick. Use a color that contrasts with your eye color, so if you have brown eyes, use blues, greys and cool taupes. If your eyes are green or hazel, the purple family should look good.

Use a highlight color (perhaps the same one you used on your lid) just under the brow and blend with the middle color where they meet. You can do a great look with just two colors, a highlight and medium matte.

Pick a not-too-dark color for a liner. I like Prowl if I'm using a brown in the crease, or Bewitched if I'm using a cooler color like Martian or Mink. I only use liner on the outer 3rd of my upper and lower eyelids to make my eyes look wider apart. I don't circle my entire eye.

Fill in your eyebrows if they are sparse or missing. Go with something a bit lighter than your hair color (unless you're blonde). It's amazing how nice, well-defined eyebrows can make you look younger! If I could only use one makeup product, it would be SN's Light Brunette Brow Powder. It makes a good liner, too.

As for wrinkles and fine lines, Karen's skin care line is wonderful! Make sure you stay hydrated. That means lots of water. Colas, coffee and tea (anything with caffeine) are dehydrating and will dry out your skin. A good rule of thumb to stay hydrated is for every cola or cup of coffee, drink two glasses of water. Low-fat diets made my skin dry, too, but that might just be me.

Hope this helps!

[missrachelk]

Thanks! I am using a primer, a silicone one ( I think ) from ELF, I've used a bare minerals one in the past.

I think cream products might just be better for me in general, and application techniques - I watched some videos about using a beauty blender tonight

I'm not sure what color my undertones are - the veins inside my wrist look green. I have 1/4 Greek ancestry. I think I'm yellow / olive but I am quite pale ( I can tan I just never go in the sun anymore. I have dark brown hair and blue eyes. The discoloration on my face is a lot of redness from old acne. My under eye area is pretty dark -- I'm mama to a toddler : )

I like the blue eyes kit (doubloons and brown sugar I believe) I just need to get my base sorted out.

I'm trying a bunch of skincare samples I'm liking the firming moisturizer best. But I think I'll need a creamier moisturizer over it sometimes as well.
Thanks!!

[Die Marchen]

Thank you, shiny! I am 32 as the topic starter and I came to the same things you wrote myself and happy to see that they make sense, it was not an illusion!))
My fave for outer V is Latent, it works great with many colors, its combo with Goddess is one of the easiest way to look good. With Boom or Mahalo on the lid it is easy and really refined look. And a primer is must. And good moisturizer before applying powders. If I use a too oily product the powder turns into a mask that dries later, if too light - my face is flakey dry. So something it between is the best.
And the truth is we are now getting older and the age starts becoming visible. And what worked some time ago doesn't compliment anymore. I am passing away my ex-favorite shimmers and glimmers and saing hello to suedes, mattes and their cousins

[shiny]

You can always use Karen's Welcome Matte to "mattify" your sparklies. That's what I'm planning to do with the shimmers in the Naked 3 pallet.

[Springfairy]

My trick is to use SN cream concealer not only under my eyes but also on my whole eye. It provides a more unified look to apply minerals on. If I use more shiny colours for the evening, I also apply a bit of Stick'Em primer. As recommended before, Welcome Matte can also help.
Suedes, Eyelights and Mattes are probably the best for you.

You can find some really good tips in this video about doing hooded eye makeup.
http://www.lisaeldridge.com/video/25422 ... ture-eyes/#